STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date:
April 14, 2026
CONSENT
9 SUBJECT: FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE AMENDING LAGUNA BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 6.24.030 AND ADDING SECTION 6.24.070 TO
PROHIBIT THE SALE AND USE OF GLUE TRAPS WITHIN THE CITY RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Waive full reading and introduce for first reading of an Ordinance titled, “AN ORDINANCE OF THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING SECTION
6.24.030 OF THE LAGUNA BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE AND ADDING SECTION 6.24.070 TO CHAPTER 6.24 OF THE LAGUNA BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO THE SALE AND
USE OF GLUE TRAPS AND FINDING THE SAME EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT”; and
2. Find that the recommended action is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 and, in the alternative, is exempt from CEQA under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15308.
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
This staff report presents a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the sale of glue traps within the City of Laguna Beach and prohibit the setting, placement, and use of glue traps to capture or kill any animal within the City by adding new Laguna Beach Municipal Code (LBMC) Section 6.24.070, and amending LBMC Section 6.24.030 to expressly clarify that glue traps are included within the City’s general prohibition on injurious or unnecessarily cruel devices and that nothing in Section 6.24.030 authorizes glue traps prohibited by Section 6.24.070.
The Environmental Sustainability Committee recommended that the City Council adopt an ordinance regulating the sale and use of glue traps on July 21, 2025, and the City Council subsequently directed staff to return with a proposed ordinance on September 23, 2025.
DISCUSSION
Background
Glue traps are adhesive-based devices intended to immobilize pests (commonly rodents and insects).
Concerns have been raised that glue traps can result in prolonged suffering for animals and can inadvertently capture non-target wildlife and pets. Staff has also received anecdotal reports of impacts to wildlife within the community (e.g., birds and small reptiles).
In response to these concerns, the Environmental Sustainability Committee considered the issue and recommended City Council action on July 21, 2025. The City Council provided direction to staff to prepare an ordinance on September 23, 2025.
A. What the Ordinance Does (Municipal Code Actions)
The proposed ordinance takes two coordinated Municipal Code actions:
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE SALE AND USE OF GLUE TRAPS
IN LAGUNA BEACH
April 14, 2026
1. Amends LBMC § 6.24.030 (Unlawful use of equipment)
The ordinance maintains the existing prohibition on using equipment/devices/materials that are or could be injurious or cause unnecessary cruelty to animals, and it adds clarifying language that:
• “for avoidance of doubt,” the prohibition includes glue traps as defined/prohibited in §
6.24.070; and
• nothing in § 6.24.030 authorizes the sale, placement, setting, or use of glue traps prohibited by § 6.24.070.
The ordinance also updates the “written policy” authority for vermin control to the City Manager or the City Manager or designee.
2. Adds LBMC § 6.24.070 (Sale and Use of Glue Traps Prohibited) The ordinance adds a new section that includes:
• Definitions (including “Animal,” “Glue Trap,” “Person,” and “Sell/Sale”); • Prohibitions on (a) selling/offering/displaying glue traps for sale in the City and (b) setting/placing/using glue traps (or permitting another to do so) to capture or kill any animal in the City; and
• Enforcement authority, including enforcement by peace officers, code enforcement officers, and other persons designated by the City Manager, and authorization for the City Manager to publish written regulations consistent with legal publication requirements.
B. Enforcement and Penalties
The ordinance provides that a violation is enforceable as an infraction and is also subject to the City’s administrative enforcement provisions, each by reference to LBMC § 1.04.025. It also preserves the City’s ability to pursue cumulative remedies and authorizes the City Attorney to seek injunctive or equitable relief where appropriate.
C. Operational Considerations (City Facilities and Community Compliance) City pest management practices already rely on alternatives such as snap traps, live catch-and-release devices, and non-anticoagulant rodenticides, and the City previously prohibited anticoagulant rodenticides on City property in May 2020. The proposed ordinance is not anticipated to significantly disrupt City operations.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
No direct fiscal impact is anticipated with adoption of the ordinance. Enforcement would be handled through existing staff/resources and the City’s established enforcement processes.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
As set forth in the proposed ordinance, adoption is not a project under CEQA because it has no potential for resulting in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment (State CEQA Guidelines § 15378, including § 15378(b)(5)); other rodent control methods remain available. In the
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE SALE AND USE OF GLUE TRAPS
IN LAGUNA BEACH
April 14, 2026
alternative, the action is categorically exempt under State CEQA Guidelines § 15308 as an action by a regulatory agency to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed Ordinance amending LBMC § 6.24.030 and adding LBMC § 6.24.070 (Sale and Use of Glue Traps Prohibited) (Pgs. 4-8)
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 Megan Garibaldi, City Attorney