Tag: Laguna Beach

Suspect Turns Herself in for Fatal Hit-and-Run in Laguna Beach

An 18-year-old woman was arrested Friday, Aug. 12, in connection with a fatal hit-and-run that killed a man and injured his wife while they were celebrating their wedding anniversary in Laguna Beach, authorities said in a statement. The suspect, Sysillia Morrison Montes De Oca, was apprehended after turning herself into Laguna Beach police for the…


Laguna Beach to Add Hiring Incentives to Remedy Police Shortages

The Laguna Beach City Council unanimously approved a proposal to remedy police workforce shortages by increasing overtime pay and offering hiring incentives last week. “Police agencies across Orange County and the nation are struggling to attract and retain officers due to the changing business and political environment,” Police Chief Jeff Calvert said during the Aug….


Laguna Beach’s Art Festivals Draw Large Crowds This Summer

Laguna Beach’s Festival of the Arts and Sawdust Art Festival are back, drawing large crowds along Laguna Canyon Road and the main beach this summer. The 56th annual Sawdust Art Festival, open daily until Aug. 28, features work from 162 of the city’s own artists. Artists have their own vending booths where visitors can purchase…


Power Line Sparks Caused Laguna Beach Emerald Fire: Officials

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—Power line sparks have been identified this week as the cause of the Emerald fire that scorched over 150 acres and forced thousands to evacuate in February, city officials said recently. An investigation by the Orange County Fire Authority found the fire was caused by high winds blowing sparks from three exposed high…


Pageant of the Masters Takes Audiences on a Trip Around the World

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—Pageant of the Masters, a world-famous theatrical celebration of art through the magic of tableaux vivants—living pictures—brings another year of iconic art to life using people dressed and posed identically to the originals. This summer’s show, themed “Wonderful World,” includes live re-creations of art from all over the world including works by Swedish…


Orange County Beaches Among the Cleanest in California

Some Orange County beaches topped the list for some of California’s cleanest in Heal the Bay’s annual Beach Report Card (pdf). The non-profit environmental advocacy group assessed 500 California beaches in its 2021–2022 report and categorized them on a scale from A to F based on sewage-related pollutants measured by county health agencies. The water…


Ocean Institute Provides Camp for Ukrainian Refugees

DANA POINT, Calif.—Gregory Hardy, 8, once had a passion for shipwrecks, especially the Titanic. Now, he is worried more about the friends he left back in Ukraine as the conflict with Russia continues. His mother, Nadiia Hardy, hopes an upcoming camp for Ukrainian refugee children offered by the Ocean Institute at Dana Point, Calif., can…


Laguna Beach Looks to Use Short-Term Rental Tax for Affordable Housing

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—The City of Laguna Beach is considering using some of the city’s tax revenue from short-term rental operations to create more affordable housing. City councilors unanimously agreed at the April 26 council meeting to continue exploring the idea of reallocating 12 percent of the city’s Transient Occupancy Tax collected from short-term rental units…


California ‘Taking Away Local Control’ on Housing: Laguna Beach Official

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—Laguna Beach is among 12 cities in Orange County to put boundaries on a new state law that allows homeowners to convert single-family lots into multiple units. Laguna Beach City Councilman George Weiss said residents fear the new state law. “There is that fear the state is taking too much power away from…


Nonprofit Ends Art Gallery Lease Over ‘Censorship’ Claim of Controversial Art

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—A nonprofit arts organization terminated a 20-year relationship with Wells Fargo over censorship claims after the branch removed a 36 quilt-exhibit containing a gambit of political messaging about civil rights, climate change, and COVID-19. “We were recently informed that the Community Art Project is terminating its pro-bono use of space at our Laguna…