STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date:
September 22, 2026
REGULAR
BUSINESS
24 SUBJECT: FURTHER STUDY FOR FESTIVAL OF ARTS SOUND POLICY FOR PROPERTY
AT AND AROUND THE IRVINE BOWL AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TICKET ENTRANCE FEE; AND FINDING THE ACTIONS CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT PURSUANT TO STATE CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15306
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Temporarily suspend the Festival of Arts sound policy for three days on October 23 through 25, 2026 to allow the City’s acoustical consultant, Rincon Consultants, Inc., the opportunity to measure and analyze sound from a real-life concert with directional speakers to better inform whether any changes to such sound policy are necessary;
2. Authorize the additional scope of work proposed by the City’s acoustical consultant, Rincon Consultants, Inc., to measure and analyze sound during real-life concerts on October 23 through 25, 2026 in an amount not to exceed $12,386;
3. Adopt Resolution establishing a ticket entrance fee in the amount of $5 for access to government property, known as the Festival grounds, for non-Festival programmed and ticketed events to reinvest into the Irvine Bowl; and
4. Find the recommended actions categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15306, based on the findings contained in this staff report.
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
Staff recommends temporarily suspending the Irvine Bowl Sound Policy (“Sound Policy”) during an event at the Festival grounds on October 23 through 25, 2026. City staff proposes to study the repositioning of speakers to evaluate whether modifications to the Sound Policy is warranted.1 Staff also recommends that the City’s acoustical consultant, Rincon Consultants, Inc. (“Rincon”), measure sound during the concerts and provide a concert monitoring letter report to the City in an amount not to exceed $12,386. Lastly, staff recommends establishment of a $5 ticket fee for entrance to Festival grounds to generate funds to reinvest into the Irvine Bowl. The event on October 23 through 25, 2026 requires a special event permit from the City that addresses parking, traffic, crowd control, and security. 1 City staff intended to seek authorization from the City Council to study sound during a second weekend of events and the effect of a temporary sound mitigation wall but the event was recently cancelled and therefore City staff is no longer seeking such authorization.
FURTHER STUDY FOR FESTIVAL OF ARTS SOUND POLICY FOR PROPERTY AT AND AROUND THE IRVINE BOWL AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TICKET ENTRANCE FEE; AND
FINDING THE ACTIONS CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT PURSUANT TO STATE CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15306
September 22, 2026
DISCUSSION
A. Suspension of Sound Policy
The City has been evaluating potential amendments to the Sound Policy to determine whether revisions are appropriate while balancing the operational needs of the Irvine Bowl with the protection of surrounding residential neighborhoods and adjacent open space. As part of this effort, on July 8, 2025, the City Council temporarily suspended the Sound Policy on November 7 through 9, 2025 to allow the City's acoustical consultant to monitor sound levels during a live concert and collect data under real-world operating conditions. That effort provided valuable information regarding sound propagation and the effectiveness of the existing Sound Policy while also identifying additional areas warranting further evaluation. (Attachment 1 [draft Rincon report entitled Irvine Bowl Sound Policy Report dated February 2, 2026 (the “draft Rincon Report”].)
Since that time, staff has continued its evaluation through public outreach and additional analysis. Based on feedback received during that process, staff determined that additional biological analysis is appropriate to better evaluate the wildlife habitat within the adjacent open space. Concurrently, staff has been evaluating temporary sound attenuation measures that may reduce off-site sound levels and provide an alternative or complementary approach to future revisions of the Sound Policy, such as repositioning of speakers, limiting performances concurrently at both the Green and the Irvine Bowl at the Festival grounds, and temporary and permanent sound walls.
Given that the sound measurements for the event on November 7 through 9, 2025 demonstrate that the sound was largely within the exiting Sound Policy, staff believes that a modification to speaker direction and location will bring the sound levels from a live concert within the limits of the existing Sound Policy.
