New hires Jeff White, left and Sean Daugherty, right, carry a hose during wildland fire training at the fire road between TOW and Moulton Meadows observed by captains Joe Maxon, second from left, and Gary Ganger. Photos by Ted Reckas

Five retiring Laguna Beach firefighters set the stage for promotions for six members of the staff and five new hires, who emerged from a field of a thousand applicants. The five new firefighters who made the cut were sworn in this past Monday, given their turnout gear and are half way through a two-week orientation.

Jeff White, Sean Daugherty, Jereme Lazar and Zack De John will work as firefighter/emergency medical technicians while Patrick Cary will join the city’s 17 existing firefighter/paramedics. They will spend approximately a month learning Laguna Beach specific firefighting and rescue techniques before they are given a crew assignment, the city manager’s report said.  They are replacing recent retirees Capts. Bob Scrugs and Steve Nelson, engineer Matt Drever, firefighter Tom Burdick, and Capt. Steen Jensen, who will retire this month.

Frank Buckner, Eric Lether and John Kuzmic will be promoted to captain, while Adam Schulenberg, Scott Hammond, and Alex Pacheco will be promoted to engineer/paramedic. A ceremony will take place at City Hall on Nov. 14.

Buckner and Lether, both engineer/paramedics, have already been working as acting captains, meaning they fill that role when a captain is off duty.

“I’ve never seen this big of a change in my 15 years,” said Buckner, referring to the five hires and six promotions in a department of 40 firefighters. Most departments county-wide have made fewer hires than normal in the last three years due to economic constraints, a union spokesman said.

Compared to the existing staff, though, the new hires will receive a thinner benefit package, due to a recently renegotiated contract

From left, Sean Daugherty, Jeff White, Patrick Cary, Jereme Lazar and Zack De John answer questions during wild land fire training.

where new firefighters will have to contribute to their retirement savings. Retirement benefits are paid once a firefighter reaches 50 years of age, at 3% of their original salary for every year of service, so someone with 20 years of service would receive 60 percent of their full pay.

City Manager John Pietig said retirement expenses for public safety employees increased 5% last year due to losses sustained by the state Public Employees Retirement System, and believes Laguna Beach firefighters compensation is still in the top third county-wide.

Firefighters’ union spokesman John Lata said Laguna’s overall compensation is in the middle of the county-wide pack, because while paid more, it’s firefighters receive less in incentives for special training in areas such as hazardous materials or urban search and rescue.

New firefighters expect paychecks of between $4,873-$6,861 per month, depending on education, certifications, experience and performance.

One of the departing retirees, Burdick, was reached waiting to board a plane to Hawaii. “I’m going to be into double overhead waves tomorrow,” said the 21-year firefighter, who will spend a month on Oahu’s North Shore with his wife Michelle and dog Deeogi.

Jeff White, left and Sean Daugherty, right, man a hose during wildland fire training.

Burdick is happy two of the new hires, De John, 22, of Lake Forest, and White, 46, of Dana Point, already worked as reserve firefighters for Laguna. All the new hires have experience working in some fire or emergency medical services capacity.

White, the oldest of the new hires, said he was impressed by how much the 15 firefighters that live in his neighborhood love their jobs. “One day one of them said, ‘Why don’t you do it,’” he quipped.

Scrugs, a retiring captain, plans to spend time with his wife, who battled life-threatening renal failure in 2010 and has since made a full recovery. He said things have changed since he started 31 years ago.

“When I got hired there were WWII and Vietnam guys there. They were not stricter, but had a regimen that we wouldn’t go through today because I think we’d be sued,” he said, adding, “When I went through I had to prove myself. It was like very day could be my last day. Now they’re going to be kind of nurtured.”

His advice to the new guys: “Tough it out because you get home at the end of the day and say, ‘Somebody called me in crisis and I showed up.’ I’ve been fulfilled.”

Although the new hires are already trained in firefighting, orientation will show them the particulars of firefighting in Laguna Beach, like dealing with both urban and wild land fires. After four 24-hour shifts shadowing a firefighter, they will be on active duty. One year of probation with continuous testing follows.

Many fire departments staff their engines with four firefighters. Because Laguna Beach runs its with just three, Division Chief Dan Stefano said, “there is a lot of responsibility and we want to be sure they are prepared for that.”

Ted Reckas is a former Indy staffer.

Ethan Vinograd, left, and Nohlan Campbell, who placed second and first respectively, in the finals at US Nationals in San Dimas earlier this month. Photo by Chad Gibbs

A group of young local skateboarders dominated their age divisions in the two biggest races in downhill skateboarding this year.

Given Laguna Beach’s long history as a skateboarding haven, it’s no wonder the current up and comers are at the top of the sport, but none of them aspire to make a career of it.

Nohlan Campbell, 14, took first in the Junior II division (14-17 years) at U.S. Nationals held at Bonelli Park in San Dimas earlier this month, and the Maryhill Festival of Speed, held in Goldendale Wash.

Campbell, Ethan and Elijah Vinograd and Danny Ronson took first through fourth places respectively in San Dimas. They competed against over 50 skaters and the difference between first and fourth place finish times was only 2.25 seconds. Chance Gaul, a 14-year old Laguna skater, made it to the quarterfinals in the open men’s division, competing against skaters twice his age.

Bonelli, a shorter and more technical course, has a 90 degree right turn that requires managing speed and control while sliding.

Laguna skaters swept the top spots in the Junior I division at the same race last year, with Gaul, Wyatt Gibbs, Jake Marlin Fast and Roger Jones taking first through fourth.

Campbell and Roger Jones took first and second, respectively, at this year’s Maryhill Festival of Speed, the Super Bowl of downhill skateboarding, according to Chad Gibbs, father of Wyatt Gibbs.

Hundreds of skaters come from around the world to compete at Maryhill, which boasts a long course with sweeping turns that favors all out speed, with skaters reaching over 40 miles per hour. Heavier contestants have an advantage on the course.

“These kids from Laguna are world class. They’re as good as all the pros I competed against when I was racing, but they’re 14,” said former world champion and Laguna skateboarding legend Mark Golter, who has helped train the Laguna contingent on the Glendora Ridge Road in the San Gabriel Mountains. “It’s eight miles long, with 150 turns. Wyatt (Gibbs), Hunter (Schwirtz), Roger Jones, they all stayed with me, going really fast, and it’s an elite level run.”

The group of Laguna skaters, which also includes Avery Crowl, Noah Hunt, Tanner Flagstad, and others who grew up skateboarding together on local streets, take their cue from predecessors such as former junior world champion Evren Ozan, and those who skated before him.

