By Teri Sforza
Excerpted from the Orange County Register
After a delirious Henry Lehr bolted from a licensed Newport Beach detox in the middle of an August night and broke into a neighbor’s house, he was shot and killed by the frightened homeowner inside.
Deaths like these aren’t uncommon in the rehab industry, where lax regulation runs head-on with the high-stakes illness of addiction.
[...]
Excerpted from the Laguna Beach Independent
BY LB Indy Staff
Laguna Beach resident Chris Kreymann was named among six Orange County veterans honored Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) during a Nov. 3 ceremony at the Newport Harbor American Legion post.
“I am honored and humbled to report that I have been selected as the Laguna Beach Veteran of the Year for my service with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam during 1971-1972,” Kreymann said.
Excerpted from the Voice of OC
By Brandon Pho
Monday kicked off a series of public autopsies by state lawmakers into the communication delays and regulatory gaps which allowed an offshore oil spill to smear tar across Orange County’s iconic coastline last month.
[...]
The state oil spill committee has multiple aims, namely to identify where improvements can be made in disaster response protocols and offshore pipeline regulation.
Excerpted from the Orange County Register
By Alicia Robinson
While it’s still unclear whether all laws and regulations were followed in the pipeline breach that leaked about 25,000 gallons of oil onto Orange County’s beaches last month, state officials say there’s plenty of room to tighten up existing rules to better prevent and detect future spills.
Excerpted from the Orange County Register
By Alicia Robinson
State legislators holding a special committee hearing in Costa Mesa on Monday, Nov. 15, hope it will point them toward any changes to laws and procedures that could help prevent future oil spills and improve the response to those that do happen.
Excerpted from the Associated Press
By Amy Taxin and Brian Melley
The Coast Guard received multiple reports of a possible fuel spill off the Southern California coast earlier than previously disclosed and asked local authorities to investigate about 15 hours before its own personnel confirmed a large oil slick, which came from a leaking undersea pipeline, records show.
Excerpted from the Orange County Register
By Susan Christian Goulding
Still reeling from the oil spill that fouled local waters and coated wildlife, Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach city councils each passed resolutions Tuesday, Oct. 19, calling for limits on off-shore drilling.
[...]
Whalen said he hopes the new city resolutions will inspire more communities to take a formal stand and spur legislative changes on the state and federal level.
Excerpted from the Orange County Register
By Cottie Petrie-Norris, Luz Rivas and Tasha Boerner-Horvath
Southern California’s pristine coastline has once again found itself a victim of the oil and gas industry. Over 25,000 gallons of oil have leaked from a burst pipeline in the coastal waters off Huntington Beach, marking yet another oil spill off our iconic shores.
Excerpted from the Daily Pilot
By Andrew Turner
Orange County beaches have reopened, but local officials and environmentalists are endeavoring to make sure the recent oil spill and its impacts are not soon forgotten.
A crowd of hundreds showed up to support speakers at a news conference calling for an end to offshore oil drilling on Monday at Main Beach Park in Laguna Beach.
[...]
Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) has repeatedly said the oil spill was the community’s worst fears come to life.
Excerpted from the Orange County Register
By Joan Cain, Alicia Robinson, Teri Sforza
California’s fleet of offshore oil and gas rigs, and the miles of pipelines that connect those rigs to on-shore refining operations, feature some of the most advanced technology the industry has to offer.