ORDINANCE NO. XXXX
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING SECTION 1.14.030
(CONTRIBUTION LIMITATIONS) OF TITLE 1 (GENERAL
PROVISIONS) OF THE LAGUNA BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE TO
UPDATE THE CITY’S CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION REGULATIONS
AND DETERMINE THE ORDINANCE IS NOT A PROJECT FOR
PURPOSES OF THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
ACT
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 1.14.030(a) of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code is amended to shall read as follows [NOTE: deletions are identified in strikeout text and additions are identified in bold italics]:
§1.14.030. Contribution limitations.
(a) Beginning on January 1, 20245, no person shall make to any candidate for elective city office or a controlled committee, and no candidate or controlled committee shall solicit or accept from any person, a contribution or contributions totaling more than five hundred twenty dollars in any single election. Beginning on January 1, 2025, the contribution limitation established by this subdivision shall be adjusted on January 1 of each odd-numbered year to reflect the then current contribution limit found in the Levine Act (Government Code Section 84308 as amended or renumbered). Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Orange County Metropolitan Area, rounded to the nearest ten dollars. The City Clerk shall publish or post the adjusted limit on January 1 of each odd-numbered year or as soon thereafter as applicable Consumer Price Index data contribution threshold adjustment information is available. In the event the Levine Act is repealed or there no longer exists a contribution limit applicable to a city candidate, the most recent contribution threshold shall apply. No adjustment shall apply to past elections.
SECTION 2. The City Council determines that, pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines Section 15378 (b)(5), the proposed ordinances is not a “project” for the purposes of CEQA. Specifically, the setting of a local campaign contribution limit to align with the State contribution limit found in the Levein Act is an administrative activity of the City Attachment 1
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which will not result in a direct or indirect physical change in the environment, Setting a local contribution limit has no possibility of creating a change in the environment.
Alternatively, the City Council finds that this Ordinance is exempt from the CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(5) in that the proposed amendments are not anticipated to result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, nor will the proposed changes have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
SECTION 3. If any portion of this Ordinance, or the application of any such provision to any person or circumstance, shall be held invalid, the remainder of this Ordinance to the extent it can be given affect, of the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held invalid, shall not be affected thereby, and to this extent the provisions of this Ordinance are severable.
SECTION 4. This Ordinance is intended to be of Citywide effect and application. All ordinances and provisions of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code and Sections thereof inconsistent shall be and the same are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency and no further.
SECTION 5. The City Clerk of the City of Laguna Beach shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause the same to be published in the manner required by law in the City of Laguna Beach. This Ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days after the date of its adoption by the City Council.
ADOPTED this ________ day of _____________, 2025.
Alex Rounaghi, Mayor
ATTESTED ON: ____________________________
(Date)
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Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk
I, Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Beach, do hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. XXXX was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council on ___________________, 2025, and was finally adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of said City held on ____________________, 2025, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBER(S):
NOES: COUNCILMEMBER(S):
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBER(S):
City Clerk, City of Laguna Beach, CA
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