Hobie Alter, Craig Lockwood and others took to the steep hills in Laguna on skateboards in the 1960s. That led to equipment advances like eurethane wheels and grip tape, and techniques like controlled sliding in high speed turns.

Today, while many skaters are sponsored, receiving free equipment and even travel stipends for races, few consider it a career path. Despite acclaim and competitive success, Ozan is pursuing a pilot’s license. Campbell, who won this year’s top two races, is interested in filmmaking or culinary school and racing as a hobby.

While returning from a recent race, Gibbs said, “Dad, don’t worry, I don’t view downhilling as a career. I view it like the gold miners. The miners didn’t get rich, but got all the glory. The people who got rich were the ones selling them the picks, shovels and food.”

Crystal Paul agreed to wed Andrew Shen, who proposed to his girlfriend in front of a painting of the proposal at the Festival of Arts.

Looking for a summer evening diversion? At the Festival of Arts, you can catch the Pageant of the Masters, stroll the artists’ booths, sip wine, take in the handiwork of local creatives or maybe witness a couple or two popping the big question.

The Festival of Arts served as the proposal spot of choice for three different couples, two of whom relied on artists to help deliver their declaration on the same night.

 “The Festival has been something we’ve been going to ever since we started dating. That was one of the first events where we started realizing this might be a really, really serious relationship. It has a special place in our hearts,” explained Andrew Shen, of Roland Heights, who proposed to his girlfriend of four years, Crystal Paul, in front of painter Elizabeth McGhee’s booth.

Earlier, Shen commissioned McGhee to paint a scene of him proposing to Paul, of Buena Park, in front of her booth. The task was not easy as the artist only had a profile of Paul’s likeness to work from and her subject’s attire required a quick makeover to match the real life wardrobe choice, which changed at the last minute.

“Andrew sent me this panicked email saying Crystal had changed her dress,” McGhee said.

Shen’s job was no easy task either. Word of his plan leaked to family, friends, and some Pageant attendees, who were waiting as he approached the painter’s booth with his unsuspecting soon-to-be fiancé. Despite an audience, he got down on one knee, popped the question, and closed the deal.

Patrick Moss, of Huntington Beach, endured more tribulations than a jinxed wedding planner before proposing to his girlfriend of four years, Sophia Phan, the same night. During the outdoor Pageant, Moss offered to cover Phan’s chilled legs with his jacket, making sure to keep the ring-bearing pocket closest to him. When they returned from intermission, Phan switched seats, putting the ring on the wrong side. When Moss reached to switch it, he found the ring was gone.

“I was panicked. True panic set in for a second,” he said.

Patrick Moss’s proposal to Sophia Phan involved a pre-arranged photo of him making his case for marriage.

As he fidgeted with the jacket, Phan, of San Diego, queried what he was up to. For the second time in minutes, Moss thought his plan doomed. He made an excuse about hunting for a cell phone, found the ring and kept her in the dark a few minutes longer.

After the show, friends met him in the restroom and planted a microphone so the proposal would be recorded. Moss then guided his date to the booth of photographer Barbara White, who previously shot a photo of Moss at the beach on bended knee, framed with other shots of the couple. People gathered near but gave the couple privacy. She said yes.

The newly betrothed couple left via Forest Avenue, where a band at the Lumberyard restaurant was playing their song. Amazed, Phan wanted to enter. Inside, were both of their families. Moss, a prosecutor, had it planned all along.

The profusion of proposals started with Mike Kortge. Last month, he spontaneously proposed to Nan Fisher, who works as the Festival’s donor coordinator. Both in their 60s, the two were out of touch for decades after being friends throughout grade school. They reunited last January on classmates.com, whence their relationship turned to romance.

“It doesn’t seem that soon to us because we kind of picked up where our friendship left off. We think it was meant to be. I’m very excited,” said Fisher.

Mike Kortge proposed to Nan Fisher at the Festival, a more impromptu engagement.

The pair was walking the festival grounds, admiring art and had stopped by jeweler Lance Heck’s booth a few times.

Distracted by a friend, Fisher returned to observe a sales woman handing Kortege a ring. “I came around the corner and he was just grinning. He just dropped down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I, of course, said yes. My goodness. There was nobody around and all of a sudden there was a crowd of about 35 or 40 people clapping.

“Someone asked where we met. Mike said kindergarten. This guy said, ‘What in the world took you so long?’”

In an emergency meeting last Thursday, Laguna Woods’ City Council adopted an ordinance to allow the hiring of professional shooting teams to control coyotes that have harried the city’s mostly elderly population.

“It went really crazy two weekends ago,” said Jim Beres, who supervises animal services for Laguna’s police department, which has provided service to Laguna Woods since 2001.

Animal services supervisors from around Orange County all report an increase in coyote activity, said Beres, who meets with his colleagues monthly. With the city’s northern perimeter bordering wildland, Laguna’s pet owners have long endured coyote attacks. Even so, coyote activity this year sets a new record, according to animal services officer Joy Falk, relaying anecodotal reports by her counterparts at other agencies.

Efforts to abate nuisance animals start with low measures and escalate as needed, Beres said. “If it doesn’t work you take it to the next step and the last available tool to use is a shooting team,” he said, adding that shooters have not been called in to Laguna Beach since 2006.

“What concerned us was the unusual aggressiveness of the coyotes displaying no fear of humans, coming up to them in broad daylight, attacking animals on leash on a paved sidewalk. Why are they being so bold and aggressive? We don’t know, but we know it’s occurring and it’s not good,” said Beres, who suggested people are disregarding warnings against feeding coyotes. “Some folks still do it.”

 The main culprit is habituation; coyotes know humans have food, and are much less afraid of us than they used to be.

“These are coyotes who spend most of their time in the human-urban interface and very little time out in the open wild. Each generation spent like this gets a little more habituated to humans,” said Falk, whose past week was consumed almost exclusively dealing with coyote calls in Laguna Woods. Few calls originate in Laguna Beach because residents here are much quicker to call and generate an animal services response, which has stopped the problem largely before it has reached the proportions of that in Laguna Wods, she said.

Laguna Woods provides a more attractive environment to coyotes, she said.

“It’s a banquet, a highly rich food source,” said Falk, describing the community’s golf course, garden centers, fruit trees, and creek bed home to ducks and geese. “The coyotes are seen feeding on those quite a bit,” she said, adding that outdoor pets are another draw.

She is often greeted by domestic cats while examining the animal trails coyotes use to enter communities. “I still can’t believe people keep outside cats these days,” she said.

The incidence of coyote attacks on humans and their growing population was documented in Spanish settlements prior to California’s statehood, coyote expert Robert Timm, director of UC Davis’ Hopland Research Center, said in a 2007 paper about coyote habituation.

