Laguna Beach

June Esther Campbell June Esther Campbell, 89, passed peacefully on Friday, March 29, 2013. She had been in failing health for several months, and entered hospice care late last summer. June was an active real estate agent in Laguna Beach, selling homes even into her 80's.Legend has it that June sold many local houses three times each during her reign. Many will remember her exuberant personality, her professional success, and her adventurous nature. June had many friends, and a lifelong love of animals.

Laguna Beach will see little effect on its medical dispensary laws following Monday's California Supreme Court ruling . "Laguna Beach requires all businesses to comply with federal, state and local laws," Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig wrote in an email. "Medical marijuana dispensaries are prohibited under federal law so those businesses are not allowed in Laguna Beach. " The state Supreme Court's unanimous ruling gives cities the authority to prohibit storefront dispensaries under land use and zoning powers.

Authorities believe a Lake Forest man accused of sexually assaulting three girls could be in Laguna Beach, the Orange County District Attorney's office said Tuesday. Jesus Gomez Montes, 34, is charged with one felony count of alleged sexual intercourse with a child 10 or younger and seven felony counts of lewd acts on a child under 14, according to a press release from the D.A.'s office. Montes is 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He might be driving a 2004, gold Nissan Murano with a California license plate of: 6PWE354.

Laguna Beach police on Sunday arrested a man who allegedly grabbed a woman's neck outside of Ruby's Diner and then later damaged her black BMW. Abdullah Latifzadh, 47, of Concord, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery and felony vandalism, Capt. Jason Kravetz said in an email. A 911 call alerted authorities to the incident at 8:20 p.m. Sunday, according to the police log. Latifzadh and the woman, who are dating, got into an argument inside the diner at 30622 Coast Hwy., before leaving and continuing the argument outside, Kravetz said.

Laguna Beach sent three fire engines and seven firefighters to help combat a fire in Ventura County, according to an official. The first unit left Laguna at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, with those firefighters working 24 straight hours, Laguna Beach Fire Department Chief Jeff LaTendresse said. Firefighters, under Division Chief Dan Stefano's direction, protected structures and helped lay hose lines, LaTendresse said. "They got an incredible experience protecting structures and doing what we train them to do," he said.

View Equity Committee members debated at a meeting Tuesday on whether they should use the date a property was purchased when considering a homeowner's view blockage claim, or if the date of a future view ordinance should be used. About 100 residents filled City Council chambers for the public meeting. The committee is working to draft an amended view ordinance to provide homeowners guidelines on how to deal with view blockage from overgrown trees and vegetation. The date a home or lot was bought did not seem appropriate for committee member Morris Skenderian.

The once-prestigious Laguna Open volleyball tournament has fallen on hard times since its heyday in the early 1980s. Enthusiasts would like to see it restored to its former glory - without the headaches brought on by the alcohol distributors that sponsored the tournament at its apex. Olympic gold medalists, professional stars and $150,000 in prize money drew huge crowds, tournament director Kent Morgan, a city volleyball instructor, told the City Council April 23. Last year, by comparison, prize money totaled $500 at what is now an amateur tournament.

For only the second time in the last 50 years, the Laguna Beach baseball team can call itself league champion. Laguna secured the 2013 Orange Coast League title Tuesday when it overwhelmed host Godinez, 23-2. The one-sided win pushed the Breakers' school-record win streak to 18 games. It also made them 12-0 in league, and 22-2 overall. The title is the first for the Breakers under second-year head coach Mike Bair. "It's big-time," Bair said of his team's accomplishment. "This is something the program has only done twice, now, in the last 50 years.

Meeting the evolving healthcare needs of our community requires both flexibility and investment. In the tradition of our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, Mission Hospital - Laguna Beach is committed to ensuring everyone in our communities has access to advanced, compassionate healthcare. When South Coast Medical Center faltered over three years ago, Mission Hospital readily made the $35 million commitment to the people of Laguna Beach so they would continue to have access to complete, compassionate healthcare in their local setting.

A Laguna Beach man who co-founded Gotcha surfwear was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and cocaine possession following a traffic accident, police said Wednesday. Michael Elliot Tomson, 58, was charged with two felony counts of DUI and possession of a controlled substance as well as a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of drugs, Capt. Jason Kravetz wrote in an email. Tomson posted $100,000 bail and was released. A former professional surfer, Tomson started Gotcha with Joel Cooper in 1978 in Laguna Beach.