The event currently scheduled for October 23 through 25, 2026 is already scheduled not to allow performances concurrently at both the Green and the Irvine Bowl at the Festival grounds. Accordingly, staff recommends temporarily suspending the Irvine Bowl Sound Policy during one special-event weekend scheduled for October 23 through 25, 2026 to allows the City the opportunity to measure sound and recommends authorizing additional scope of work for the City’s acoustical consultant, Rincon, to measure sound during sound check and during the headliner of the event at up to nine (9) noise monitoring locations to analyze the directional speakers in an amount not to exceed $12,386 (consisting of $7,957 for monitoring and $4,429 for concert monitoring letter report). Although the special event permit will require the applicant to measure sound during the event, City staff recommends the City Council authorize the additional scope of work from the City’s own acoustical consultant, which previously measured the sound on November 7 through 9, 2025, to ensure that the data is consistently analyzed and compared. These measurements will provide the City Council with a more comprehensive technical basis for evaluating potential amendments to the Sound Policy and future improvements at the Irvine Bowl. The special event permit also addresses traffic aides and road barricades at strategic locations throughout the surrounding neighborhood to limit concertgoers’ access to dead-end streets, reduce traffic congestion, and discourage non-ticketed concertgoers from loitering in the area.
FURTHER STUDY FOR FESTIVAL OF ARTS SOUND POLICY FOR PROPERTY AT AND AROUND THE IRVINE BOWL AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TICKET ENTRANCE FEE; AND
FINDING THE ACTIONS CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT PURSUANT TO STATE CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15306
September 22, 2026
B. Establishment of Ticket Entrance Fee
On February 20, 2025, the Irvine Bowl Policy Committee (“IBPC”) (consisting of two members of the City Council and two members of the Festival of Arts Board of Directors) met to discuss several items, including, as proposed by the City, the following: 1) the Sound Policy amendment; and (2) Policy Regarding Management and Custody of Structures and Buildings on Festival of Art Grounds (“Management Policy”). (Attachment 3.) As it relates to the Sound Policy item, the IBPC reached a disagreement (2-2 tie) on the amendment. The lease between the Festival and the City provides that the City Council will resolve the disagreement among the IBPC. (Attachment 2, Paragraph 7(c).) Accordingly, the Sound Policy has been under review by the City Council since February 20, 2025. As it relates to the Management Policy, the IBPC considered the first draft of the Management Policy, including development of an entrance ticket fee, and continued the item to a future meeting. (Attachment 4.) On April 16, 2026, the IBPC met to discuss several items, including, as proposed by the Festival, the following: 1) approval of the Irvine Bowl Policy regarding use of the Bowl (or the Management Policy) (which did not include development of a ticket entrance fee); and 2) approval of an updated Application for Use of the Irvine Bowl or “Application” and updated pricing. The IBPC considered the Management Policy and the Application together and reached a disagreement (2-2 tie). The lease between the Festival and the City provides that the City Council will resolve the disagreement among the IBPC. (Attachment 2, Paragraph 7(c).) The City Council therefore now has jurisdiction over the Management Policy and Application form. Accordingly, once the final Rincon Report is complete, City staff will bring a comprehensive item to the City Council that discusses the Sound Policy, Management Policy, and Application. However, given the amount of time it has taken to measure sound, analyze biological resources, and coordinate events at the bowl during the off-season and the related expenses to the City, City staff recommends that the City Council now consider the discrete issue of the establishment of a ticket fee for entrance to government property.
Under the law, a fee or charge may be imposed for the entrance or use of government property. (XIII C, section 1(e) of the California Constitution.) The fee or charge should be supported by evidence that the fee is related to the reasonable value of providing entrance to the facility. City staff recommends that the City Council authorize a ticket entrance fee in the amount of $5 for ticketed events held on the Festival grounds that are not programmed by the Festival. As currently proposed, the resolution establishing the fee (Attachment 6) would not impose the entrance fee on events programmed by the Festival because the existing lease agreement between the City and Festival already contemplates recovery of certain costs associated with the Festival’s use of the property. The City Council may, however, elect to apply the entrance fee more broadly to all ticketed events occurring on the Festival grounds. The lease does not encompass the entirety of the City-owned property, and the City Council retains the ability to establish an entrance or use fee applicable to portions of the property outside the scope of the lease. The funds collected pursuant to this ticket entrance fee will be remitted to the City and maintained in a separate account to reinvest into the Irvine Bowl and areas accessed by the ticketed events at the Festival grounds. The establishment of a $5 fee is reasonable based on what other similar facilities charge for entrance to establish the reasonable value of providing entrance. For example, City of Irvine imposes a $4 entrance fee to the
FURTHER STUDY FOR FESTIVAL OF ARTS SOUND POLICY FOR PROPERTY AT AND AROUND THE IRVINE BOWL AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TICKET ENTRANCE FEE; AND
FINDING THE ACTIONS CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT PURSUANT TO STATE CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15306
September 22, 2026
Great Park Amphitheater and $5 for the Daisy Chain Fields. This ticket fee will generate funds to reinvest into the bowl.
