[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,73,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},"mediaId",6656614,"mediaKeyId","5132250-7e746893025ba4e7c8572f93bd552eaf","parentId",5132250,"title","Laguna Beach plans surge enforcement for July 4; illegal fireworks to be prosecuted","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",959000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5132250-7e746893025ba4e7c8572f93bd552eaf&start=959&end=959","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5132250-7e746893025ba4e7c8572f93bd552eaf/thumbnail_959000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6656614/Laguna-Beach/Orange-County/California/Laguna-Beach-plans-surge-enforcement-for-July-4-illegal-fireworks-to-be-prosecuted","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6656614-6e5e8dbf9739a20535048761ca3ac45b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440145&Signature=YEgWddhx54eGEGvxSlqVjf4pcRaZjl3FfMUMom7TA5AN~YXeLShpahVuoMZth-OYSNbuCvIlnUkC-ruoIlsIy5U-qMDcvojVZvMBNn-YX4hhlQImVqRNnNmtAD9yUytZcm0BN-ZZOl~L2SZwiLJp7XAzGxitRyqWFCmd0Wbvenit6FpSIgln8pPPuN~hPb6fQrhE7c0kNcIa34RewsQv3HyNQeLyFb-Dkog57NZ7Xuw8wwYZwuK390Je0lY7RkqbVZHfcU2tkRENA-MArnKAsPQVMDQHsRiFowUp3-G0CabtcnycTIUTbQncbz21DGWH81hbboRT5wuy3mHRUeLaQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-07-04T00:36:58.14Z","article","Laguna Beach officials said the city will deploy a surge presence of rangers, Police Department staff and lifeguards for the July 4 weekend and will prosecute illegal fireworks use.

“The officials will be deployed. So we have the rangers. We have and the Police Department,” Mayor Pro Tem Mark Orgel said. He added that tide-pool docents will not be scheduled for the July 4 event and that the Fire Department has special procedures for the holiday.

Mayor Alex Wenagi emphasized the fire risk posed by illegal fireworks in Laguna Beach’s dense, hillside environment and said enforcement will be active. “We will enforce and prosecute anyone who breaks a law with fireworks,” Wenagi said. He urged residents to refrain from illegal fireworks because of the catastrophic fire risk.

Lifeguards were singled out as a group that will be especially busy because beaches attract more swimmers and risky behavior during holiday weekends. Orgel said roads into town, including Glenaire and Catalina, can become gridlocked, and that trolley and parking strategies have had some success but can be improved. He cited data provided by Michael Litchi showing growing summer visitation patterns and noted that metrics vary by dataset and season.

City officials encouraged residents to plan for parking constraints, protect pets from noise and to use legal, sanctioned fireworks displays rather than personal fireworks. “I would just recommend that people find ways to try to keep their animals from getting overly excited and refrain from illegal fireworks,” Orgel said.

Ending: City leaders said they are coordinating staffing for traffic, public safety and lifeguard coverage for the holiday weekend and will pursue enforcement actions against illegal fireworks; residents should consult city communications for specific patrol and parking guidance.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Stu News Laguna's Fair Game with Tom Johnson and Mayor Alex Rounaghi | June 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City leaders said they will deploy rangers, police and lifeguards for Fourth of July surge staffing, warned residents against illegal fireworks and advised pet owners to take precautions.","taxTitle","Laguna Beach, Orange County, California","taxId",56774,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":74,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":75,"_41":76,"_43":77,"_45":78,"_46":79,"_48":80,"_50":81,"_52":82,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},6656619,"Approvals for Laguna Beach fire station and promenade appealed to California Coastal Commission",360,370000,730000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5132250-7e746893025ba4e7c8572f93bd552eaf&start=370&end=730","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5132250-7e746893025ba4e7c8572f93bd552eaf/thumbnail_370000.jpg","/articles/6656619/Laguna-Beach/Orange-County/California/Approvals-for-Laguna-Beach-fire-station-and-promenade-appealed-to-California-Coastal-Commission","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6656619-f6272ec122cdb9203093ea42f9f8af35/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440145&Signature=kX2DaTIh1xtkFntk3JGLSfXw-6XPSlBmnapIiYJUKq6i6B5r~n0b4Q9liNu6Ob7IvZesUWLFSUf-sStC1cttmHGvAWDj0nScjuq71T1sUjCVpClmLhk25udWTOG3OM27apgt19TodeGJeU80pDhPsU9Ya~sydA-myy39rdHkXlJJfbqyO9SPfDwgSm9Utnsf0HuGR~X4J~QtTAGIRXcIvRMb-X7muL4K00kahVg6pflLomEnoi0wmj1FxJpz2j1Nuu1pIUmFuqPcJOUaAMvAuv60JWZYzz8ctUtDEf7GlIGPe~rfefmA~8oT36JBRIG23ZwR4SF-T12nrP73dBoLMg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City approvals for a new fire station and a downtown promenade in Laguna Beach have been appealed to the California Coastal Commission, Mayor Alex Wenagi said on the Fair Game Laguna radio program.

“We learned earlier this week that both the approval of the fire station and the approval of the promenade have both been appealed to the California Coastal Commission,” Mayor Wenagi said. He said city staff based the decisions on the relevant coastal development permit criteria and said he would be “very shocked if the Coastal Commission were to make a finding of substantial issue.”

Wenagi emphasized the public-safety need for the new fire station and said it is “disappointing” the approval was appealed. “It’s really important, especially from a public safety perspective, that we get that fire station built as quickly as possible,” he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Mark Orgel said he understood the basis of at least one appeal included concerns about access from Coast Highway and aesthetic issues. “From what I understand, it’s access off Coast Highway, Alex, and also some aesthetic issues,” Orgel said.

Next steps: Wenagi said the city will collaborate with Coastal Commission staff to address the appeals “as quickly as possible.” He indicated the city believes its findings comply with coastal-development criteria but declined to assert an outcome before staff review and the commission’s procedures play out.

City Manager David Kiff’s experience with Coastal Commission matters drew praise from officials during the discussion. Orgel said Kiff’s background in Newport Beach and familiarity with Coastal Commission processes provided additional confidence as the city prepares to defend its approvals.

Ending: Officials said they do not expect immediate changes to construction plans while the appeal is processed, and they encouraged residents to follow formal Coastal Commission notices and staff updates for definitive timelines and next steps.","Mayor Alex Wenagi said both the city’s approvals for a new fire station and a downtown promenade have been appealed to the California Coastal Commission; city leaders said they will coordinate with commission staff and pushed the public-safety rationale for the fire station.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_46":91,"_48":92,"_50":93,"_52":94,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":95,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":96,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},6656625,"Laguna Beach shifts Visit Laguna funding toward ‘stewardship’ and artist land trust",711,139000,850000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5132250-7e746893025ba4e7c8572f93bd552eaf&start=139&end=850","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5132250-7e746893025ba4e7c8572f93bd552eaf/thumbnail_139000.jpg","/articles/6656625/Laguna-Beach/Orange-County/California/Laguna-Beach-shifts-Visit-Laguna-funding-toward-stewardship-and-artist-land-trust","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6656625-b28d5fd61291f5e0636ca35f532d2990/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440145&Signature=NGEthVLc1ndo~VQgv3dCqaKr2JndPHZK03dKVXPZqEVkJ0TeSCUVWFe8y9ZalN5B5UCNoHdNem-TD8gm6XTl2q0jg2cEOCyPKsHLD7Zm0C5lCso9vTexEgEpCimBRcDqNxdzkUCSD5m5TqqlzwTwAcPuWBZFs4UOuv773DpaEFD~wUDaRXINFotJGcJqeNqnJSvcOhrsAJCXiTZkiBDJn1I0GVN9004tiNgMkJbeyx1oWR32vj6LwSCjnRf7CppfiIZFUwNOD0K8lhb2tyTKETHUEWJ8HwkSxCj8VHMeFBZhNROOnuwQ4K5-a06aeB5TY6VeZjmsbmkfRA62HR7ogw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Alex Wenagi and Mayor Pro Tem Mark Orgel said Visit Laguna Beach will pivot to a “stewardship” model after the city approved a new funding contract that the officials say will return roughly one-third of Visit Laguna’s revenue to the city, with a portion earmarked for artist space and stewardship programs.

The change follows a recently completed bid and contract with the local tourism marketing district. “Visit Laguna now gives one-third of their money roughly back to the city, and a portion of that money is assigned to going toward artist space, housing and artist space,” Mayor Pro Tem Mark Orgel said. Orgel said that allocation is intended to support an artist land trust the council is exploring to preserve studios and housing for artists who, he said, are leaving the community because of affordability pressures.

Why it matters: Laguna Beach’s leaders framed the move as an attempt to balance tourism with protection of the city’s environment, culture and heritage. The officials said the stewardship program will fund increased enforcement on surge-related issues, more beach cleanup, tide-pool docents and support for environmental partners such as the Laguna Ocean Foundation and the Laguna Canyon Foundation.

Orgel described the financing structure he pitched to lenders: a multi-year revenue commitment that would reassure banks underwriting a land-trust loan. “Recurrently and not surprisingly, the magic number was 10 years,” Orgel said, explaining why he sought a 10-year contract for the tourist marketing district. He added that other cities’ agreements are longer (he cited Anaheim and San Diego as examples with 30- and 40-year arrangements), and that lenders asked for a 10-year revenue guarantee to cover shortfalls on artist-property loans.

City leadership framed stewardship narrowly: enforcement against parking, drinking and smoking surges; increased beach cleanup; more lifeguard and ranger patrols; and expanded tide-pool docent staffing. “We’ve been able to get them some more funding to increase the number of docents that are on the tide pools,” Mark Orgel said. Mayor Alex Wenagi said the city will focus on surge-management measures such as ticketing, parking enforcement and stricter controls on drinking and smoking at popular sites.

Leaders acknowledged community mistrust of Visit Laguna’s past social-media and marketing practices and said the organization will pivot away from controversial promotion to focus on protecting resources and encouraging overnight stays at local hotels. Orgel said he plans town-hall meetings to explain the changes and invited residents to ask questions.

Officials also raised long-term concerns about regional growth and visitor volume. “I was reading not long ago that in the next number of years, there could be 187,000 homes over the hill,” Mayor Wenagi said, adding that larger regional projects and new park acreage could increase visitor pressure on Laguna Beach’s beaches and tide pools.

The council intends to use part of the Visit Laguna funds to seed the proposed land trust and to demonstrate a revenue stream for lenders. “If the city does, in fact, loan this land trust money, how are you going to pay us back?” Orgel said he asked lenders; the lenders requested a revenue commitment of roughly 10 years to provide comfort for underwriting.

What remains unresolved: Council members said details on exact loan amounts, acquisition targets for the proposed land trust and timelines were still being worked out and that they would present more information at future meetings and town halls. Michael Litchi, who provided data to council staff, was cited on visitation and trolley numbers; officials said the available datasets vary by metric and season and that some counts were not precisely comparable across sources.

Ending: City officials said the stewardship pivot aims to reduce the impacts of day-tripper surges while protecting hotels and other local investments that support Laguna Beach’s economy. Orgel urged residents to keep an open mind and participate in forthcoming public meetings to shape program details.","Mayor Alex Wenagi and Mayor Pro Tem Mark Orgel described a new direction for Visit Laguna Beach after a recently approved funding contract: a stewardship-focused model that allocates about one-third of Visit Laguna revenue to the city and a proposed land trust to preserve artist space.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Laguna Beach plans surge enforcement for July 4; illegal fireworks to be prosecuted

Approvals for Laguna Beach fire station and promenade appealed to California Coastal Commission

Laguna Beach shifts Visit Laguna funding toward ‘stewardship’ and artist land trust