Again this week, Laguna police fielded a high number of coyote related calls following last week’s injury of a woman knocked over by a coyote that seized her dog. Reports described a coyote entering a residence, on a woman’s patio, stalking people walking leashed dogs, a man approached by a pack of five coyotes, and a description of  coyotes “as big as German shepherds.”

The fire department extricated an unidentified Laguna Beach woman by rope from a vehicle that may have intentionally been driven off Bluebird Canyon Road on Sunday, July 31, police said.

The 27-year-old driver was transported to Mission Hospital after suffering moderate injuries in the single-car accident about 1 p.m., police said.

Police received several 911 calls about a white 2009 BMW 335i that went “off the cliff” and rolled several times, coming to rest about 120-feet in a ravine. Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle speeding up Bluebird Canyon at approximately 100 mph, and police said it was very possible the accident was intentional.

Monday, July 25

Medical. 12:20 a.m. 400 block of Mermaid St. A 26-year-old Laguna Beach man was arrested for being under the influence of GHB, with bail set at $1000, and was taken to Mission Hospital.

Traffic stop. 7:45a.m. Lagunita and Coast Highway. A 40-year-old Santa Ana resident was arrested for false identification and bail was set at $500.

Disturbance. 8:44 a.m. 500 block of Forest Ave. Laguna resident Eli Jesse Grossman was arrested for allegedly resisting an officer and battery on a police officer, with bail set at $20,000.

Battery. 9:11 a.m. 900 block of Capistrano Ave. A 36-year-old woman was arrested for domestic battery, with bail set at $10,000 after screaming, hitting and scratching her ex-husband and threatening to kill herself in the presence of three children. She was also charged with possession of drugs, with bail set at $20,000.

Vehicle burglary. 1:15 p.m. 700 block of Coast View Dr. A car was broken into and a wallet, skateboard, and iPod were taken.

Fraud report. 3:18 p.m. 300 block of Glenneyre St. A woman’s credit card information was compromised and unknown persons have withdrawn a total of $4500 from her bank account.

DUI. 4:04 p.m. 900 block of Summit Dr. A 55-year-old Laguna Beach man was arrested for DUI and bail was set at $2500.

Tuesday, July 26

Pedestrian stop. 1:23 a.m. 300 block of Glenneyre St. Demetri Catsouras, 29, of Laguna Niguel, was arrested on felony charges for alleged possession of cocaine and destroying evidence, with bail set at $20,000, and $500, respectively. Catsouras was arrested near a business he manages where officers found him hiding behind a trash can, said Sgt. Robert Rahaeuser. He said he was tying his shoe, but they found a torn, clear plastic bag with cocaine nearby, he said. The arrest was made by an officer in training, who has less than six months with the department, and was accompanied by a veteran corporal, Rahaeuser said.

Property. 9:23 a.m. 200 block of Agate St. Dana Point resident Silvia Trujillo-Delgado, 29, was arrested for alleged identity theft. Bail was set at $20,000.

Detective activity. 12:21 p.m. 13000 block of El Dorado Drive. A 53-year-old Corona resident was arrested for making obscene and threatening phone calls, with bail of $500.

Grand theft. 4:14pm 1500 block of S. Coast Highway. Yaneli Mendez, 28, of San Juan Capistrano, a hotel housekeeper, was arrested for suspicion of grand theft, with bail set at $20,000, after she was allegedly caught with jewelry from a guest room.

Traffic Stop. 10:21 p.m. Cardinal Dr. Coast Highway. A 20-year-old woman was arrested for DUI, held for bail of $2500.

Sexual battery. 200 block of Park Ave. A woman was assaulted in a Laguna Beach home by her employer. She was transported to Mission Hospital and detectives are investigating.

Wednesday, July 27

Traffic Stop. 12:34 a.m. 1600 block of S. Coast Highway, Sea Cliff Inn. A 29-year-old Norway resident was arrested for DUI, with bail of $2500.

Disturbance. 5:51 a.m. Sun Valley Drive. Foothill Ranch resident Vittorio Cantalupo, 49, was cited for alleged possession of 28.5 grams of marijuana or less. Officers had been called about a fight at the homeless shelter.

Traffic collision. 8:22 a.m. Glenneyre St. at Mountain Rd. Fire Department rescuers had to cut the driver from a 06 BMW that overturned.

Medical. 9:50 a.m. 686 N. Coast Hwy. A 50-year-old Laguna Beach woman’s body was found in her home. Foul play was not suspected. No further details were available.

DUI. 7:27 p.m. 30922 Coast Highway. A 22-year-old Canyon Country resident was arrested for DUI with bail set at $2500.

Hit and run. 7:51 p.m. Stefanie Mahealani Thais, 44, of Laguna Niguel, scratched a trolley with her vehicle and was tracked down at Laguna Avenue. She was arrested for suspicion of DUI, with bail set at $10,000.

Thursday, July 28

LBMC Violation. 2:37 p.m. Shaws Cove. An 18-year-old from West Covina was cited for spearing a Garibaldi, the protected state fish. OC Superior Court will issue a penalty amount.

Traffic stop. 4:58p.m. Brooks Street and Glenneyre Street. A 34-year-old Laguna Beach woman was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of drugs. Bail was set at $1000.

Info Only. 7:34 p.m. 31000 block of S. Coast Highway. Approximately a mile offshore, a commercial fishing boat was reportedly very close to a breaching whale. Lifeguards were notified.

Friday, July 29.

Grand Theft.  12:20a.m. 1500 block of Regatta Rd. A woman’s MacBook Pro valued at $2500 was allegedly stolen by an 18-year-old houseguest.

Burglary. 10:27 a.m. 100 block of Cliff Dr. Someone stole subwoofers from a vehicle.

DUI. 10:51 a.m. 600 N. Coast Highway. 11:07 a.m. Laguna Hills resident Heather Berault, 44, was arrested for suspicion of DUI, her second offense in 10 years, with bail set at $10,000. A store employee reported that the woman hit two vehicles as she attempted to drive away.

LBMC violation. 3:11 p.m. Moss Street beach. Lifeguards requested an officer cite a man for spearing a leopard shark, a protected species.

Hit and run. 4:29 p.m. Castle Rock Road. Laguna Beach resident Isidro Francisco Rodriguez, 43, was arrested for suspicion of felony hit and run, with a bail of $50,000. After attempting a left turn onto Laguna Canyon Road from his home, Rodriguez struck a motorcyclist and then continued driving into town. Witnesses called in his license plate. He was arrested the following day, telling officers he did not stop for fear of being late for work. The motorcycle rider suffered a severely lacerated foot.

