Attach 1 - Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report 2025 Update - Final 9 — Laguna Beach City Council, September 23, 2025

Wildfire Mitigation
and Fire Safety Report
2025 Update
City of Laguna Beach 505 Forest Avenue Laguna Beach, CA 92651 (949) 497-3311 Attachment 1
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5 Dear Community Members,
The community of Laguna Beach is known for our breathtaking coastline, coastal hills, village atmosphere, and arts and cultural heritage. However, the natural beauty that makes Laguna Beach such a special place also presents one of our greatest challenges - the risk of wildfire.

Nearly all of Laguna Beach falls within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone as designated by CalFire. Our steep canyons, coastal hillsides, and thousands of acres of open space, combined with dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds, make our community especially vulnerable to wildfires. We have seen firsthand how quickly fire can threaten lives, homes, and businesses, as witnessed in the devastating 1993 Laguna Fire and more recently in 2022, with the Coastal Fire and Emerald Fire.

We note that following the City Council adoption of the 2019 Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report (“2019 Report”), the City of Laguna Beach has spent approximately $25 million to complete and implement 24 of the 2019 Report’s recommended action items, which has significantly improved public safety. An additional 16 action items from the 2019 Report are currently in progress.

In response to the massive wildfires that devastated our neighbors in Los Angeles County in January 2025, the City Council reestablished the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Ad Hoc Committee and asked the two of us to serve as the members of the Subcommittee as we did in 2019. Over the last three months, the Ad Hoc Committee has collaborated with City Staff and several outside agencies to review the status of the action items recommended in the 2019 Report and to identify additional measures that could further reduce wildfire risks. The attached report (“2025 Update”) is an update to the 2019 Report.

Key new initiatives recommended in this update include:
• Additional improvements to and hardening of public infrastructure • Expanded undergrounding along key evacuation routes
• Enhanced community preparedness for evacuation
6 • Expanded fuel modification on public lands
• Home hardening and vegetation management by residents on private property The update primarily focuses on action items that the City, our Water Districts and electric utility companies can implement; however, the Ad Hoc Committee strongly believes that one of the most important steps to improving wildfire safety in the city is for the owners of private property to reduce fire risks on their property. This can best be accomplished by properly maintaining vegetation and trees on private property and by taking steps to make residences more fire resistant through home hardening. The City stands ready to assist our residents by identifying the best practices for home hardening and the necessary protocols for vegetation management.

Wildfire threat is a reality for Laguna Beach, but through prevention, preparedness, and community action, we can reduce the risk and safeguard our city. As we continue to strengthen our wildfire mitigation efforts, we encourage you to prepare by taking several simple but important steps: Assemble and maintain a disaster preparedness go-bag, register for our alert systems such as AlertOC and Nixle, familiarize yourself with evacuation routes (including a practice run or two) and contact our staff at the Laguna Beach Fire Department for a free fire inspection of your property.

For more information, please visit our website at lagunabeachcity.net/GetPrepared for preparedness guides and resources.

Thank you for being a part of this effort. Together, we can protect our beautiful hometown for generations to come.

Very truly yours,
Bob Whalen Sue Kempf
Councilmember Councilmember
Bob Whalen Sue Kempf
7 Prepared By:

Ad Hoc Committee Members -
Bob Whalen, Councilmember
Sue Kempf, Councilmember
In collaboration with -
Dave Kiff, City Manager
Gavin Curran, Assistant City Manager
Jeremy Frimond, Assistant City Manager
Niko King, Fire Chief
Andrew Hill, Acting Deputy Fire Chief
Jeff Calvert, Police Chief
Michael Peters, Police Captain
Sarah Limones, Emergency Operations Coordinator
Mark McAvoy, Director of Public Works
Tom Perez, City Engineer
Michelle Bannigan, Finance Director
Shannon Espinoza, Finance Manager
Shelly Bennecke, Chair - Emergency Disaster Preparedness Committee Rick Shintaku, South Coast Water District
Keith Van Der Maaten, Laguna Beach County Water District Susan Thomas, Board Member - Emerald Bay Services District Mike Dunbar, General Manager - Emerald Bay Services District Jordan Villwock, Consultant
505 Forest Avenue
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 497-3311
lagunabeachcity.net
Wildfire Mitigation
and Fire Safety Report
2025 Update
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9 Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 1 Summary of Risk Factors ........................................................................................... 3 Update to the Fire Hazard Severity Zones by CalFire ..................................................... 4 Existing Programs and Resources to Mitigate Risks ..................................................... 6 Coordination With Other Agencies ............................................................................. 8 Additional Mitigation Measures to be Considered ...................................................... 11 Recommended Action Items – 2025 .......................................................................... 14 Section 1: Status of 2019 Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report Action Items ..... 28 2019 Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report Action Items - Status as of Sept 2025 ... 29 Section 2: Evacuation and Alert & Warning .............................................................. 35 Evacuation Planning ................................................................................................ 35 Alert and Warning Systems ....................................................................................... 44 Evacuations and Alert & Warning – Recommended Action Items ................................. 45 Section 3: Fuel Modification ................................................................................... 47 Fuel Modification Expansion Strategy Under Governor’s Executive Order ..................... 50 Fuel Modification Schedule for 2025 ......................................................................... 51 Fuel Modification – Recommended Action Items ........................................................ 53 Section 4: Infrastructure ........................................................................................ 55 Electrical System ..................................................................................................... 55 Undergrounding ....................................................................................................... 57 Southern California Edison Circuits .......................................................................... 59 San Diego Gas and Electric Circuits .......................................................................... 64 Water Systems ........................................................................................................ 65 Public Safety Radio Facilities Circuits ........................................................................ 65 Telecommunications Facilities ................................................................................. 66 Infrastructure – Recommended Action Items ............................................................. 71 Section 5: Public Safety Technology ....................................................................... 77 Public Safety Technology – Recommended Action Items ............................................. 79 Section 6: Community Preparedness ...................................................................... 82 Community Preparedness – Recommended Action Items ........................................... 86 Section 7: Funding ................................................................................................. 90 Funding Strategies ................................................................................................... 90 Funding Strategies for Possible Action Items Categorized as “Short-Term” ................... 91 Conceptual Funding Strategies for Action Items Categorized as “Medium-Term”........... 91 Conceptual Funding Strategies for Action Items Categorized as “Long-Term”................ 92 Financial Impacts of Previous Disasters .................................................................... 92 10 Executive Summary
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12 Summary of Risk Factors
The City of Laguna Beach is a well-known coastal community with a population of just over 23,000 residents that is surrounded by over 16,000 acres of open space. The 2025 CalFire Fire Hazard Severity Zone map places nearly the entire city within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the highest risk designation possible. The city’s topography is made up of coastal cliffs and hilly terrain that contains significant vegetation making wildfires the city’s largest public safety threat.

Laguna Beach is no stranger to wildfire. The city’s most devastating wildfire occurred on October 27, 1993, when a Santa Ana wind-driven wildfire, known as the Laguna Fire, consumed over 14,000 acres and forced the evacuation of the entire city. In total, the Laguna Fire destroyed 441 homes and structures in less than 24 hours.

In the last ten years, the city has experienced five wildfires:

1. Canyon Fire - July 3, 2015, on Laguna Canyon Road and Canyon Acres

2. Aliso Fire – June 2, 2018, in Aliso Woods Canyon Park

3. Emerald Fire – February 10, 2022, in Emerald Canyon above Emerald Bay

4. Coastal Fire – May 12, 2022, in South Laguna behind Aliso Creek

5. Rancho Fire – July 7, 2025, in open space near Arch Beach Heights Each of these wildfires forced immediate evacuations and burned vegetation in the city’s open space while the Coastal Fire also destroyed homes in neighboring Laguna Niguel.

The wildfire risks from the natural environment in Laguna Beach are compounded by certain constraints and limitations in the city which include the following:

1. Limited Evacuation Routes: There are only three evacuation routes out of the city: North Coast Highway, South Coast Highway, and Laguna Canyon Road.

2. Overhead Electrical Utilities: Overhead electrical lines present at least two significant threats to public safety. First, these lines can ignite wildfires. Downed or sparking power lines have caused wildfires in the city and in many major wildfires in the state. Second, these lines, if downed during an emergency, can block key evacuation routes and impede access by first responders. While the City and residents continue to underground electrical utilities, specific evacuation routes such as Laguna Canyon Road, which is also surrounded by open space, remain above-ground. 13 3. Neighborhoods with Impaired Access: Many streets are narrow, others are dead-end, and certain areas are interior box canyons and only have one way in and out. These areas create challenges both for evacuation (egress) and access by first responders (ingress).

4. Older Structures/Buildings: As significant number of structures in Laguna Beach were built prior to 2008, when new building standards took effect to increase building safety in the wildland-urban interface. Therefore, Laguna Beach has a predominance of structures/buildings lacking fire resistive characteristics. While the City’s building codes are now as advanced as possible and many homes are built to the highest codes, these do not apply retroactively.

5. Visitor Impact: Laguna Beach has a daytime population of over 28,000 and receives between six and seven million visitors per year, which complicates evacuation efforts and requires planning to consider a much larger volume of evacuees than just residents.

Many visitors will be unfamiliar with the City’s evacuation plans and the available alert and warning systems.

Update to the Fire Hazard Severity Zones by CalFire
On March 24, 2025, the California Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) issued its 2025 Recommended Local Responsibility Area (LRA) Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for the City of Laguna Beach. The 2025 maps updated the previous version of the maps from 2011. The FHSZ maps identify areas of Moderate, High, and Very High fire hazard and are a critical tool in California’s wildfire preparedness and land-use planning strategy. Developed through robust fire science and risk analysis, these maps help guide building standards, defensible space requirements, and emergency response planning. The 2025 FHSZ maps for Laguna Beach are available at lagunabeachcity.net/FHSZMap.

When comparing the 2025 map with the 2011 maps, the city has an increased area within the Very High, High, and Moderate severity zones. More information on the maps and an interactive tool to compare the 2011 and 2025 maps can be found on CalFire’s website:
osfm.fire.ca.gov/FHSZ. The 2025 map of the city is below. 14 15
Existing Programs and Resources to Mitigate Risks
To reduce the threat of wildfire, in July of 2019, the City of Laguna Beach approved its inaugural Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report (“2019 Report”) which included 29 short term (1-2 years) recommendations, 6 medium term (3-5 years) recommendations, and 7 long term (5+ years) recommendations. The City has completed 24 recommendations and 16 are in progress. To date the City has invested approximately $25 million to implement the recommendations and enhance the safety of the community since the 2019 Report. A complete list of implemented recommendations can be found in Section 1.

Some of the City’s completed and ongoing actions from the 2019 Report are summarized below:

1. Fuel Modification: The City has a well-established fuel modification program in place to help create defensible space at the wildland-urban interface. This perimeter helps protect structures, lives, and property. There are 27 fuel modification zones (FMZs”) which cover about 480 acres. TheCity continues to implement the fuel break program using goat grazing and hand crews to create a strip of land with reduced vegetation around most exterior parts of the city, and some interior canyons. Generally, this program creates a fuel break of about 100 feet between structures and vegetation in the open space. The City also implements a weed abatement program to address invasive weeds and grasses on properties throughout the city. The program reduces the potential fire ignition source with approximately 400 properties in the program.

LBFD reviews plans and conducts inspections
for new construction and remodels of multifamily, commercial and industrial occupancies for compliance with all applicable state, federal
and municipal codes. This includes fuel
modification in landscapes and fire / life safety
in multi-family and commercial buildings. Maps
of the fuel modification zones are available on
the City website and may be found at
lagunabeachcity.net/FirePrevention.

2. Evacuation and Alert & Warning: The City has an established Evacuation Plan and an Alert and Warning Plan that is highlighted by the city-wide Outdoor Warning System Goat grazing behind City Hall
16 (OWS) which are speakers that are strategically placed throughout the city. The OWS has redundant alerting through solar power and satellite activation capabilities.

Additionally, in 2021 an Evacuation Time Study was completed which provided projected evacuation times based on multiple different scenarios, including wildfire.

The city has 22 pre-established evacuation management zones with public-facing evacuation maps. The City also created an interactive evacuation mapping system using GIS so that the public can see what zones are under evacuation orders or warnings in real-time. Maps of the evacuation zones are available on the City website at lagunabeachcity.net/Evacuation.

3. Public Safety Resources: The City of Laguna Beach has its own Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works Department, Marine Safety Department, and a fulltime Emergency Operations Coordinator that are valuable assets during any emergency, particularly wildfire. These local resources are augmented by mutual aid agreements with surrounding agencies and provide access to specialty equipment such as firefighting aircraft and heavy equipment. The City maintains contracts with landscape contractors and arborists for tree removal and heavy equipment which can provide additional resources during an emergency. Additionally, the City has an executed Memorandum of Agreement with surrounding cities for emergency management resources including back up Emergency Operations Center capabilities.

4. Utility Undergrounding: Since 2019, the City has created six underground utility districts using local funds, California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) Rule 20A credits, and property owner self-assessments. Construction has been completed on three of the districts resulting in approximately 2,500 feet of overhead lines being undergrounded and 20 poles removed. Coast Highway, Laguna Canyon Road, Park Avenue, and Bluebird Canyon Drive were specifically identified in the 2019 Report as key evacuation routes. The poles and wires along Park Avenue have been removed, and the poles and wires along Bluebird Canyon Drive are scheduled to be removed by Summer 2025. The lines along Coast Highway are planned to be placed underground by SCE as part of the CPUC Rule 20A program. The City and CalTrans are continuing work on Laguna Canyon Road in two components: overhead lines recently have been taken down between El Toro Road and State Route 73, and the “Protect and Connect” project between El Toro Road and Canyon Acres is working 17 to underground the remaining 2.5 miles of overhead utilities along this critical evacuation route.

