News

Excerpted from Los Angeles Times

By Andrew Turner

After four years, the Hotel Laguna is resuming operations with the reopening of the historic building’s ground-floor lobby and restaurant area.

The partial reopening of the Hotel Laguna is the first step in the restoration of the property, for which the Laguna Beach Co. has a long-term lease.

A ribbon-cutting event Tuesday celebrated the completion of the first phase of the renovation project, as well as the return of the public to the hotel.

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Excerpted from Fox40 News

By Sonseeahray Tonsall, Jonathan Taraya

A new state Assembly committee will be tasked with figuring out who was responsible for the massive oil spill off the Southern California coast.

The Select Committee for the Orange County Spill was announced Monday in Huntington Beach by California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon.

After requesting the effort, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Laguna Beach, will be leading the committee throughout the next legislative session.

[...]

Excerpted from LA Times

By Robin Estrin, Hannah Fry

Monday also saw California state Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) announce the creation of a special committee tasked with delving into the disaster.

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) will chair the committee.

Petrie-Norris said forming the committee is an important step in guaranteeing officials get to the bottom of what happened and to ensure there’s oversight and accountability at the state level.

Excerpted from KTLA

By Associated Press

California is adding a secretive but growing class of weapons to those that can legally be seized under gun violence restraining orders, under a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Friday.

What also is known as a “red flag” law allows police along with family members, colleagues, employers and teachers to ask judges to take firearms from those they fear are a possible threat to themselves or others.

Excerpted from CBSLA

By CSLA Staff

Amplify Energy, the pipeline owner, has suggested that a ship’s anchor may have dragged the pipeline and damaged it

There were reports that the cargo ship Rotterdam Express could have been involved in the spill, but the ship’s owner said the Coast Guard has informed them that they are no longer under investigation.

Though the investigation is ongoing, authorities said that Amplify Energy and anyone else liable for the environmental catastrophe will pay for the cleanup and more.

Excerpted from the Daily Pilot

By Sara Cardine

Following the oil spill reported Saturday off Huntington Beach, a contingent of Orange County elected officials are calling on members of Congress to not only ban new offshore drilling off California’s coastline but end all such operations in federal waters.

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Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie Norris (D-Laguna Beach) held a virtual media briefing Thursday during which she described recent events as “our worst fears come to life.”

By Adam Beam

Excerpted from the Fresno Bee

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new laws Tuesday to tighten security in the state's unemployment system after his administration OK’d billions of dollars in fraudulent payments during the pandemic while legitimate claimants languished in a backlog awaiting approval.

By Matt Szabo

Excerpted from the Daily Pilot 

Local elected officials took a tour of the oil-spill-affected Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach on Wednesday, as the cleanup continues.

Workers from Patriot Environmental Services, based in Wilmington, used rakes and large white bags to remove oil from the area near the rocks by the shore. The oil was then deposited in a dumpster at the marsh, located south of Brookhurst Street off Pacific Coast Highway.

By Patrick McGreevy

Excerpted from the LA Times

Faced with criticism from many Californians thrown out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday gave his approval to a package of bills aimed at reducing delays and fraud in the state’s beleaguered unemployment benefits system.

Excerpted from the LA Times

By Anita Chabria, Hannah Fry, Connor Sheets, Jacyln Cosgrove, Anh Do