Laguna council gives initial approval to proposed budget

City officials squeezed the proposed 2012-13 budget to help preserve Laguna’s past and protect its future.

The City Council gave preliminary approval at the workshop on Tuesday to a budget drafted by the city manager that totals $65.8 million for operations and capital projects, with $47 million of it in the General Fund, over which the council has discretion. The approval included some tweaking by the council at the hearing, attended by seven members of the public.

“I found the public attendance at the workshop disappointing,” said Councilman Kelly Boyd. “It is the time for them to express their opinions, but when you have the hearing at 3 p.m., it is hard for people to get there.”

The council made it worth the while of two members of the public who did find the time to attend.

The South County Cross-Cultural Council’s David Peck was on hand to hear the council approve a request for $30,000 toward the Day Laborer Hiring Area, which his nonprofit runs, off Laguna Canyon Road. The Cross-Cultural Council will a still be included in the applications for community service grants to be vetted by Boyd and Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson.

–Barbara Diamond, Coastline Pilot

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Laguna artist will curate show at Guggenheim

Nicholas Hernandez works on a sculpture of Chapman University Chancellor Ruebén Martinez in 2011. (DON LEACH)

Chapman University this month is offering a rare glimpse at Laguna Beach artists, curated by local sculptor Nick Hernandez.

Hernandez was given the opportunity to curate two shows at the college’s Guggenheim Gallery.

The first show, “Immortal Coils,” will focus on Hernandez, Mia Tavanotti and Jorg Dubin. Other artists include Mark Garry, Sia Abderazai, Chris Santley, Josh Hoy, Cassey Parlette and Christiana Lewis.

His second show, a Latino showcase, will open June 9. “We’ve got the fight, we’ve got the insight” will feature Felipe Castaneda, Nadia Jaime and Arturo Guevera among others.

Hernandez was given this opportunity after he received some other exciting and very unexpected news.

When he picked up his mail on Feb. 29, he thought it was any other day, so he put it aside and continued working in his studio.

The sculptor opened the letter, addressed from Chapman University that announced he would receive an honorary doctorate on May 19. The commencement coincides with the show’s opening night.

–Joanna Clay, @joannaclay, Coastline Pilot

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Handplant skate shop mixes skateboarding, art

With its wood floors, minimalist displays and Andy Warhol-painted skateboards hanging on the back wall, Handplant is far from your average O.C. skate shop.

Owner EG Fratantaro, marketing manager for industry biggie Sector 9, opened the shop last month at 1025 S. Coast Hwy.

The small shop dedicates one wall to a skate artist, with 100% of the proceeds going to the featured artist. Right now, it’s showcasing the photography of Jorge Salas, who lives in Dana Point, and is hosting a celebration for him May 27.

Kris Markovich, a pro skater and painter, will be featured beginning June 2.

Fratantaro, 42, calls it half skate shop, half art gallery — a fitting mix for the art colony that makes national news for its skateboarding community.

A skateboarder since the age of 8, Fratantaro said he thinks the full-service skate shop is filling a “missing void” in Laguna Beach.

–Joanna Clay, @joannaclay, Coastline Pilot

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Laguna man found dead in apparent suicide

A man was found dead on a trail near Morningside Drive on Thursday afternoon in an apparent suicide.

Police received a call at 2:14 p.m. from a man and woman who said they found a body while walking a trail near the 1100 block, according to Lt. Jason Kravetz of the Laguna Beach Police Department.

Officers at the scene determined that the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Kravetz said. He was fully clothed, and a handgun was found near his body.

He was 20 years old and a resident of Laguna Beach.

Police are not releasing the name of the man and are waiting to notify next of kin.

—Joanna Clay, @joannaclay, Coastline Pilot

Laguna Beach wins CIF wild-card game on walk-off home run

Laguna Beach players swarm Steven Harrison after he hit walk-off homerun in bottom of the 7th inning to defeat Victor Valley in the first round of CIF-SS baseball playoff game at Laguna Beach. (Don Leach)

It took one swing Tuesday to keep the postseason hopes alive for the Laguna Beach High baseball team.

Sophomore Steven Harrison provided the dramatics for Laguna when he delivered a home run to center field in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Breakers to a 5-4 victory over visiting Victor Valley in a CIF Southern Section Division 4 wild-card game.

Harrison’s walk-off blast, which came with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh, sent Laguna to a first-round game Thursday in Pasadena against La Salle. The score wasn’t available at press time. The Lancers (18-7-1) won the Del Rey League title and are the division’s No. 2-seed, behind top-ranked Palmdale.

The winner moves on to face either St. Bonaventure or San Dimas in a second-round game at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Tuesday’s playoff win was the fifth straight victory for Laguna, which won for the 11th time in its last 13 outings.

“Steven loves those moments and the entire team believed he was going to come up clutch for us,” Laguna Coach Mike Bair said of his catcher, who was an All-Orange Coast League player as a freshman. “As soon as the ball cleared the fence, we went crazy in the dugout. It was a great moment.”

–Mike Sciacca, @MikeSciacca, Coastline Pilot

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Citizen survey: Laguna’s a great place to live

A citizen survey conducted by National Research Center Inc. showed that 97% of respondents rated the overall quality of life in Laguna Beach as “excellent” or “good,” according to results released at Tuesday’s city budget workshop.

The resident opinions included responses from 405 citizens, with many reporting that they plan on staying in the community for the next five years.

The survey said the four areas that received the most favorable ratings were the overall image or reputation of Laguna Beach, quality of overall natural environment, overall appearance and the cleanliness of Laguna Beach.

Amount of public parking, ease of car travel, traffic flow on major streets and the availability of affordable housing received the lowest ratings, according to the survey.

All city services were rated favorably, with 29 out of 35 city services “above” the benchmark rating. (NRC’s database of comparative resident opinion is made up of resident perspectives gathered in citizen surveys from 500 jurisdictions.)

–Alisha Gomez, Coastline Pilot

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Whelan Gallery vacating North Laguna space

Patrick Whelan of the Whelan Gallery. The gallery space on North Coast Highway will close at the end of May. (KEVIN CHANG)

After nearly six years in North Laguna, Whelan Gallery will be closing its doors at the end of the month.

Owner Patrick Whelan said he was told last month that he had until the end of May to vacate the space at 353 N. Coast Hwy. He sublets it from Adam Neeley, who has decided not to renew the lease, Whelan said.

According to Whelan, he had no plans to leave any time soon before this. The gallery was “doing alright,” he said, and “holding its own.”

He said it’s not the last that Laguna will see of the gallery.

He is hosting the second annual Night of a Hundred Angels show in conjunction with the Laguna College of Art & Design, and he’ll be showing in the Festival of the Arts in the summer.

He plans to look for another space in the fall.

“We’re not going away,” he said. “There’s just going to be a big dent up here in the north.”

Whelan will have a temporary office at the Cottage Gallery, 1524 S. Coast Hwy.

For more information, visit whelanartgalleries.com.

–Joanna Clay, @joannaclay, Coastline Pilot

Cyclist pedals around the world, stops through Laguna

Kate Crinion is cycling around the world. One of her latest stops was Laguna Beach. (Don Leach)

Cyclist Kate Crinion’s tour of the world adventure brought her to Laguna Beach last week, where she stopped for a few days before heading down to San Diego.

“I read a book about a retired school teacher, who was 58 years old, had never ridden a bike, was overweight … and I thought, ‘if she can do it, I can do it,’” Crinion said by phone Monday.

The book, “A Bike Ride: 12,000 Miles Around the World” by Ann Mustoe, inspired Crinion so much that for 10 years she saved her money so she could cycle around the world.

She blogs about her travels along the way at cyclingcuriosity.blogspot.com, which will soon have highlights from her visit in Laguna with pictures and a blog post.

She also is doing it for charity, to support Mucopolysaccharide (MPS) Ireland, a group dedicated to the rare metabolic diseases such as Hurler, Scheie, Hunter, Sanfilippo and Morquio, and something a dear cousin of hers was diagnosed with, according to her blog.

–Alisha Gomez, @CoastlinePilot, Coastline Pilot

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Man caught poaching lobsters in Laguna sentenced

A Riverside man caught poaching lobsters in Laguna in January was sentenced to jail May 5, fined and banned from Laguna’s Marine Protection Area.

The conviction of Marbel A. Para, 30, of Romoland was the first successful prosecution of a resource crime since the establishment of the Marine Protection Areas off the Southern California coast went into effect on Jan. 1, according to the State Department of Fish and Game.

“This diver intentionally took a huge overlimit of lobster with no regard for the current laws,” said DFG Assistant Chief Paul Hamdorf in a prepared statement. “He didn’t follow any fish and game laws, including the take restrictions within an MPA.”

Para had three times the legal limit of lobsters allowed to be taken — even in non-marine protection areas — when he was caught, according to the department’s release.

Fish and Games wardens found Para and a companion after midnight on Jan. 15, with 47 California spiny lobsters in their possession, according to a release issued by the department. In addition to the illegal taking, all but five of the lobsters were undersized.

–Barbara Diamond, Coastline Pilot

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Laguna named one of America’s Happiest Seaside Towns

The coastline of Laguna Beach. (File photo)

Coastal Living Magazine has ranked Laguna Beach as No. 6 on its list of America’s Happiest Seaside Towns, according to the magazine’s website.

“This quaint, artistic village anchored by a walkable downtown has always marched to its own drummer,” according to the magazine. “From its founding as an artists’ colony, Laguna Beach embraces the diverse, with funky downtown restaurants, surfing culture  and a summer full of art festivals.”

The magazine also mentions Laguna’s open space, “sweeping views” and public access among the reasons for making the list.

Four other California cities were included on the 15-city list, including Sausalito (No. 3), Tiburon (No. 5), Half Moon Bay (No. 7), and Stinson Beach (No. 12).

Kiawah Island, S.C., was deemed the No. 1 Happiest Seaside Town.

–Kelly Parker, @KellyParkerTCN, Coastline Pilot