STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date:
July 7, 2026
CONSENT
8 SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
TO CONFIRM WEED ABATEMENT ASSESSMENT ROLL
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Adopt the Resolution titled, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, CERTIFYING THE AMOUNT OF THE ABATEMENT
COSTS FOR WEED, GRASS, RUBBISH AND REFUSE REMOVAL PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION NO. 26.036 AND DIRECTING THESE COSTS TO BE FILED WITH THE
ORANGE COUNTY ASSESSOR, AUDITOR AND TAX COLLECTOR FOR INCLUSION ON
COUNTY TAX ROLLS AND FINDING THE SAME EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT,” which, among other things, will direct the Fire Chief to file a copy of the Resolution with pertinent County officials on or before August 10, 2026 for inclusion on property tax rolls; and
2. Find that the same is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
The Fire Department annually inspects all properties in the weed abatement program. Property owners are notified by mail to clear non-compliant vegetation; if they fail to do so, a City contractor performs the work with all associated costs applied directly to the property’s tax roll.
On March 24, 2026, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 26.018, declaring weeds on specified private parcels to be a public nuisance. Following this adoption, mail notification was sent to affected property owners, directing them to abate the non-compliant vegetation and providing notice of a public protest hearing scheduled for May 12, 2026.
No protests were lodged at the May 12 hearing. Consequently, the City Council adopted Resolution No.
26.036, directing the Fire Chief to proceed with the abatement utilizing City contractors, with all associated costs to be applied directly to each respective property’s tax rolls.
DISCUSSION
During the 2026 program, 368 parcels were originally identified for abatement. Of those, 323 properties were successfully cleared by the owners, leaving 45 non-compliant parcels to be abated by the City's contractor.
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached resolution (Attachment 1), authorizing the assessment of these abatement costs against the non-compliant parcels that do not provide payment to the City or abate the parcels to the satisfaction of the City prior to the City’s contractor abating the parcels. The itemized report detailing the affected properties and the actual costs incurred by the City is provided in Exhibit A.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH TO CONFIRM
WEED ABATEMENT ASSESSMENT ROLL
July 7, 2026
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
The recommended action has no financial impact on the budget.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES
This initiative directly supports the City Council’s commitment to public safety and wildfire prevention by reducing hazardous fuel loads within the wildland-urban interface and minimizing fire spread risks to adjacent parcels. Additionally, the program advances fiscal responsibility through its cost-recovery model, ensuring municipal enforcement expenditures are assessed directly to the non-compliant parcels rather than utilizing general fund resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The annual abatement of public nuisances (Project) qualifies for a categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15304 of the State CEQA Guidelines – Minor Alterations to Land (Class 4), which applies to minor public or private alterations to the condition of land, water, or vegetation. The abatement of vegetation and weeds that pose a public nuisance to pedestrians and vehicles constitutes a minor alteration to land and does not involve the removal of mature, scenic trees. Moreover, none of the exceptions to the exemptions set forth under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply. There are no cumulative impacts resulting from successive projects of the same type on the same sites over time because the vegetation and weeds are removed as needed and do not require permanent or repeated abatement. There are no unusual circumstances associated with the Project that would create a reasonable possibility of a significant environmental effect, as the activities are limited to the minor removal of vegetation and weeds. There are no scenic resources within an officially designated scenic highway on or near the abatement areas that would be impacted by the Project. The properties listed in Exhibit A of the attached resolution are not included on any list compiled pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5. There are no historical resources on or near the properties such that the Project would result in a substantial adverse change to the significance of a historical resource.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Weed Abatement Resolution with Exhibit A (Pgs. 3-7)
Submitted By:
. Approved: .David A Kiff
Niko King, Fire Chief Dave Kiff, City Manager
Report Prepared By: Coordinated With:
Christopher Gort, Fire Safety Inspector Niko King, Fire Chief Robert Montaghami, Fire Marshal