Petty theft. 8:21p.m. 600 N. Coast Highway. David Shane Brooks, 43, of Laguna Beach, was arrested for three outstanding warrants and an additional burglary allegation, with bail of $20,000. A cashier reported seeing Brooks allegedly stealing food.

Saturday July 30

Petty theft. 10:24 a.m. 260 Ocean Ave. A woman’s wallet containing $600 and left on a table was stolen.

Traffic stop. 12:31 p.m. 600 block of Laguna Canyon Rd. An Anaheim man was arrested for a warrant for driving without a license, with bail set at $2500.

Public Service Request. 3:51 p.m. Main Beach park. The Fire Department had to cut apart a baby swing where two 11-year old boys were playing and got stuck.

Welfare check. 10:09 p.m. Bluebird Park. Police responded to a report of an assault by six to seven men, but when approached, the 22-year-old male ran away screaming and refused help.

Sunday, July 31

DUI. 2:44 a.m. Montage Resort Drive. Aliso Viejo resident Lance Brandon Nomil, 21, was arrested for suspicion of DUI for the second time, and bail was set at $10,000.

Vehicle burglary. 12:25 p.m. 100 N Coast Highway, Mobil. A man had his car window smashed and a glossy tan leather purse, camera, and passport stolen.

Animal Call. 9:08p.m. 600 block of Mystic Way. A woman reported a huge black thing with eight legs in her house, “the size of a mango.” Police arrived to find a very large spider and took it into custody.

DUI. 9:40 p.m. City limits north. Ladera Ranch resident Kenneth John Stetter was arrested for suspicion of DUI with bail of $10,000 due to a prior offense. Stetter reportedly nearly caused an accident by running the gate at Emerald Bay and making a u-turn on Coast Highway.

Laguna’s water officials expect to issue a report next week.

The San Diego Regional Water Quality Board, which regulates coastal waters from Laguna Beach to the Mexican border, for the first time required $1,500 permits for organizations or cities to discharge fireworks over bodies of water during Independence Day celebrations.

“Test results essentially are what we expected it to be: inconclusive. There is nothing spiking or anything that would attract our attention,” said Dave Schissler, Laguna’s director of water quality.

Officials at the private communities of Irvine Cove, Emerald Bay and Three Arch Bay, which put on their own fireworks displays from barges, obtained permits but did not confirm that they conducted water quality monitoring afterward.

“Ninety percent of what was tested for was non-detect. Any numbers at all were naturally occurring things like potassium and selenium, but well below any limits of concern,” Schissler said. “It didn’t really show anything that wasn’t natural to ocean water anyway.”

The federal Clean Water Act, enacted in 1972, requires permits for pollutants discharged into bodies of water, but no cities conducting fireworks displays ever obtained them previously. Enforcement was absent until environmental groups began threatening lawsuits in 2005, initially targeting the Sea World amusement park’s nightly displays and then municipal fireworks shows around San Diego.

Cities are being subjected to the same regulation as Sea World even though local events occur once a year, Schissler said.  “We did the testing as a matter of trying to develop a baseline over time. In this case there wasn’t anything elevated. Our goal is to have years of data put together to see if anything over time seems to change.”

Laguna’s fireworks show lights up the sky from Monument Point in Heisler Park over a state marine reserve. The hour-long show consisted of 776 fireworks, ranging from 2.5 inches to five inches, said Fire Chief Kris Head.

The control of fireworks displays in its infancy. “Before we couldn’t quantify the firework events. Now we are starting to,” said Michele Mata, a water resource control engineer with the San Diego board. Permits help regulators determine where shows occur and what areas should be considered for water quality monitoring, Mata said.

Michele and Andrew Brislen with their daughters.

Michele Brislen, widow of free diver Andrew Brislen, wants to educate people about the danger of shallow water blackout, which led to her husband’s death near Laguna’s Picnic Beach on May 26.

Although well understood by doctors, shallow water blackout is not well known by the public or even the free divers most likely to suffer from it, Brislen said this week in announcing her initiative.

“My husband did junior lifeguards and swam and surfed and scuba dove, but shallow water blackout was not a part of his vocabulary. When you get certified for scuba, they don’t talk about it. That’s for free diving,” said Brislen, who is also certified for scuba.

“I would like to sit down and talk to her. I think it would be worthwhile. It is something we are all very aware of as professionals,” said Laguna’s lifeguard Chief Kevin Snow, who added that shallow water blackout is part of the instruction given junior lifeguards when they begin snorkeling.

Andrew Brislen diving at Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, August, 2010. Photos by Keith Rootsaert.

About 10 people drown in the U.S. every day, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. It is unclear how many of these drownings were preceded by SWB, largely because there is no way to know unless someone witnesses the event.

“Most shallow water blackout cases are swept under the rug,” said Tom Griffiths, president of Aquatic Safety Group and former Penn State water safety director. “The coroners don’t know a thing about it. Their only criteria for cause of death is water in the lungs for drowning. It has to be brought to the public.”

Neal Pollock, research director for Divers Alert Network, has managed a database of breath hold incidents, most of which are fatal. Since 2004, there has been an average of 44 breath-holding deaths per year and Pollock believes over half the fatalities are due to SWB.

“It’s very unreported because there isn’t a lot of physical evidence left (in fatalities). We simply try to educate people about the hazards and not worry too much about the body count. Most cases are fatal, but I want to collect non-fatal ones because those are the ones where we can get whole picture,” Pollock said.

Andrew Brislen was free diving alone May 26 near Picnic Beach when he died as a result of drowning, according to a coroner’s report. Initial reports suggested kelp might have contributed to his death, but Brislen, an experienced diver, was found on the surface, and was almost surely a victim of shallow water blackout, a condition in which a diver is returning to the surface after holding their breath for an extended time in deeper water and loses consciousness suddenly, without warning. Once unconscious the diver drowns unless rescued quickly.

Brislen became more certain about the cause of death once she retrieved her husband’s equipment from the different agencies involved. Initially, she was told her husband did not have a weight belt at the time of his rescue, a clue to his cause of death. Her brothers dove twice in an attempt to find it before learning it was in custody of officials. His dive watch, later recovered from authorities, let her know he did not die entangled in kelp.

“Entanglement was not an issue. It just wasn’t. I dove out there and you could come up anywhere you want,” said brother in law Keith Rootsaert, safety officer for the Monterey Bay Sea Otters scuba diving club and a fish surveyor for REEF.

“You can pass out with zero warning, absolutely none,” said Pollock.

Shallow water blackout happens when a diver pushes their breath holding too deep or too long. At depth the pressure compresses the diver’s lungs, pushing oxygen to the rest of the body and brain. As the diver returns to the surface in need of air, the lungs expand, most greatly just before the surface. This reverses the oxygen pressure, sucking it out of the blood stream and back into the lungs. The oxygen starved brain then quickly shuts off, causing black out.