Coordination with Other Agencies
In 2019 the City included both the Laguna Beach County Water District and the South Coast Water District in the creation of the 2019 Report which included recommended improvements by each water district to its system. In crafting the 2025 Update, the Ad Hoc Committee has again involved the water districts and invited the Emerald Bay Service District and the Emerald Bay Community Association to participate in the preparation of the report. Below is a summary of past and planned actions by these agencies to improve wildfire resilience.

1. Laguna Beach County Water District: The Laguna Beach County Water District (LBCWD) continues to enhance wildfire resilience and emergency readiness. Since 1993, the District has added two reservoirs with 8 million gallons of additional storage, upgraded its technology for remote operations, and enhanced emergency response with portable pumps and generators. The District has installed two helicopter refilling facilities along the ridgelines of the City that enhance aerial firefighting operations. In partnership with the Orange County Fire Authority, the City of Laguna Beach, and the University of California, San Diego, two artificial intelligence (AI) fire detection cameras have been installed at the District’s Ridge Reservoir site with plans to expand camera coverage.

LBCWD is planning additional projects to improve water system performance and reliability during emergencies including: the installation of a third helicopter refilling station; additional AI cameras at the District’s Rimrock, Jahraus, Sweany, and El Morro Reservoir sites; diversifying water supply through a new well for increased groundwater; participating in the South Coast Water District planned desalination plant at Doheny Beach; boosting backup power; evaluating subgrade hydrants and the need for additional hydrants in certain locations; and supporting Emerald Bay’s hydrant expansion.

2. South Coast Water District: South Coast Water District (SCWD) has been actively implementing and planning various infrastructure projects that will help improve water reliability and resilience. Construction on SCWD’s Potable Water Reservoir 2B Replacement Project (Reservoir 2B Project) recommended in the 2019 Report was completed in May 2025. Reservoir 2B is located off Ceanothus Drive, in a hilly 18 wildland-urban interface above the South Laguna Beach residential neighborhood and is a critical water storage facility that not only serves local customers with continued potable water supplies but also supports maintaining critical water pressure in the event of local wildfires. The Reservoir 2B Project has doubled previous water storage capacity by demolishing an existing 100,000-gallon potable water reservoir built in the 1940s and replacing it with two (2) 100,000-gallon reservoirs.

SCWD will also begin construction later this year to upsize existing 6-inch and 8-inch diameter potable water pipelines in Sunset Avenue above Mission Hospital (Mission Hospital Pipeline Project). This Pipeline Project will provide increased hydraulic capabilities within SCWD’s distribution system to maximize available storage capacity in the 490 Pressure Zone, support wildfire mitigation efforts, and increase availability of water supplies and system pressure resulting from the Reservoir 2B Project. The Project will also improve fire flow capacity within the adjacent areas and provide up to 4,000 gallons per minute (GPM) of fire flow at 20 pounds per square inch (PSI)residual for institutional and commercial properties in compliance with SCWD’s Infrastructure Master Plan.

SCWD recently issued a Notice to Proceed to a joint venture team to begin Phase 1 design services for the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project. Once completed, this Project will produce up to 5 million gallons per day of new local drinking water supply for the region, reduce reliance on imported water supplies, and substantially enhance reliability and quality of water supply to the SCWD service area and Laguna Beach. SCWD has also implemented reliability enhancements at various pump stations, including the purchase of portable generators and installation of quick connects, along with ongoing implementation of fire hardening projects at various District facilities, including pump stations, lift stations, and SCWD’s headquarters on West Street in Laguna Beach.

3. Emerald Bay Service District (EBSD) and Emerald Bay Community Association (EBCA): Although Emerald Bay is unincorporated County territory, its geographic proximity, history of wildfires, and the inevitability of the City’s fire and police response being first on scene to a wildfire that threatens Emerald Bay, it is important that the City works closely with EBSD and EBCA on mitigation and preparedness. The 19 EBSD and EBCA have completed the following efforts to better mitigate and prepare for wildfires:

Wildfire Preparation Town Hall
• January 17, 2025, held a community town hall with presentations by the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). (recorded and sent to entire community) • Homeowners were encouraged to take advantage of complementary wildfire assessment of individual homes by OCFA.

Wildfire Task Force
• Formed Joint EBSD and EBCA Wildfire Task Force after the Palisades fire to explore ways to harden the community from wildland fires. • Retained consultant to advise a committee on prioritizing actions. The consultant recommended:
o Creating a Community Wildfire Prevention Plan
o Greater fuel management
o EBCA and homeowner structure hardening efforts
o Expand community notification system
o Refine evacuation plan
Community Wildfire Protection Plan
• Retained Dudek to prepare a report on Fire Modeling
Fuel Modification Actions
• Retained contractor to aggressively modify any fuel on EBCA property • Continuing fuel modification 170 feet beyond community boundary • Working with California State Parks and OC Parks to expand fuel modification beyond 170 feet
• Working with Irvine Cove to expand fuel modification beyond both boundaries Community Notification System
• Installation of an emergency siren to notify entire community • Since Emerald Fire in February 2022, EBSD has been working to install a siren at the Sweany Reservoir in cooperation with LBCWD
• Met with Assembly Member Dixon to request assistance
20 • Developing campaign to encourage homeowners to harden homes via intra community messaging system
• Plan to provide access to siren to City of Laguna Beach emergency personnel Community Emergency Response Team
• CERT was formed in approximately 1994
• Active CERT conducts community wide drills two times each year and radio drills for leaders monthly
• CERT will be engaged to encourage home hardening and refine evacuation plans
• Plan to work with City of Laguna Beach Community Emergency Coordinator to familiarize EBCA staff and CERT with City operations
Water Supply and Accessibility
• Evaluating installation of additional hydrants near “gateway properties” • Evaluating additional water lines for firefighting
Additional Mitigation Measures to be Considered
Since the original Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report was approved in 2019, there have been several large wildfires in communities similar to Laguna Beach that face ingress and egress challenges like those faced by the City. Below is a partial list of recent wildfires that remind us of the potential for destruction of property and loss of life that is possible in Laguna Beach. Both the City and our residents have a collective responsibility to further reduce the probability of wildfire loss in our community.

Date Fire Name County Cause Acres Deaths Structures Lost Aug 2020 North Complex Butte Lightning Activity 318,935 15 2,352 Aug 2023 Lahaina Maui Electrical Lines 2,170 102 2,200
Jan 2025 Palisades Los Angeles Human Activity 23,713 11 6,000+ Jan 2025 Eaton Los Angeles Electrical Lines 14,117 16 7,000+ These wildfires transitioned into areas of dense structures due to key vulnerabilities that enabled devastating fire behavior. Common factors included widespread pre-2008 construction which lacks modern fire-resistant standards as found in the California Building Code, lack of home hardening measures to retrofit these vulnerable structures; delays in 21 statewide adoption of ember resistant zone “Zone 0”, (the first five feet surrounding each structure should be cleared of anything not resistant to fire) and the need for more stringent and focused fire prevention measures in vulnerable neighborhoods particularly at points where wildfire pathways enter communities.

These factors have, again and again, contributed to vegetative wildfires penetrating communities, igniting structures, and transitioning into a wind driven structure to structure conflagration, which can overwhelm available firefighting resources.

On January 12, 2025, Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi, Laguna Beach Fire Chief Niko King, and Laguna Beach City Manager Dave Kiff toured areas of the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. This tour, led by Laguna Beach Fire Department personnel who provided mutual aid for the incident, provided valuable insight into how vulnerable Laguna Beach is to a similar devastating wildfire event given our similarities to Palisades in terrain, vegetation, age of the housing stock commercial buildings and limited evacuation routes. During the Palisades Fire, residents experienced traffic congestion, communication gaps, and resource allocation challenges.

Like Laguna Beach, Palisades experiences high wind conditions, has heavy vegetation and has limited evacuation routes and impaired access areas. The events that occurred during the wildfire that destroyed major parts of the Palisades community could occur at any time in Laguna Beach under certain weather conditions.

In response to the unprecedented wildfires that occurred in January 2025 in Southern California, the City Council at its January 28, 2025 meeting, reestablished the Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Ad Hoc Committee comprised of Councilmember Sue Kempf and Councilmember Bob Whalen. The Ad Hoc Committee was directed to work with the City Manager, key staff members, and relevant external entities to undertake the following tasks:

1. Update the 2019 Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report

2. Review the Current Evacuation Zones, Routes, and Procedures

3. Prioritize Undergrounding Projects for Critical Utility Lines

4. Assess the Capacity and Reliability of Existing Water Supply

5. Expand and Improve Fuel Modification and Vegetation Management

6. Promote Home Hardening and Defensible Space

7. Enhance Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety through Artificial Intelligence

8. Update City Policies, Ordinances, and Practices to Enhance Wildfire Safety

9. Develop Funding Strategies to Implement Recommended Actions 22 To complete these tasks, the Ad Hoc Committee met twice a month from January - April 2025. The Ad Hoc Committee worked to evaluate and, where feasible, include suggestions from the public. Public input was received throughout the process. The Laguna Beach Fire Department and Laguna Beach Police Department held two town hall meetings: a virtual meeting on the topics of Home Hardening and Firewise Communities and an in-person meeting on Evacuations and Alert & Warning. Both were recorded and posted to the City’s website.

This report includes an updated chart of recommended action items related to the following categories:
• Evacuation and Alert & Warning,
• Fuel Modification
• Infrastructure
• Public Safety Technology
• Community Preparedness.

The 2025 Update contains a funding section to capture possible funding sources and timeframes for funding: short, medium, and long term. There is also a section with the status of the 2019 Report’s recommended action items.
23 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
Short Term Projects
1 Evacuation
Update the Emergency
Operations Plan
including the City's
Evacuation Annex
Hire a planning consultant to update the citywide Emergency Operations Plan to incorporate lessons learned from past incidents, mitigation efforts, and technological improvements that have occurred since it was last updated. Revise the Evacuation Annex to include the Marine Safety Department for evacuations onto the beach; Animal Control for the evacuation of animals; and Transportation and Community Services for the evacuation of seniors and others needing assistance.

Short $100,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund

Fire / Police /
Marine Safety
/ Transit &
Community
Services
2 Evacuation Evaluate evacuation
route signage plan
Evaluate whether an effective evacuation route signage plan could be installed to assist visitors and residents unfamiliar with certain parts of the city.

Short $0 Public Works
/ Police / Fire
3 Evacuation
Establish a list of
residents who may
need assistance with
evacuations
There are numerous residents who may be unable to self-evacuate and will require assistance. The City should work to create a list of those residents, determine what the City is able to provide the residents, and determine how the list will be maintained.

Short $0
Fire / Police /
Transit &
Community
Services
4 Evacuation Stage bull dozers on
Red Flag Days
Determine the feasibility of staging bull dozers on Red Flag Days to clear evacuation routes. Short $0 Public Works
5 Evacuation
Mutual Aid
Coordination and
Planning
Continue to coordinate with Orange County Sheriff’s Department (Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, and OCSD Mutual Aid Bureau), Irvine, and Newport Beach mutual aid for traffic control and evacuations. Add mutual aid procedures to the update of the City's evacuation plan. Conduct a tabletop exercise on evacuations.

Short -
ongoing $0 Police
6 Alert &
Warning
Test the City-wide
Outdoor Warning
System
Conduct semi-annual or quarterly testing of the Outdoor Warning System
Short -
ongoing $0 Fire
24 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
7 Alert &
Warning
Evaluate the reach of
the Outdoor Warning
System
Evaluate coverage of the Outdoor Warning System and expand the system with the addition of more speakers, if needed, to ensure alerts can be heard by all areas of the City.

Short $200,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Possibly Fire
8 Fuel
Modification
Expand weed
abatement program to
enforce property
maintenance ordinance
Expand the City's current weed abatement program by hiring more personnel to conduct inspections. Short $200,000
General
Fund –
Funded
FY26
Fire
9 Fuel
Modification
Expand Fuel
Modification Zones
Create a plan to conduct deadwood maintenance on areas adjacent to fuel modification zones and other areas that need vegetation management.

Short $50,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
10 Fuel
Modification
Streamline the Coastal
Development Permit
Process
Obtain a multi-year, multi-phase, "blanket" permit for the creation of fuel modification zones. Short/Medium $30,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Community
Development
11 Fuel
Modification
Streamline the
California
Environmental Quality
Act Process
Streamlined California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) permitting would allow for faster expansion of fuel modification zones and ease the maintenance requirements.

Short/Medium $0 Community
Development
12 Fuel
Modification
Seek to maximize brush
clearance around
critical infrastructure.

Ensure defensible space of 50 - 100 feet around critical infrastructure including communications equipment and cell towers.

Determine if this clearance qualifies for the Governor's emergency proclamation on March 1, 2025 to waive CEQA and California Coastal Act.

Short $0 Fire
13 Fuel
Modification
Expand Fuel
Modification Zones
Apply to establish new and expand existing fuel modification zones up to 300 feet under the Governor’s Executive Order for Wildfire Prevention Projects.

Short TBD
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
25 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
14 Fuel
Modification
Maintain the Fuel
Modification Zones Maintain the Fuel Modification Zones. Short - Ongoing $770,000 General
Fund –
Funded
FY26
Fire
15 Public Safety
Technology
Install a traffic signal
priority system
Install a remote-controlled traffic signal system (Opticom) that prioritizes emergency vehicle access on Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road. This system is designed to expedite evacuation during emergencies, such as Fire and Police Code 3 responses, while also supporting low-priority transit vehicles. Coordination with Caltrans is necessary for permitting and operational cooperation. This ensures that traffic lights prioritize emergency vehicles, reducing their delays and lowering the risk of intersection collisions. Similar systems are already operational in Dana Point and Newport Beach, though not specifically configured for evacuation purposes.

