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CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA
SEPTEMBER 14, 2026
COUNCIL CHAMBERS – 505 FOREST AVENUE, LAGUNA BEACH, CA 92651 SPECIAL MEETING – 3:30 PM
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL:
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Mayor of the City of Laguna Beach has called a special meeting of the City Council to take place at 3:30 PM on SEPTEMBER 14, 2026, for the purpose of discussing and taking action on the item listed on the below agenda.
No other business shall be considered at the Special Meeting except as listed below.
MARK ORGILL, Mayor
HALLIE JONES, Mayor Pro Tem
SUE KEMPF, Councilmember
BOB WHALEN, Councilmember
ALEX ROUNAGHI, Councilmember
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DAVE KIFF, City Manager
MEGAN GARIBALDI, City Attorney
LAURA PARISI, City Treasurer
ANN MARIE McKAY, City Clerk
A. ROLL CALL - 3:30 p.m. – 3:30 PM
B. BUSINESS.
1. RATIFICATION OF THE PROCLAMATION OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY
ARISING FROM COASTAL EROSION CAUSED BY HURRICANE MARIE
SWELL CONDITIONS AND THE ANTICIPATED EL NIÑO STORM SEASON Recommendations:
1. Adopt the attached resolution ratifying and extending the Proclamation of a Local Emergency, issued by the City Manager, acting as the Director of Emergency Services, on September 10, 2026, which declares a Local State of Emergency following impacts to public infrastructure, beaches, and private sea walls from remnants of Hurricane Marie in September 2026, as well as anticipatory concern about the likelihood of a significant El Niño event in Fall 2026 and Winter 2026-27;
2. Direct the City Manager to return to the City Council at least once every 60 days to review the need for continuing the local emergency, and to recommend termination at the earliest date conditions warrant; and
3. Find that the proposed action is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 because it is an organizational and administrative activity that will not result in a direct or indirect physical change to the environment, or in the alternative, that the proposed action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15269 (Emergency Projects).
C. ADJOURNMENT. The Laguna Beach City Council will adjourn to its next regular or other meeting, tentatively set for:
SEPTEMBER 22, 2026
LAGUNA BEACH CITY HALL
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
505 FOREST AVENUE, LAGUNA BEACH, CA
CLOSED SESSION AT 3:45 P.M. AND
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AT 5:00 P.M.
Accessibility and Accommodation Requests: Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons with a disability who require a disability-related modification or accommodation in order 2 of 18
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to participate in a meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, may request such modification or accommodation from the City Clerk at (949) 497-0705 (telephone) or [email protected] (email). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to the meeting.
Levine Act Disclosure: Pursuant to the Levine Act (Govt Code Section 84308), any party to a permit, license, contract, or other entitlement before the City Council is required to disclose on the record any campaign contribution, including aggregated contributions, of more than $500 commencing on January 1, 2025, made within the preceding 12 months.
Courtesy Virtual Broadcast: The City plans to broadcast the meeting as a courtesy only:
Online: www.lagunabeachcity.net/meetings
Cox Cable Channel 852
YouTube: City of Laguna Beach YouTube Channel
ADDRESSING THE CITY COUNCIL
In-Person Public Comment:
Members of the public may address the City Council on any agenda item during the public comments portion of the meeting. Providing a name, city of residence, mailing address, or other identifying information is voluntary. If you would like a follow-up from the City, please provide contact information.
Written Comment:
To submit written comments on an agenda item, please email [email protected].
Include "Public Comment" in the subject line and reference the agenda item number. Written comments will be forwarded to the City Clerk and made publicly available.
TWO-WAY TELEPHONIC SERVICE
Beginning July 1, 2026, pursuant to Senate Bill 707 and California Government Code sections 54953.4 and 54954.3, members of the public may also provide public comment in real time either in person or remotely through the two-way telephonic service identified below. Remote public commenters will receive the same time allotment as members of the public commenting in person.
Join by Telephone: +1 669 900 9128
Webinar ID (changes each meeting): 823 7115 6622
Courtesy Zoom Participation: The City plans to enable participation via internet/zoom link as a courtesy only (link changes each meeting): https://lagunabeachcity.zoom.us/j/82371156622 3 of 18
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Please be advised that the City does not guarantee that this link will work or that there will not be technical difficulties in accessing it. The only way to guarantee real-time participation is via in-person comment or via telephone call-in, subject to provisions of Government Code section 54953.4.
