2016-09-15



The folks at Tommy Bahama’s will offer samples from their menu.

More than 30 of Laguna Beach’s chefs, restaurants, vintners, and craft brewers will offer a broad selection of culinary samples at the 2016 Taste of Laguna, Wednesday, Sept. 21, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Tivoli Too!, 777 Laguna Canyon Road.

The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce and The Cliff Restaurant are sponsoring the popular event. Guests will also be treated to a selection of performances by local acoustic musicians.

Ticket info: LagunaBeachChamber.org, or 949 494-1018.

Volunteers Sign Up for Beach Preservation



A previous clean-up crew.

The largest beach clean up of its kind, Coastal Clean Up Day, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Aliso Beach .The family friendly event begins at 9 a.m. All necessary supplies will be provided.

For more info: contact James Pribram at (949) 836-1450.

Merchants Learn Tips on Opening

The next Open for Business workshop takes place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Laguna Beach Community Center, 380 Third St.

Participants will include Planning Commissioners Susan Whitin and Roger McErlane, representatives from the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, and city planners Martina Caron and Anthony Viera.

The workshop allows those interested in opening a new business to get their questioned answered informally, said Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce Director Laura Henkels.

For more info: contact Anthony Viera at 949 497-0398 or

aviera@lagunabeachcity.net

Republicans Discuss Ballot Issues

The Laguna Beach Republicans hold their monthly get-together Wednesday, Sept. 21, starting with a 5 p.m. social hour at Mozambique restaurant, 1740 S Coast Highway.

President Emil Monda invites all Republicans, independents and Libertarians to attend the meeting. Topics covered will include the bed tax and medical marijuana ballot initiatives and the city employee housing assistance perk, he said .

RSVP – Emilmonda@gmail.com

Visitors to Fairywood Take Note

Construction on the Milligan Drive bridge begins Monday, Sept. 26, barring access across the bridge from Laguna Canyon Road during business hours. Construction is scheduled to be completed in January.

Temporary access to the Sarah Thurston Park neighborhood will be provided through the vacant lot at 113 Canyon Acres Drive from Laguna Canyon Road. Affected residents are being notified by mail.

Questions: contact Tri Nguyen at 949 497-0741.

Rotary Club Begins an Alliance With Africa



One of the women who could benefit from the rural clinic.

The Rotary Club of Laguna Beach has joined with Hearts 4 Africa and licensed midwife Sherill Sedillo to open a clinic for pregnant women and new mothers in rural Iganga, Uganda.

Hearts 4 Africa is constructing the first of several buildings and aims to open a clinic in November, which will be managed by a Ugandan physician and his wife, who is a midwife, says a Rotary Club statement. The Laguna Beach club and its members have donated over $40,000 to provide equipment and supplies for the opening, which will be doubled by Rotary matching grant funds.

An Invitation to Help Improve Coastal Water Quality

Orange County Coastkeeper is looking for interested residents to join its board.

The organization advocates for fishable, swimmable, and drinkable water, with programs targeting marine restoration, water conservation and water quality enforcement.

Coastkeeper hopes to fill three positions on its board. Ideal candidates should have experience in community leadership, enthusiasm for environmental conservation and strong communication and fundraising skills.

“This is an opportunity to play a major role in promoting clean, healthy waters for all of Orange County,” says Coastkeeper executive director Garry Brown. For more information, visit coastkeeper.org.

Children’s Play Lab Receives Funding

SEEDS Arts & Education, Inc. was the recipient of a $1,000 grant from the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts Foundation to partially fund Saturday Arts & Play Lab, a collaboration between SEEDS and Anneliese Schools.

The Lab, for children ages 5 to 14, strives for diverse educational experiences such as art, cooking, theater, woodworking, ceramics and gardening.

Register at www.seeded.org.

Beauty Replaces Flood Damage

Work has begun on Blue Bell Gardens, the vision of a Jeff Zakaryan, a volunteer board chairman of the Blue Bell Foundation.

“Blue Bell Gardens will surround the area around the Blue Bell Cat Retirement Sanctuary with beauty at last, after the devastating flooding and mudslides of December, 2010,” said Susan Hamil, chairwomen of the Blue Bell Foundation for Cats.

To complete the garden, the foundation is offering opportunities to sponsor individual gardens for a $2,500 contribution.

Info: bluebellcats.org or Jeff Zakaryan at 949 290-6356.

Edison Agrees to Island Waste Settlement

Southern California Edison agreed to pay a $39,127 penalty for improper management of hazardous waste on Catalina Island, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this month.

The EPA conducted an unannounced inspection at SCE’s facility in Avalon last September.

“In a place as biologically unique as Catalina Island, large quantity generators of hazardous waste like SCE have a special responsibility to run a tight ship,” Kathleen Johnson, EPA’s enforcement division director for the Pacific Southwest, said in a statement.

The EPA found that the utility was storing hazardous waste without the proper permits and had inadequately trained staff inspectors.

The post ‘Taste’ Event Offers Local Selections appeared first on Laguna Beach Local News.

Show more