Baglin conflict of interest trial is delayed...

Baglin conflict of interest trial is delayed

The trial for Councilman Wayne Baglin, who is facing six counts of

felony conflict of interest, has been delayed again. The June 30

trial date has been tentatively pushed back to July 7.

Baglin pleaded not guilty on Dec. 6 of violating a state

government code that prohibits elected officials or members of their

families from financially benefiting from contracts with the agency

the official represents. Baglin, a real estate broker, accepted a

$36,000 commission from the sale to the city of two lots he brokered

for clients while sitting on council.

Baglin is still required to go to court on Monday for the delay

announcement. The trial will take place in department C-41 in the

Santa Ana courthouse.

Blaze destroys upstairs after toddler saved

A Laguna Beach firefighter and a resident were taken to the

hospital for minor injuries Monday after a two-story house in South

Laguna caught fire.

The 1,200-square-foot house sustained an estimated $500,000 in

damage, but firefighters contained the blaze about 35 minutes after

receiving the call at 2:47 a.m. The homes on either side of the house

in the 31900 block of Crestwood Place, both valued at more than

$800,000, weren’t damaged.

“Within minutes, this could have been a fatal fire,” Laguna Beach

Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Macey said. “There were no smoke

alarms upstairs, and the adult male sleeping downstairs may not have

been able to save the 3-year-old upstairs if he didn’t hear a window

pop.”

A man and woman, whose names weren’t released, were sleeping

downstairs with a 3-month-old while a 3-year-old slept upstairs,

where the fire originated, Macey said.

“The upstairs part of the house is on a grade, so the adult was

able to break a window in the 3-year-old’s room and get them both

out,” Macey said. “He suffered a laceration on his arm in the process

of breaking the window.”

The downstairs portion of the house suffered only smoke damage,

but Macey called the upstairs “a total loss.”

A total of 25 firefighters responded to the call, made by a

neighbor down the street. One firefighter suffered a minor leg

injury. Both injured parties were treated and released by South Coast

Medical Center on Monday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Bee swarms plague parts of Laguna Beach

Police have been receiving an unprecedented number of calls about

swarms of bees in the last month, sometimes closing portions of

streets to pedestrians.

If a swarm of bees is on your property, police ask that you call

the beekeeper at (949) 497-6264. Call the police department only if

the swarm is in a public place, at (949) 497-0701.

Some areas seeing influx of daytime burglaries

Police are warning residents in the areas of Bluebird Canyon,

Summit Drive/Way and Arch Beach Heights about a high volume of

residential daytime burglaries in the last two weeks.

The Police Department posted fliers on windshields and increased

patrols in the areas, especially around noon. It asks residents to be

on the lookout for suspicious vehicles or people.

Call the police at (949) 497-0701 if you see suspicious activity

and 911 if you see a crime occurring.

-- Mike Swanson