Divers often hyperventilate just before diving because it enables them to hold their breath longer, by getting rid of CO2 in the blood, which triggers the impulse to breathe. Hyperventilation before diving is very dangerous because the diver can easily stay down too long, using up all oxygen, and suffer shallow water blackout without the body giving off the typical warning signs that it needs air.

Brislen fit the model for SWB victims: he was fit, experienced, proactive diver. He would often call his brother in law, Rootsaert, to discuss their dive logs and safety strategy. Just a few months earlier, the two had done a dive that was Brislen’s first fish counting survey for REEF.

Laguna Beach lifeguards are trained about shallow water blackout, not allowed to descend deeper than 40 feet while free diving in a rescue, and are always accompanied by safety divers, according to Snow.

The Kawishi, in the middle, resupplying the aircraft carrier Ticonderoga, may serve as an underwater reef near Dana Point Harbor. Photo from the Navsource archive.

A nonprofit group that has identified 10 sites to potentially establish artificial reefs off California’s coast received a preliminary go-ahead this week for the 655-foot USS Kawishiwi to be sunk near Dana Point Harbor, what could be a boon for tourism, local divers and marine researchers.

The Navy ship commissioned in 1955, now based in a reserve fleet in San Francisco Bay, was designated as suitable and available to be sunk as an artificial reef by federal maritime authorities, according to California Ships to Reefs, which has received tentative support for its initiatives in Dana Point, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach.

Although reefing ships is common practice on the East Coast, because existing shipwrecks there have made clear their benefits, on the West Coast it is still relatively uncommon, said Dean Rewerts, reef development vice president for California Ships to Reefs, based in Wheatland, Calif.

The first artificial reefs were created in 1958 when 20 cars were placed off Paradise Cove in Santa Monica Bay and six wooden streetcars were sunk off Redondo Beach. Within hours, the car body reef lured surfperches, sargos, kelp bass and small California halibut, followed closely by sheephead and opaleye, according to “A Guide to Artificial Reefs of Southern California.” Within two years, 24,000 semi-resident fishes were counted and 49 species noted, the book says.

Before the Kawishiwi’s keel is sunk in 125 feet of water roughly a half mile south of harbor, the nonprofit must strip the vessel of paints and chemicals, a costly task that could take years, though Rewerts hopes it will be done partly by volunteers.

“There are stricter policies, and we want to be sure something isn’t introduced that may have pollutants and toxic substances,” said Carrie Wilson, a spokeswoman for the state Fish and Game Department, which has been involved in artificial reef building ever since the car body reef, with numerous projects as far south as the Mexican border.

Recent debates over expanding state marine reserves in naturally occurring rock bottom areas, such as Laguna Beach, has highlighted their value in sustaining marine habitats because they support a greater variety and abundance of sea life than sandy bottoms, described as marine deserts by Rewerts.

The Yukon in San Diego Harbor just before it was sunk in 2000.

After testing cars, wooden structures, concrete boxes, tires, and quarry rock, the latter emerged as the preferred material because it provides a good surface for marine organisms to attach and small spaces for fish to find shelter. Ships were determined to be inferior because their interior spaces are too large to provide the shelter many fish seek, according to the guide book.

Even so, artificial reefs generate an economic ripple onshore too. About 10,800 dives were made annually to the Yukon ship site in San Diego, including 6,000 made by out of town visitors who spent an average of $580 per day on lodging, food and other expenses, according to a 2003 study for the San Diego Oceans Foundation by Linwood Pendleton, an marine environmental science expert. The study estimates the Yukon injects $4.5 million annually into the local economy, but cost under $500,000 to establish, a return on investment Wall Street would love. The ship was purchased for $238,000, prepped and cleaned for $97,000 and towed to the site and sunk for $100,000, according to the report.

California Ships to Reefs, established in 2007, was originally a committee of San Diego Oceans Foundation, which reefed HMCS Yukon, a former Canadian Navy frigate off San Diego in 2000.

The Kawishiwi will be the first reefed ship where comparison studies will be made, comparing onboard habitat to nearby naturally occurring rocky habitat, Rewerts said. He expects researchers from universities will be keen to analyze data collected at the site.

World-renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle, National Geographic explorer in residence, will speak at the Rigs to Reefs conference tomorrow at the Waterfront Hilton in Huntington Beach.

Lifeguard Chief Kevin Snow, describing “a very busy weekend,” said it was due in part to warmer ocean water luring beach goers from the sand and an inconsistent swell. Lulls between sets make the ocean appear calm long enough for swimmers to get in harm’s way.

During Tuesday’s rough conditions, where red flags warning of extreme conditions were posted at Aliso Beach, Bryan Siglock died while scuba diving at Totuava Bay, less than a mile south. The 36-year-old Tustin man was in cardiac arrest when pulled from the surf and it is unclear if surf conditions contributed to his death.

A woman who lives in a condo above the beach called authorities and reported two divers being “tossed around,” as they tried to land on the rocks. The diver’s brother, who was diving with him, made it to shore, removed his dive gear and re-entered the water to rescue Siglock but by the time the pair made it to shore, the man was in full arrest, according to police Lt. Jason Kravetz. Resuscitation efforts by police, firefighters and lifeguards were unsuccessful. The diver was transported via helicopter to Mission Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

No lifeguards man towers at Totuava, though a guard watches neighboring 1,000 Steps Beach to the south. County beaches south of Aliso are guarded by personnel hired by U.S. Ocean Safety, a county contractor, while city guards staff beaches from Treasure Island to Crescent Bay.

High surf also complicated another rescue in north Laguna last Friday, July 8. Just before dark, four people were caught in narrow, rock-lined Whiskey Cove with a six-foot south swell and rising tide cutting off their exit. Lifeguards Scott Dietrich and Jack Bond, who entered the water at Crescent Bay, made contact with one man who had been swept to Seal Rock by the strong currents. While two men and a woman in their 20s had been stranded on the rocks between the cove and Crescent Bay, Bond found the man on Seal Rock exhausted and hypothermic with scrapes and cuts.

“He was at the point where if he didn’t have something to hang onto he wasn’t going to be around much longer,” said Dietrich, who requested fire department back up before entering the water with a paddleboard to transport the man 500 yards to the beach.

The effort was complicated by an area just shoreward from Seal Rock called the bone yard, an area of shallow rocks that causes waves to refract and hit a swimmer from four different directions.

Dietrich said, “to swim a victim out of that area is extremely hard, even for an expert swimmer.”