Short $350,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Police
16 Public Safety
Technology
Drone as First
Responder
Determine the feasibility of a drone as first responder that could be launched when AI sensors receive a fire notification. Short $375,000 $375,000
from
Wildfire
Safety
Fund,
$125,000
TBD
Possibly Police
17 Public Safety
Technology
Explore a neighboring
City partnership to
share public safety
technology
Determine the feasibility of sharing a Real Time Information Center to monitor AI Cameras, make emergency notifications, launch drone as first responder, and control traffic signals.

Short $0 Police
26 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
18 Public Safety
Technology
Work with CalFire Chief
of Intelligence on pre
and post fire analysis
Work with CalFire Chief of Intelligence on pre and post fire analysis that can be incorporated into mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. Determine feasibility of a system like Technosylvana that CalFire uses for AI predictive analytics on historical fire patterns, weather patterns, and vegetation types to provide context and a potential roadmap for how fires can spread.

Short $70,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
19 Public Safety
Technology
Determine possible use
of Fusis system for
wildfires
Determine the possibility and effectiveness of utilizing the Fusis system to assist in wildfire preparedness, response, and/or recovery.

Fusis integrates camera feeds, both public and private cameras with permission from the camera owner, into a unified and AI powered system for public safety personnel to utilize.

Short $0 Police
20 Public Safety
Technology
Explore new technology
for wildfire suppression
Explore new suppression technology for open space areas where interrupting the spread of fire would be most impactful to property and life conservation.

Short TBD
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
21 Public Safety
Technology
Explore the use of new
technology and
applications to track
evacuations
Explore the feasibility of using new technology and applications to track evacuations and more quickly and accurately share evacuation information with the Emergency Operations Center and Incident Command Post.

Short TBD
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Police
22 Public Safety
Technology
Explore the use of new
technology and
applications to track
evacuations
Explore the feasibility of using new technology and applications to track evacuations and more quickly and accurately share evacuation information with the Emergency Operations Center and Incident Command Post.

Short TBD
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Police
23 Public Safety
Technology
Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) Dispatch
Console
Update current dispatch console in City Hall EOC to include PD and FD radios for better situational awareness and dispatch redundancy.

After-action item from Rancho Fire.

Short $175,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Police
27 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
24 Public Safety
Technology
Create Dispatch
Redundancy
Install standalone dispatch console at the CRC to serve as the dispatch station in the new EOC and provide redundant dispatch capabilities.

Short $424,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Police
25 Public Safety
Technology
Field Response
Resource Management
Solution
Purchase Tablet Command and iPads for incident management tracking in the field and situational awareness in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Short $105,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
26 Public Safety
Technology
Field Response Cellular
Coverage and
Connectivity
Purchase StarLink for Primary Fire Units to ensure cell coverage and network connectivity for first responders, public works, and mutual aid in the field.

Short $10,000 +
annual fee
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
27 Public Safety
Technology
Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) IT
equipment and cabling
Purchase IT equipment and cabling in new Emergency Operations Center. Short $180,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
28 Community
Preparedness
Community
Preparedness Educator
Hire a Community Preparedness Educator to educate the public on emergency preparedness, fire safety, neighborhood/FireWise preparedness, and home hardening inspections. The Public Educator can work to expand the CERT program by offering more academies and providing continuous training to engage and retain volunteers.

Short PT: $70,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
29 Community
Preparedness
Expand the Red Flag
Restriction Program
Prohibit on-street construction during Red Flag days to ensure roadways are clear and equipment does not start a fire.

Short -
ongoing $0
Fire / Public
Works /
Police
30 Community
Preparedness
Expand the Red Flag
Parking Restriction
Program
Expand the Red Flag Parking Program into additional neighborhoods.

Start with the neighborhoods that are identified in the Evacuation Time Study as having impaired access.

Short $30,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire / Public
Works /
Police
31 Community
Preparedness Evacuation Drills
Identify ways to encourage neighborhood evacuation drills utilizing public education, possible incentives from the City, and having the drills coincide with scheduled tests of the emergency alert systems.

Short $5,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire / Police
32 Community
Preparedness
Door-to-door
Community
Conduct a door-to-door community preparedness campaign utilizing CERT volunteers and interested City Council members. Campaign Short $0 Fire 28 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
Preparedness
Campaign
can be used to distribute zone specific evacuation maps, assist residents in signing up for alert and warning, and providing education on home hardening.
33 Community
Preparedness
Engage with the Real
Estate Community on
Preparedness for New
Residents
Work with the local real estate community to provide new residents with information on evacuation zones, how to sign up for alert and warning, home hardening, and other preparedness skills.

Short -
ongoing TBD
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire / Police
34 Community
Preparedness School Preparedness Continue to coordinate with Laguna Beach USD and other schools foremergency preparedness and evacuations.

Short -
ongoing $0 Fire / Police
35 Community
Preparedness FireWise Program
Educate the public on the FireWise Program to increase participation by more neighborhoods. Having more FireWise neighborhoods would result in self-regulation of vegetation management and self-sufficient neighborhood emergency planning. Being a FireWise Community may also help in lowering insurance rates or qualifying for insurance.

Short -
ongoing $0 Fire
36 Community
Preparedness
FireRisk Reduction
Communities
Educate the public on the FireRisk Reduction Communities to increase participation by more neighborhoods to potentially help lower insurance rates or qualify for insurance.

Short -
ongoing $0 Fire
37 Community
Preparedness PSPS Education Collaborate with SCE and SDG&E to educate the public on PSPS, outage preparedness and SCE/SDG&E resources available.

Short -
ongoing $0 Fire
38 Community
Preparedness Evacuation Zone Maps
Update the public-facing evacuation zone maps to align with common evacuation terminology and incorporate lessons learned from evacuations since the 2019 iteration of the maps.

Short $15,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire / Police
39 Community
Preparedness
All Hazard
Preparedness Guide
Update the all-hazard emergency preparedness guide and distribute it to the public. Short $15,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
29 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
40 Community
Preparedness
Annual Insurance
Townhall
Host an annual insurance town hall with the CA Department of Insurance for residents. The most recent Insurance Town Hall was held on September 18, 2025. Hold the next town hall in September 2026.

Short -
ongoing $0
Fire / City
Manager's
Office
41 Community
Preparedness
LBPD and LBFD
partnership with
SCWD, LBCWD, and
LBUSD
Continue to grow cooperative working relationship between LBPD/LBFD, SCWD and LBCWD for emergency preparedness,
response, and recovery. LBFD should continue to conduct wildfire inspections of water properties annually and upon request; both water districts should have a seat in the City’s EOC; water districts and school districts should be included in emergency exercises and drills; etc.

Short $0
Fire / Police /
SCWD /
LBCWD
42 Community
Preparedness
City should continue
partnership with
Emerald Bay Service
District
The City should continue to build a cooperative relationship with Emerald Bay Service District (EBSD) and include a representative from EBSD in the EOC.

Short $0 Fire
43 Community
Preparedness
Provide the public with
up-to-date information
on home hardening
laws and vetted
vendors by CalFire
Ensure the public is informed of updates to laws as they pertain to home hardening i.e. Zone 0 laws. Share with the public the State Fire Marshal’s list of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Products for Home Hardening.

Short -
ongoing $0 Fire
44 Community
Preparedness
Community Wildfire
Protection Plan (CWPP)
Hire a consultant to lead development, facilitate public workshops, administer online surveys, and provide content and format the CWPP. Finalizing the CWPP assists with eligibility in becoming a CalFire designated Fire Risk Reduction Community.

Short $100,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
45 Infrastructure
Investigate fire resistive
improvements to
emergency radio
facilities
Conduct an analysis of the fire hardening/structural improvements to the Moorhead Radio Repeater to improve the survivability of the radio equipment and a similar study for the radio equipment at Fire Station #3 and recommend necessary upgrades/improvements.

Short TBD Fire
30 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
46 Infrastructure
Add sprinkler system to
areas of high fire risk
determined by AI
software
Utilizing AI technology and satellite imagery, determine which areas would benefit from added moisture. Determine if feasible to add sprinkler systems to increase moisture of the vegetation to slow down or decrease the chance of fire spread.

Short $70,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
47 Infrastructure Improving Cell
Coverage Review possible LBMC changes as suggested by cell phone carriers.

Short (by
September
2025)
$0 City Attorney
48 Infrastructure Improving Cell
Coverage
Review possible Macro Sites to improve reliability (macros have battery or generator backup)
Short (by
September
2025)
$0
City
Manager’s
Office
49 Infrastructure Improving Cell
Coverage
Review site opportunities and coverage maps via semi-annual meetings with Verizon, ATT - do this 2x a year
Short -
ongoing $0
City
Manager's
Office
50 Infrastructure Reducing Scope of
PSPS
Review hardening efforts and circuit division via semi-annual meetings with SCE, SDG&E - do this 2x a year
Short -
ongoing $0
City
Manager's
Office
51 Infrastructure Reducing Scope of
PSPS
Continue efforts to underground/harden transmission lines in critical open space areas
Short -
ongoing $0
Public Works,
with SCE and
SDGE
52 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Coast Highway
between Agate Street
and Arch Street
Coast Highway is a primary evacuation route. Coast Highway Utility Underground District 2019‐1 was formed on April 16, 2019 as a Rule 20A project using Rule 20A credits for funding. Continue coordination with SCE and Caltrans to construct the project.

Short $3.7 million Rule 20A
Credits Public Works
53 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Coast Highway
remaining overhead
facilities
Coast Highway is a primary evacuation route. Coast Highway Utility Underground District 2020-2 was formed on September 22, 2020 as a Rule 20A project using Rule 20A credits for funding. Continue coordination with SCE and Caltrans to construct the project.

Short $3.6 million Rule 20A
Credits Public Works
31 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
54 Infrastructure Repair gate at Balboa
Fire Road Repair Balboa Fire Road gate after Rancho Fire. Short $15,000 Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Public Works
/ Fire
Wildfire Safety Fund: $2,389,000
Already Funded: $970,000
Rule 20A Credits: $7,300,000
Grand Total: $10,659,000
Medium Term Projects
55 Fuel
Modification
Complete the Fuel
Modification Zones in
the remainder of the
City
Utilize the completed study in 2019 to complete the remaining onethird of the defensible space breaks around the City. Medium $2,000,000 Already Funded Fire
56 Community
Preparedness
Investigate grant
opportunities to
improve the wildfire
resistance of existing
residences
Investigate grant opportunities that will encourage and support residents in making improvements to harden their homes and mitigate wildfire risks.

Medium TBD Possibly Fire
57 Infrastructure
Install an additional fire
heli-hydrant filling
station
Explore installing a third location. Perform an assessment/study on needs/options and then work with LBFD and OCFA on feasibility of an additional location. If feasible and needed within the District’s service area, complete construction of the new additional helihydrant filling station.

Medium TBD
Laguna Beach
County Water
District / Fire
32 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
58 Infrastructure
Determine feasibility of
creating new roads or
leveraging existing trails
for evacuations.

There are currently areas within and adjacent to the city that can be assessed for feasibility to utilize in an evacuation or for resources to have a road to access harder to reach neighborhoods.

Medium $100,000 TBD Yes Public Works
59 Infrastructure Evaluate additional
reservoir feasibility
Evaluate the addition of a reservoir at Moulton Meadows concurrently with the pipeline evaluations to improve system performance and water supply reliability under both normal and emergency situations.

Medium Non-City
Funded
Laguna Beach
County Water
District
60 Infrastructure
Add pipelines and
pumps that go direct to
the wildland urban
interface areas
Evaluate adding direct pipelines (and pumping facilities) from our water supply transmission main in the Canyon to the Jahraus Reservoir (Top of the World) and from the water supply transmission main in Coast Highway to our Sweany and/or Zitnik reservoirs to increase system performance and water supply reliability under both normal and emergency situations (i.e. Seismic, Wildfire, Power loss, etc.). Determine feasibility of other system piping projects to improve system performance and reliability
Medium Non-City
Funded
Laguna Beach
County Water
District
61 Infrastructure
Utilize Title 22 Recycled
Water for firefighting
efforts
Determine feasibility of using Title 22 recycled water from Coastal Treatment Plant. Research what will be needed i.e. storage and hydrants specifically for recycled water
Medium Non-City
Funded South Coast Water District
62 Infrastructure
Collaborate with
utilities to support
legislation that includes
undergrounding and
grid resiliency
Provide support for legislation and collaborate with utility partners to push forward legislation that expedites the process to underground and increase grid resilience.

Medium $100,000 TBD
City
Manager's
Office
63 Infrastructure Undergrounding:

Crestview Underground Crestview overhead lines. Medium $1.4 million TBD No Public Works 33 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
64 Infrastructure Install new gate at
Balboa Fire Road
Install a new gate at the Balboa Fire Road with remote operating or keypad capability. Medium $85,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Public Works
/ Fire
65 Infrastructure Add additional fire
hydrant
Add additional fire hydrant near the intersection of Rancho Laguna and Morningside. Medium Non-City Funded TBD
Laguna Beach
County Water
District / Fire
Wildfire Safety Fund: $85,000
Already Funded: $2,000,000
Funding Source TBD: $1,600,000
Grand Total: $3,685,000
Long Term Projects
66 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Top of the World to Alta
Laguna Blvd
Underground Top of the World to Alta Laguna overhead lines. Long TBD No Public Works 67 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

SOCWA Coastal
Treatment Plant to
Laguna Niguel
Underground area from SOCWA Coastal Treatment Plan to Laguna Niguel. This area is where the Coastal Fire occurred in May 2022. Long TBD No Public Works 34 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
68 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Laguna Canyon Road
between the electrical
substation westerly of
Canyon Acres to El Toro
Road
Laguna Canyon Road is a primary route for evacuation and emergency/mutual aid resources to access the City. The poles and wires are adjacent to 16,000 acres of open space creating a fire risk from failures due to wind or vehicle impact. Pole or wire failures from a wildfire could also block emergency access. In addition, the failure of communication wires could disrupt emergency communications through loss of fiber optic cable damage. Undergrounding the utilities may require significant road improvements to accommodate the underground facilities. The conceptual cost estimate is approximately $60 million for undergrounding and $60 million for roadway improvements. Grant funds are being pursued to cover the costs of the project. On January 9, 2024, City Council initiated the relinquishment process to take ownership of the roadway.

