STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date:
July 21, 2026
CONSENT
6 SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO 2025–2026 ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORT:
WILDFIRES HIT HOME
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Review and approve the City of Laguna Beach's response to the 2025–2026 Orange County Grand Jury report entitled Wildfires Hit Home; and
2. Authorize the Mayor to sign and transmit the response to the Presiding Judge of the Orange County Superior Court, with copies to the Orange County Grand Jury, the Orange County Clerk, and the City Clerk, as required by law.
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
In May 2026, the Orange County Grand Jury issued a report entitled Wildfires Hit Home ("Report"). The Report examines the increasing wildfire risk throughout Orange County, the relationship between wildfire mitigation and homeowners' insurance availability and affordability, and the shared responsibilities of state agencies, local governments, fire service agencies, communities, and homeowners in reducing wildfire risk.
The Report also discusses recent changes to California wildfire regulations, including home hardening standards, defensible space requirements, and grant opportunities intended to improve community resilience.
Pursuant to California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05, the Grand Jury requires a written response from the City within 90 days addressing specified findings and recommendations. The City of Laguna Beach is required to respond to Findings F1 through F6 and Recommendations R2 through R4. Staff has prepared the attached proposed response for City Council consideration.
The proposed response generally agrees with the Grand Jury's findings regarding the increasing wildfire threat, the importance of home hardening and defensible space, community education, and the value of regional collaboration to improve wildfire resilience. The response further highlights Laguna Beach's longstanding commitment to wildfire preparedness through its vegetation management programs, community outreach initiatives, evacuation planning efforts, and ongoing investments in wildfire mitigation infrastructure.
DISCUSSION
Legal Background
California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05 require any public agency that is the subject of a civil grand jury report to provide a written response to the applicable findings and recommendations. For each finding, the responding agency must indicate whether it agrees or disagrees, in whole or in part. For each recommendation, the agency must indicate whether the recommendation has been implemented, will be implemented, requires further analysis, or will not be implemented because it is not warranted or reasonable.
The Wildfires Hit Home Report identifies the City of Laguna Beach as one of the responding agencies required to address Findings F1 through F6 and Recommendations R2 through R4.
RESPONSE TO 2025–2026 ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORT: WILDFIRES HIT HOME
July 21, 2026
Wildfire Preparedness in Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach has long recognized wildfire as one of the City's most significant public safety risks. Much of the community is located adjacent to or within wildland-urban interface areas characterized by steep terrain, coastal canyons, native vegetation, and seasonal Santa Ana wind conditions that can contribute to rapid fire growth. As demonstrated by numerous historic wildfires throughout Southern California and recent fires within Orange County and Los Angeles County, proactive wildfire mitigation remains essential to protecting life, property, and the environment.
The Laguna Beach Fire Department has implemented a wildfire risk reduction program that includes defensible space inspections, fuel modification zone maintenance, vegetation management requirements, evacuation planning, community preparedness education, and emergency notification systems. The Department also continues to invest in wildfire mitigation initiatives, including expansion of the City's Outdoor Warning System and ongoing fuel modification projects designed to reduce wildfire intensity and improve firefighter access and community safety.
Community outreach remains a critical component of the City's wildfire preparedness efforts. The Fire Department provides educational workshops and public information regarding home hardening, defensible space, wildfire preparedness, evacuation planning, and emergency notifications. The City also promotes Firewise USA principles and encourages neighborhood participation in community-level wildfire risk reduction initiatives.
Proposed Response
The proposed response acknowledges the Grand Jury's findings regarding the increasing wildfire threat facing Orange County communities and the importance of proactive wildfire mitigation measures. The City agrees that reducing home ignition potential through home hardening, defensible space, and public education can reduce wildfire risk while improving community resilience.
The proposed response further commits the City to participating in the countywide wildfire prevention fair recommended by the Grand Jury and confirms that Laguna Beach has already initiated and continues planning activities consistent with community-level wildfire risk mitigation designations. These efforts include the City's Fuel Modification Zone Program, defensible space ordinance, evacuation planning and mapping, public education programs, outdoor warning system, and continued promotion of Firewise Communities principles.
The proposed response also notes that Laguna Beach already maintains a comprehensive wildfire outreach program through the Fire Department and remains committed to expanding public education and collaboration with regional partners to improve wildfire preparedness and community resilience.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
RESPONSE TO 2025–2026 ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY REPORT: WILDFIRES HIT HOME
July 21, 2026
Approval and submission of the proposed Grand Jury response will have no immediate fiscal impact. The City funds wildfire mitigation, vegetation management, defensible space inspections, community education, emergency preparedness, and related wildfire resilience initiatives through existing operating and capital improvement budgets. While implementation of future wildfire resilience initiatives or grant opportunities may have fiscal implications, any additional funding requests or appropriations would be presented to the City Council through the annual budget process or separate future Council actions, as appropriate.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"), a "project" means an activity that has the potential to result in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(a)). Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment are not considered projects under CEQA (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5)). The proposed action consists solely of the City's consideration and approval of its required response to an Orange County Grand Jury report. Approval of the response is an administrative action required by California Penal Code sections 933 and 933.05 and does not authorize any physical improvements, development activity, or discretionary action that could result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change to the environment.
Accordingly, the proposed action is not a project subject to CEQA.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proposed City of Laguna Beach Response to Orange County Grand Jury Report: Wildfires Hit Home (2025–2026) (Pgs. 4-9)
2. Orange County Grand Jury Report: Wildfires Hit Home (2025–2026) (Pgs. 10-83) Submitted By:
. Approved: .David A Kiff
Niko King, Fire Chief Dave Kiff, City Manager
Report Prepared By: Coordinated With:
Kirsten Gallacher, Senior Administrative
Analyst
Niko King, Fire Chief
Patrick Donegan, Assistant City Attorney