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
City staff proposes a $5 fee on individual ticket purchases for entrance to city property, excluding complimentary tickets and passes. To illustrate the impact of a $5 ticket fee, for one show that sells 2,000 tickets, the City could generate $10,000 to recoup costs to reinvent into the Festival grounds, such as through infrastructure improvement (e.g., a new speaker system, sound barrier wall, etc.) Given that this ticket fee will be applied to all non-Festival programmed and ticketed events, the financial impact will be greater annually. To date, the City has expended $56,323 on studying sound and biological resources at and around the Festival grounds: 1) $27,002 for noise policy study and recommendations; 2) $12,121 for concert monitoring during live concert; 3) $5,920 for meeting and hearing attendance; and 4) $11,280 for biological resources technical memorandum. City staff proposes measuring sound based on changes to the direction of the speaker in an additional amount of $12,386 (for a total of $68,709).
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES
This item supports the City Council's goal of preserving Laguna Beach's unique character and natural environment while maintaining high quality cultural and recreational amenities. The recommended action will provide the City with additional technical information to inform future policy decisions affecting the Irvine Bowl.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The California Environmental Quality Act exempts “basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource. These may be strictly for information gathering purposes, or as part of a study leading to an action which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded.” (State CEQA Guidelines Section 15306.) Here, the project under CEQA consists of (1) temporarily suspending the Festival of Arts Sound Policy for three days on October 23 through 25, 2026 to allow the City’s acoustical consultant, Rincon, the opportunity to measure and analyze sound from a real-life concert with directional speakers to better inform whether any changes to an existing Sound Policy are necessary; (2) authorizing the scope of work proposed by the City’s acoustical consultant, Rincon, to study sound and biological resources at and around the Festival grounds: a) $27,002 for noise policy study and recommendations; b) $12,121 for concert monitoring during live concert; c) $5,920 for meeting and hearing attendance; and d) $11,280 for biological resources technical memorandum; and e) $12,386 for measuring sound based on changes to the direction of the speakers; (3) establish a ticket entrance fee in the amount of $5 for access to government property, known as the Festival grounds, to reinvest into the Irvine Bowl; and (4) the July 8, 2025 City Council action temporarily suspending the Sound Policy on November 7 through 9, 2025 to allow the City's acoustical consultant to monitor sound levels during a live concert and collect data under realworld operating conditions (collectively, the “Project”). The Project falls within a categorical exemption under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15306 because it is for basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities; it involves measuring sound when speakers are positioned
FURTHER STUDY FOR FESTIVAL OF ARTS SOUND POLICY FOR PROPERTY AT AND AROUND THE IRVINE BOWL AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TICKET ENTRANCE FEE; AND
FINDING THE ACTIONS CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT PURSUANT TO STATE CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15306
September 22, 2026
in two different manners and mapping the location of biological resources or resource evaluation.