Long $60 million TBD Yes Public Works
69 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Glenneyre Street
between Laguna
Avenue and Thalia
Street, and between
Calliope Street and
Agate Street
Glenneyre Street is a high-volume roadway that serves as a secondary emergency access and evacuation route parallelling Coast Highway and serves a significant portion of the City. Poles and wires blocking the road could significantly delay emergency access or evacuation.

Long TBD No Public Works
70 Infrastructure Undergrounding:

Neighborhoods
Work with neighborhoods to develop plans and incentives to underground utilities through assessment districts and other methods.

Long TBD No Public Works
71 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Monterey Drive,
Hawthorne to Linden
Street
This section of Monterey Drive was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
35 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
72 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Thalia Street, Temple
Terrace to 350 feet
southwest of Glenneyre
Street
This section of Thalia Street was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
73 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Monterey
Street/Virginia Way,
West Street to 5th
Avenue
This section of Monterey Street/Virginia Way was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an undergrounding project when funding becomes available. West Street Assessment District 2021-1 will go to vote this summer. If successful, the project will underground Monterey Street from West Street to Eagle Rock Way.

Long TBD No Public Works
74 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Temple Hills Drive,
northeast and
southwest of San Remo
Drive
This section of Temple Hills Drive was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
75 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Virginia Way, 7th Avenue
to 9th Avenue
This section of Virginia Way was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
76 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

San Joaquin Street,
Hillcrest Drive to alley
100 feet northeast of N.

Coast Highway
This section of Joaquin Street was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
Funding Source TBD: $60,000,000
Grand Total: $60,000,000
36 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
Total for All Action Items (Short, Medium, Long Term)
Wildfire Safety Fund: $2,474,000
Already Funded: $2,970,000
Rule 20A Credits: $7,300,000
Funding Source TBD: $61,600,000
Grand Total: $74,344,000
37 Section 1: Status of 2019
Wildfire Mitigation and Fire
Safety Report Action Items
For many years, the City of Laguna Beach has taken steps to reduce the threat of wildfire within the community. However, following the 2018 Paradise Fire in Northern California which devastated the Paradise community, the City Council in Laguna Beach prioritized wildfire mitigation and fire safety locally, and completed the first Wildfire Mitigation and Fire Safety Report which was formally approved in 2019.

The 2019 Report contained multiple action items to consider for mitigating the threat of wildfire. The City is pleased to report that 24 recommendations have been completed/ongoing and 16 are in progress. The chart outlines the status of the action items as of September 2025.
38 Column ID Category Opportunity Status Disposition as of April 2025 1 1 Notification Conduct a neighborhood outreach program Completed/Ongoing Public safety departments continually pursue opportunities to educate the public.
2 2 Notification Install a City-wide Outdoor Warning System Completed/Ongoing Initial sites identified in 2019 report installed. Two
additional sites in Bluebird Canyon installed after
completion of the initial sites. One additional site at Canyon Acres was proposed but not approved by PC.

Potential expansion included in the 2025 update.
3 3 Notification Conduct outreach to art venues for evacuation Completed/Ongoing Outreach scheduled annually in April/May for the art
festivals/venues which will be done at the same as
their annual fire inspection.
4 4 Notification Develop an interactive evacuation map using GPS Completed Type "evacuation" into the search bar on the City's
website to view neighborhood evacuation maps and
routes.
5 5 Evacuation Prepare an evacuation modeling study Completed The City Council received a presentation about the
results of the Evacuation Time Study at its August 24,
2021 meeting.
6 6 Evacuation Install evacuation route signage In Progress Included in the 2025 update to continue working on. 7 7 Evacuation Install a traffic signal priority system In Progress In 2019, the 0pticom equipment didn't have the
capability to integrate effectively with the Cal Trans
equipment. We recently met with them at the IACP
(International Association of Chiefs of Police)
conference, and they have since enhanced their
capabilities. PD will be exploring this possibility again in 2025.
8 8 Evacuation Permanently stage evacuation traffic control devices On Hold
This has been discussed with adjacent cities and
deemed not practical. An updated evacuation traffic
control plan will be developed in 2025.
39 Column ID Category Opportunity Status Disposition as of April 2025 9 9 Evacuation Coordinate Mutual Aid for Traffic Control in Dana Point and Newport Beach Completed
Staff scheduled a joint agency meeting with Dana
Point and Newport Beach to discuss procedure in
June 2021.
10 10 Fuel Modification Streamline the Coastal Development Permit Process In Progress
Staff met with Coastal Commission staff in January
2025 to discuss incorporating a fuel modification
program into the City's Local Coastal Program and
the subsequent benefits and implications for doing
so. The results will be shared with the City Council to determine next steps.
11 11 Fuel Modification Streamline the CEQA Process In Progress Have not previously received support from
Sacramento to eliminate CEQA from the fuel
modification program but legislation has been
introduced and is being supported by the City. This
opportunity may be revised based on discussions
with the Coastal Commission regarding the LCP
amendment. The report identified this as short term.

It should be regarded as a long-term opportunity.
12 12 Fuel Modification Maintain existing fuel modification zones Completed The City has met its fire safety objectives by
implementing 27 fuel modification zones covering
approximately 480 acres. The City is piloting a
mechanical only treatment protocol and will report
back to the City Council in 2026 as to its
environmental and fire safety efficacy. The
mechanical treatment option is meeting the fire
safety objectives of the fuel modification program.

The environmental objectives require more time for
observation.
40 Column ID Category Opportunity Status Disposition as of April 2025 13 13 Fuel Modification Complete the fuel modification at Laguna Canyon & Canyon Acres Completed
FMA 23 and 24 have been implemented and are
being maintained within the treatment protocol
parameters.
14 14 Fuel Modification
Residential Program for fuel mod including: (a)
inspection of permit requirements (b)
enforcement of City codes
In Progress
The City Council adopted Ordinance 1664 at its
October 5, 2021 meeting which implemented
residential defensible space guidelines and
requirements.
15 15 Fuel Modification Vegetation management in Bluebird Canyon Completed 18 trees in the horseshoe area were trimmed in 2021.

The area is maintained on an ongoing basis. FMZ 17
(upper Bluebird) and FMZ 18 (South Bluebird)
received Federal authorization to be implemented,
and it is anticipated that these zones will be
implemented in 2025. There is an opportunity to
explore additional fire safety opportunities in the
Bluebird horseshoe area.
16 16 Infrastructure Install two fire detection cameras Completed Fire detection cameras are installed in the City's open space.
17 17 Infrastructure Install two helicopter fire hydrant filling stations In Progress One location is installed along the Fire Road and a
second in North Laguna. Staff are exploring a third
location near Alta Laguna.
18 18 Infrastructure Underground - Coast Hwy between Agate and Arch Street In Progress City approval completed. Awaiting permitting process between Caltrans and Edison. 19 19 Infrastructure Plan a temporary safe refuge and egress route for Bluebird Canyon Completed
The roadway at lower Bluebird Canyon adjacent to
the horseshoe has been widened to improve egress
in an emergency.
20 20 Infrastructure Underground - Coast Hwy remaining overhead electrical lines In Progress City approval completed. Awaiting permitting process between Caltrans and Edison. 21 21 Infrastructure Adopt the revised 2019 CA Building Code Section 7A Completed
41 Column ID Category Opportunity Status Disposition as of April 2025 22 22 Infrastructure Improve the fire resistivity of water pumps and generator enclosures Completed
Implemented a program to actively manage
landscaping on all Water District properties (fuel
modification); Built defensible space and enclosed
any exposed pumps/generators.
23 23 Infrastructure Install an emergency generator at Pump Station 3 SCWD Completed
24 24 Infrastructure Create fuel mod zones around telecomm/radio facilities at Moorhead and Ridge Reservoir sites Completed/Ongoing FMZ 14 Moorhead implemented and maintained by Laguna Beach County Water District. 25 25 Infrastructure Improve emergency radio reception at Moorhead Reservoir site Completed Radio repeater installed at the Animal Shelter to increase coverage in the Canyon. 26 26 Infrastructure Investigate fire resistive improvements to emergency radio facilities In Progress
Moorhead completed. A vulnerability assessment of
Fire Station 3 was completed. Improvements to this
location are still pending and not planned.
27 27 Infrastructure Identify an alternate Emergency Operations Center location Completed
A Memorandum of Agreement has been approved by
the cities of Irvine, Newport Beach, and Laguna
Beach which allows for the sharing of emergency
management personnel, alternate EOCs, Community
Centers for shelters, and the ability to alert and warn into each other's jurisdictions. This agreement was
approved by City Council on October 29, 2019 and
updated on December 20, 2023 to include the
University of California at Irvine.
28 28 Infrastructure Underground - Bluebird Canyon Drive from Cress/Bluebird to Rancho Laguna Road Completed Poles will be removed in the summer of 2025. 29 29 Infrastructure Underground - Park Ave between Wendt Terrace to 500 feet easterly of St. Anns Drive Completed Completed in February 2025. 30 32 Fuel Mod Complete the fuel modification zones on Park Ave Completed Park Avenue (FMZ 22) has received permits, been
implemented, and is maintained annually as part of
the City's fuel mod program.
42 Column ID Category Opportunity Status Disposition as of April 2025 31 33 Fuel Mod Maintain existing fuel modification zones completed between years 2023-2030 In Progress Zones are maintained per the City's treatment protocols. 32 34 Fuel Mod Complete the fuel modification zones in the remainder of the City. In Progress
• Permitting phase, including environmental
analysis, for FMZ 16 (Hobo Canyon) and FMZ 19
(Diamond) underway.
• FMZs 17 and 18 (N. & S. Bluebird) will be
implemented in 2025.
33 35 Infrastructure Investigate incentives to improve the wildfire resistance of existing residences In Progress
The Climate Action and Adaptation Plan
contemplates incentives and recommendations. This
includes Firewise Program. Ultimately future actions
will likely be considered based on insurance
requirements
34 36 Resources Develop a plan to augment current procedures for non-safety employees on Red Flag Days Completed
The City has completed development of a Red Flag
Plan & Checklist which includes additional staffing
levels and action items for all departments (including
non-public safety departments) during declared Red
Flag events.
35 37 Fuel Mod
Consider alternative staffing models to reduce
fuel management zones construction /
maintenance costs (i.e. hand crews)
Completed Currently, contractual services meet the program’s objectives and is a more cost-effective option.
36 40 Infrastructure
Underground - Laguna Canyon Road between the
electrical substation westerly of Canyon Acres to
El Toro Road
In Progress The ad hoc committee continues to work with Edison, and other regional agencies to secure funding.
37 41 Fuel Mod Maintain the fuel management zones completed after year 2030
This will be programmed into the annual City budget
each year.
38 42 Infrastructure Increase the capacity of water reservoirs 2B and 3B SCWD Completed SCWD’s Reservoir 2B in South Laguna has been replaced to double capacity. 3B is no longer needed. 43 Column ID Category Opportunity Status Disposition as of April 2025 39 43 Infrastructure Maintain or improve water system interconnections (with IRWD and MNWD) In Progress LBCWD intertie with El Toro Water District is
complete; all SCWD interties are complete. Interties
with MNWD are being discussed.
40 44 Infrastructure
Underground - Glenneyre Street between Laguna
Avenue and Thalia Street, between Calliope Street
and Arch Street
In Progress
Woods Cove utility underground district remove
overhead line from Agate to Arch. No project is
currently underway outside of this area.
41 45 Infrastructure
Create a fuel modification zone to improve the
survivability of communication cables along
Laguna Canyon Road
Completed
FMZ 24 (Laguna Canyon) was created and
implemented into the City’s Fuel Modification
Program to help improve
survivability of communication cables along LCR.
42 46 Infrastructure Underground - Neighborhoods In Progress Included in the 2025 Update to continue working on. 44 Section 2: Evacuation and
Alert & Warning
The City of Laguna Beach is recognized as a leader in evacuation planning and alert & warning systems. However, these life-saving functions are only effective if the public is aware of them and understands how to respond. Advancements in modern technology have significantly enhanced the efficiency of emergency alerts and evacuation planning, to provide timely and accurate information to residents during critical situations.

Evacuation Planning
Laguna Beach has a comprehensive Evacuation Plan designed to guide the evacuation and relocation of affected populations, typically involving 50 or more individuals. The plan includes detailed checklists applicable to various evacuation scenarios across multiple hazard events. These checklists are utilized by the City’s Police, Fire, Marine Safety and Public Works Departments to implement evacuation warnings and orders.

The city is divided into 22 Evacuation Management Zones (EMZs), which enable tiered evacuations based on impacted areas. Each EMZ has an individual map outlining:
• The number of properties within the zone
• Critical infrastructure
• Designated evacuation routes
This structured approach is intended to allow for more efficient and organized evacuations.

The Evacuation Plan has been successfully implemented by City staff in response to several emergencies, including the 2018 Aliso Fire, 2019 Winter Storms, 2022 Emerald Fire, 2022 Coastal Fire, and 2025 Rancho Fire.

In July 2021, the City published a comprehensive Evacuation Time Study. To complete the study, an engineering firm, along with City staff, conducted site visits to Laguna Beach to gather roadway data; drive access impaired neighborhoods and streets; and to conduct 45 surveys to obtain demographic information as it relates to evacuations like travel patterns, car ownership, and household size. The study concluded that the entire city takes 4 hours and 20 minutes, on average under normal roadway conditions (no roadways hazards like stalled vehicles, trees/debris and/or power lines blocking the road, thick smoke limiting sight distance, etc.), to evacuate the entire city with no roadway closures. Some of the other notable findings are:
46 If a wildfire renders SR-133 (Laguna Canyon Rd) unavailable, the time to evacuate the entire City increases by as much as 40 minutes. See Table J-5.

If a wildfire renders SR-133 and SR-73 unavailable, the time to evacuate the entire City increases by as much as 1 hour and 20 minutes. See Table J-7.
47 If a wildfire renders SR-1 (Pacific Coast Highway) northbound and SR-133 unavailable, the time to evacuate the entire City increases by as much as 4 hours. See Table J-9.

If a wildfire renders SR-1 southbound and SR-133 unavailable, the time to evacuate the entire City increases by as much as 3 hours and 45 minutes. See Table J-11.
48 The Study analyzed whether allowing all lanes of traffic to flow in the outbound direction (contraflow) would improve evacuation timelines. The benefit gained by implementing contraflow (20 minutes or less) does not outweigh the danger and effort required to implement it. See Table J-12. Implementing contraflow is dangerous – potential for head-on collisions – and resource intensive – requires extensive equipment and personnel to block all roadways that could potentially turn into oncoming traffic. 49 A sensitivity study was performed to determine the impact of an additional 400 housing units being built along SR-1 in Laguna Beach. The increased number of evacuating vehicles from these additional housing units increases congestion and delays along SR-1 thereby increasing the 90th and 100th percentile ETE by 25 minutes and 40 minutes, respectively. See Tables J-13 and J-14. 50 Three neighborhoods were deemed to be access impaired: Canyon Acres Drive, Bluebird Canyon, and Diamond Street & Crestview Drive, as shown in Figure 8-3. These neighborhoods share several characteristics in common: they are surrounded by wooded areas (fuel consisting of tall trees that can burn easily), ingress/egress routes are very narrow at sections (often only the width of a single car), and ingress/egress routes follow a winding path with hairpin turns in some sections.
51 According to the 2023 Community Risk Assessment, relative to Orange County as a whole, the population in Laguna Beach is older, with a median age of 51 instead of 37 years old in Orange County. In addition to having a higher median age, Laguna Beach has a higher percentage of the population over 65. Two groups identified by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Urban Fire Safety Report as "at risk" populations include adults over 65 and persons with disabilities. According to the Risk Assessment, there are about 1,833 households in the city that identified someone in their household as having a disability and 405 households without vehicles. “At risk” populations and those without vehicles may require additional time and assistance when evacuating, creating further evacuation challenges with limited resources.

As discussed in Section 6 of this report, the effectiveness of the City’s evacuation plan is dependent in large part on community preparedness
52 53
Alert & Warning Systems
Laguna Beach is the only city in Orange County, and one of the few in the entire state, to have a city-wide Outdoor Warning System (OWS). This advanced system is satellite-activated and can function on solar power for several hours in the event of a power outage. The OWS can be triggered locally or remotely, ensuring critical emergency alerts reach the community even when cell towers are down.

In addition to OWS, the City utilizes AlertOC, Nixle, and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) which provide residents with real-time emergency notifications via text, phone calls, and emails. The OWS serves as an added layer of notification, especially for individuals who may not have access to mobile alerts. Additionally, the City can request that the County activate the Emergency Alert System (EAS), which broadcasts emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite and broadcast television and AM, FM and satellite radio.

While all alert systems have limitations, the City continuously looks for ways to enhance emergency alerts. Laguna Beach strives to remain at the forefront of community safety, ensuring residents are well-informed and prepared for any emergency.

The Ad Hoc Committee recommends that the City implement a regular testing schedule for the OWS and upgrade the system to fill any gaps in coverage in the city; that the City work aggressively with the telecommunications carriers to fill gaps in cellphone coverage in the city; and that the City work with SCE and SDGE to limit the impact of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPSs) on alerting the public.

Additional recommended action items related to evacuations and alert and warning systems are listed in the table below.

One of the Outdoor Warning System loudspeakers strategically placed throughout the City. 54 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
1 Evacuation
Update the
Emergency
Operations Plan
including the City's
Evacuation Annex
Hire a planning consultant to update the citywide Emergency Operations Plan to incorporate lessons learned from past incidents, mitigation efforts, and technological improvements that have occurred since it was last updated. Revise the Evacuation Annex to include the Marine Safety Department for evacuations onto the beach; Animal Control for the evacuation of animals; and Transportation and Community Services for the evacuation of seniors and others needing assistance.

Short $100,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund

Short -
ongoing $0 Police
6 Alert &
Warning
Test the City-wide
Outdoor Warning
System
Conduct semi-annual or quarterly testing of the Outdoor Warning System
Short -
ongoing $0 Fire
55 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
7 Alert &
Warning
Evaluate the reach of
the Outdoor Warning
System
Evaluate coverage of the Outdoor Warning System and expand the system with the addition of more speakers, if needed, to ensure alerts can be heard by all areas of the City.

Short $200,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Possibly Fire
56 Section 3: Fuel Modification
Fuel modification is a critical wildfire mitigation strategy that reduces the amount of vegetation available for combustion, thereby decreasing the size and intensity of wildfires in treated areas. This process also reduces ember showers, which are a leading cause of home ignitions during wildfires.

The City of Laguna Beach includes approximately 480 acres to mitigate the City's high fire risk. The City’s 27 Fuel Modification Zones (FMZs) create defensible space around homes, structures, critical infrastructure, and evacuation routes within the city's wildland-urban interface. By reducing thermal output from wildfires, FMZs enhance the effectiveness of structural defense efforts and improve evacuation safety.

The City's 27 FMZs are maintained through three primary systems:

1. Coastal Development Permit (CDP) Areas – These zones are maintained according to strict environmental regulations set by the CDP and the City's Fuel Modification Treatment Protocol. Fuel reduction in these areas is accomplished through either goat grazing or hand-crew removal of hazardous vegetation.

2. Public Nuisance Abatement Law Areas – These zones, historically managed through goat grazing, receive environmental oversight but are typically located in less critical habitats.

3. Privately Maintained Areas – Two zones in North Laguna Beach are managed by the Irvine Cove and Emerald Bay local homeowners’ associations. In addition, the Emerald Bay Services District performs fuel modification surrounding Emerald Bay which is immediately adjacent to city properties in Irvine Cove and North Laguna.

As a result of these efforts, two-thirds of the city benefits from defensible space, with 481.59 acres receiving regular fuel modification treatment. Expanding and maintaining these efforts is essential for reducing the city’s wildfire vulnerability and enhancing overall community safety.
57 Goat Grazing Zones
FMZ Area Name Acres
FMZ 1 Dartmoor 31.2
FMZ 2 Skyline-Alta Laguna - (City Hall to Bermuda) 60.2 FMZ 2 Skyline-Alta Laguna - (Bermuda to Alta Laguna)
FMZ 3 Hidden Valley/Pacific 43
FMZ 4 Bluebird Canyon 40
FMZ 5 Nestall - Top of the World 30.5
FMZ 6 Fire Road 37.8
FMZ 7 Ceanothus 10.3
FMZ 8 Three Arch Bay 15.9
FMZ 9 Del Mar 7.5
FMZ 10
(West)
Barracuda - West/Nyes 4.5
Total 280.9
58 Hand Crew Zones
FMZ Area Name Acres
FMZ10 (East) Barracuda - East 3.76
FMZ 11 Driftwood 2.6
FMZ 12 Arch Beach Heights View Park 1.4
FMZ 13 Oro Canyon 6.7
FMZ 14 LBCWD Responsibility 3.63
FMZ 15 Nyes & Oro Canyons 24.1
FMZ 16 Hobo Canyon – In Permitting Process 18.8
FMZ 17 Upper Bluebird 8.6
FMZ 18 South Bluebird 8.7
FMZ 19 Diamond Canyon – In Permitting Process 26.9
FMZ 20 Sunset 7.02
FMZ 21 South Laguna 12.25
FMZ 22 Park Ave 7.16
FMZ 23 Canyon Acres 13.6
FMZ 24 Laguna Canyon 29
FMZ 25 Irvine Cove - HOA 7.57
FMZ 26 Emerald Bay - HOA 17.4
FMZ 27 City Corporate Yard 1.5
Total 200.69
Grand Total of all Fuel Mod Zones 481.59
59 Fuel Modification Expansion Strategy Under Governor’s Executive Order In 2025, Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order allowing qualified public safety agencies to apply for temporary suspension of certain state regulations—such as CEQA and the Coastal Act—for critical wildfire prevention projects. This order presents a unique and time-sensitive opportunity for the City of Laguna Beach to more rapidly expand its fuel modification efforts in areas at risk of wildfire.

Following a comprehensive review of the Executive Order, staff identified an opportunity to expand existing Fuel Modification Zones (FMZs) up to 300 feet, significantly strengthening the City’s defensible space and wildfire risk reduction strategies. FMZs serve as critical buffers between wildland vegetation and developed areas, reducing the intensity and spread of wildfire near homes and infrastructure.

To maximize the impact of this initiative if it is approved by the state under the Executive Order, the City will identify and retain a qualified contractor to conduct fire behavior predictive analysis. This data will guide the prioritization and phased implementation of the 300-foot FMZ expansion, ensuring that resources are focused where they will have the greatest benefit to public safety.

The City is pursuing a phased approach:
• Apply for expansion of all existing FMZs under the Executive Order to secure the necessary permits before the December 2025 deadline.
• Use predictive fire modeling to identify the highest-priority areas for implementation. • Advance FMZs 16 and 19 into the application process as early candidates for expansion under the order.

This strategic approach allows Laguna Beach to take full advantage of the temporary regulatory flexibility while maintaining environmental responsibility and aligning with the Statewide Fuels Reduction Environmental Protection Plan. 60 Fuel Modification Schedule for 2025
The tables below summarize the 2025 schedule for Fuel Modification Zones that are cleared through goat grazing and hand crews. The schedule is posted on the City’s website and subject to change based on environmental conditions and other unforeseen circumstances.

Goat Grazing
FMZ Area Name Schedule
FMZ 1 Dartmoor August 2025
FMZ 2 Skyline-Alta Laguna - (City Hall to Bermuda) June – July 2025 FMZ 2 Skyline-Alta Laguna - (Bermuda to Alta Laguna) September 2025 FMZ 3 Hidden Valley/Pacific August – September 2025
FMZ 4 Bluebird Canyon August – September 2025
FMZ 5 Nestall - Top of the World July 2025
FMZ 6 Fire Road July 2025
FMZ 7 Ceanothus To Be Determined
FMZ 8 Three Arch Bay May 2025
FMZ 9 Del Mar June – July 2025
FMZ 10 (West) Barracuda - West/Nyes To Be Determined
61 Hand Crews
FMZ Area Name First Pass Second Pass Third Pass
(As Needed)
FMZ 10 (East) Barracuda - East April 2025 July 2025
FMZ 11 Driftwood March 2025 June 2025 Sept 2025
FMZ 12 Arch Beach Heights View Park Jan 2025 June 2025
FMZ 13 Oro Canyon Jan 2025 June 2025
FMZ 14 LBCWD Responsibility N/A N/A N/A
FMZ 15 Nyes & Oro Canyons April 2025 July-Aug 2025
FMZ 16 Hobo Canyon - Permitting
FMZ 17 Upper Bluebird -Initial
Treatment
Sept-Oct
2025
FMZ 18
South Bluebird -Initial
Treatment
Feb - March
2025 August 2025
FMZ 19 Diamond Canyon - Permitting
FMZ 20 Sunset May 2025 August 2025
FMZ 21 South Laguna May 2025 August 2025
FMZ 22 Park Ave March 2025 June 2025 Sept 2025
FMZ 23 Canyon Acres March 2025 June 2025
FMZ 24 Laguna Canyon
March -
April 2025
June - July
2025
FMZ 25 Irvine Cove - HOA N/A N/A N/A
FMZ 26 Emerald Bay - HOA N/A N/A N/A
FMZ 27 City Corporate Yard March 2025 June 2025

Additional recommended actions related to fuel modification are listed in the table below. 62 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
8 Fuel
Modification
Expand weed abatement
program to enforce
property maintenance
ordinance
Expand the City's current weed abatement program by hiring more personnel to conduct inspections. Short $200,000
General
Fund –
Funded
FY26
Fire
9 Fuel
Modification
Expand Fuel
Modification Zones
Create a plan to conduct deadwood maintenance on areas adjacent to fuel modification zones and other areas that need vegetation management.

Short $50,000 Wildfire
Safety Fund Fire
10 Fuel
Modification
Streamline the Coastal
Development Permit
Process
Obtain a multi-year, multi-phase, "blanket" permit for the creation of fuel modification zones. Short/Medium $30,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Community
Development
11 Fuel
Modification
Streamline the
California Environmental
Quality Act Process
Streamlined California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) permitting would allow for faster expansion of fuel modification zones and ease the maintenance requirements.

Short/Medium $0 Community
Development
12 Fuel
Modification
Seek to maximize brush
clearance around
critical infrastructure.

Ensure defensible space of 50 - 100 feet around critical infrastructure including communications equipment and cell towers. Determine if this clearance qualifies for the Governor's emergency proclamation on March 1, 2025 to waive CEQA and California Coastal Act.

