MINUTES
LAGUNA BEACH CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
July 28, 2026
A Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Laguna Beach was called to order on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., in the City Hall, 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, California, Mayor Orgill presiding.
ROLL CALL
PRESENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Kempf, Rounaghi, Whalen, Jones, Orgill PARTICIPATING REMOTELY: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
SPECIAL MEETING
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A. APPEAL OF THE APPROVAL OF DR 2025-1819 AND CDP 2025-1820 AT 399 PEARL STREET Presentation and Discussion: Staff gave a presentation and responded to Councilmember questions.
Testimony in Support of the Appeals: Kendra Carney Mehr, attorney for the Fluents, presented an argument that the project exceeds the code's building site coverage cap, that the code only allows such an exception when "necessary," and that necessity was never demonstrated. She said the project's floor-area ratio is roughly double the neighborhood median and that story poles show the roofline intruding into a neighbor's ocean view. She asked the Council to deny the project as visually incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood under Coastal Act criteria. Liz Toomey (Pearl Street) noted the on-street parking burden from a two-story, two-bedroom accessory dwelling unit (ADU). Meg Monahan (Flora Street) expressed concerns that approval of the project would set a precedent encouraging denser future development. Lynda Fluent (Pearl Street) said she would be losing privacy on the patio she's used daily for decades because the new structure's deck and windows would look directly into her bedroom and patio, and that offered landscaping mitigation is not a durable solution. Justine Fluent (relative of the appellants) alleged the applicant repeatedly cancelled meetings to negotiate with the Fluent family and made late changes to plans without notice, and Mark Fluent (relative of the appellants) argued that the project fails Criterion 6 (visual compatibility) and Coastal Act §30251, citing floor-area-ratio comparisons across 63 neighborhood properties to show the project is more than double the norm.
Testimony in Opposition of the Appeals: Chris LeTourneau, project architect, walked through the design's evolution, showing the reduced height, reduced ADU size, additional setback from the Fluent property, and existing landscaping/trellis elements intended to preserve privacy. Steve Kawartani, agent for the applicant, reiterated that existing Laguna Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes July 28, 2026 sightline/privacy conditions between the properties predate this project. Jason Mueller, applicant, said the design preserves neighbors' views, that privacy issues between the properties have existed for 45+ years, and that he made concessions through the design review process. John Gutweiler (Pearl Street) argued that the applicant protects neighbors' views by placing the proposed ADU in the rear of the property rather than on top of the existing residence.
Rebuttal: Kendra Carney Mehr, attorney for the Fluents, reiterated that the burden is on the applicant to justify departing from the code, that comparisons to the applicant's earlier proposals do not establish necessity, and asked the City Council to deny the appeal or remand for further review.
Moved by Councilmember Bob Whalen, seconded by Councilmember Alex Rounaghi, and carried 5/0 to continue the project to the October 13, 2026, City Council Regular Meeting, with direction to the applicant to reduce the ADU to a maximum floor area of 800 square feet, with these reductions taken from the side of the structure closest to the Fluents' property, and eliminating the lower-level addition to the single-family residence which added to the building site coverage.
B. APPEAL OF APPROVAL OF DR 2025-1195 AND CDP 2026-0057 AT 950 BAJA STREET Presentation and Discussion: Staff gave a presentation and responded to Councilmembers' questions.
Testimony in Support of the Appeal: Paige Lyall (Baja Street) objected to "void areas" in the rear, and requested that the south-facing windows be made opaque. Emiliana Borrelli (Baja Street) also asked for fixed, frosted windows and required landscaping screening on the north side, and questioned ADU parking adequacy. Anne Caenn (Katella Street) asked the City Council to hold the applicant to direction from the prior appeal (more articulation, reduced square footage, lower height) and asked that the property be re-staked so neighbors can see actual dimensions. Ayse McGuire (appellant) argued the Council had previously and unanimously rejected the project with clear direction, that the revised design's upper floors are actually larger, that "void areas" are a relabeling rather than a real reduction, and alleged the DRB vote was improperly influenced by an applicant claim about legal limits on denial. McGuire requested a fee refund under the city's appeal-fee policy.
Testimony in Opposition of the Appeal: Steve Kawaratani, agent for the applicant, presented a comparison of what was revised since the prior City Council review, and offered to eliminate the "void area" if needed. He noted the Design Review Board approved the revised design unanimously (5-0).
Rebuttal: Paige Lyall (Baja Street) reiterated that the void areas overlay directly with her bedroom/bathroom and argued they serve no purpose but added mass, and asked the -2-
Laguna Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes July 28, 2026 applicant to push the top level back to match her home's footprint.
David Liu, applicant, expressed frustration with the process.
Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Hallie Jones, seconded by Mayor Mark Orgill, and carried 4/1 (Councilmember Kempf opposed) to adopt Resolution #26.061 titled, "A RESOLUTION OF
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DENYING THE APPEAL
AND SUSTAINING THE DECISION OF THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD TO CONDITIONALLY APPROVE DESIGN REVIEW 2025-1195 FOR A NEW SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING, ATTACHED
THREE-CAR GARAGE, ELEVATED DECKS, GRADING, RETAINING WALLS, LANDSCAPING, AND NEW VEHICULAR ACCESS, AND COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 2026-0057 FOR AN ATTACHED ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT AT 950 BAJA STREET IN THE ARCH BEACH HEIGHTS
SPECIFIC PLAN AREA, AND CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT GUIDELINES SECTION 15303 (CLASS 3), AND IMPOSING MORE RESTRICTIVE CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL" modifying the proposed project by adding more restrictive conditions of approval to eliminate the "void areas" in the rear and ensure the windows on the south side are to be made opaque or frosted in accordance with Condition No. 27 of Board-adopted Resolution No. 2025-1195, upholding the Design Review Board's conditional approval of Design Review 2025-1195 and Coastal Development Permit 2026-0057, and finding the Revised Project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.
C. APPEAL OF APPROVAL OF DR 2026-0702 AND REP 2026-0703 AT 332 LOCUST STREET Presentation and Discussion: Staff gave a presentation and responded to Councilmembers' questions.
Testimony in Support of the Appeal: Gregg Homer (appellant), Karen Lagrew (Locust Street) and George and Dianne Baskevitch (Locust Street) requested that the City Council require an alternative design. Ray Triplett (Locust Street) Carol Racine's letter (Locust Street) describing impacts to her second-floor master bedroom and deck views.
Testimony in Opposition of the Appeal: Matthew Gummow, project architect, argued that story poles overstate the visual impact because they show only the building envelope, not the actual massing; that the Design Review Board members physically visited neighboring homes and voted 5-0 to approve after weighing real sightlines; and that the design already represents the minimized alternative, not a starting point for further negotiation.
Rebuttal: Gregg Homer (appellant) contended that the flagged line was about 2 feet lower than the pole tops, which was corrected after-the-fact, and stated that narrowing by 2 feet would help with Carol's view and would allow a corridor view from his residence. -3-
Laguna Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes July 28, 2026 Moved by Councilmember Alex Rounaghi, seconded by Councilmember Sue Kempf, and carried unanimously 5/0 to adopt Resolution #26.062 titled, "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DENYING THE APPEAL AND SUSTAINING THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD'S APPROVAL OF DESIGN REVIEW 2026-0702 FOR
CONSTRUCTION OF LOWER- AND UPPER-LEVEL ADDITIONS, ELEVATED DECK, BARBECUE
AREA WITH A PATIO COVER, LANDSCAPING, EXTERIOR MODIFICATIONS, NEW WINDOWS/DOORS, AND HARDSCAPE, AND REVOCABLE ENCROACHMENT PERMIT 2026- 0703 FOR A GATE, WALLS AND FENCING, AND PILASTERS WITHIN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF- WAY IN THE R-2, RESIDENTIAL MEDIUM DENSITY ZONE, AND CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT GUIDELINES SECTION 15301 (CLASS 1)", upholding the Design Review Board's approval of Design Review 2026-0702 and Revocable Encroachment Permit 2026-0703, and finding the project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.
ADJOURNMENT
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There being no further business, Mayor Orgill at 7:06 p.m., Tuesday, July 28, 2026, adjourned to the Closed Session at 4:00 p.m. and Regular City Council Meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at City Hall, 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach California. **** *******
Approved: August 4, 2026
amit
Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk
Note: All components of minutes shall be for the primary purpose of memorializing decisions made by the legislative body. Any minute component that does not serve this primary purpose will be minimized or eliminated; this includes comments made by individual body members and members of the public. Discussions that occurred during the meeting can be viewed in archived video recordings on the city's website. Public submittals on items received prior to adjournment of the meeting are retained in the administrative record and can be viewed in the city clerk's repository. -4-
NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING
(GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54995)
EXCERPT OF THE MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING
OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
July 28, 2026
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The Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Laguna Beach was held at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in the City Council Chambers, 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, California.
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PRESENT COUNCILMEMBERS: Kempf, Rounaghi, Whalen, Jones, Orgill PARTICIPATING REMOTELY: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ADJOURNMENT
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There being no further business, Mayor Orgill at 7:06 p.m., Tuesday, July 28, 2026, adjourned to the Closed Session at 4:00 p.m. and the Regular Meeting at 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at City Hall, 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, California. ***************
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF ORANGE SS.
CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
I, Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Beach, California, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a full, true, and correct copy of the Minute entry on record in my office. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand and affix the official seal of the City of Laguna Beach, California, on this 29th day of July 2026.
NCORPORATES
City Clerk of the City of Laguna Beach California
UNE 29.192
CERTIFICATE OF POSTING
NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT
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I, Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Beach, California, DO CERTIFY that at the Special Meeting of the City Council held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, said meeting was ordered adjourned to the time and place specified in the notice of adjournment, ATTACHED HERETO; and that on July 29, 2026, at the hour of 9:30 a.m., a copy of the Notice was posted at a conspicuous place on or near the door of the place at which said meeting of the City Council was held.
cary Clerk of the city of Launa Beach, aliens