MINUTES
LAGUNA BEACH CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
September 22, 2026
A Study Session of the City Council of the City of Laguna Beach was called to order on Tuesday, September 22, 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
STUDY SESSION
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1. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION TO CONSIDER THE SCOPE OF SERVICES AND REQUEST FOR
PROPOSALS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE AND FORMATION OF A GENERAL
PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Presentation and Discussion: Staff gave a presentation and responded to Councilmember questions.
Public Testimony: Deborah Laughton supported affirming the 2012 Mission Statement. She asked that the "contemporary planning practices" referenced in Attachment 1 be itemized. She urged the update to research and define the City's carrying capacity, including visitor impacts, because limited entry and exit routes affect circulation and evacuation safety. She asked that watercourse mapping be listed in Table 2 of the staff report rather than as a subtask, noting flood risk. Penelope Milne, CANDO (Canyon Alliance of Neighborhoods Defense Organization), supported the update. She said the Mission Statement largely reflects community values but treats open space mainly as scenic rather than as critical habitat, and is not well written. She asked about the status of the Open Space and Conservation Element subcommittee and the UltraSystems studies, and when those studies will be released. Karen Martin said the update requires reliable public records, proposed RFP (Request for Proposals) revisions to strengthen accountability, transparency, and consultant reporting; and asked that records, human review, public transparency, and pilot controls accompany any use of AI (artificial intelligence) in the update. Cathy Jurca spoke via virtual participation and supported a holistic update, the stewardship theme, and the attention to cultural heritage. She was glad watercourse mapping is included and asked for clarification on Local Coastal Program coordination and which elements affect certain neighborhoods.
City Council Direction:
a. Directed staff to finalize the Scope of Services consistent with City Council direction and to issue the Request for Proposals for the Comprehensive General Plan Update; Laguna Beach City Council Study Session Minutes September 22, 2026 -2-
b. Confirmed that the Mission Statement and Guiding Principles adopted on February 7, 2012 (Attachment 4 of the staff report) remain aligned with the City's priorities and will serve as the framework for the Comprehensive General Plan Update. Council supported stewardship, with its three pillars of environment, culture, and heritage, as the organizing theme. Councilmembers suggested adding "resiliency" (fire, water, flood risk, health care/hospital), either as a fourth pillar or within the environment pillar, revisiting where housing is addressed (currently under cultural, ethnic, and social diversity), and wordsmithing for clarity and to better reflect the community's character; c. Provided feedback and direction to City staff regarding the General Plan Advisory Committee, to broaden outreach to reach residents not already active in City government, including working residents, newer residents, and young families with school-age children, allow applicants to identify their areas of expertise, and balance the committee both demographically and by expertise, while keeping enough structure to avoid gaps, add a high school student member, ideally a freshman or sophomore able to serve through the full project, and communicate the expected time commitment to applicants; and d. Directed staff to return on December 8, 2026, to the City Council with a resolution establishing the Committee’s composition and selection rules.
ADJOURNMENT
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There being no further business, Mayor Orgill at 3:54 p.m., Tuesday, September 22, 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: October 13, 2026
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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.