10-DAY REPORT REGARDING MEASURES TAKEN TO ALLEVIATE
CONDITIONS WHICH LED TO ADOPTION OF URGENCY ORDINANCE
NO. 1732 AMENDING THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH’S LOCAL
COASTAL PROGRAM AND MUNICIPAL CODE TO MODIFY TITLE 25
(ZONING), TITLE 21 (SUBDIVISIONS), AND TITLE 22 (EXCAVATING,
GRADING, AND FILLING) TO STREAMLINE THE DESIGN REVIEW
AND OTHER PERMIT PROCESSES
I. Background
At itsJuly 21, 2026 meeting, the City Council of the City of Laguna Beach (“City”) adopted an ordinance amending the City’s municipal code and certified local coastal program (“certified LCP”) to modify Title 25 (Zoning), Title 21 (Subdivisions), and Title 22 (Excavating, Grading, and Filling) to streamline the design review and other processes (the “DR Efficiency Ordinance”, or “Ordinance No. 1730”), in conjunction with the adoption of a Resolution making corresponding changes to the Design Guidelines - A Guide to Residential Development (the “DR Guidelines”, or “Resolution No. 26.059”). At the same meeting, the City Council also adopted an urgency interim ordinance to ensure that the City’s Municipal Code and Local Coastal Program are consistent to improve and enhance the functions and operations of the City and to prevent the City from falling back into a backlog of processing applications, especially in light of state-mandated housing laws that demand the City process applications efficiently and timely, during the pendency of the Coastal Commission review and certification of the non-urgency DR Efficiency Ordinance (“Urgency Ordinance No. 1732”).
An interim ordinance takes immediate effect upon adoption and expires 45 days after adoption, unless extended at a later date after notice and a public hearing for an additional 22 months and 15 days. (Government Code Section 65858(b).) Urgency Ordinance No. 1732 took effect on July 21, 2026, and will expire on September 4, 2026. Government Code Section 65858(d) requires that at least 10 days prior to the expiration of an interim ordinance or any extension, the City Council must issue a written report describing the measures taken to alleviate the condition(s) which led to the adoption of the ordinance.
II. Measures Taken Since the Adoption of the Interim Ordinance As City staff’s findings demonstrate, Urgency Ordinance No. 1732 was enacted in order to preserve public health, safety, and welfare of the City, residents, and the local environment. Here, there is a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety, and welfare since the DR Efficiency Ordinance amends the City’s LCP and the Coastal Act requires that the Coastal Commission review and certify the DR Efficiency Ordinance before it becomes effective. (Pub.
Res. Code, § 30514(a); see also Laguna Beach Municipal Code, § 25.07.026(E).) The duration of the Coastal Commission’s review and certification process can vary, and, in some instances, has taken numerous months. The City Council desires to ensure that the City’s Municipal Code and LCP are consistent to improve and enhance the functions and operations of the City and to prevent the City from falling back into a backlog of processing applications, especially in light of stateAttachment 2 15 mandated housing laws that demand the City process applications efficiently and timely, during the pendency of Ordinance No. 1730’s review by the Coastal Commission.
To alleviate the conditions that led to the adoption of Urgency Ordinance No. 1732, the City has taken the following steps since adopting the interim ordinance:
1) Following the City Council’s adoption of the non-urgency version of the DR Efficiency Ordinance (Ordinance No. 1730) and adoption of Resolution No. 26.059 making corresponding changes to the DR Guidelines, City staff as transmitted Ordinance No. 1730 and Resolution No. 26.059 to the California Coastal Commission and requested that the Coastal Commission consider, approve, and certify the Local Coastal Program amendment.
III. Conclusion
Since the adoption of Urgency Ordinance No. 1732 on July 21, 2026, the City has made its application to the California Coastal Commission to consider, approve, and certify the LCP amendment. The extension of Urgency Ordinance No. 1732 will ensure that the City’s Municipal Code and Local Coastal Program are consistent to improve and enhance the functions and operations of the City and to prevent the City from falling back into a backlog of processing applications, especially in light of state-mandated housing laws that demand the City process applications efficiently and timely, during the pendency of the Coastal Commission review and certification of Ordinance No. 1730 and the amendment to the DR Guidelines. 16