AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
LAW ENFORCEMENT / FIRE / EMERGENCY RESPONSE SUBCOMMITTEE Agoura Hills City Hall - City Manager's Conference Room 30001 Ladyface Court, Agoura Hills, California 91301
Monday, March 2, 2026
4:00 PM
Please silence all cell phones and other electronic devices during the meeting.
NOTE: The Subcommittee and City staff will be participating in this meeting in-person in the City Manager's Conference Room. Members of the public have the opportunity to participate in-person in the conference room.
For public participation on items listed on this Agenda, refer to "Public Comments" below.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (PUBLIC COMMENT)
Option A: To provide public comments in-person at the meeting Members of the public have an opportunity to attend the meeting in-person and speak or submit a written comment on any item listed on this Agenda. Public testimony is limited to three (3) minutes per speaker; a speaker’s time may not be transferred to another speaker. Written public comments submitted at the meeting are not read aloud by staff.
To request to speak in-person at the meeting. The Subcommittee will open the floor for public comment and any in-person attendee who raises their hand will have the opportunity to speak. Public testimony is limited to three (3) minutes per speaker; a speaker's time may no be transferred to another speaker.
Option B: To submit written public comments by e-mail (prior to the meeting) Members of the public have an opportunity to submit email correspondence on any item listed on the Agenda by sending an email to: [email protected]. All public correspondence received by 3:00 p.m. on the meeting date will be provided to the Subcommittee prior to the meeting. Public comments are not read into the record. Any public comments received after 3:00 p.m. on the meeting day will not be considered as part of the Subcommittee’s deliberations or entered into the official record, but will be provided to the Subcommittee the next day.
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
Mayor Pro Tem Deborah Klein Lopez
Councilmember Penny Sylvester
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
PUBLIC COMMENTS
(This section is reserved for persons wishing to address items not listed on the Agenda that are under the subject matter jurisdiction of the City Council. Please refer to “Public Participation” above for full details on how to speak or submit written public comments under this category.)
DISCUSSION ITEMS
1. Proposal of Ordinance for Kratom Supplement/Drug Ban
2. Informational Item on Community Brigade Pilot Program - Los Angeles County Fire Department
SUBCOMMITTEE OR STAFF COMMENTS
ADJOURNMENT
Date Posted: February 26, 2026
REPORT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT/FIRE/EMERGENCY RESPONSE SUBCOMMITTEE DATE: MARCH 2, 2026
TO: HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT / FIRE / EMERGENCY RESPONSE
SUBCOMMITTEE
FROM: NATHAN HAMBURGER, CITY MANAGER
BY: RAMIRO ADEVA, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
JANE HOOVER, ADMINISTRATIVE INTERN
SUBJECT: PROPOSAL OF ORDINANCE FOR KRATOM SUPPLEMENT/DRUG BAN
OVERVIEW
This report requests Subcommittee consideration to amend the Municipal Code and establish an ordinance prohibiting the sale of all Kratom products within Agoura Hills city limits.
BACKGROUND
Kratom is an herbal substance made from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa, a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. Kratom contains a natural compound mitragynine but the more concentrated and potent 7- hydroxymitragynine (or 7-OH) is the synthetic version prevalent in many products sold over the counter today. At low doses, this compound can have stimulative properties but with high doses it can have sedative or opioid-like effects.
In the United States, Kratom is commonly sold as powders, capsules, extracts, and beverages. People report using it for various reasons, including pain relief, mood enhancement, and managing withdrawal symptoms. Kratom has also reportedly been used to self-treat symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, these uses are not Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, and scientific evidence is still limited. Despite these perceived benefits, Kratom also carries serious risks including addiction, withdrawal symptoms, nausea, elevated heart rate, and even seizures. Additionally, because Kratom is not FDA-regulated, some products have been found to contain contaminants like heavy metals or bacteria, which can lead to serious health issues. These risks have led the FDA to recommend a scheduling action to control 7-OH products under the Controlled Substances Act. The product is available to minors at various locations and have caused death in multiple cases.
Lastly, the Las Virgenes Unified School District recently passed Resolution No. 12-25 urging local city councils within the District’s boundaries to adopt and enforce city ordinances that ban the sale, distribution, or possession of unregulated Kratom and Kratom-related products, in order to protect the health, safety, and well-being of our students, families, and the broader community. Prohibiting the sale of unregulated products that pose significant health risks especially on the youth will have significant health benefits as they progress through their early developmental phases.
FINDINGS AND ALTERNATIVES
Kratom has become an active area of discussion among public health agencies and policymakers. Kratom is currently not FDA approved. In fact, the FDA is currently recommending the compound, 7-OH, be classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance making it federally illegal.
Legislators have introduced California Assembly Bill 1088 (Public Health; Kratom) that would prohibit sales to anyone under 21 and prohibit any marketing that is geared towards children. As of September 2025, Assembly Bill 1088 has passed the California Assembly and is now under consideration in the Senate. While that bill is under consideration, the California Department of Health has started advising consumers about the risks involved and has even started removing Kratom products from stores and manufacturing sites.