In addition, it was unclear how many people were in need of help. Firefighters acted as spotters for the lifeguards from the cliffs above the bay, and re-warmed the hypothermic man once he was brought ashore.

Dietrich then re-entered the water to guide the three others across the rocks from the water, while lifeguard Matt Grace assisted them from the rocks.

 The extreme high tides and significant swell have eroded sand at many beaches, causing lifeguard towers at Oak Street and Sleepy Hollow, among others, to need repair, adding to the workload of the busy lifeguards.

Reaction to the decision sparked a mix of action: conservationists are refocusing their efforts to organize a volunteer corps to tip undermanned enforcement authorities on marine violators, while commercial fishermen are weighing anchor and relocating to less restrictive harbors.

Mike Beanan, a proponent of the Laguna Blue Belt, a group that seeks environmental protections for Laguna’s coastline, said, “It’s pretty exciting. The sooner the better. I think everyone is going to benefit,” referring to the potential for increased fish populations within the marine reserve to spill over and improve fishing in adjacent areas.

Rodger Healy, president of the California Lobster and Trap Fishermen’s Association, said, “As fishermen we are let down by the process. It is transparently not fair. It reflects poorly on the process that we get no credit for being responsible stewards for 100 years of lobster fishing,” said Healy, whose fishery has the highest sustainability rating by Seafood Watch. California Halibut, another popular local species, however, has moderate to bad ratings, and points to the complexity of ecosystem evaluation.

Josh Fisher, a lobster fisherman and member of the stakeholder group involved in crafting the new protections, who is opposed to the Laguna Beach marine reserve, moved his boat from Dana Point to King Harbor, in Redondo Beach, because he saw the closure coming. He now lives and fishes there.

The decision to establish the highest legal level of protection for almost all of Laguna’s coast came after two years of hearings and negotiation between local conservationists, marine scientists, and commercial and recreational ocean users. The issue remains contentious as Laguna’s city council majority supported establishing the marine reserve, sparking protest by a long-established fishing community that sought to preserve its tradition.

Enforceability of the new rules remains unclear due to thin staffing of state game wardens. In 2009, California had the fewest amount of wardens per capita of any state, said Mike McBride, the state Department of Fish and Game’s assistant enforcement chief. Locally, the city’s sole marine protection officer lacks a boat. Joy Falk, one of the City’s animal services officers in a 2009 interview said fishing violations often fall to the bottom of a long list of calls and don’t get attention until offenders have left the area.

Healy said, “It’s ludicrous to say we wouldn’t want sustainable fisheries. But they can’t enforce what we have on the books now. I’m a law-abiding guy. I will lose my livelihood if I violate the law. This just displaces the people that are abiding by the rules.”

Ray Hiemstra, director of programs for Orange County Coast Keeper, seeks to address the enforcement shortfall.

“My feelings are it’s great it will be implemented. Now we’re going into full bore mode with training our volunteers and working with the D.F.G. and different enforcement authorities to get a program in place by then.”

Coast Keeper volunteers will monitor county beaches in an effort to provide enforcement agencies like the Department of Fish and Game information on where enforcement resources are most needed. The program is being modeled on a program developed by Monterey Bay Coast Keeper, according to Hiemstra.

“Basically we are the extra eyes that are going to be looking out,” he said.

Beanan’s wife Jinger Wallace, also an advocate of marine reserves, may be just the kind of person Hiemstra is looking for.

“I’m delighted it’s moving along and we have a firm date after years of public participation. If the public is engaged and the community is inspired to support and protect this, the reserves can work to restore our marine habitat.”

The long-anticipated Moro campground opened to overnight guests today in Crystal Cove State Park. Photo by Ted Reckas.

Even as 70 state parks are expected to shut down due to state budget cuts, the Moro Campground, site of the former El Morro Village mobile home park in Crystal Cove State Park, opened Friday, July 1, with little fanfare.

“We’ve been working toward this goal for 30 years and have had plans and funding in place for the past 10 years,” said Park Superintendent Todd Lewis, who conceded El Moro’s opening contradicts state policy elsewhere.

The $15 million campground, funded by voter’s passage of Prop. 12 in 2000, boasts 60 tent camping and RV sites with expansive ocean views, parking for 200 day users, beach front bathrooms and a pedestrian tunnel under Coast Highway.

Lewis said 1,500 reservations totaling 4,000 nights of camping at $65 a night were made in the last two weeks. He expects the park to be both popular and lucrative.

One of the very first to occupy a site was Elaine Brashier, outgoing PTA president at adjacent El Morro Elementary, whose parents expressed concerns about the proximity of campers. She was among those offered a pre-opening night of camping and praised the new facilities.

“It was great. They are still doing the finishing touches but it’s a very simple, clean campground. The kids had a blast. It is super accessible. There is a lot of day parking, clean bathrooms. Very clean campgrounds.”

Capt. David Skarman of the Emerald Bay Fire Station expects a significant increase in service calls. The former El Morro trailer park accounted for 70 percent of their calls, he said.

As open fires are not permitted in the campground, wildfires are less of a concern than pedestrians crossing the highway, Skarman said.

After construction began in July 2008, contractors walked off the job in December 2009 when park improvements were halted statewide due to California’s fiscal crises. Renovation of the nearby historic cottages also ceased temporarily.

Park officials expect Moro campground to rival the popularity of the park’s historic cottages, which are perennially reserved and earned $7.4 million last year, the third largest concession in the state park system. Besides $65 a night campsites, day use will cost $15 per vehicle.

Due to concerns raised years ago by El Morro parents, a committee was convened to improve communication between park officials and the school’s constituents. Norma Shelton, assistant district superintendent and a committee member, said concerns included camper trespassing and the functioning of school operations.

“We are aware things will come up once the campground is open so our committee will continue to meet. It is a work in progress. We are being good neighbors both ways,” she said.

For example, check in time for campers is no earlier than 3 p.m., instead of the usual 2 p.m., to avoid interfering with school dismissal.

Principal Chris Duddy said the school will add crossing guards next fall, but no additional security personnel.

Future additions to the campground include an outdoor educational amphitheater and concession store.

Indy graphic: John Wayne Airport flight tracks for the week of March 14-20, 2011, combined with highways from Google maps and the airport's approved departure route, known as STREL. Because the image does not reflect altitude, it is unclear what impact these flights have on ground-level noise.

Officials at John Wayne Airport and the local Federal Aviation Administration office are getting an earful of complaints from some Laguna Beach residents about increased airline traffic and noise, city officials confirmed.

“With the exception of Santa Anas, we’ve never had huge jets over our house,” said Laguna Canyon resident Keri Barriga, who described being subjected to nonstop flyovers from 7 a.m. until past 12 a.m. Airport officials told her post-midnight arrivals were international flights en route to LAX. “One of the guys from the FAA said basically get your friends together and start screaming,” she said.

