A new community group, responsible for most of the budget to operate the former Laguna Art Museum, already has raised more than half of what it will need for next year, its officers

announced Tuesday. The Laguna Art Museum Heritage Corp., formed during the merger of the Newport Harbor and Laguna art museums in July, has raised about $60,000 in cash and pledges, largely

from its 29-member board, Vice President Janet Eggers said during a news conference at the museum. The nonprofit group is responsible for two-thirds of the museum’s annual budget. Heritage

officials had been concerned that anti-merger efforts by another group in Laguna Beach, the Motivated Museum Members, would hamper fund-raising. But on Tuesday, Eggers said she welcomes any