Fire department names new division chief

Edward Valdez is the Laguna Beach Fire Department’s newest division chief, according to the city’s website.

Valdez will begin work Aug. 4, filling the post vacated by Dan Stefano, who is now Costa Mesa’s fire chief.

Valdez, who lives with his wife in Dana Point, is a command staff officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

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Fundraiser kick-off

Off-duty Laguna Beach firefighters will participate in the annual Fill the Boot fundraiser on Saturday to help find a cure for muscular dystrophy.

Laguna firefighters have partnered with the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. for the past several years, raising more than $5,400 in 2013. Statewide, firefighters and the association raise more than $2 million annually through local Fill the Boot drives.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce