Attachment 1
URGENCY ORDINANCE NO. 25-1758U
AN URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF NORWALK, CALIFORNIA IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65858, AN
AMENDMENT TO EXCLUDE EMERGENCY SHELTERS, SINGLE-ROOM
OCCUPANCY, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, AND TRANSITIONAL
HOUSING FROM A MORATORIUM AND EXTEND THE AMENDED
MORATORIUM TO ESTABLISH, IMPLEMENT OR OPERATE
(TEMPORARILY OR PERMANENTLY) CONVENIENCE STORES
(LIQUOR STORES), DISCOUNT STORES, PERSONAL USE –
LAUNDROMATS, VEHICLE/AUTOMOBILE—WASHING, AND PAYDAY
LOAN ESTABLISHMENTS LOCATED IN THE CITY OF NORWALK FOR
ONE ADDITIONAL YEAR
WHEREAS, the City of Norwalk (“City”) has the police power, pursuant to Article XI, section 7 of the California Constitution, to make and enforce ordinances to regulate the use of land within its jurisdictional boundaries to the extent such regulations are not in conflict with the general laws of the state of California; and WHEREAS, Government Code Section 65858 expressly authorizes the City Council, in order to protect public health, safety, and welfare, to adopt an interim urgency ordinance prohibiting uses that are in conflict with a contemplated general plan, specific plan, or zoning proposal that the legislative body, planning commission or the community development department is considering or studying or intends to study within a reasonable time, provided that the urgency measure shall require four-fifths vote of the legislative body or adoption, and shall be of no further force and effect 45 days from its date of adoption, unless duly extended; and
WHEREAS, on August 6, 2024, the City Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 24-1752U, establishing a temporary 45-day moratorium on the establishment, implementation or operation (temporarily or permanently) convenience stores (liquor stores), discount store, personal use – laundromats, vehicle/automobile washing, payday loan establishments, emergency shelters, single-room occupancy, supportive housing, and transitional housing located in the City; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Government Code Section 65858(d), on September 3, 2024, the City Council received and filed a 10-day report, describing the measures being taken to alleviate the conditions which led to the adoption of the temporary 45-day moratorium (Urgency Ordinance No. 24-1752U); and WHEREAS, on September 17, 2024, the temporary 45 day moratorium was extended under Urgency Ordinance No. 24-1753U, pursuant to Government Code Section 65858, which authorizes the City Council, after notice pursuant to Government Code Section 65090 and a public hearing, to adopt an ordinance extending the Moratorium for a term of 10-months and 15-days, with an expiration of August 5, 2025, upon approval by a four-fifths vote, and upon making the same findings required for initial adoption of the Moratorium; and
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WHEREAS, in accordance with Government Code Section 65858(d), on July 15, 2025, the City Council received and filed a 10-day report, describing the measures being taken to alleviate the conditions which led to the adoption of Urgency Ordinance No. 24- 1753U; and
WHEREAS, on August 5, 2025, the City Council amended the Moratorium to exclude emergency shelters, single-room occupancy, supportive housing, and transitional housing located in the City, resulting in the City withdrawing its previously adopted Moratorium related to emergency shelters, single-room occupancy, supportive housing, and transitional housing uses located in the City; WHEREAS, the City has determined that there is an unprecedented demand for the establishment and operation of convenience stores (liquor stores), discount stores, personal use – laundromat, vehicle/automobile-washing, payday loan establishments, resulting in the proliferation of such uses within City boundaries; and WHEREAS, the establishment and operation of convenience stores (liquor stores), discount stores, personal use – laundromat, vehicle/automobile-washing, and payday loan establishments if not sufficiently regulated, could increase the risk of negative public health and public safety outcomes and other adverse impacts in which additional time is needed by City staff to initiate a zoning code text amendment(s) that will clarify definitions of the aforementioned uses and provide additional regulations such as operational, performance, and development standards; and
WHEREAS, the City of Norwalk, has determined that the aforementioned uses may have a detrimental impact upon the City, which are not being addressed by the City’s current ordinances and zoning regulations; and
WHEREAS, the is a need to study and develop policy guidance to ensure there is logical relationship between the between the placement of the aforementioned uses and available to avoid the deleterious effects on sensitive land uses; and WHEREAS, the City intends to update the Norwalk Zoning Ordinance to further address the potential side effects of aforementioned uses to ensure that they are properly regulated within the City; and
WHEREAS, City staff, the City Planning Commission, and the City Council, each requires a reasonable period of time to study existing aforementioned uses and development standards to determine the potential adverse impacts on the environment, public safety, traffic, aesthetics, and visual quality of properties within the City, and to make recommendations and appropriate alternative regulations for the aforementioned uses within the City; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to establish, on an urgency basis, a temporary moratorium on the establishment, implementation, operation of the aforementioned uses within the City through the adoption of this Ordinance to further the purposes stated herein; and
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WHEREAS, the City Council finds this Urgency Ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety of the residents of the City of Norwalk; and
WHEREAS, city staff, began researching the issue related to the aforementioned uses but requires more time after August 5, 2025, to complete the recommendation of additional regulations necessary to alleviate the conditions which lead to the adoption of the Moratorium; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes extend the Moratorium on the establishment, implementation or operation (temporarily or permanently) of convenience stores (liquor stores), discount store, personal use – laundromats, vehicle/automobile washing, and payday loan establishments, and not for emergency shelters, single-room occupancy, supportive housing, and transitional housing located in the City, for a period of one year (until August 5, 2026), or until the City Council adopts an ordinance addressing the issues raised, whichever comes first; and
WHEREAS, at a duly noticed public hearing on August 5, 2025, testimony evidence was heard and presented from all persons interested in affecting said proposal to extend the Moratorium, from all persons protesting the same and from members of the City staff, and the City Council has reviewed, analyzed, considered, and studied all oral and written testimony and evidence presented at such public hearing, including staff reports and presentations by City staff; and
WHEREAS, all legal prerequisites to the adoption of this Ordinance have occurred, and the City Council has duly considered all evidence presented in connection with its consideration of this Ordinance which justify adoption of this Ordinance as an emergency measure to be effective immediately upon adoption by a majority vote of the City Council.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWLAK DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1.The City Council finds that all of the foregoing recitals are true and correct and are incorporated as part of the City’s findings.
