Laguna beach city news City of Laguna Beach, California

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024

We Want Your Input at Tonight's Town Hall Meeting on Community Priorities!

The City is exploring new revenue options, including a voter-approved increase in the hotel and short-term rental bed tax and whether to increase aspects of the taxes paid by businesses (some of these have not been adjusted – even by inflation – since the late 1990s) to fund important priorities expressed by our residents such as replacing our aging fire stations, expanding our open spaces, making Laguna Canyon Road safer, workforce and artist housing, and much more.

Join the discussion at our Community Town Hall TONIGHT at 6:00 PM at the Laguna Beach Community and Susi Q Center to learn more and share your thoughts. Your input is crucial in shaping the future of our City.
Click HERE to Take the City's Community Priorities Survey

This Week's City Council Action:

City Council Recognizes July as Parks Make Life Better Month in Laguna Beach

On Tuesday, the City Council approved a proclamation recognizing July as Parks Make Life Better month. The purpose of Parks Make Life Better month is to raise awareness of the benefits of parks and recreation facilities, programs, and services throughout California. From left to right: Director of Transit & Community Services Michael Litschi, Recreation Supervisor Tierney Doran, Recreation Manager Alexis Braun, Mayor Sue Kempf, Recreation Committee Member Gwen McNallan and Recreation Committee Member Claudia Redfern.

City Staff Recognized for Milestone Years of Service

On Tuesday, the City Council recognized 20 City staff members who have reached a milestone year of service and employment with the City of Laguna Beach during the second quarter of the 2024 calendar year. Congratulations to all employees recognized! ✨ 🪴

City Council Introduces First Reading of Ordinance to Streamline Artist Occupancy Permit Applications

On Tuesday, the City Council introduced the first reading of an ordinance to simplify the artist occupancy permit process. The purpose of obtaining an artist occupancy permit is to reside in an Artist Work/Live facility. Previously, artists were required to submit an artist occupancy permit application to the Community Development Director and attend an in-person meeting with the Artist Review Panel, who reviewed their permit application. The new ordinance states that the Community Development Director or their designee will review and decide on permit applications within 14 days of submission.

City Approves Transition Plan For Outsourcing the Management of City Surplus Investments

On Tuesday, the City Council approved the transition plan of investment management services from the City Treasurer to Meeder Public Trust (Meeder). The transition plan is expected to take 1-4 weeks and is set to begin on August 1, 2024. Once the transition is complete, Meeder will manage the City's surplus funds, which is money not immediately needed for expenses or obligations, as directed by the City Council. The City Treasurer will continue to oversee the management of bond proceeds and more liquid investments, using investment pools and bank deposits to meet the City's daily financial needs. Additionally, the City Council has instructed staff to conduct an audit of the internal processes under the new policy.

The Next Regular Meeting of the City Council is Tuesday, July 23 at 5:00 P.M.

The "Tentative Agenda" is strictly tentative and there is no guarantee that items listed will be agendized as scheduled due to changing priorities, new information, staff workloads, and other unforeseeable events.
Click HERE for the City Council Tentative Agenda
Click HERE for the "The Week That Was"

New Video Podcast: Stu New's Fair Game with Tom Johnson & Mayor Sue Kempf

In this week's Fair Game podcast with Tom Johnson, Mayor Sue Kempf shares her thoughts on the 4th of July Drone Show, praises our public safety departments for handling the large crowds over the holiday weekend, and looks forward to your input at tonight's community town hall meeting.

Nomination Period For City Offices Opens on Monday, July 15

The General Municipal Election will be held in the City of Laguna Beach on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. On Monday, July 15 at 8:00 a.m. through Friday, August 9, 2024 at 5:00 p.m., the nomination period will be open for the following City Offices:

  • Two (2) Members of the City Council for a full term of four years
  • City Clerk for a full term of four years
  • City Treasurer for a full term of four years
Filing deadline will be extended to August 14, 2024, if nomination papers for an incumbent officer of the City are not filed by the August 9, 2024, filing deadline. This extension period is not applicable to incumbents. An appointment to receive and/or file nomination papers is required. To schedule an appointment during the nomination period, please call the City Clerk's Office at (949) 497-0705.

Watch 🎥: 2024 Election Information

Click HERE for More Information on the November 5, 2024 General Municipal Election

Community Shares Thoughts on Road Safety at Farmer's Market

Last Saturday, the community provided their input regarding road safety in Laguna Beach. The City is gathering input to create a plan to improve safety for people walking, biking, or driving in Laguna Beach. The plan will focus on reducing collisions proactively with a data driven approach, creating strategies to implement safe designs that account for public stakeholder and community input, and setting the City up for success to pursue external funds for safety improvements. Click HERE to take the survey where you can share your experiences with traveling in the region and your vision for the future of our roadways.

