RESOLUTION NO. 26.XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING THE RATES
FOR THE PROVISION OF ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT (ALS)
SERVICE AND BASIC LIFE SUPPORT (BLS) GROUND
AMBULANCE TRANSPORT SERVICE, AND PROVIDING FOR
ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON THE CONSUMER PRICE
INDEX FOR FIVE YEARS, AND FINDING THE SAME EXEMPT
FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
WHEREAS, the California Health and Safety Code section 1797.201 permits the City of Laguna Beach to operate an ambulance services; and
WHEREAS, the City, via City Council resolution, is permitted to charge for its ambulance service and related life support services that are included in the ambulance service; and WHEREAS, in order to ensure the long term viability of the City’s ambulance service and ensure that the City is properly accounting for its various costs in providing these services, the City’s rates for these services needs to be modified; and WHEREAS, the last time the City’s costs for ambulance and related support services were updated was December 14, 2021; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to increase the rates for the City’s Advanced Life Support (ALS) service and Basic Life Support (BLS) ground ambulance transport service in an amount of the combined Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California Area, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, since the time of the last rate setting (December 14, 2021); and WHEREAS, the City Council desires to implement an annual CPI cost escalator (that is slightly different than the general Master Fee Schedule CPI escalator) for a total of five years to ensure the financial viability of the City’s ambulance services.
Attachment 1
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NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH DOES RESOLVE:
SECTION 1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by this reference.
SECTION 2. The City’s Master Fee Schedule is hereby amended to replace the current “Emergency Medical Services Charges” section found under the “FIRE DEPARTMENT FEES” list with the following, effective May 1, 2026:
“EMERGENCY MEDIAL SERVICES CHARGES
Expendable Medical Supplies (maximum per response) $110.30 Basic Life Support Ambulance Support $3,529.60
Advanced Life Support Ambulance transport $3,088.40
Oxygen (applicable when administered) $44.12
Mileage (per patient mile of fraction thereof) $22.06
* Commencing May 1, 2027, and continuing annually thereafter on May 1 of each year through May 1, 2031 (for a total of five (5) annual adjustments), the fees set forth in Section 1 shall be automatically increased by the percentage change in the CPI-U (All Items, not seasonally adjusted) for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area, as follows: (i) the adjustment percentage shall be the 12-month percent change in the CPI-U from the reference month of February of the prior year to February of the current year (or the most recent comparable 12-month period published by the BLS prior to the adjustment date), using the official BLS series for this area (currently CUURS49ASA0 or its successor; (ii) the percentage shall be applied to each fee amount in effect immediately prior to the adjustment date; (iii) if the calculated CPI-U percent change is zero or negative, the fees shall remain unchanged for that year (no reduction); and (iv) adjusted fees shall be rounded to the nearest ten cents ($0.10) for Oxygen, Mileage, and Expendable Medical Supplies, and to the nearest whole dollar ($1.00) for BLS and ALS Ambulance Transport rates.
The Fire Chief or designated City official shall calculate the adjusted rates each year based on the latest available BLS data (available at www.bls.gov) and shall cause the updated fee schedule to be published on the City's website and otherwise made available to the public no later than April 8 -3- Reso. #26.XXX
15 of each year. The adjusted fees shall take effect automatically on May 1 without further action by the City Council.”
SECTION 3. In accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), the adoption of this Resolution consists of organizational or administrative activities of the City that will not result in a direct or indirect physical change in the environment and therefore does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act. (Public Resources Code Section 21065; CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).) Additionally, the recommended action consists of the creation of government funding mechanisms or other government fiscal activities, which do not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment and therefore does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act. (Public Resources Code Section 21065; CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(4).)
The proposed actions to receive and file the Ambulance Program report, adopt a resolution establishing ambulance service rates, and authorize the purchase and financing of one ambulance have been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378. The actions related to receiving and filing the report and adopting ambulance service rates are administrative, and fiscal, and acquisition activities that will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and therefore do not constitute a “project” under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(42) and 15378(b)(5). The purchase of one (1) additional ambulance to support an existing municipal service is also not considered a project under CEQA because it involves the 9 -4- Reso. #26.XXX
acquisition of equipment to maintain and enhance current service levels without resulting in a physical change to the environment. Alternatively, this action is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities), which includes the operation, repair, maintenance, or minor alteration of existing public facilities involving negligible or no expansion of use. Here, the proposed actions to receive and file the Ambulance Program report, adopt a resolution establishing ambulance service rates, and authorize the purchase and financing of one ambulance is to support an existing municipal service and facilities without expansion of the use.
Further, none of the exceptions outlined in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply. The project site does not contain any environmentally sensitive areas. There will be no cumulative impact resulting from successive projects of the same type in the same place, over time. There are no unusual circumstances resulting in a significant impact on the environment. There will there be damage to scenic resources, including trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings or similar resources, within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway. The project is not located on a hazardous waste site or any other site included on a list compiled pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5. The project will not result in significant adverse impacts to historical resources as defined by CEQA. Consequently, additional environmental analysis is not necessary to meet the requirements of the CEQA.
SECTION 5. If any action, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Resolution or the application thereof to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Resolution that can be given effect without the invalid provisions.
SECTION 5. The City Clerk shall attest as to the adoption and execution of this Resolution 10 -5- Reso. #26.XXX
and cause the same to be maintained in the permanent records of the City.
ADOPTED this 14th day of April, 2026.
Mark Orgill, Mayor
ATTEST:
Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk
I, Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Beach, certify that the foregoing Resolution No. 26.XXX was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of said City held on April 14, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
City Clerk, City of Laguna Beach, CA
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