Remote Public Comment:
To provide public comment remotely, press *9 if participating by telephone, or use the "Raise Hand" feature on Zoom if participating via internet. When called upon, the speaker will be unmuted and given the allotted time to speak. Telephone participants may press *6 to mute or unmute themselves when called to speak. Remote speakers must be present in the telephone queue or Zoom when called. Remote participants are responsible for ensuring that they are connected and able to hear the meeting.
Remote Access Disruption:
The City Council adopted the Policy for Disruption of Telephonic or Internet Service During Public Meetings (SB 707) on March 10, 2026. If a disruption of telephonic service prevents members of the public utilizing two-way telephonic services from being able to attend or observe the meeting remotely, the City Council will follow the adopted policy. The policy may require the open session to be recessed while the City makes good-faith efforts to restore service. If service is not restored, the City Council may continue only after making the required roll-call findings, as applicable.
Technical Assistance:
Meeting staff will monitor remote access during the meeting. If you experience remote access issues during the meeting, please notify the Zoom host as soon as possible.
Compliance with Government Code Section 54957.5: Materials related to an item on this Agenda submitted to the City Council after distribution of the agenda packets are available for public inspection in the City Clerk's Office at 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, California, during normal business hours.
Testimony given before the City Council is recorded.
CERTIFICATION OF MEETING NOTICE AND AGENDA POSTING
This notice and agenda were posted on the City's website and the City Hall bulletin board at least 24 hours prior to the special meeting, in compliance with the Ralph M. Brown Act. /s/ Ann Marie McKay, CPMC, CMC
City Clerk, City of Laguna Beach
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AGENDA REPORT
Special Meeting Date
September 14, 2026
Business
Click to Enter Agenda Number
SUBJECT: RATIFICATION OF THE PROCLAMATION OF A LOCAL
EMERGENCY ARISING FROM COASTAL EROSION CAUSED BY
HURRICANE MARIE SWELL CONDITIONS AND THE ANTICIPATED
EL NIÑO STORM SEASON
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Adopt the attached resolution ratifying and extending the Proclamation of a Local Emergency, issued by the City Manager, acting as the Director of Emergency Services, on September 10, 2026, which declares a Local State of Emergency following impacts to public infrastructure, beaches, and private sea walls from remnants of Hurricane Marie in September 2026, as well as anticipatory concern about the likelihood of a significant El Niño event in Fall 2026 and Winter 2026-27;
2. Direct the City Manager to return to the City Council at least once every 60 days to review the need for continuing the local emergency, and to recommend termination at the earliest date conditions warrant; and
3. Find that the proposed action is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 because it is an organizational and administrative activity that will not result in a direct or indirect physical change to the environment, or in the alternative, that the proposed action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15269 (Emergency Projects).
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
This item would follow State law and the Laguna Beach Municipal Code in having the Laguna Beach City Council, as the governing body of the City of Laguna Beach, ratify the City Manager’s September 10, 2026 determination to proclaim a Local Emergency given the impacts of Hurricane Marie in early September 2026 and the anticipated El Niño storm season (“Proclamation”). (Attachment 1.) Staff recommends adoption of the attached resolution (Attachment 2) ratifying and extending the Proclamation.
The California Emergency Services Act (Government Code sections 8550 et seq.) establishes, relevant here, the basis for a local emergency. Government Code section 8558(c) defines a “local emergency” as the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within a city’s territorial limits, caused by conditions such as fire, flood, or storm, “which are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, 1 of 14
Ratification of Local Emergency Proclamation Issued by the Director of Emergency Services on September 10, 2026
September 14, 2026
equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision.” Municipal Code section 2.16.020 adopts substantially the same definition and makes explicit that the peril may be “actual or threatened.” It effectively requires two things: conditions of disaster or extreme peril, and a determination that those conditions exceed, or are likely to exceed, what the City can manage with its own personnel, equipment, and facilities. The City makes these findings in the Proclamation.
