Laguna Beach Ca

He had wandered the world, selling butter in czarist Siberia, fighting in France during World War I, walking the Appalachian Trail with his dog -- and strolling down Colorado Boulevard, unofficially bringing up the rear of the Rose Parade one year. But when he got to Laguna Beach, Eiler Larsen was so captivated by it that he stayed and welcomed the rest of the world there. Laguna Beach returned the salute, naming him its official greeter.

"You just come in to Laguna Beach, brand new?" Police Officer Jason Farris asked the weathered man in the brown, floppy hat. Lolling at the edge of the city bus depot -- bedroll, canteen and cane plunked by his side -- the man stiffened warily. But Farris was undeterred. Less than 15 minutes later, Johnny, as the man calls himself, was chattering about life as a tattoo artist as he flashed the cop photos of his former wife.

The bungalow at Pacific Coast Highway and Cress Street used to be a happy hour beacon in Laguna Beach. Young men holding hands, Will-and-Grace types, the occasional gaggle of curious straights, the random lesbian couple--all would gather on weekends at Woody's at the Beach, a cottage-y gay bar. By midnight, the party would spread down the block to the venerable Boom Boom Room, with its dancing and drag queens, and to Bounce, a smaller joint across the street. Sometimes neighbors complained.

With officers already summoned to their bungalow, Kevin Park called 911 moments before he and his wife were shot and killed in a bizarre confrontation with police at a Laguna Beach resort, telling a dispatcher that the couple did not present a threat, according to the police log. Three minutes after that call was placed Sunday morning from a hotel phone, the dispatcher received the first report of gunfire at the Montage Resort & Spa, the log shows. "It's my wife.

A former employee has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $1 million from a Mercedes-Benz dealership. Under a plea agreement, David Delgado, 36, could face up to three years in federal prison when he appears for sentencing Sept. 7 and must repay the $1,053, 970 he embezzled, the FBI reported. Delgado supervised temporary employees at Mercedes-Benz of Laguna Niguel.

The site of the Laguna Beach Day Worker Center has been put up for sale following repeated protests by anti-illegal immigration activists about the use of the land. Caltrans officials say the property on Laguna Canyon Road could fetch about $950,000 at a public auction July 23.

Caltrans has taken a controversial Laguna Beach property used as a day-labor center off the auction block after city officials vowed to zone it for open space, a designation that would significantly reduce its market value. The land dispute in Laguna Beach, where most property is at a premium, centers on a 16,000-square-foot parcel that has served day laborers for nearly a decade, attracting numerous protesters. City officials say the property has nearly no market value.

How much would you pay for a view? If the vista stretched from Laguna Beach to the far horizon over a glittering, roaring ocean, would it be worth $672.15 a night? (That's $575 for the room, plus $70.15 in hotel taxes and $27 for parking.) By my calculations, no, not if you're staying at the Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach. The 59-year-old resort is a telling example of rate inflation at luxury properties.

On the eve of one of Laguna Beach's busiest weekends of the year, one of its two main roads was closed Friday -- and probably will remain so until late this afternoon -- all because of a tree. The giant oak toppled onto Laguna Canyon Road about 12:45 p.m., taking three power poles with it and strewing branches and live transmission lines across the roadway. The resulting electrical outage affected 1,136 customers, authorities said, most of whom had power restored within half an hour.

The southbound lanes of a major route to Laguna Beach were reopened Saturday, about 24 hours after a 70-foot oak fell onto several power lines, causing the road to be shut down. Laguna Canyon Road was reopened to traffic heading toward the ocean, authorities said, though lanes going the other direction were expected to remain closed until sometime today.