Short TBD
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
14 Fuel
Modification
Maintain the Fuel
Modification Zones Maintain the Fuel Modification Zones. Short - Ongoing $770,000 General
Fund –
Funded
FY26
Fire
63 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
55 Fuel
Modification
Complete the Fuel
Modification Zones in
the remainder of the City
Utilize the completed study in 2019 to complete the remaining onethird of the defensible space breaks around the City. Medium $2,000,000 Already Funded Fire
64 Section 4: Infrastructure
A city’s infrastructure plays a critical role in determining community risk and resilience during a wildfire. Key infrastructure components—including electrical systems, water systems, public safety radio facilities, and telecommunications—must be carefully managed to reduce fire hazards and ensure an effective emergency response. The City of Laguna Beach is served by two electricity providers and two water districts, each with unique challenges that impact fire safety and evacuation efforts.

Electrical System
Laguna Beach’s electricity is provided by Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). Approximately 11,000 properties north of Aliso Beach are served by SCE, while 2,000 properties south of Aliso Beach receive power from SDG&E.

Overhead power lines are a well-documented ignition source for wildfires. On April 3, 2025, CalFire published the table on the next page of the Top 20 Most Destructive California Wildfires with 8 out of the 20 starting from electrical equipment or powerlines. SCE has recently disclosed that its transmission lines may have been an ignition source for the Eaton Fire which, per CalFire, destroyed 9,414 structures, damaged 1,074 structures, and resulted in 18 civilian fatalities and 9 firefighter injuries in Altadena in January 2025. 65 66
SCE and SDG&E’s service territories cover vast regions, including much of Southern California, where extreme weather events—particularly Santa Ana winds—can exacerbate wildfire risks. To mitigate these dangers, utility companies have implemented Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPSs) during severe weather conditions. In January 2025, Laguna Beach experienced its first PSPS, revealing additional hazards such as disruptions to cellular networks, which creates issues for emergency alerting capabilities. It also became an issue for residents who rely on power for medical equipment. The unknown duration of power loss during a PSPS creates another layer of difficulty.

Undergrounding
Converting overhead electrical lines to underground systems can significantly reduce wildfire risk, improve evacuation safety, and enhance emergency access. Laguna Beach has witnessed multiple wildfires caused by above-ground electrical infrastructure, including the 2012 vegetation fire near Ruby’s Diner, the July 3, 2015 wildfire at Laguna Canyon and Canyon Acres Drive, the 2022 Emerald Fire, and the 2022 Coastal Fire.

Given this fire history, the City’s goal should be to minimize the wildfire risk from aboveground electrical infrastructure by undergrounding all remaining distribution lines in the city and, where feasible, transmission lines and with respect to any lines not underground, ensuring that they are hardened with the latest technology and infrastructure upgrades to reduce wildfire risk to the greatest extent possible. Steps to achieve this goal include:

1. Working with the utility companies to have them underground as much of the remaining above ground infrastructure through their Targeted Undergrounding Programs (TUG).

2. Developing a City program to facilitate the undergrounding of the remaining above ground infrastructure that the utility companies will not be undergrounding. This may include a streamlined assessment district program with enhanced City financial participation and direct City funding for undergrounding along key evacuation routes and access impaired zones.

3. Working with the utility companies to ensure that all required inspections of and hardening of the above-ground infrastructure is completed in a timely manner.

Priority areas for undergrounding should include:

1. Electrical utilities along key evacuation routes to ensure safe and unobstructed passage.

2. Electrical utilities in areas with impaired access and egress to improve emergency response capabilities.
67 3. Electrical utilities adjacent to open space to reduce fire ignition risks.

SCE and SDGE have made progress in undergrounding utilities and overall grid resiliency.

The City continues to support their efforts by supporting legislative efforts to speed up the process, provide financial assistance to pay for portions of the undergrounding projects, coordinating with outside agencies and jurisdictions, and continuing to press the issue until the city reaches 100% of all utility lines underground.

The maps below show the status of the electrical systems in Laguna Beach and the planned work for undergrounding and improving grid resiliency, including target deadlines. The timeframes can change based on factors like permitting, construction challenges, and feasibility.
68 Approximate location -
Pacific Coast Highway to Aliso Canyon
Road/Aliso Water District Road
Distribution Line
69 Transmission Line
Distribution Line
Approximate locations -
Laguna Canyon Road: Woodland Drive to
Laguna College of Art & Design
Laguna Canyon Road: Castle Rock Road to
Laguna Beach Dog Park
70 Approximate location – Emerald Bay to Windsor Place
Distribution Line
71 *No scheduled undergrounding projects
72 Approximate locations -
El Toro Road: 73 Toll Road to Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Canyon Road: El Toro Road to Sun Valley Drive
Laguna Canyon Road: 405 Freeway to Lake Forest Drive
Distribution Line
73 San Diego Gas and Electric does not have any undergrounding projects planned within the City of Laguna Beach. SDG&E is seeking California Public Utility Commission approval for additional funding for undergrounding beginning in 2027. The City will work with SDG&E to allocate funding for undergrounding projects in the city. 74 Water System
Laguna Beach is served by two water districts: the Laguna Beach County Water District (LBCWD) and the South Coast Water District (SCWD), separated approximately by Nyes Place. These districts currently rely on water sourced from groundwater, the Colorado River, and the State Water Project. Additionally, both districts maintain interconnections with neighboring districts to increase water flow during emergencies and are working on additional water sourced from ocean desalination.

Both districts are evaluating possible improvements to their systems to enhance water supply to fight a wildfire. Both districts rely on a gravity-fed system from hillside reservoirs to maintain pressure throughout the city. LBCWD stores approximately 35 million gallons of water within Laguna Beach. SCWD maintains over 29 million gallons within its service area and an additional 29 million gallons in emergency storage outside its service area.

LBCWD will be investigating ways to enhance its ability to pump water directly into its top reservoirs to maintain pressure in a wildfire event and will be investigating the feasibility of adding another reservoir in the Moulton Meadows area.

SCWD has recently completed its Reservoir 2B project in South Laguna doubling the storage capacity to 200,000 gallons. SCWD will also be exploring ways to utilize its recycled water system located at the Coastal Treatment Plant to increase water supply in a wildfire event.

Since 2019, both districts have hardened portions of their systems to reduce the impact on operations caused by a wildfire. These steps have included increased vegetation management around key facilities and expanding backup generator systems. The districts will continue to add to resiliency by actively managing vegetation on water district properties through landscape maintenance contracts and by working with the City Fire Department to conduct wildfire inspections of water district properties annually.

Public Safety Radio Facilities
Reliable radio communication is essential for Laguna Beach’s Police, Fire, Marine Safety, and Public Works Departments, especially during wildfires. However, the city’s topography creates coverage gaps in several areas. Nearly all radio transmissions are relayed through the repeater located at Moorhead Reservoir, northwest of the Festival of Arts. This facility, situated in a Very High Fire Severity Zone as determined by Cal Fire, is surrounded by open space and remains vulnerable to wildfire damage. Strengthening this critical communication hub should be a priority.
75 Telecommunications Facilities
Wireless communication is frequently compromised during wildfire events. For example, during the 2018 Camp Fire which destroyed Paradise, California, widespread telecommunications failures occurred, severely hampering evacuation efforts and emergency coordination.

The telecommunications infrastructure serving Laguna Beach is largely situated in open space areas, making it susceptible to fire damage. Most electronic equipment is housed in masonry or metal enclosures, often without additional fire-resistant features to protect antennas and wiring. This includes key telecommunications facilities, referred to as “macro sites,” which provide service coverage for large portions of the city. The City should continue to conduct fuel modification around the property lines of the critical infrastructure while the property owners should maintain fuel modification within the property line of where the infrastructure is housed. Inspections of the areas around the infrastructure should be done annually to ensure quality control and no gaps in fuel modification efforts. Strengthening fire protection measures for these facilities is crucial to maintaining emergency communications during disasters.

Following public input that noted significant concerns
about lost cellular coverage during the January 2025 Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events, City staff interacted with carriers ATT and Verizon as a part of this 2025
update. The carriers were forthcoming and candid about
service strengths and constraints. Here is what City staff heard and learned:
• Cellular phone service sites include either:
o Macro sites – tall (50’ to 200’) and large, these
are referred to as full cell sites, which have
either a battery backup system (see Figure 1
as an example), a generator, or stand-by
electrical systems that allow a generator to
be quickly brought on-line.
o DAS (Distributed Antenna Sites) – individual
sites that are part of a network of multiple
antennas strategically placed throughout an
Battery Backup for a Macro Site
76 area to provide strong coverage. Often used in a large building with high cellular demand.
o SCL (Small Cell Sites) – antennas on a pole, with no generator or batteries. Lower capacity than a DAS site within a DAS network. • Some of the cellular service backbone in Laguna Beach does not have battery backup to supply auxiliary power in the event of a PSPS. Cellular companies state that California State law does NOT require each of their facilities to have backup power when site constraints (such as the type of antenna, physical space limitations, code limitations and placement concerns of the local government and neighbors) preclude the installation of a “macro” site (where battery or generator backup exists). In other words, those areas supported by DAS and SCL sites will generally not have any backup in the event power goes down, taking the cellular service down with it.

When a carrier identifies an area with less-than-optimal coverage, it typically follows this process to improve service quality and enhance coverage:
• Conducts detailed site surveys to understand the specific coverage gaps and the factors causing them. This involves assessing signal strength, identifying physical obstructions, and evaluating the demand for service in the area. • May upgrade existing cell towers with advanced technology, such as adding new antennas, increasing the number of sectors, or implementing newer technologies like 5G to enhance capacity and coverage.
• Perform “continuous network optimization” that ensures that the network operates efficiently. This includes adjusting antenna orientations, optimizing power levels, and implementing advanced software features to enhance overall network performance. • Collaborates with local governments, businesses, and other stakeholders to site new infrastructure to improve coverage.

Staff expressed to ATT and Verizon representatives the City’s interest in improving coverage as well as being open to more sites that could serve as macro sites in Laguna Beach, acknowledging that doing so will require additional neighborhood support and communications. On March 5, 2025, Verizon General Counsel Jesús G. Román sent Mayor Rounaghi a letter (March 5, 2025) suggesting how our codes and process could be more helpful in improving “readiness and resiliency” and that “it is critical to ensure network connectivity and to add resiliency for emergencies, like wildfires…”. 77 Among other things, the letter expressed Verizon’s concerns about the City’s then and current…:
…regulations that effectively restrict large parts of the City as off-limits for telecommunications facilities. Section 11.06.200 (regarding facility location restrictions and setbacks from certain zones and uses), Section 25.55.008(A) (regarding restricting wireless facilities in the OS/C zone, and “strongly discourag[ing]” such facilities in residential zones or adjacent to schools), Section

25.55.008(B) (height restrictions), and the City’s Guidelines for Site Selection and Visual Impact and Screening of Telecommunications Facilities (redlined), Site Selection Criteria (location preferences).

Application of the location restrictions, setbacks and strong preferences will make large swaths or areas of the City off limits to wireless sites, which will create many significant gaps in Verizon’s network coverage and capacity. The limitations will therefore result in a prohibition, or an effective prohibition, of wireless services in violation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act (TCA), 47 U.S.C. Section 332(c)(7)(B)(i)(II).

We asked these questions of staff representatives to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Erin Rodriguez of the CPUC responded on April 16, 2025 as follows:
• Cell Backup. Question: What does State law and/or the CPUC require regarding battery backup for cell sites? Because cell companies have noted that there are exceptions to this requirement, please explain how and why exceptions to this occur (cell companies mention physical space limitations, as well as neighborhood opposition and the use of plug-ins for generators as an alternative set up to battery backups).

Response: State law (PU Code § 776.2) requires mobile telephony service providers to maintain at least 72 hours of backup power at cell sites in Tier 2 and Tier 3 High Fire-Threat Districts, unless they can demonstrate that doing so is “factually infeasible.” The CPUC implemented this requirement through D.21-06- 034.

Exceptions to the 72-hour requirement may be granted when providers face legitimate constraints, such as:
• Physical limitations (e.g., insufficient space for equipment), • Permitting or zoning barriers, often related to neighborhood opposition, or 78 • Alternative mitigation measures, such as quick-connect plug-ins for portable generators that can be deployed rapidly in emergencies.

Providers seeking exceptions must submit documentation and justification to the CPUC. The CPUC reviews these requests on a case-by-case basis and can reject insufficient or unsubstantiated claims of infeasibility. • Utility Line Hardening. Questions: What are the steps that utilities take to harden a transmission or distribution system (besides undergrounding). Are there levels of hardening - minimal, moderate, max?
Response: Utilities take a tiered approach to hardening electric infrastructure, especially in high fire-risk areas. Measures typically fall into three general levels:
• Minimal: Installing covered conductors to prevent arcing and contact with vegetation; replacing fuses and fast-acting reclosers.
• Moderate: Pole replacements, increased conductor spacing, stronger hardware, and some remote switching.
• Maximum: Full system rebuilds with covered conductor, undergrounding (where feasible), strategic deployment of sectionalizers and switches, and installation of advanced sensors and grid automation.

The CPUC requires utilities to identify and prioritize line segments for hardening based on risk assessment, customer impact, and cost-effectiveness, as part of their Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs).
• Utility Circuits for PSPSs. Question: Is there an effort underway by the CPUC to break larger circuits down into smaller ones, and if so, what is the timing for that? Response: The CPUC encourages utilities to take steps that can reduce the size and scope of Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events, including efforts to segment circuits so that smaller portions of a line can be de-energized rather than an entire circuit.

These efforts vary by utility and are subject to feasibility, cost, and system constraints, but may include:
• Installing sectionalizing devices and automated switches, • Enhancing situational awareness and weather monitoring, 79 • Collaborating with communities and local governments on local priorities.

