Laguna Beach approves first phase of potential $166 million wildfire mitigation plan

Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen looked across a deep ravine — known as the “horseshoe” — along Bluebird Canyon Road.
The area, flush with coastal sage, grasses and a cluster of more than two dozen eucalyptus trees standing nearly 80 feet tall, is an example of the 16,000 acres of open space that weaves through and around this seaside town.
Whalen calls the location a chokepoint. It is the exact spot where all residents who live in the canyon can enter and exit via a narrow,