Things Are Getting Hot Over That Bluebird Canyon Sweat Lodge

Sorry about that punny headline, but it's what editors do. Anyway, that Native American sweat lodge uncovered in January when someone called the cops to report a dude taking a whiz in some nearby bushes?

Now Rita Robinson of the Independent reports that, predictably, folks in both city government and sweat lodge owner Andrew Soliz' Bluebird Canyon neighborhood are starting to get all huffy about it.

Residents are complaining about crowds, parking, and Soliz' use of propane tanks to heat the rocks used in his backyard ceremonies (which are also performed in a 15-foot-high tipi) at 932 Meadowlark Dr. And official mucky-mucks from the city are getting on Soliz' case about building code compliance and zoning laws.

Soliz tells Robinson he's being attacked. From the story:

“This has been happening to American Indians for hundreds of years,” said Soliz.  “I guess it’s my turn to fight the fight.”

Soliz cites the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 as protection to practice his religion where he chooses.  “I don’t believe I’m doing anything wrong and I’m willing to stand for that fight,” said Soliz, who moved to Laguna Beach from Ojai in 2010. “This is my home and I have the right to practice my spirituality in my home.”

Robinson also penned a this-is-what-it-feels-like-to-be-in-a-sweat-lodge bit of first-person reportage ...