LAGUNA BEACH : City Appoints New Fire Chief

With the Laguna Beach Fire Department’s first and second in command both preparing to retire in December, City Manager Kenneth C. Frank announced Wednesday that the city has selected a new fire chief.

Buena Park Fire Department Battalion Chief William Edmundson will replace Chief Richard Dewberry, who retires at the end of this year after 24 years with the city.

Laguna Beach Battalion Chief Joe McClure will retire Dec. 3 after 26 years of service. He has not yet been replaced.

Both Dewberry and McClure said Wednesday they are eager to spend time on other projects, and both agreed that fighting last fall’s firestorm was the most dramatic event of their careers.

“I don’t want to call it a highlight of my career because it certainly had the negative downside because we lost so many homes,” Dewberry said. “On the other hand, there was also a tremendous amount of property saved.”

Also in December, the city will lose Police Capt. William Cavenaugh, who is retiring Dec. 30 after three decades with the force.

Frank attributes the three coinciding retirements with improved retirement benefits approved by the city about a year ago.

“We have enacted a new public safety retirement system that is more generous and makes it easier for police and fire people to retire earlier than they have in the past,” he said.

Dewberry, 50, said he will breed cattle at the farm where grew up in Alabama. He intends to eventually retire there.

McClure, 52, said he will stay in Laguna Beach for a while and take time to pursue hobbies such as sculpting and woodcarving. Eventually, he plans to move to Anza in Northern California.

Cavenaugh, 51, said he will move to Yreka City in Northern California the day after he retires.