When the circumstances are warranted, a finding of local emergency confers additional authority and provides access to resources that may otherwise be unavailable. First, it allows the City to act at emergency speed — procuring equipment, materials, services, and construction work without ordinary competitive solicitation, and empowering the Director of Emergency Services (defined under the City’s Municipal Code as the City Manager) to issue orders and regulations, such as closures and access restrictions, that would ordinarily require City Council action. Second, it is an avenue to outside assistance: it supports requests for mutual aid, and under Government Code section 8625, the Governor may proclaim a state of emergency at the request of a city’s mayor or chief executive, if warranted. Third, and often most consequential, it creates an avenue for financial recovery. For example, the California Disaster Assistance Act generally conditions reimbursement on a local proclamation, so costs incurred without one are far more likely to fall entirely on the City. A proclamation is only effective as to the conditions proclaimed, and as described below, must be reviewed by the City Council at least every 60 days and terminated as soon as conditions warrant.
Once the local emergency is proclaimed by the City Manager, as the Director of Emergency Services, the City Council is required by both State law (Government Code section 8630(b)) and the City’s Municipal Code (section 2.16.060(A)(1)) to ratify the proclamation within seven days of the date the proclamation issued and may extend it up to 60 days; the emergency must be earlier terminated if conditions warrant. As the Proclamation here was issued on September 10, 2026, it therefore expires by operation of law on September 17, 2026, without City Council ratification.
Because the next regular City Council meeting is not until September 22, 2026, a special meeting has been called to ensure the Proclamation does not lapse.
DISCUSSION
In early September 2026, swell and storm impacts from Hurricane Marie—a system that developed off the coast of Mexico and tracked northwestward in the Pacific Ocean, produced dangerous surf, created strong rip currents, and sustained sand movement along the Southern California coastline—affected the Laguna Beach community in a number of ways. Prior to the storm, extensive sand movement and potential sand loss occurred throughout the summer from additional swells moving sand from the beach into the nearshore zone and into different locations along the same beaches.
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Ratification of Local Emergency Proclamation Issued by the Director of Emergency Services on September 10, 2026
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The combination of the early sand movement coupled with the impacts and remnants of Hurricane Marie led to significant damage to the City's Aliso Beach parking lot, to other beaches, to homes at Lagunita and along Ocean Way, and to a wastewater line along the beach off of Lagunita.
In conversation with other City Managers in the region, the City Manager believes that the City's direct impact - including the possibility of coastal erosion and sand loss - appears to be consistent across the Orange County coastline. And that there may be merit in collaboratively noting the impacts to our regional and state partners. This was one reason for the proclamation.
To that end, on September 9th, the City of Dana Point issued a similar proclamation, and on September 11th, the City of Newport Beach asked the County of Orange to proclaim a local emergency addressing impacts to its community’s coastal resources. The City of San Clemente may consider a similar step on September 15th.
Other aspects of the proclamation may allow the City to pursue and permit more rapid and effective strategies to protect both public and private infrastructure. In enacting the proclamation, the City does not intend to avoid its obligations under the California Coastal Act and the City's Local Coastal Program (LCP).
The proclamation also discusses the possible impacts of a significant El Niño event for fall and winter 2026-27 that could exacerbate the impacts of the Summer 2026 ocean swells, including the September 2, 2026, Hurricane Marie remnant event. Extensive and rapid rainfall throughout the community and area tributaries may cause further coastal erosion in addition to inland impacts that may warrant the continuation of the emergency proclamation into the latter part of 2026 and the early part of 2027. While this is yet to be determined, NOAA is forecasting a 90% chance of a very strong El Niño this upcoming fall/winter, with a 69% probability that it will exceed in intensity, during the October through December 2026 season, every El Niño recorded since 1950.
The unpredictability and strength of this predicted storm event, and the potential for damaging storms with coastal flooding and further erosion, give rise to the risk of an expanded emergency along the City’s coastline.
State law requires that any proclamation of a local emergency by an authorized individual, such as the City Manager per the City’s Municipal Code, must be ratified by the legislative body within seven (7) days of the date that the proclamation was entered. This agenda item asks the Laguna Beach City Council to discuss and consider ratification of the proclamation (shown as Attachment 1). Staff further requests the City Council to extend it for 60 days and direct staff to return before expiration of that period to evaluate a further extension or termination of the local emergency proclamation (unless the circumstances warrant earlier termination).