Section 2.The City Council finds that this action is exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), because it is an administrative activity of government that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment, and therefore does not constitute a “project” as defined by CEQA Guidelines section 15378.
Section 3. The City Council hereby adopts this Urgency Ordinance as an emergency measure pursuant to Government Code Section 36934 for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, and is adopted and justified based on the findings set forth in the Recitals of this Ordinance; which are supported by substantial evidence in the record associated with the City Council’s consideration hereof.
Section 4. Immediate Threat. The City Council finds that there is a current and immediate threat to public health, safety, and welfare posted by the aforementioned uses Urgency Ordinance No. 25-1758UPage 4 of 5
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and over proliferation in all areas of the City, due to the insufficiency of regulations under the Norwalk Zoning Ordinance. This Ordinance is necessary as an urgency measure to address said threats to public health, safety, and welfare.
Section 5. 10-Day Report. In accordance with Government Code Section 65858(d), on July 15, 2025, the City Council issued a written report describing the measures being taken to alleviate the conditions that lead to the adoption of the Moratorium and this extension thereof.
Section 6. Moratorium. Accordingly, pursuant to California Government Code Section 65858, the City Council hereby approves Urgency Ordinance No. 25-1758U, adopting a citywide moratorium to establish, implement, operate the following uses as listed and defined below:
“Convenience Store (Liquor Store)” means a market or grocery store having an enclosed gross floor area of less than 10,000 square feet and engaged primarily in the sale of a limited range of prepackaged food items, and secondarily in a limited range of household items, magazines, off-sale alcoholic beverages and similar items.
“Discount Store” means retail establishments that sell a broad range of new outlet, close-out, discontinued, liquidation, or overstock and general merchandise, primarily at a single discount price and/or in the low and very low price ranges. “Personal Use - Laundromat” means includes any facility or establishment providing non-medical services as a primary use including self-service laundromats.
“Vehicle/automobile—washing” means establishments providing hand-operated, self-service, or mechanical automobile washing services, and may include detailing.
"Payday loan establishment" means a person or entity that engages in conduct regulated by Division 10, Section 23000 et seq., of the California Financial Code relating to deferred deposit transactions as defined therein.
The City specifically withdraws and excludes from this extension the previously adopted Urgency Ordinance/Moratorium related to emergency shelters, single-room occupancy, supportive housing, and transitional housing located in the City.
During the moratorium, the City shall not issue any permits or entitlements inconsistent with this urgency ordinance after August 6, 2024.
Section 7. Duration of Ordinance. This Moratorium is hereby extended for an additional one year beyond its original expiration date, such that the Moratorium will expire on August 5, 2026, or until the City Council adopts an ordinance addressing the issues related to the establishment, implementation or operation (temporarily or permanently) convenience stores (liquor stores), discount store, personal use – laundromats, vehicle/automobile washing, and payday loan establishments located in the Urgency Ordinance No. 25-1758UPage 5 of 5
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City, whichever occurs first. Thereafter, this Moratorium extension shall be of no further force and effect pursuant to Government Code Section 65858.
Section 8. Waivers. Notwithstanding the foregoing, parties who seek to obtain an exemption to the prohibitions, restrictions and limitations imposed by this Urgency Ordinance may apply for a waiver from this Moratorium with the Department of Community Development, which may be reviewed, approved or denied administratively or may be subject to review by the City’s Planning Commission and/or City Council, whose approval or denial shall be within their sole discretion and constitute the final administrative review of the request for waiver or exemption of the Urgency Ordinance.
Section 9. Enforcement. The City of Norwalk may enforce any provision of this Ordinance by mandamus, injunction, or any other appropriate civil remedy in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Section 10. Severability. If any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion thereof, of this Ordinance is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council declares that it would have adopted this Ordinance, and each section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, phrases, or portions thereof, be declared invalid or unconstitutional. To this end, the provisions of this Ordinance are declared to be severable.
Section 11.The City Council hereby passes this Urgency Ordinance by a four- fifths vote of the City Council.
Section 12.The City Clerk shall attest and certify to the adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause this Ordinance to be published or posted as required by law.
Section 13.This Ordinance shall go into effect and be in full force and effect immediately upon adoption.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 5th day of August 2025.
TONY AYALA
MAYOR
ATTEST:
THERESA DEVOY
CITY CLERK