Additionally, the Project will not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource. The draft Rincon report entitled Irvine Bowl Sound Policy Report dated February 2, 2026 (the “draft Rincon Report”) reflects that Rincon measured sound during the November 7 through 9, 2025 Jack Johnson concert from the following locations: 1) M1 (Eastern End of Olive Street); 2) M2 (Eastern End of Linden Street); 3) M3 (East of Poplar Street on the Hill Nearest the Irvine Bowl); 4) M4 (East of Poplar Street furth up the Hill near Lookout Drive); 5) M5 (Start of the Canyon to the North of Irvine Bowl); 6) M6 (West End of Olive Street); 7) M7 (Parking Lot of Laguna Playhouse); 8) M8 (Open Space Area to North of Irvine Bowl); and 9) M9 (Center of Irvine Bowl). The draft Rincon Report concludes that the “sound levels reached the highest around Linden Street and the existing sound policy boundary near Linden Street. The highest dBa Leq (15-minute) recorded was 78.8 dBa Leq at the M2 location. These areas have direct line-of-sight with the Irvine Bowl and are in the direction of the speakers. Sound levels from the main concert were clearly louder than the other activities. Sound levels did not exceed 70 dBA Leq (15-minute) at the open space area to the northeast of the venue.” (Attachment 1, p. 24.) Further, the draft Rincon Report reflects that sound levels did not exceed 70 dBA Leq (15-minute) at M4 (East of Poplar Street furth up the Hill near Lookout Drive); M5 (Start of the Canyon to the North of Irvine Bowl); M6 (West End of Olive Street); M7 (Parking Lot of Laguna Playhouse); M8 (Open Space Area to North of Irvine Bowl). Accordingly, any biological resources in the open space area will not be impacted by suspending the Sound Policy for an event that will measure sound produced by speakers that are oriented in a manner that should further minimize sound outside of the Festival grounds. Accordingly, the Project will not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource. Once this sound testing is complete, the City will finalize the draft Rincon Report to include the additional measurements and to include the biological resources technical memorandum. This will result in the final Rincon Report that will serve the basis for a future City Council decision on whether to repeal and replace or amend the existing Sound Policy.
None of the exceptions to the use of a categorical exemption set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply. The Project is not located in a particularly sensitive environment. As discussed above, the Project location is the site of concerts, festivals, and art shows and is designed as an entertainment area. Although the Project site has open space area to the north, the draft Rincon Report demonstrates that any biological resources in the open space area will not be impacted by suspending the Sound Policy for an event that will measure sound produced by speakers that are oriented in a manner that should further minimize sound outside of the Festival grounds. (Attachment 1.) The question that is being studied is how much the directional speakers will reduce sound impacts at and around the existing sound boundary in the Sound Policy. The Project will not result in a cumulative impact from successive projects of the same type in the same location. Once this sound testing is complete, the City will finalize the draft Rincon Report to include the additional measurements and to include the biological resources technical memorandum. This will result in the final Rincon Report that will support a future decision on whether to repeal and replace or amend the existing Sound Policy. The Project will not result in a significant environmental effect due to unusual circumstances. There are no unusual circumstances known at the Project site. The Project will not result in damage to scenic resources as it does not include any construction or changes to trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings, or similar resources, and is not located within a highway official designated as a state
FURTHER STUDY FOR FESTIVAL OF ARTS SOUND POLICY FOR PROPERTY AT AND AROUND THE IRVINE BOWL AND ESTABLISHMENT OF TICKET ENTRANCE FEE; AND
FINDING THE ACTIONS CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT PURSUANT TO STATE CEQA GUIDELINES SECTION 15306
September 22, 2026
scenic highway. The Project is not located on a hazardous waste site included on the Cortese List. The Project will not adversely affect any historical resources as it does not include any construction on a historic resource. Upon approval, staff will file a Notice of Exemption with the Orange County Clerk and State Clearinghouse as required by CEQA.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Rincon Consultants, Inc. Irvine Bowl Sound Policy Report dated February 2, 2026
2. February 2, 2026 Lease between Festival and City
3. February 20, 2025 IBPC Agenda
4. February 20, 2025 IBPC Minutes
5. April 16, 2026 IBPC Agenda
6. Resolution Establishing Ticket Entrance Fee
Submitted By: Matthew Schneider Approved: .David A Kiff Matthew Schneider, Director of
Community Development
Dave Kiff, City Manager
Report Prepared By: Coordinated With:
Matthew Schneider, Director of Community
Development
Jane Abzug, Assistant City Attorney