LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—Laguna Beach is among 12 cities in Orange County to put boundaries on a new state law that allows homeowners to convert single-family lots into multiple units. Laguna Beach City Councilman George Weiss said residents fear the new state law. “There is that fear the state is taking too much power away from local authorities,” Weiss told The Epoch Times. “It’s clearly there, whether it’s real or not.” Last year Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 9 into law allowing single-family lot owners to subdivide their properties into a duplex or split the lot into halves for a total allowance of four units, each eligible for sale separately. The law allows local governments to impose some guardrails, limiting the size and height of each unit approved under SB 9. But cities don’t have much room to maneuver “without getting in the crosshairs of the state,” Laguna Beach …