Over the past several years local jurisdictions have started introducing legislation with various levels of restrictions regarding the sale and possession of Kratom. The cities of San Diego and Oceanside both banned the sale and possession of Kratom back in 2016. Newport Beach banned the sale of Kratom products in September 2025.
Orange County and Riverside County adopted an ordinance prohibiting the sale of Kratom products that contain more than 2% of the 7-OH compound.
On November 7, 2025, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health posted a news release advising retailers to immediately remove from their shelves and stop selling products that contain Kratom, tianeptine and the synthetic Kratom compound known as 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH). discontinue sales of any Kratom product and warned of impending inspections after six deaths were linked to the 7-OH compound. Staff confirmed with the Department of Health that this ban does apply to retailers within Agoura Hills. Staff are aware of at least two retailers that sell Kratom products within city limits. The proposed ordinance will amend the City's Municipal Code to address the ban and would defer to any future State legislation that addresses the issue. Should the subcommittee recommend this item being presented to the City Council for consideration, it is anticipated that the language would at minimum include the following:
• Define Kratom as: o ‘Kratom’ means any part of the plant Mitragyna speciosa, whether in natural, powdered, extracted, synthesized, or any other form, including any compound, derivative, or preparation of that plant. o ‘Kratom product’ means any product intended for human consumption that contains Kratom, including but not limited to powders, capsules, tablets, extracts, resins, tinctures, beverages, or edibles. • No person shall sell, offer for sale, advertise, furnish, exchange, distribute, or provide any Kratom or Kratom product.
• No person shall display Kratom or Kratom products in any retail establishment or make such products available in a manner that would reasonably lead to a sale, transfer, or distribution.
FISCAL IMPACT
Enacting an ordinance prohibiting the sale of a specific product does not have a significant fiscal impact. It may have a minor impact on Sales tax, but any projected shortfall will be minimal, and no budget amendment will be needed.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff respectfully recommends the Law Enforcement / Fire/ Emergency Response Subcommittee discuss the issue and consider recommending that staff draft an ordinance prohibiting the sale of all Kratom products in Agoura Hills to be considered by the City Council.
REPORT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT/FIRE/EMERGENCY RESPONSE SUBCOMMITTEE DATE: MARCH 2, 2026
TO: HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT / FIRE / EMERGENCY RESPONSE
SUBCOMMITTEE
FROM: NATHAN HAMBURGER, CITY MANAGER
BY: NATHAN HAMBURGER, CITY MANAGER
SUBJECT: INFORMATIONAL ITEM ON COMMUNITY BRIGADE PILOT PROGRAM - LOS ANGELES COUNTY
FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Los Angeles County Fire Department, along with support from several other agencies, has created a pilot program, the Community Brigade. Communities surrounding and within the Santa Monica Mountains are now joining this pilot program and are looking to expand throughout the Conejo Valley.
The Community Brigade Pilot Program is a trailblazing partnership designed to help bridge the resource gap between professional first response agencies and local communities during disaster events. Volunteers are trained in fire behavior, communications, home hardening, and operational procedures in order to assist in response to wildfires and other disaster related events.
Initially launching in seven pilot communities in the Santa Monica Mountains in partnership with Los Angeles County Fire, the goal was stated to be that the program expands to at-risk communities across the West.
The training includes how responses will occur and how to understand all hazards that can exist, life safety issues, community preparedness & resiliency, and operational readiness. What a disaster such as the Woolsey Fire has shown is that without greater community engagement and acceptance of risk and responsibility, government agencies will continue to confront impossible battles and high expectations during extreme events with limited resources at times. The volunteers will not be on the front lines fighting fires but instead serve assisting roles for which they will be trained.
The thought behind the creation of this pilot program was that disasters are inevitable and they outpace current resources and create a multitude of problems and issues that require additional resources to address. In addition, expectations are unrealistic at times and some sense of shared ownership can create better outcomes. Prevention versus rebuilding a community is a far better path. Modern society has also become increasingly disconnected from accepting ownership over its own risk exposure. Thus, empowering community members with information and tools encourages accountability.
Experts calculate that pre-event mitigation provides an 8-to-1 cost benefit ratio. Therefore, we believe that longterm preparatory mitigation is the most efficient method for disaster preparedness.
We have asked the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation (nonprofit), Brent Woodworth, who also heads up the Brigade program, or someone from their organization, to attend the subcommittee meeting to assist in answering any questions that may arise, including the City’s involvement, funding, training, coordination, etc.
The Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation has been able to fund raise for equipment and the program training. There is also a possibility of a grant to fund the initial start up of the program. Beyond the start up, staff will need to explore further options, if necessary, should the program be recommended to be considered by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
The presentation of this informational item has no impact of the current Fiscal Year budget. Should the subcommittee recommend the City Council consider this program, staff will provide a financial analysis, specifying any direct and indirect costs to be borne by the City.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff respectfully recommends that the Subcommittee hear the presentation and discuss the option to present this program to the full City Council for consideration.