The CPUC reviews these activities through utilities’ Wildfire Mitigation Plans and PSPS post-event reports. While specific timelines differ across service territories, utilities are expected to make continuous progress in reducing PSPS impacts where possible.

Additional recommended actions related to infrastructure are listed in the table below. 80 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
45 Infrastructure
Investigate fire resistive
improvements to
emergency radio
facilities
Conduct an analysis of the fire hardening/structural improvements to the Moorhead Radio Repeater to improve the survivability of the radio equipment and a similar study for the radio equipment at Fire Station #3 and recommend necessary upgrades/improvements.

Short TBD Fire
46 Infrastructure
Add sprinkler system to
areas of high fire risk
determined by AI
software
Utilizing AI technology and satellite imagery, determine which areas would benefit from added moisture. Determine if feasible to add sprinkler systems to increase moisture of the vegetation to slow down or decrease the chance of fire spread.

Short $70,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
47 Infrastructure Improving Cell Coverage Review possible LBMC changes as suggested by cell phone carriers.

Short (by
September
2025)
$0 City Attorney
48 Infrastructure Improving Cell Coverage Review possible Macro Sites to improve reliability (macros have battery or generator backup)
Short (by
September
2025)
$0
City
Manager’s
Office
49 Infrastructure Improving Cell Coverage Review site opportunities and coverage maps via semi-annual meetings with Verizon, ATT - do this 2x a year
Short -
ongoing $0
City
Manager's
Office
50 Infrastructure Reducing Scope of PSPS Review hardening efforts and circuit division via semi-annual meetings with SCE, SDG&E - do this 2x a year
Short -
ongoing $0
City
Manager's
Office
51 Infrastructure Reducing Scope of PSPS Continue efforts to underground/harden transmission lines in critical open space areas
Short -
ongoing $0
Public Works,
with SCE and
SDGE
81 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
52 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Coast Highway between
Agate Street and Arch
Street
Coast Highway is a primary evacuation route. Coast Highway Utility Underground District 2019‐1 was formed on April 16, 2019 as a Rule 20A project using Rule 20A credits for funding. Continue coordination with SCE and Caltrans to construct the project.

Short $3.7 million Rule 20A
Credits Public Works
53 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Short $3.6 million Rule 20A
Credits Public Works
54 Infrastructure Repair gate at Balboa
Fire Road Repair Balboa Fire Road gate after Rancho Fire. Short $15,000 Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Public Works
/ Fire
57 Infrastructure
Install an additional fire
heli-hydrant filling
station
Explore installing a third location. Perform an assessment/study on needs/options and then work with LBFD and OCFA on feasibility of an additional location. If feasible and needed within the District’s service area, complete construction of the new additional helihydrant filling station.

Medium TBD
Laguna Beach
County Water
District / Fire
58 Infrastructure
Determine feasibility of
creating new roads or
leveraging existing trails
for evacuations.

There are currently areas within and adjacent to the city that can be assessed for feasibility to utilize in an evacuation or for resources to have a road to access harder to reach neighborhoods.

Medium Non-City
Funded
Laguna Beach
County Water
District
82 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
60 Infrastructure
Add pipelines and
pumps that go direct to
the wildland urban
interface areas
Evaluate adding direct pipelines (and pumping facilities) from our water supply transmission main in the Canyon to the Jahraus Reservoir (Top of the World) and from the water supply transmission main in Coast Highway to our Sweany and/or Zitnik reservoirs to increase system performance and water supply reliability under both normal and emergency situations (i.e. Seismic, Wildfire, Power loss, etc.). Determine feasibility of other system piping projects to improve system performance and reliability
Medium Non-City
Funded
Laguna Beach
County Water
District
61 Infrastructure
Utilize Title 22 Recycled
Water for firefighting
efforts
Determine feasibility of using Title 22 recycled water from Coastal Treatment Plant. Research what will be needed i.e. storage and hydrants specifically for recycled water
Medium Non-City
Funded South Coast Water District
62 Infrastructure
Collaborate with utilities
to support legislation
that includes
undergrounding and grid
resiliency
Provide support for legislation and collaborate with utility partners to push forward legislation that expedites the process to underground and increase grid resilience.

Medium $100,000 TBD
City
Manager's
Office
63 Infrastructure Undergrounding:

Crestview Underground Crestview overhead lines. Medium $1.4 million TBD No Public Works 64 Infrastructure Install new gate at
Balboa Fire Road
Install a new gate at the Balboa Fire Road with remote operating or keypad capability. Medium $85,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Public Works
/ Fire
65 Infrastructure Add additional fire
hydrant
Add additional fire hydrant near the intersection of Rancho Laguna and Morningside. Medium Non-City Funded TBD
Laguna Beach
County Water
District / Fire
83 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
66 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Top of the World to Alta
Laguna Blvd
Underground Top of the World to Alta Laguna overhead lines. Long TBD No Public Works 67 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

SOCWA Coastal
Treatment Plant to
Laguna Niguel
Underground area from SOCWA Coastal Treatment Plan to Laguna Niguel. This area is where the Coastal Fire occurred in May 2022. Long TBD No Public Works 68 Infrastructure
Undergrounding: Laguna
Canyon Road between
the electrical substation
westerly of Canyon
Acres to El Toro Road
Laguna Canyon Road is a primary route for evacuation and emergency/mutual aid resources to access the City. The poles and wires are adjacent to 16,000 acres of open space creating a fire risk from failures due to wind or vehicle impact. Pole or wire failures from a wildfire could also block emergency access. In addition, the failure of communication wires could disrupt emergency
communications through loss of fiber optic cable damage.

Undergrounding the utilities may require significant road improvements to accommodate the underground facilities. The conceptual cost estimate is approximately $60 million for undergrounding and $60 million for roadway improvements. Grant funds are being pursued to cover the costs of the project. On January 9, 2024, City Council initiated the relinquishment process to take ownership of the roadway.

Long $60 million TBD Yes Public Works
69 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Glenneyre Street
between Laguna Avenue
and Thalia Street, and
Glenneyre Street is a high-volume roadway that serves as a secondary emergency access and evacuation route parallelling Coast Highway and serves a significant portion of the City. Poles and wires blocking the road could significantly delay emergency access or evacuation.

Long TBD No Public Works
84 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
between Calliope Street
and Agate Street
70 Infrastructure Undergrounding:

Neighborhoods
Work with neighborhoods to develop plans and incentives to underground utilities through assessment districts and other methods.

Long TBD No Public Works
71 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Monterey Drive,
Hawthorne to Linden
Street
This section of Monterey Drive was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an
undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
72 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Thalia Street, Temple
Terrace to 350 feet
southwest of Glenneyre
Street
This section of Thalia Street was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an
undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
73 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

Monterey Street/Virginia
Way, West Street to 5th
Avenue
This section of Monterey Street/Virginia Way was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an undergrounding project when funding becomes available. West Street Assessment District 2021-1 will go to vote this summer. If successful, the project will underground Monterey Street from West Street to Eagle Rock Way.

Long TBD No Public Works
85 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
74 Infrastructure
Undergrounding: Temple
Hills Drive, northeast
and southwest of San
Remo Drive
This section of Temple Hills Drive was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
75 Infrastructure
Undergrounding: Virginia
Way, 7th Avenue to 9th
Avenue
This section of Virginia Way was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an
undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
76 Infrastructure
Undergrounding:

San Joaquin Street,
Hillcrest Drive to alley
100 feet northeast of N.

Coast Highway
This section of Joaquin Street was identified in the 2019 Report as a key evacuation route that should be prioritized as an
undergrounding project when funding becomes available.

Long TBD No Public Works
86 Section 5: Public Safety Technology
The City of Laguna Beach has long been recognized as a leader in leveraging innovative technology to enhance public safety. One of the latest advancements underway is the implementation of a next-generation computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, which will utilize real-time GPS data to identify and deploy the nearest available emergency unit, improving response times and operational efficiency.

Since the release of the 2019 Report, technological advancements have continued to create new opportunities for strengthening the City’s fire prevention and emergency response efforts. In 2025, Laguna Beach installed two artificial intelligence (AI) camera systems as part of the AlertCalifornia program led by UC San Diego. These AI-enhanced cameras monitor open space areas and provide early smoke and flame detection, real-time visual feeds, and automated alerts to emergency responders—tools that significantly improve situational awareness and wildfire response capabilities.

Looking ahead, the City plans to implement AI-based fire predictive analytics to model wildland fire behavior. This technology will help prioritize fuel modification projects and guide resource deployment in high-risk areas. In addition, the City will evaluate emerging wildland fire suppression technologies that can improve firefighting effectiveness and safety in challenging terrain. The City will also investigate new technology and applications to assist law enforcement in tracking evacuations, which allows the evacuation information to be more quickly and accurately shared with the Incident Command Post and Emergency Operations Center.

Along with the City’s commitment to advancing field response technology, Laguna Beach is investing in its first standalone Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This facility will offer the space and technological infrastructure needed to bring together City staff and external partners in managing incidents of any scale. The EOC will integrate data from new technology platforms to establish a common operating picture, which will enhance resource allocation, policy-making, and public communication during emergencies. It will also serve 87 as the central hub for tracking resources and expenditures, supporting potential reimbursement from FEMA and CalOES following disasters.

The new EOC will also allow for redundant dispatch capabilities within City limits—a function not currently available but essential for resilient emergency response. The need for a dedicated EOC has been underscored by Laguna Beach’s frequency of hazard events, including two recent EOC activations in July 2025 for the Rancho Fire and Tsunami.

The City is also committed to strengthening regional partnerships, particularly with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) to advance our response capabilities. Laguna Beach will continue to focus on enhancing resource sharing, adopting shared technologies, and aligning response strategies to improve overall regional readiness and coordination during wildfire events and other large-scale emergencies.

Additional recommended actions related to public safety technology are in the table below. 88 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
15 Public Safety
Technology
Install a traffic signal
priority system
Install a remote-controlled traffic signal system (Opticom) that prioritizes emergency vehicle access on Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road. This system is designed to expedite evacuation during emergencies, such as Fire and Police Code 3 responses, while also supporting low-priority transit vehicles. Coordination with Caltrans is necessary for permitting and operational cooperation. This ensures that traffic lights prioritize emergency vehicles, reducing their delays and lowering the risk of intersection collisions. Similar systems are already operational in Dana Point and Newport Beach, though not specifically configured for evacuation purposes.

Short $350,000 Wildfire
Safety Fund Police
16 Public Safety
Technology
Drone as First
Responder
Determine the feasibility of a drone as first responder that could be launched when AI sensors receive a fire notification. Short $375,000 $375,000
from
Wildfire
Safety
Fund,
$125,000
TBD
Possibly Police
17 Public Safety
Technology
Explore a neighboring
City partnership to share
public safety technology
Determine the feasibility of sharing a Real Time Information Center to monitor AI Cameras, make emergency notifications, launch drone as first responder, and control traffic signals.

Short $0 Police
89 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
18 Public Safety
Technology
Work with CalFire Chief
of Intelligence on pre
and post fire analysis
Work with CalFire Chief of Intelligence on pre and post fire analysis that can be incorporated into mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. Determine feasibility of a system like Technosylvana that CalFire uses for AI predictive analytics on historical fire patterns, weather patterns, and vegetation types to provide context and a potential roadmap for how fires can spread.

Short $70,000 Wildfire
Safety Fund Fire
19 Public Safety
Technology
Determine possible use
of Fusis system for
wildfires
Determine the possibility and effectiveness of utilizing the Fusis system to assist in wildfire preparedness, response, and/or recovery.

Fusis integrates camera feeds, both public and private cameras with permission from the camera owner, into a unified and AI powered system for public safety personnel to utilize.

Short TBD Wildfire
Safety Fund Fire
21 Public Safety
Technology
Explore the use of new
technology and
applications to track
evacuations
Explore the feasibility of using new technology and applications to track evacuations and more quickly and accurately share evacuation information with the Emergency Operations Center and Incident Command Post.

Short TBD Wildfire
Safety Fund Police
22 Public Safety
Technology
Explore the use of new
technology and
applications to track
evacuations
Explore the feasibility of using new technology and applications to track evacuations and more quickly and accurately share evacuation information with the Emergency Operations Center and Incident Command Post.

Short TBD Wildfire
Safety Fund Police
90 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
23 Public Safety
Technology
Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) Dispatch
Console
Update current dispatch console in City Hall EOC to include PD and FD radios for better situational awareness and dispatch redundancy.

After-action item from Rancho Fire.

Short $175,000 Wildfire
Safety Fund Police
24 Public Safety
Technology
Create Dispatch
Redundancy
Install standalone dispatch console at the CRC to serve as the dispatch station in the new EOC and provide redundant dispatch capabilities.

Short $424,000 Wildfire
Safety Fund Police
25 Public Safety
Technology
Field Response
Resource Management
Solution
Purchase Tablet Command and iPads for incident management tracking in the field and situational awareness in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Short $105,000 Wildfire
Safety Fund Fire
26 Public Safety
Technology
Field Response Cellular
Coverage and
Connectivity
Purchase StarLink for Primary Fire Units to ensure cell coverage and network connectivity for first responders, public works, and mutual aid in the field.

Short $10,000 +
annual fee
Wildfire
Safety Fund Fire
27 Public Safety
Technology
Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) IT
equipment and cabling
Purchase IT equipment and cabling in new Emergency Operations Center. Short $180,000 Wildfire Safety Fund Fire
91 Section 6: Community
Preparedness
Community preparedness is essential for ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, particularly during high-risk disasters such as wildfires. In the event of a wildfire, residents must be well-informed on how to receive emergency alerts, identify evacuation routes, locate emergency shelters, and reunite with loved ones. The City of Laguna Beach has been proactive in disaster readiness through the creation and sustainment of the Emergency Disaster Preparedness Committee (EDPC) and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.