City Manager John Pietig started receiving complaints in April and has delivered them to aviation officials, but expressed uncertainty about the scope of the problem. “I don’t know there has been an increase. It is sometimes difficult to ascertain what flights are causing the problem. The info I’m getting is not completely consistent.”

Airport authorities say noise complaints from Newport Coast and Laguna Beach have not markedly changed even as the total volume of flights has descended since peaking in 2007.

One North Laguna resident that keeps an expert eye on the local skies has also not observed any changes overhead. Spider Wills, an aircraft recognition expert for the U.S. Air Force from 1963-65 who still tracks planes recreationally, said, “I haven’t noticed anything irregular at all. I would say it’s about standard, and standard altitude. I watch aircraft all the time. It’s not like they are flying low and buzzing the place. The guy that’s irritating is sometimes the sheriff’s department flies around here and they make a lot of noise, but what are you going to do?”

Newport Beach resident Bob Pastore, a 37-year pilot and air traffic control consultant to the FAA, described a recent incremental change in the sanctioned departure path from John Wayne airport in the April 1 edition of the Newport Beach Independent.

“JWA has two primary departure paths for airliners. If they are headed for the northwest or the Bay Area, the navigation chart follows the Back Bay, then to Catalina Island and a right turn towards LAX.  Flights heading east, southeast, and northeast cross the shoreline then arc to the left to several charted waypoints downcoast, and then fly to Thermal, a navigation radio beacon just north of the Salton Sea. It is these flights which were causing the problem.”

These waypoints form a flight path known as STREL, a line that arcs approximately 15 miles over the ocean to allow planes room to ascend at least 7,000 feet before circling back over land with less audible impact. Previously, planes were directed even further out.

According to Pastore and the observations of local residents, a significant number of planes are cutting straight across the approved flight curve, putting them directly over the communities between Balboa Island and Dana Point at a much lower altitude and blasting them with engine noise.

When he flew, Pastore admits he routinely asked air traffic controllers for permission to cut the corner, a fuel- and time-saving maneuver.

FAA representative Ian Gregor in Los Angeles said there has been no appreciable change over the area in flight tracks, the actual path taken by aircraft, though he provided no specific accounting of flight deviations.

Pastore, who lives in Cameo Shores, attended a recent meeting with FAA officials and Newport Coast residents as a technical advisor. He said a representative of TRACON, the Southern California air traffic control body that directs pilots after they depart from their airport of origin, also received complaints from Laguna’s city manager. “So it’s a downcoast issue for everyone from Balboa Peninsula all the way to Dana Point,” he told residents.

Pastore notes that southbound flights from LAX circumnavigate the Palos Verdes Peninsula to avoid aggravating residents.

“I assure you the people on the coastline there many years ago had discussion with LAX people to avoid over flight. We just want the same consideration here that was given to their airspace years ago,” he said. “We are walking a fine line here with the FAA. We have to find a way to get the airplanes to fly the STREL completely. Our issue is where they are turning overhead.”

Garibaldi swimming through a strand of kelp. Photo by G Layman

Local kelp beds, an indicator of marine ecosystem health, have bloomed this year due to a combination of favorable ocean conditions and likely the previous efforts of kelp restoration experts. Fish counts are up as well, according to informal counts by divers.

“Everyone notices it in the dive community. Ask anyone, they will tell you there’s more kelp,” said Mike Kuhns, with the dive shop Laguna Sea Sports and who logs 300 dives a year in Laguna.

Last December’s aerial survey of Laguna’s coastline showed 23 acres of kelp north of Main Beach, and 24.3 to the south, almost double the 20-year average of 24.2 acres total, according to aerial photos provided by marine consultants MBC Applied Environmental Sciences in Corona del Mar.

Curtis, an MBC scientist led a seven-year effort to restore kelp off Laguna’s Cress Street beach and other sites, and studied under Dr. Wheeler North, the unofficial godfather of kelp reforestation that pioneered efforts off Palos Verdes in the 1960s.

“If you go to Scotchman’s Cove there is a nice big kelp bed that hasn’t been there since the late 1970s,” said Curtis, describing a popular beach within Crystal Cove State Park.

“A lot of the places hit a maximum in 2010, but about half are hitting their highest kelp density this year. It’s because of the La Nina we’ve had since March of last year. We’ve had really good conditions with only a couple warm months in summer,” said Curtis.

Kelp is dependent on plenty of sunlight and cold water rich in nutrients.

“There’s an inverse relationship with temperature and nutrients,” Curtis said, explaining that nutrient-rich cold water rises, a phenomenon known as upwelling. “In La Nina conditions we essentially have upwelling all year round.”

Kelp growth is also inhibited by turbidity, water clouded by sediment, pollution or phytoplankton, preventing sunlight from reaching kelp. In coastal areas where there is less storm runoff and turbidity, such as Catalina Island, kelp grows in water up to 100 feet deep, while in mainland coastal areas kelp rarely thrives deeper than 60 feet, said Dave Meyer, a retired science teacher and dive instructor who planted kelp at Little Corona, outside the Newport Harbor. That site that was so successful that it served as a kelp donor site to other restoration projects.

Recent weather and water conditions allowed natural reproduction of kelp by spores all along the Orange County coastline, Meyer said.

Fish counts seem to be rising along with the flourishing kelp beds.

“Before we were counting them in the rocks, where they would hide. Now they are out in the kelp beds. I did fish counts before the kelp growth, and now, and there are more fish now. There are more places for fish to hide. There is more food too,” said Nancy Caruso, a Garden Grove biologist, who has lead efforts to restore kelp and abalone in Laguna.

“A real healthy kelp canopy creates the environment and does help in the (fish) population,” said Mike Hanson, a 25-year captain and president of Dana Wharf Sport Fishing, though kelp-growing conditions are not necessarily a boon to recreational anglers.

“The fish don’t really bite when the water’s cold. Cold water puts them into a semi-hybernation state. That’s another reason the fish population is up so much in the kelp beds: they didn’t really bite much last year,” said Hanson.

Flourishing kelp beds that provide habitat for fish prove alluring to free divers and snorkelers also. Even so, lifeguards say kelp plays an inconsequential role in rescues, despite a recent death by an experienced diver last month.

“Divers die in the kelp in Laguna Beach from time to time, but I wouldn’t say kelp is any worse a cause of death than before,” said Sgt. John Hollenbeck, of the Harbor Patrol office that oversees Dana Point, Newport and Sunset harbors.

