Events in the news this week.

The vials of chemicals that washed up on Orange County beaches last month will be among topics aired during a special hearing in Santa Monica on Tuesday morning conducted by the State Lands Commission. The commission will also look into the dumping of medical waste in San Diego County. The session is open to the public.

The vials contained antiseptics to be used in case of chemical or biological warfare, county health officials said. The Navy said the discarded vials probably came from military supplies, but no branch of the military has taken responsibility for the dumping or has specified the source.