Laguna Canyon Road

Even before Johanna Felder moved to Laguna Beach 26 years ago, she was well aware of the parking difficulties. "I didn't come to Laguna [back then] because it was a pain to park," said Felder, who now lives near Top of the World Elementary School. Felder is one of several residents and business owners who attended the first public hearing April 10 on the Parking Management Plan for downtown and Laguna Canyon areas, which presented potential parking solutions to the Planning Commissioners.

Laguna Beach is like the Hollywood of Orange County - a rare, crazy, inexplicable thing that is loved to death. Filled with well-meaning tourists, both towns suffer from the impact of the multitudes. The difference is Hollywood doesn't have a protected ocean, fragile ecosystems or limited transportation. The stars in our tidepools are not like the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, shielded in marble and impervious to pain. Our little hillsides are becoming like mini freeways, filled with multipurpose zealots intent on having a good time at any cost.

A Palm Springs man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three felony counts related to alleged thefts at a Laguna Beach grocery store. Jason Richard Paquin, 30, appeared in Orange County Superior Court to face charges that included two counts of second-degree burglary and one count of receiving stolen property, according to the court's website. A loss-prevention officer saw a man loading merchandise into a grocery cart and approached him at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Albertsons on Coast Highway across from Montage Laguna Beach, Sgt. Louise Callus wrote in an email.

Laguna Beach police have not released the name of the driver of a Tesla that crashed into a Honda Accord, killing two men on their way to work on Laguna Canyon Road on April 2. "The reports are getting written," Sgt. Louise Callus said Thursday. "These things take time. " Accident investigators returned to the scene of the head-on collision, near El Toro Road, on Tuesday to conduct follow-up research. They used computer-assisted technology to measure and map out locations of the crime scene evidence to help determine how the collision occurred, police said.

Laguna Beach police are interviewing the driver of a third vehicle who witnessed the fatal head-on auto collision that killed two men Tuesday morning on Laguna Canyon Road, police Capt. Jason Kravetz said Friday. Kravetz said a white Mercedes sedan was in the lane next to the Tesla that veered into oncoming traffic and collided with a Honda Accord, killing Alberto Casique-Salinas, 46, of Anaheim, and Armando Garcia-Gonzales, 38, of Santa Ana. The men were heading westbound on Laguna Canyon Road on their way to work for a Laguna Beach landscaping company, police said.

Last month, former Arizona Representative Gabby Giffords, her husband Mark Kelly and his daughter were vacationing in Laguna Beach when Kelly's daughter's dog escaped from its owner and attacked and killed a young California sea lion pup, devastating Kelly's daughter and many beach goers who witnessed the tragic event. My first thought was "Why was the dog so close?" Then I thought, "Are there really that many sick sea lions that they are willing to risk coming in contact with humans just to get some needed rest?"

Laguna Art Museum 307 Cliff Drive (949) 494-8971 http://www.lagunaartmuseum.org Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and Fridays through Sundays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays; and closed Wednesdays. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors, students and active military. Children younger than 12 are admitted for free. The museum is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's days. Through April 28: Three exhibitions open, "Ex•pose: Allison Schulnik," "George Hurrell: Laguna to Hollywood," and "John Mason: Blue Wall.

Laguna Beach Mayor Pro Tem Elizabeth Pearson and Councilwoman Toni Iseman are moving the once-languishing Village Entrance project forward. "It's a real opportunity to address what we need in town to keep our business community vibrant and easier for the public to shop and enjoy our town," Iseman said. Iseman and Pearson, who formed a subcommittee two years ago for the Village Entrance, will present their ideas at 5 p.m. March 26 in Council Chambers, 505 Forest Ave. The two have different versions of what the project should entail, according to Iseman.

Talk of aesthetics within Laguna Beach composed a bulk of Saturday morning's joint public meeting of the City Council, Planning Commission and Design Review Board inside the Susi Q Community Center. The 2 1/2-hour meeting was split into two portions, with council members staying for both segments. Community Development Director John Montgomery presented projects underway and possible future topics the City Council and/or Planning Commission would consider in the coming months during the first portion of the joint meeting.

Several cited for alcohol and marijuana Saturday Laguna Beach Police cited six to eight individuals for alcohol on the beach, glass on the beach, cigarettes on the beach or possession of marijuana Saturday at Three Arch Bay. Residents called security after 3 p.m. saying 15 men were throwing bottles on the beach. Security initially responded to the scene, but the group of 25 individuals didn't comply with their request to get rid of the alcohol, so security called police, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Louise Callus wrote in an email.