Seal Beach

Citing the growing interest but limited understanding of electronic cigarettes, the small Orange County city of Seal Beach has adopted a moratorium that will prevent any new stores from selling the devices. After a brief discussion late Monday, the City Council agreed to a 45-day moratorium on any new e-cigarette and smoke shops, as well as drug paraphernalia vendors. Seal Beach officials said they needed time to study the effects of e-cigarettes before making a recommendation to the city.

After years of eliminating jobs in Southern California, aerospace giant Boeing Co. announced plans to increase its engineering workforce in Long Beach and Seal Beach by 1,000 positions. It is a rare and welcome development for the Southland's beleaguered aerospace industry, which has been stung by layoffs and assembly line closures for decades. "I couldn't be happier for the region," Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said. "We want to continue to carry on our aviation tradition here.

The Seal Beach Historical and Cultural Society has extended the deadline for its fifth annual amateur photo contest to Nov. 30. The contest is titled "Visions of Seal Beach . . . Through the Lens." Photographers should capture their favorite Seal Beach scene. Information: (562) 683-1874.

Jamie Carrano is the recently appointed executive chef of 320 Main in Seal Beach, the cocktail bar known for its drink roster from co-owner Jason Schiffer. It's where Carrano, who has worked at Bouchon Beverly Hills and Aureole in New York, has installed a new menu to go with cocktails: pork belly mac 'n' cheese; duck fries with duck confit, poutine-style duck gravy and cheddar; bacon-wrapped pâté with purple mustard, red wine prunes and grilled bread; bone marrow with braised oxtail and pickled red onion; gnocchi with mushrooms and grilled tomato vinaigrette; and the 320 Burger with braised pork, fresh ground beef, mojo sauce and Gruyère.

An Orange County judge said Friday that he'll hear testimony on accusations that county prosecutors and sheriff's deputies ran an illegal jailhouse informant operation that ensnared multiple inmates, including the man accused of killing eight people in a Seal Beach salon in 2011. Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Goethals said the allegations made by defense attorneys for Scott Dekraai deserve to be fully examined. The judge indicated it may take weeks of testimony and evidence to ferret out the claims.

Aerospace giant Boeing Co. announced that it would reduce its workforce in Southern California by 200 to 300 people who are part of its research and development unit. The reductions, which will affect employees in the company's commercial, defense and space units, are set to begin during the first quarter of 2014 and expected to be completed by the end of 2015. Boeing has about 700 employees in the R&D unit spread across Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and El Segundo.

Orange County transportation officials are recommending the addition of at least one free lane to the 405 Freeway, but are leaving enough wiggle room for a possible second lane. A committee for the Orange County Transportation Authority voted 6-2, with directors Gary Miller and Matthew Harper dissenting, to suggest adding one general-purpose lane in each direction of a 14-mile stretch between Seal Beach and Costa Mesa. The recommendation for "Alternative 1" was slightly modified to suggest building the single lane in a way that would allow another lane to be built in the future, said agency spokesman Joel Zlotnik.

Lucky for Neil he lives up by the foothills, and not down by the seashore. The corpulent Sierra Madre resident recently escaped eviction when the tiny town's police chief decided that Neil was actually a potbellied pig, not a hog. Which was a good thing for Neil, because hogs are illegal in town. Any of Neil's relatives enjoying the good life down in Seal Beach, however, may be in for a different fate. The Orange County beach city this week adopted an anti-pig law, adding it to the list of animals that are illegal to keep.

Residents and city leaders are pushing back against a plan to add toll lanes to a 14-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway in Orange County, a $1.47-billion proposal that would involve reconstructing overpasses and eliminating carpool lanes. Adding toll routes to the freeway - dismissed as "Lexus lanes" by one city mayor - is one of three proposed alternatives for helping untangle the highway congestion from Costa Mesa to the county line in Seal Beach. The most controversial of the alternatives would add a single general-purpose lane and a toll lane in each direction.

Lucky for Neil he lives up by the foothills, and not down by the seashore. The corpulent Sierra Madre resident escaped eviction last week when the tiny town's police chief decided that Neil was actually a potbellied pig, not a hog. Which was a good thing for Neil, because hog's are illegal in town. But if Neil has any relatives enjoying the good life down in Seal Beach, they may be in for a different fate. The Orange County beach city this week adopted an anti-pig law, adding it to the list of animals that are illegal to keep.

In my Sunday column, I argued that there were good reasons for the United States (and its allies, if any) to attack Syria for its government's alleged use of chemical weapons, but also good reasons to be cautious. I came down on the side of limited military action, but reluctantly, with plenty of doubts. Not surprisingly, the column drew a flood of responses from readers. Most disagreed with me -- also not surprising, since polls suggest public opinion is still running 2 to 1 against an attack.

Saturday was supposed to be a big day for Billy DePalma. He envisioned a ribbon cutting and then a steady stream of new customers perusing colorful, pen-shaped electronic cigarettes behind glass cases. They'd gawk at his impressive selection of liquid nicotine - flavors like Hubba Bubba Grape, Gummy Bear and Orange Cream Soda - as he fielded questions about the fast-growing trend of "vaping," so-called because users inhale the vapor produced when the liquid is heated. Instead, drywall litters the floor of his dark shop.