The EDPC is a 7-member committee made up of residents who advise City Council on how the community can best prepare for an emergency or disaster. The committee utilizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Lifelines concept as the framework for their workplan that is
approved by City Council. The EDPC is
involved in the city’s emergency
planning efforts by sitting on working
groups and ad hoc committees related
to preparedness. They also review
emergency plans and programs to
provide feedback before going to City
Council for approval, which most
recently includes the Local Hazard
Mitigation Plan, Red Flag Parking
Restriction Program expansion, and
the Safety Element.

Current and former EDPC Members and the
Acting Deputy Fire Chief
92 In addition to EDPC, the city has regularly offered the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program for over a decade. With hundreds of graduates, the program has made significant strides in strengthening community resilience. However, further enhancements and expansions in preparedness efforts remain necessary.

To elevate community preparedness, the City should consider initiatives such as assisting neighborhoods in becoming certified FireWise Communities; developing a plan to assist those with disabilities or access and functional needs and those with limited mobility in their evacuation planning; conducting periodic tests of the Outdoor Warning System; and finding new and innovative ways to reach more residents and visitors with preparedness information. Additionally, establishing a home hardening inspection program could provide homeowners with recommendations and guidance on fortifying their properties against wildfire threats. To encourage participation, the program should explore offering incentives for residents who implement home hardening measures.

Over the past decade, the Red Flag Parking Restriction Program has played a critical role in wildfire preparedness, initially introduced as a pilot program for the Diamond/Crestview neighborhood – a community of approximately 100 homes with only one access route. This program required an in-depth study of on-street parking to determine which spaces should CERT volunteers deployed as Fire Watch during a Red Flag event 93 be restricted on Red Flag days to ensure smooth evacuation and emergency access. The City should consider expanding the program to additional neighborhoods and streets identified as being “access impaired” in the 2021 Evacuation Time Study to ensure residents can safely evacuate and first responders can enter these areas without issue. On average, the City of Laguna Beach has 3-5 Red Flag Events per year.

Furthermore, restricting outdoor construction during Red Flag Events should be considered to eliminate the potential for heavy equipment to unintentionally ignite a wildfire, which, per CalFire, is the cause of the Airport Fire in 2024 that burned over 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties resulting in over 190 damaged or destroyed structures. Not having construction apparatus on the streets also improves mobility for both evacuees and emergency responders.

Beyond evacuation and home hardening strategies, emergency preparedness efforts should focus on updating neighborhood evacuation zone maps; revising the all-hazards emergency preparedness guide; collaborating with power companies to enhance public education on PSPSs; and continuing to hold town hall meetings on topics like insurance. Establishing a dedicated Community Preparedness Educator position to support the Emergency Operations Coordinator could also lead to the successful implementation of these expanded initiatives.

Additionally, strengthening the CERT program would further expand the number of disasterprepared residents. CERT volunteers can assist in expanding the preparedness programs in CERT volunteer educating the public on emergency
preparedness at a community event.
94 the City and be utilized to assist with preparedness initiatives like door-to-door preparedness campaigns and community preparedness presentations.

By continuously refining and expanding emergency preparedness initiatives, Laguna Beach can build a more resilient community, ensuring that residents are informed and wellequipped to respond swiftly and effectively during a wildfire event.

Additional recommended actions related to community preparedness are set forth in the table below.
95 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
28 Community
Preparedness
Community
Preparedness
Educator
Hire a Community Preparedness Educator to educate the public on emergency preparedness, fire safety, neighborhood/FireWise preparedness, and home hardening inspections. The Public Educator can work to expand the CERT program by offering more academies and providing continuous training to engage and retain volunteers.

Short -
ongoing $0
Fire / Public
Works /
Police
30 Community
Preparedness
Expand the Red Flag
Parking Restriction
Program
Expand the Red Flag Parking Program into additional neighborhoods.

Start with the neighborhoods that are identified in the Evacuation Time Study as having impaired access.

Short $30,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund

Fire / Public
Works /
Police
31 Community
Preparedness Evacuation Drills
Identify ways to encourage neighborhood evacuation drills utilizing public education, possible incentives from the City, and having the drills coincide with scheduled tests of the emergency alert systems.

Short $5,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire / Police
32 Community
Preparedness
Door-to-door
Community
Preparedness
Campaign
Conduct a door-to-door community preparedness campaign utilizing CERT volunteers and interested City Council members. Campaign can be used to distribute zone specific evacuation maps, assist residents in signing up for alert and warning, and providing education on home hardening.

Short $0 Fire
33 Community
Preparedness
Engage with the Real
Estate Community
on Preparedness for
New Residents
Work with the local real estate community to provide new residents with information on evacuation zones, how to sign up for alert and warning, home hardening, and other preparedness skills.

Short -
ongoing $0 Fire / Police
96 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
35 Community
Preparedness FireWise Program
Educate the public on the FireWise Program to increase participation by more neighborhoods. Having more FireWise neighborhoods would result in self-regulation of vegetation management and self-sufficient neighborhood emergency planning. Being a FireWise Community may also help in lowering insurance rates or qualifying for insurance.

Short -
ongoing $0 Fire
37 Community
Preparedness PSPS Education Collaborate with SCE and SDG&E to educate the public on PSPS, outage preparedness and SCE/SDG&E resources available.

Short -
ongoing $0 Fire
38 Community
Preparedness
Evacuation Zone
Maps
Update the public-facing evacuation zone maps to align with common evacuation terminology and incorporate lessons learned from evacuations since the 2019 iteration of the maps.

Short $15,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire / Police
39 Community
Preparedness
All Hazard
Preparedness Guide
Update the all-hazard emergency preparedness guide and distribute it to the public. Short $15,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
Fire
40 Community
Preparedness
Annual Insurance
Townhall
Host an annual insurance town hall with the CA Department of Insurance for residents. The most recent Insurance Town Hall was held on September 18, 2025. Hold the next town hall in September 2026.

Short -
ongoing $0
Fire / City
Manager's
Office
97 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
41 Community
Preparedness
LBPD and LBFD
partnership with
SCWD, LBCWD, and
LBUSD
Continue to grow cooperative working relationship between LBPD/LBFD, SCWD and LBCWD for emergency preparedness,
response, and recovery. LBFD should continue to conduct wildfire inspections of water properties annually and upon request; both water districts should have a seat in the City’s EOC; water districts and school districts should be included in emergency exercises and drills; etc.

Short $0 Fire
43 Community
Preparedness
Provide the public
with up-to-date
information on home
hardening laws and
vetted vendors by
CalFire
Ensure the public is informed of updates to laws as they pertain to home hardening i.e. Zone 0 laws. Share with the public the State Fire Marshal’s list of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Products for Home Hardening.

Finalizing the CWPP assists with eligibility in becoming a CalFire designated Fire Risk Reduction Community.

Short $100,000
Wildfire
Safety
Fund
98 Column Category Opportunity Action Term Cost
Estimate Funding Grant Eligible
Responsible
Department
56 Community
Preparedness
Investigate grant
opportunities to
improve the wildfire
resistance of existing
residences
Investigate grant opportunities that will encourage and support residents in making improvements to harden their homes and mitigate wildfire risks.

Medium TBD Possibly Fire
99 Section 7: Funding
Funding Strategies
This section provides the financial plan and funding strategies needed to address the costs associated with the possible action items identified for the Short, Medium, and Long-Term categories.

The placement in these categories considers both the time necessary to plan and prepare for each opportunity and the time necessary to develop and implement a financial strategy to fund them. Descriptions of the proposed or potential funding sources are:
 Short-Term (1-2 years): Existing one-time and ongoing revenues and reprioritization of current appropriations  Medium-Term (3-5 years): Increases in existing revenues sources, such as parking fees; grant programs with matching funds from existing Capital Improvement Funds; available funding from Street Lighting and Utility Funds, Measure LL Fund, or other existing City Funds; and other external sources.  Long-Term (+5 years): Possible voter-approved tax increases; grant programs; the creation of new assessment districts; and other internal or external sources Each improvement may be assigned to a funding category that includes:
• Wildfire Safety Fund: Programs or project costs that will be funded by the Wildfire Safety Fund out of approximately $4 million allocated in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget. These are mainly short-term projects.
• Rule 20A Credits: Programs or projects funded by utilities to convert overhead electric facilities to underground.
100
• Already Funded: Programs or projects that are already accounted for or in the upcoming two-year budget
• Grant-Eligible: Programs or projects could meet eligibility requirements to be funded by a future grant program. This is speculative and depends on the future availability of grant funds
• Non-City Funded: Programs or projects that may be included in the future capital improvement program of an external partner i.e. water districts • Funding Source TBD: Program or project costs have not been identified so a funding source is TBD. Or a program or project cost has been identified, but the funding source has not yet been finalized.

Funding Strategies for Possible Action Items Categorized as “Short-Term” Even as the Fiscal Year 2025-26 City Budget is constrained due to a possible recession including a flattening of hotel bed tax revenue and sales tax revenue, the City Manager presented a budget that includes up to $4 million in funds for Wildfire Safety, given the essential nature of this work to the community’s long-term survival. The source of this $4 million includes the Street Lighting Fund, residual amounts in a capital improvement project associated with FMZ maintenance, and more.

We are not optimistic that many grants will be available for short-term efforts, in large part due to the Federal government’s move to end, reduce or claw back the BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant program. This program was essential in helping communities like ours spend modest amounts of resources to avoid catastrophic costs in life and dollars, yet FEMA now characterizes it as “wasteful and politicized.” Conceptual Funding Strategies for Action Items Categorized as “Medium-Term” This category of funds includes sources like the Street Lighting Fund, resident-driven assessment districts, utilities’ targeted undergrounding programs, and State and local grant funds that may be available in the coming years. The most reliable sources of funds will be the local ones that are based in part on local property taxes and local hotel bed taxes.

It's possible that a change in Congress or a change in approach in the executive branch may bring back federal sources of funds, but that is far from certain through at least 2028.

The City will be studying the mechanism and need for a revenue measure on the November 2026 ballot, one that could affect local sales tax, local hotel bed taxes, a vacancy tax, or some other revenue measure relating to commercial business operations. To have these taxes considered by local voters, the City would have to place a measure or measures on 101
the November 2026 general election ballot and would describe whether the revenue was intended to be used for a special, designated purpose (which requires 2/3rds voter approval) or a general tax for general government purposes (which requires majority voter approval).

Conceptual Funding Strategies for Action Items Categorized as “Long-Term” Longer term sources include all the measures identified in the medium-term section, plus possibly the consideration of the formation of a larger assessment district to underground remaining areas of the city. It may also be more likely that following 2028, more federal dollars may be on the table to support other iterations of BRIC, climate change adaptation, and other disaster-related prevention and preparedness programs.

Financial Impacts from Previous Disasters
Disasters have a substantial adverse impact on local governments. Being financially prepared and proactive in identifying opportunities to prevent or limit the impacts of a disaster will help minimize the adverse financial impacts of disasters and restore more quickly the short and long-term financial position of the City when a disaster occurs.

Below are financial statistics from previous disasters that impacted Laguna Beach. • October 1993 fire destroyed 441 structures. According to an LA Times article at the time, in the aftermath of the October 1993 Fire, insurance claims for Laguna Beach were expected to reach $435 million in damages. This total did not include damage to public property or the cost of fighting the fire.
• On June 1, 2005, the Bluebird Canyon Landslide destroyed a 500-foot section of Flamingo Road, two large water mains and numerous sewer mains and storm drains. The repairs took three years to complete with a final cost of $36 million.

During this time, residents of Laguna Beach approved a ½ sales tax increase that contributed funding to the repair and to the Disaster Contingency Fund. The Disaster Contingency Fund has a balance of over $6 million set aside for future emergencies.
• On December 22, 2010, the City experienced torrential rains damaging public and private properties throughout the City forcing the temporary closure of numerous streets. Laguna Canyon Road was closed for several days during the clean-up effort, the channel at Beach Street overflowed and many downtown businesses and City facilities were flooded. The City’s cost related to the cleanup and recovery was approximately $6.7 million.
102
• From January 19 – 23, 2017, the City was hit by a series of 3 winter storms that resulted in damage throughout the city. Damage included downed trees and debris that blocked roadways and sidewalks impeding emergency vehicles; hillside sluffing resulting in damage to a retaining wall at City Hall; down power poles and lines resulting in power outages; damage to construction shoring; damage to tennis courts, play structure, and fencing at Lang Park; damage to SOCWA’s road leading to critical infrastructure; yellow tagging of a residence due to mudslides; multiple beach closures due to surf and rain erosion; and damage to Main Beach Boardwalk. The Emergency Operations Center was activated, CERT volunteers were deployed, and ultimately the city sought reimbursement from CalOES and FEMA for the cost of emergency response and recovery which was over $250,000.
• From February 13 – 15, 2019, the City was hit by the “Mid-February 2019 Storms” resulting in damage throughout the city including down trees and debris blocking roadways; significant damage to the north City Hall wall from flooding; damage to the creek rip-rap; damage to storm drains needing emergency repairs; and damage to fencing around storm drains. The City also spent staff time and money on emergency protective measures like sandbags, geo-tech experts, and activation of the Emergency Operations Center. The response costs and damage from the storm totaled approximately $229,000.
• March 2020 was the start of the multi-year global COVID-19 Pandemic. The City implemented public health orders and safety measures to maintain public safety while also ensuring the continuation of government services and the local economy. The City’s costs related to the COVID-19 Pandemic were approximately $1 million.
103
Intentionally left blank
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Laguna Beach City CouncilSeptember 23, 2025

Laguna Beach City Council
September 23, 2025