It remains to be determined as to the duration of the emergency event, and staff is prepared to discuss this with the Council as we learn more and as events progress. 3 of 14
Ratification of Local Emergency Proclamation Issued by the Director of Emergency Services on September 10, 2026
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We welcome the Council's and community’s discussion of this issue.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
The City is evaluating the costs associated with emergency response and protective measures undertaken to date, as well as additional near-term costs estimated for further emergency protective measures and repairs. If appropriate, and as authorized by the attached Resolution, staff will pursue reimbursement through the County and/or State, including under the California Disaster Assistance Act, though certain expenses may be ineligible and no reimbursement is assured.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The recommended action is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 because it consists solely of the City Council's consideration of the ratification of the City Manager/Director of Emergency Service’s Declaration of a local emergency, which is an organizational and administrative activity that will not result in a direct or indirect physical change to the environment.
In the alternative, ratification of the Proclamation and the emergency actions taken pursuant to it are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Public Resources Code section 21080(b)(4) and State CEQA Guidelines section 15269, which exempts emergency repairs to publicly or privately owned service facilities necessary to maintain service essential to the public health, safety, or welfare, and specific actions necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Proclamation of Local Emergency of the Emergency Services Director Declaring a Local Emergency Arising from Coastal Erosion caused by Hurricane Marie Swell Conditions and the Anticipated El Niño Season, executed September 10, 2026
2. City Council Resolution Ratifying Local Emergency Proclamation Submitted By:
Dave Kiff, City Manager
Approved:
Dave Kiff, City Manager
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RESOLUTION NO. 26-__
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA,
RATIFYING THE PROCLAMATION OF A LOCAL
EMERGENCY ISSUED BY THE DIRECTOR OF
EMERGENCY ARISING FROM COASTAL EROSION
CAUSED BY HURRICANE MARIE SWELL
CONDITIONS AND THE ANTICIPATED EL NIÑO
SEASON SERVICES ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2026
WHEREAS, on September 10, 2026, the City Manager, acting as Director of Emergency Services (“Director”) pursuant to Sections 2.16.050 and 2.16.060 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code, proclaimed the existence of a local emergency within the City arising from coastal erosion and sand loss caused by swell from Hurricane Marie and the threat of further damage from the anticipated El Niño storm season, a true and correct copy of which Proclamation is attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated herein by this reference; and
WHEREAS, Section 2.16.060(A)(1) of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code provides that whenever a local emergency is proclaimed by the Director, the City Council shall take action to ratify the proclamation within seven days thereafter or the proclamation shall have no further force or effect, and Government Code section 8630(b) imposes the same seven-day requirement; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed the Proclamation and finds that the conditions of disaster and extreme peril to the safety of persons and property described therein continue to exist within the City; and
WHEREAS, Government Code section 8630(c) requires the City Council to review the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every 60 days until it is terminated, and Section 8630(d) requires the City Council to proclaim termination at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein by this reference.
SECTION 2. The Proclamation of a Local Emergency issued by the Director of Emergency Services on September 10, 2026, attached hereto as Exhibit A, is hereby ratified and confirmed in its entirety.
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SECTION 3. The local emergency so ratified shall continue in effect for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of adoption of this Resolution, unless sooner terminated by the City Council or further extended by resolution of the City Council. The City Council shall review the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every 60 days until it is terminated, and shall proclaim its termination at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant.
SECTION 4. The Director is hereby directed to take all steps warranted to evaluate the extent of the damage resulting from the local emergency and, if appropriate, to seek financial assistance, including but not limited to, through efforts with the County of Orange and/or the State of California, including through the California Disaster Assistance Act, if it has been identified that local resources are insufficient and the emergency situation is beyond the City’s capabilities.
SECTION 5. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this ____ day of September, 2026. _______________________________________
Mark Orgill, Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________________
Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk
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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 Resolution No. 26-____ was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Laguna Beach at a special meeting thereof held on the ____ day of September, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBER(S):
NOES: COUNCILMEMBER(S):
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBER(S):
ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBER(S):
_______________________________________
Ann Marie McKay, City Clerk
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EXHIBIT A
Proclamation of the Emergency Services Director Declaring a Local Emergency Arising from Coastal Erosion caused by Hurricane Marie Swell Conditions and the Anticipated El Niño Season, executed September 10, 2026
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