STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date:
January 27, 2026
CONSENT
11 SUBJECT: FORMATION OF CITY COUNCIL AD HOC COMMITTEE REGARDING LONG TERM USE OF PROPERTIES AT/AROUND 20652 LAGUNA CANYON ROAD (FOOD PANTRY, DOG PARK, PMMC TEMP FACILITY, ASL)
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. That the City Council form an Ad Hoc Committee to engage with community stakeholders regarding the long term and collective use of the operations and properties located at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road;
2. Appoint Mayor Orgill and Mayor Pro Tem Jones to serve on the committee;
3. Sunset the ad hoc committee upon submission of its recommendation to the City Council; and
4. Determine that the recommended action is not a “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061 (b)(3).
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
Pursuant to City Council input provided during the January 13 Study Session, the City Council expressed interest in further evaluation of the long-term use of the City owned property at and around 20652 Laguna Canyon Road. This discussion was initiated in response to a request from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center to convert the temporary field hospital located at the northern end of the dog park into a permanent field hospital. Council discussion emphasized the importance of coordinated planning with teh PMMC, Friends of the Dog Park, and nonprofit organizations operating on or adjacent to these properties (such as the Food Pantry and the ASL), as well as consideration of existing City operational uses. Formation of a City Council Ad Hoc Committee will allow focused stakeholder engagement and development of a recommendation for City Council consideration.
DISCUSSION
Background
During the January 13 Study Session, the City Council discussed the future use of the dog park and the City owned site at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road. The discussion was prompted by a request from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center to transition its temporary field hospital, currently authorized through a Temporary Use Permit at the northern portion of the dog park, to a permanent facility.
The 20652 Laguna Canyon Road property currently accommodates multiple uses, including the Laguna Beach Food Pantry, the Alternative Sleeping Location emergency shelter, and a City storage and construction staging area supporting capital improvement projects. The City Council recognized that these existing uses, along with the proposed permanent field hospital concept, warranted a comprehensive and coordinated review.
FORMATION OF CITY COUNCIL AD HOC COMMITTEE REGARDING LONG TERM USES AT 20652 LAGUNA CANYON ROAD AND SURROUNDING PROPERTIES
January 27, 2026
Nonprofit organizations identified during the discussion include the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park, and the Laguna Beach Food Pantry.
Ad Hoc Committee
An Ad Hoc Committee composed of two City Council members would provide a structured forum for stakeholder engagement and evaluation of long-term land use considerations. The committee would meet with the identified nonprofit organizations, review the Pacific Marine Mammal Center request for a permanent field hospital, and assess operational needs associated with the dog park and 20652 Laguna Canyon Road, including the Alternative Sleeping Location and City capital project staging functions. This area of purpose is distinct and separate from existing City Council Ad Hoc committees dealing with the undergrounding and roadway improvements on Laguna Canyon Road (CM Whalen and MPT Jones) and the City’s homeless needs assessment and operations at the Alternative Sleeping Location emergency shelter (CM Kempf and CM Rounaghi). While the subject matter of these Ad Hoc committees may have downstream effects on multiple other subject matters, the proposed Ad Hoc Committee is limited to the evaluation of long-term land use considerations regarding dog park and properties located at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road and will not contemplate or address these other topics subject to other Ad Hoc Committees.
Staff recommends appointment of Mayor Orgill and Mayor Pro Tem Jones to serve on the Ad Hoc Committee. The committee would sunset upon completion of its work and presentation of its recommendation to the City Council.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with formation of the Ad Hoc Committee.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378, the proposed action qualifies as an activity that does not meet the definition of a project because it will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. The Ad Hoc Committee will have no decision-making authority and will only provide recommendations for future City Council consideration. Any future action that could result in a physical change to the environment, including but not limited to development, expansion, conversion of temporary facilities to permanent facilities, or changes in site operations, would be subject to separate discretionary review and independent CEQA analysis at that time.
Alternatively, the formation of the Ad Hoc Committee is exempt from CEQA review pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), commonly referred to as the commonsense exemption, because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant effect on the environment.
ATTACHMENTS
None
FORMATION OF CITY COUNCIL AD HOC COMMITTEE REGARDING LONG TERM USES AT 20652 LAGUNA CANYON ROAD AND SURROUNDING PROPERTIES
January 27, 2026
Submitted By:
. Approved: .David A Kiff
Jeremy Frimond, Assistant City
Manager
Dave Kiff, City Manager
Report Prepared By: Coordinated With:
Jeremy Frimond, Assistant City Manager