🌱 Laguna Beach City Council Back Online + Former Rep. Harley Rouda Gives Way To Porter

Happy Tuesday, Laguna Beach! Here's everything you need to know to start today off on an informed note. Here's everything worth knowing today in town.

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First, today's weather:

Areas of fog, then sun; cool. High: 58 Low: 49.

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Here are the top stories today in Laguna Beach:

1. Former Laguna Beach Rep. Harley Rouda has opted to bow out of battling fellow Democrat Katie Porter for the Orange County seat. Meanwhile, sitting congresswoman Michelle Steel is making changes of her own. (Los Angeles Times).
2. Like many area universities and city halls, Laguna Beach city council is shifting its public meetings back online amid COVID-19 surge. (Laguna Beach Independent Newspaper).
3. Just how much rain did Laguna Beach get in the last rain storm? Take a look at the places that got the most rain over the last 2 weeks of 2021. (OCRegister).
4. Laguna Beach's ocean waves remain under an ocean water advisory. Bacteria levels are reading high after a huge sewage spill off Long Beach on New Year's Eve. (Laguna Beach Patch).
5. As UC Irvine students return to campus for online learning, UCI has fired a professor and director of medical ethics who refused vaccination, claiming 'natural immunity' to COVID (Lake Forest Patch).

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Today in Laguna Beach: The Pacific Marine Mammal Center introduces the first patient of 2022! This little one was rescued from Bolsa Chica at only 31 pounds, very lethargic, malnourished, dehydrated and had some abscesses. Our veterinary team gave him the full workup. (Facebook)

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From my notebook:

• Pacific Marine Mammal Center: "PMMC rescue season has definitely begun with the nursery filling up! We had a busier than normal month of December with 17 California sea lions rescued. Many have moved on to eating meals on their own, some foraging in small pools, and s..." (Facebook)
• City of Laguna Beach - Government: "Residents Encouraged to Take Laguna Beach Community Survey! The City of Laguna Beach is pleased to announce that through January 10, 2022 - residents of the City of Laguna Beach may take the online Laguna Beach Community Survey." (Facebook)
• Nextdoor Neighbor, Three Arch Bay: "So my retirement goal is to all in and learn to play the piano. Not just casual but I am going to the top, why not, why can't a 65-year-old learn again. I want to go all the way to Juilliard !! I am ready for the first step." (Nextdoor)
• Nextdoor Neighbor, North Laguna: "Someone was asking about a great assignment shop with good furniture. - Home Consignment has several locations though this one is in Aliso Viejo in closest to us. New items often." (Nextdoor)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Tuesday. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new update!

— Ashley Ludwig

About me: Ashley Ludwig has been a columnist and online news editor since 2007. Prior to joining Patch, she worked as a staff writer for Southwest Riverside's Valley News Newspaper--in print and online. She was a co-founder of the southern California news conglomerate, DailySoCal.com--and prior to that, a freelance journalist for such publications as the North County Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, and Southwest Riverside News Network (SWRNN.com), and still owns the local southern California Wine Country blog: TemeculaGrapevine.com. Ashley Ludwig has worked as a writer on the web since the late 1990s. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona, with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. Wife, and mother of two daughters, she is the author of multiple romantic suspense novels. www.ashleyludwig.com