Politics & Government

Drunk Driving Saturation Patrols in Effect Again This Weekend

And more from City Manager John Pietig's weekly update.

Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig's weekly update:

Holiday Drunk Driving Patrols - The Police Department is conducting a drunk driving saturation patrol over the upcoming New Year’s weekend.  Additional officers will be on patrol in order to identify and remove drunk drivers from the roadways.   Last weekend’s saturation patrol resulted in the arrests of ten drivers who should not have been operating their vehicles.  The funding for this program is through the California Office of Traffic Safety and intended to reduce the number of persons injured or killed in alcohol related crashes.  

Friday Flicks at the Forum - On Friday, January 6, 2012 at 7 p.m. enjoy a free film screening at the Festival of Arts Forum Theatre. The Arts Commission will be screening the film Exit Through the Gift Shop. The film is about an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur filmmaker's attempt to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner. The film contains footage of Banksy, Shephard Fairey, Invader and many of the world's most infamous graffiti artists at work. This film is rated R and has a running time of 87 minutes. This program is funded by Laguna Beach resident Mark Porterfield.

Find out what's happening in Laguna Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Artist Open Studios - On Saturday, January 7, 2012 enjoy the opportunity to visit the art studios of 25 of Laguna’s talented artists. The event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes free parking and trolley service from the Act V parking lot, located at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road. Artist Open Studios is not only a fantastic opportunity to see, buy or commission beautiful art, it is also an adventure to artists’ studios to uncover new talent and rediscover established artists. This is a program of the Arts Commission and has been funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach.

2012 Artist Designed Bench Competition - The Arts Commission is currently accepting applications for the 2012 Artist Designed Bench Competition. The Commission is accepting qualifications from interested artist for an installation at Heisler Park near Jasmine and Cliff Drive with an honorarium of $15,000. Competition information and submission requirements are available on the City’s web-site. The deadline to submit information is January 13, 2012. This program is funded by a donation by the Kaye family.

Find out what's happening in Laguna Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Bluebird Canyon Tree Trimming - Southern California Edison has notified the City that trimming of five trees in Bluebird Canyon will commence on January 3, 2012.  These are the same trees that were the subject of recent discussions at City Council meetings due to their proximity to power poles and lines.

Deputy Director of Public Works Receives the Peter W. Walsh Award for 2011 - Deputy Director of Public Works, Ken Fischer, has received the Maintenance Superintendents Association Peter W. Walsh Award for 2011. The Maintenance Superintendents Association has 11 chapters throughout California and Arizona. The Peter W. Walsh award is an award of excellence in the supervision of maintenance operations. The Award represents a distinguished career in public service, notable career accomplishments, community involvement, education, and service to the Association.

New Code Enforcement Supervisor - A new Code Enforcement Supervisor has been selected and will start on Wednesday, January 4th. Fred Fix holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration/Urban Planning & Management along with more than 20 years of experience in Public Administration/Code Enforcement.  Fred is a Certified Code Enforcement Officer and has many related certifications.  He most recently was the Supervisor of the Proactive Rental Enforcement Program for the City of Santa Ana.  He also has worked for the City of Anaheim, the City of Costa Mesa and the City of La Mirada.


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