Last month, Andrew Brislen was found near Laguna’s Picnic Beach in kelp after free diving alone. Though a cause of death is still pending, his wife suggested he may have simply blacked out.

Laguna Beach Marine Safety Chief Kevin Snow is also unfazed by the kelp.

“I don’t think it really effects our operations. If you are a boater driving into kelp it may affect you. But it is your job to be aware of your surroundings and not drive into kelp. From a rescuer point of view, swimming through kelp is one of the many things lifeguards are trained to do. It is not a significant factor when doing rescues.”

Wheeler North Link: http://eands.caltech.edu/articles/LXVI/north.html

Clothing designer Jonas Bevacqua, right, died Monday at his home in Laguna Beach.

A private Catholic service was held in memory of Jonas Bevacqua, founder of the fast-growing hip-hop apparel company L-R-G, Wednesday in his parents’ home in Monarch Beach, according to a family friend.

Bevacqua, 34, was discovered dead at his Laguna Beach home Monday, May 30. The cause of death has yet to be determined since an autopsy conducted Wednesday proved inconclusive and toxicology results are still underway, according to coroner’s office watch commander Kelley Keyes. Laguna Beach police say no criminal investigation is underway.

Bevacqua, who as a teenager lived in a trailer at the former El Moro trailer park, worked as a dj and parking valet while getting Lifted Research Group off the ground in 1999. Entrepreneur magazine ranked the company number five among fast-growing companies and with sales of $150 million in 2006, soaring from $5 million in 2002.

Matt Sheridan, of Laguna Beach, met Bevacqua in a math class at LBHS at age 14, valet parked cars with him while Bevacqua was starting L-R-G, and was one of its first sales reps.

“His whole concept was to pay your rent with your passion,” said Sheridan.

Bevacqua donated time, money and clothing to those who needed it, including students at the San Juan Capistrano school where Sheridan teaches. Sheridan said his friend was also colorblind when it came to social status.

“He blew stereotypes out of the water. He was adopted, and lived with brothers and sisters that were black, white, Asian,” said Sheridan, referring to the Bevacqua family of seven siblings, six of them adopted, including Jonas, as well as a biological son.

The company, which coined the tag line, “adopt children, not style,” made clothing appealing to skaters, surfers, artists and hip-hop fans.

“We make clothes that make you think and feel better than anyone else. At the end of the day it’s a business, but this is truly a labor of love. I feel like I’ve never worked a day in my life,” said Bevacqua in a company promotional video.

The company expanded its brand with accessories like a Sidekick smartphone and portable speakers, as well as producing music and sponsoring board sports athletes.

His partners and co-founders Robert Wright and Charlie Moothart, said in a statement on the LRG website they intend to continue. Company officials failed to return phone calls.

Bevacqua was found in his bed at 8 p.m. by his father and fiance, who had been away for the weekend, Sgt. Louise Callus said.

He is survived by a son, Adyn, 5, and parents Joe and Helen, six siblings and a fiancé, according to the L-R-G website.

“He was always an incredibly sincere, pierce through the bull—t kind of guy. The positive association that he brought into street culture through art and music and good messages is something that barely any clothing company does at that level, and especially how he did that from such a young age with such power,” said Dan Mariner, a long time clothing designer and co-founder of clothing company Alex Maine.

Kurt Bjorkman and bee keeper Andrea Wilde with Aliso Creek Inn’s newest amenity. Photo by Ted Reckas

Aliso Creek Inn added a new suite to the resort property, sited in an exclusive area at the midpoint on its nine-hole golf course. In size and amenities though, the addition behind the maintenance shed comes up short of the typical guest room and measures just four square feet.

It’s spacious if you’re a bee, even crowded in 10,000 deep, like the insects now in residence.

Kurt Bjorkman, general manager of Aliso Creek Inn, expects the bees to multiply to about 60,000 by summer, possibly producing as much as 70 pounds of local honey. Their output will depend on rainfall and the blooming cycle of various food sources, such as sage, buckwheat, lavender, fennel, and wildflowers. Not bad for an initial investment of $140.

Guests of Aliso Creek Inn’s sister property, Montage Laguna Beach, and patrons of Tabu Grill and soon-to-be opened Starfish restaurant may be the first to reap the dividends, according to Bjorkman.

“I saw bees flying around the property and recalled friends at other restaurants were harvesting or buying fresh honey from local honey purveyors,” said Bjorkman, who decided to go a step further and become a producer.  “A friend of mine is director of sales at Carmel Valley Ranch, which has a honey program, and he really loves that story and the connection with the environment.”

Many more restaurant chefs are seeking nearby sources for ingredients, reflecting shifting menus compiled from fresh, seasonal products and a growing industry appreciation for sustainable practices.

“We absolutely like to get locally sourced food whenever we can,” said Nancy Wilhem, owner of Laguna Beach’s Tabu Grill, top-rated by Zagat patrons, and a new startup, Starfish. “We are a small community and it’s also nice to promote each other.”

Aliso Creek Inn is not the first Laguna Beach bee keeper. Bob Cosgrove, a 60-year bee keeper, produces several varieties marketed as Aliso Canyon Honey, sold at the nearby Albertson’s market and other outlets, though his bees harvest nectar elsewhere.

“It’s a good location if the sage and buckwheat is blooming,” said Cosgrove. “The fennel is coming on, which is lovely honey. But there’s not enough in that canyon that you can get a good concentration of it.”

Beekeeper Andrea Wilde

The nucleus colony, or nuc for short, a queen bee and her fledgling hive of workers, was purchased after much searching. It was late in the bee-buying season, which normally ends by March, when Andrea Wilde, director of catering and conference services and the resort’s self-taught bee keeper, sought a supplier in April.

Laguna is one of the only cities in the county that allows bee keeping; most strictly regulate it or ban it altogether, said Amy Cripps, secretary of Orange County Bee Keepers Association, which has 100 members.

Aliso Creek Inn guests and golfers need not worry about being stung any more than they did before. The bees are an Italian species that is more docile than the apis mellifera species, commonly known as Africanized bees.

Cosgrove, a Laguna resident, keeps 40 hives on a horse farm off Ortega Highway, another 15 on the Saddleback College campus where he teaches English full time, and five in an avocado orchard in San Juan Capistrano. He produces about 15,000 pounds of honey in a good year, sold to Albertson’s, Vienna Café in Laguna Beach, the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach, and Mother’s Markets across Orange County.

When he retires, Cosgrove plans to expand his bee operation to 200 hives.

“Membership has been growing with news coverage in last few years about bees and the concern for their importance,” said Cripps. “More people are looking to buy local honeys which goes with the artisanal food movement and the emphasis on food being home grown,” said Cripps, who keeps six hives of her own and plans to sell honey to local shops.