O.C. Now

Huntington Beach

Trial to begin in case of police stalker

A Huntington Beach man is expected to begin trial today for threatening and stalking a police detective.

Brian Dopler, 27, is charged with felony criminal threats and stalking a Huntington Beach Police Department detective between Jan. 8 and Feb. 10, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges in March and is expected to begin opening statements at 9 a.m. today in Courtroom C-16 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

Dopler faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison.

— Britney Barnes

Costa Mesa

Car auction pulls into fairgrounds

An internationally recognized auctioneer of classic cars is planning a large event in Costa Mesa. The Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. plans to host an auction of rare, vintage and exotic cars June 25-27 at the Orange County Fair & Event Center.

Barrett-Jackson hosts “The World’s Great Collector Car Auctions” in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Palm Beach, Fla.; and Las Vegas. To gear up for the Orange County event, the auction company will stage a “road rally” featuring local car clubs on June 19. Participants will gather at 2 p.m. at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., meet with Costa Mesa police for a safety check and then drive to the fairgrounds at 3 p.m.

Following the rally, Barrett-Jackson plans to stage a small car show at the fairgrounds with food, beverage and live entertainment.

— Staff reports

Laguna Beach

Mayor upbeat in State of the City address

Mayor Elizabeth Pearson did some bragging at the recent State of the City Luncheon about the city’s accomplishments in the past couple of years, tempered by the economy and gave hints of better days to come.

Pearson was the keynote speaker at the annual Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Montage Laguna Beach resort. She spoke on the overall state of the city, but honed in on economic issues that impact the city’s business community, much of it echoed by representatives of elected officials at the state and county levels.

“Clearly the state of California is not the ideal place to do business — as evidenced by the recent sixth survey of Chief Executive magazine, which ranked California as the 51st least desirable place to do business, behind all other 49 states and the District of Columbia,” Pearson said. “It’s not easy opening and operating a business in our state. But it’s going to start being a little easier in Laguna Beach.”

— Barbara Diamond