New Police Officer Starts
Mike Dippel came on duty this week as a Laguna Beach police officer after a three-year assignment with the state parks police.
Dippel majored in geography at Humboldt State and has worked various duties patrolling parks in Los Angeles
and Orange counties, including as a member of a marijuana eradication team, drug recognition expert and weaponless
defense instructor.
New Asset Joins Union Bank
Industry veteran Mary Vachon joined Union Bank’s Consumer Lending group as a senior mortgage consultant.
Based in Newport Beach, Vachon is responsible for the growth of the bank’s residential lending in the coastal areas between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.
She previously worked as a mortgage loan officer for Bank of America, PrimeLending and Wells Fargo. Vachon is a member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and volunteers with the Newport Coast Elementary School. She is also a member of the National Association of Realtors.
City Hall Departure
Carl Hefner, the city’s top building official, cleared out his City Hall desk unexpectedly last month. Hefner, a former deputy building official for the city of Sacramento, started in the post in January 2011, selected from among 65 applicants. He succeeded the retiring John Gustafson, who held the post for years.
City Hall staffers were admonished to not ask questions about Hefner’s departure. Hefner intends to return to Sacramento, where his wife still resides, and will not contest his dismissal, said a source, who declined to be named. Hefner apparently signed a non-disclosure agreement.