MINUTES
LAGUNA BEACH CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
September 14, 2026
A Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Laguna Beach was called to order on Monday, September 14, 2026, at 3:30 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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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
Presentation and Discussion: Staff gave a presentation and responded to Councilmember questions.
Public Testimony: Aaron Paluso described the beach's dramatic narrowing over decades, attributing it to Hurricane Marie's persistent south swells combined with a long-term disruption of the natural sand supply. He traced this to upstream development that paved over the watershed and re-routed runoff into pipes and concrete channels instead of natural creek erosion that historically carried sediment to the beach. He warned that without addressing this root cause, the City will face more emergency proclamations in the future, but voiced full support for the proclamation and commended the City Council for taking action. Morris Skenderian, Architect, noted he is fielding calls from owners of damaged oceanfront structures in Lagunita and Ocean Way about rebuilding, including seawalls, and asked whether the code provision allowing disaster rebuilds within a certain timeframe would let owners restore seawalls without running into conflict with the California Coastal Commission. Matt Lawson warned that current impacts are just the beginning of what is expected to be a very difficult six to nine months, citing NOAA/National Weather Service forecasts for what is being described as one of the most intense El Niño events on record, with a sustained series of atmospheric river events starting around November/December. He stressed the compounded risk to hillside communities and commended the City Council and City Manager for acting proactively.
Staff Response: Community Development Director Matt Schneider confirmed six yellow-tagged properties have sustained seawall damage and advised that California Coastal Commission staff are aware of the situation and supportive of prioritizing life-safety at those properties.
Schneider described a typical two-phase process under an emergency Coastal Development Laguna Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes September 14, 2026 Permit (CDP): (1) temporary armoring (e.g., riprap, sand cubes, or similar measures) can be installed immediately and (2) longer-term repair is then addressed under the more traditional permitting process, generally allowing "like-for-like" replacement to the extent the original structures were legally permitted.
Emergency Operations Manager Sarah Limones outlined the City's near-term public outreach and preparedness plans for the anticipated El Niño season, which include an El Niño workshop modeled on the evacuation/community preparedness workshops, but focused specifically on El Niño, on how to prepare homes and businesses, what to expect if a home is damaged in a major storm, and what the City will and won't be able to do. Public Works will participate to explain citywide storm work and how residents can report damage or issues to support staff capacity.
Limones also announced a sandbag distribution event on Friday, September 25, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Public Works Act V yard parking lot, aimed at getting residents to stock up before storms hit rather than during a last-minute rush. She noted that sand/sandbags are alsc available on an ongoing basis at fire stations, Act V, and the Aliso Beach East parking lot.
Limones also announced the launch of a new El Niño webpage, consolidating preparedness information, upcoming events, and storm expectations for residents. She stated that the overall approach is proactive City planning, with an expressed hope that residents and business owners will prepare proactively as well.
Moved by Councilmember Bob Whalen, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Hallie Jones, and carriec 5/0 to:
a. Adopt Resolution #26.066 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 202€ and Winter 2026-27;
b. Direct the City Manager to return to the City Council at least once every 60 days to revien the need for continuing the local emergency, and to recommend termination at the earliest date conditions warrant; and
c. 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 organizationa 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 CEOA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15269 (Emergency Projects). -2-
Laguna Beach City Council Special Meeting Minutes September 14, 2026
ADJOURNMENT
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There being no further business, Mayor Orgill at 3:54 p.m., Monday, September 14, 2026, adjourned to the Closed Session at 3:45 p.m. and Regular City Council Meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at City Hall, 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach California. ****************
Approved: September 22, 2026
Ann Märie 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. -3-