First Thursdays Art Walk is Tonight ✨

Click HERE for the Full List of Galleries!

First Thursdays Art Walk celebrates the diverse cultural art scene of Laguna Beach and is FREE to the public with participation by 40 galleries! First Thursdays Art Walk is held on the first Thursday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Laguna Local On-Demand Service extends its summer hours of service for First Thursdays Art Walk until 11:30 p.m. As a reminder, the Laguna Local On-Demand service does not serve the Canyon area.
The Laguna Beach Arts Commission invites the public to attend the dedication of the temporary sculpture installation "An Attempted Murder" by artist Jack Champion at City Hall tomorrow July 12, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. This program is funded by the lodging establishments and City of Laguna Beach.

The TABU Band to Perform at the Music In the Park Concert This Sunday at Bluebird Park 🎶

Promising high energy, skill, passion and precision across a range of covers from Latin to Pop, R&B, Classic Rock and Reggaeton, The TABU band keep things fresh and exciting. The free Music in the Park concert starts 5:00 p.m. Set up is allowed after 3:00 p.m. As a reminder, no dogs, smoking, or merchandise sales are allowed. Alcohol is permitted for guests 21 or older with a full meal.

Laguna Beach Firefighters Deployed to Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County

Over the past week, Laguna Beach Office of Emergency Services (OES) 1314 has been deployed to help mitigate the Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County. Captain Scott Hammond, Engineer Kyle Valmassy, and Firefighter Dylan Hunter have been working tirelessly to extinguish and remove burning material to prevent the fire from rekindling.

As of Thursday, July 11, the Lake Fire has burned 34,015 acres with a 16% containment.
Click HERE for the Updates on the Lake Fire

Thank You, Laguna Beach Firefighters!

Female Evading Suspect Arrested After Further Investigation

On June 30, 2024, Laguna Beach officers stopped a green Mercedes on South Coast Highway at Bluebird Canyon Drive, in reference to a simple California Vehicle Code violation. The female driver, Melissa Haley was contacted at the driver’s side door, but she was uncooperative with officers. Haley was asked to exit the vehicle for further investigation, which led to her fleeing from officers in her vehicle southbound on South Coast Highway.

A vehicle pursuit ensued and led officers into Dana Point then onto Interstate 5 northbound. Due to excessive speeds, the vehicle proceeding onto Interstate 5 and the reckless nature of Haley’s driving, LBPD officers relinquished the pursuit to California Highway Patrol (CHP). CHP officers pursued the vehicle into Los Angeles County before discontinuing their pursuit, as well.

Laguna Beach detectives almost immediately began investigating Haley’s whereabouts in pursuit of criminal charges. On July 10, 2024, detectives located Haley in Costa Mesa near an auto repair shop. She was placed under arrest for felony evading and later transported to Orange County Jail.

The Laguna Beach Fire Department is hiring Ambulance Operators! Click HERE for more information and to apply online!

Lily Awaits: The Purrfect Addition to Your Family!

Lily is a tiny, 2½-year-old shorthair cat with beautiful white and grey fur. She is the queen of the Laguna Beach Shelter lobby, greeting all our guests with her charming presence. Come meet Lily today and see if she's the perfect fit for your family!

The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter adoption procedures are designed to make sure that both the potential family and the animal adopted are in the very best situation possible. The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter is located at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road. For any questions, please call (949) 497-3552.
Click HERE for More Information on Adoption Procedures!

Pavement Rehabilitation Project on Glenneyre St, Park Ave, and Thalia St

This week the Notice to Proceed was issued to R.J. Noble for the Zone 3 Collector Pavement Rehabilitation project. Construction is scheduled to begin the week of July 15 and continue through the end of October 2024.

The scope of work includes pavement repair and resurfacing on Park Avenue (Glenneyre Street to Wendt Terrace), Glenneyre Street (Forest Avenue to Thalia Street) and Thalia Street. Minor traffic delays should be expected.

For more information, please contact Josh McDonald, Associate Civil Engineer, at (949) 497-0711 or jmcdonald@lagunabeachcity.net.

Click HERE to register online for summer camps!
Join us on Saturday, July 13 at 11:00 a.m. at the Laguna Beach Library to learn how to plant, maintain, and harvest avocados! 🥑

Have an Amazing Weekend! 🌴☀️

Have a Question? Click HERE to Contact the City of Laguna Beach!
Printed copies of the newsletter are available Fridays at the Community & Susi Q Center. Alternative Language Options Available Upon Request.