Beaumont council adopts first reading of 2025 building code, approves helmet ordinance, hears county youth and workforce programs

Beaumont City Council held a regular meeting Oct. 21 in which members approved a first reading of an ordinance adopting the 2025 California building standards (Title 24) with local amendments, voted to introduce a new helmet ordinance covering human-powered and electric-assisted devices, approved adjustments to fees and professional agreements, and heard county presentations on youth employment and employer services.

The council opened its public hearing on amendments to Beaumont Municipal Code Title 15 and the local adoption of the 2025 California Building Standards Code, which staff said incorporates state changes including a new Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) code and local fire-code amendments. Community Development Director Stephen Jones summarized the staff proposal and read a proposed enforcement provision: "If unauthorized work with no permit has commenced, the building official may grant no more than 1 extension of up to 30 days," he said.

Why it matters: The changes are intended to align local building and fire safety rules with the state code and to add provisions county staff said improve consistency across Riverside County in areas such as defensible space, fire flows and fuel-reduction setbacks.

What the council approved: Councilmembers waived full reading and approved the ordinance's first reading by title only. Deputy Fire Marshal Michelle Starkey and Supervising Fire Marshal Clay Shepherd reviewed the fire-code updates, including a provision that raised the sprinkler exemption threshold for fuel canopies "to 10,000 square feet," adjustments to fireworks fallout-zone formulas (staff said they were "bumping that up to a 100 feet per shell"), and a WUI requirement that includes a 1,500 gallons-per-minute fire-flow standard. Staff also told the council that requests for defensible-space inspections are transitioning from CAL FIRE to Riverside County fire personnel.

County presentations on youth jobs and employer services

Riverside County legislative staff and workforce staff gave back-to-back briefings. Elyssa, a legislative assistant in Supervisor Gutierrez's office, described multiple youth programs the county runs or funds: a youth employment program (private-sector placements), a youth community corps (public-sector placements), a "second chance" paid work program for justice-impacted youth, a countywide youth advisory council that offers scholarships, and the SONG music program (a free, two-day-per-week music workshop for ages 14'18). Elyssa said the private-sector youth employment placements are subsidized at $16.50 per hour for roughly 20 hours a week during about a three-month placement; the county provides wraparound supports such as transportation and clothing as needed. She also noted the county's firefighting academy (community risk reduction program) is limited in cohort size and pays roughly $20 per hour for 20 hours per week.

Riverside County Workforce Development employer-services representative Mario Perales told the council about employer reimbursement programs. Key points: the on-the-job training (OJT) program can reimburse employers about 50 percent of wages for the first 480 hours of a qualifying new hire; the incumbent-worker training program can reimburse 50'90 percent of training costs for certifications that raise wages or result in promotions; and the Employer Connect program is a one-time, 100 percent wage reimbursement up to $20 per hour for 480 hours (a stated maximum reimbursement of $9,600). Perales said some programs are WIOA-funded and that he will be providing in-person employer assistance at the Beaumont Business Hub starting Nov. 4.

Helmet ordinance: first reading approved, $25 first-offense fine

The council also introduced and approved by title a new local ordinance that would require protective helmets for operators and passengers of both human-powered and electric-assisted devices in public spaces. City staff and the city attorney presented a draft that removed a staff-driven training/education alternative and simplified the first-offense penalty to a $25 fine. The city attorney described a hardship waiver process limited to financial need, saying "the hardship waiver is intended simply for the financial component." Council members asked staff to explore a low-cost helmet distribution option and to consider adding a waiver form that includes an acknowledgment so the city retains protections against liability.

Other administrative actions

- EV charging idle fee: Staff reported the city has seen a recent rise in vehicles idling at city chargers (299 idle hours in the last fiscal year; 171 hours where vehicles remained at least 15 minutes past charge completion). Staff proposed raising the idle penalty; during council discussion staff initially said the proposal was to raise the idle fee to $2 per hour, and a later clarification in the meeting referenced changing from "the city's current $2 hour fee to the 25'cent per minute" structure (the transcript records both statements). The council approved the staff-recommended update to the idle-fee schedule by resolution.

- Professional services: The council approved professional services agreements with HDL, Korn and Kone for property-tax consulting and auditing services and approved a related agreement (two items on the agenda). Staff said HDL provides a range of auditing services the city has used in the past.

- Special events and governmental exemptions: Staff proposed a four-tier special-event permitting structure (micro: <500; minor: 500'999; intermediate: 1,000'2,499; major: 2,500+). The code update would include a free pre-application review and allow some event features (alcohol, road closures, large stages, outdoor cooking) to elevate an event's tier. Council agreed by direction to have staff return with an ordinance amendment; Mayor Pro Tem Voigt asked that the draft remove a provision limiting the same sponsor from obtaining a permit for the same site only once every three months. Separately the council adopted a resolution to exempt other governmental entities (school districts, park and library districts and similar agencies) from special-event permits and deposits where public-safety staffing is not required; staff noted the action may reduce annual permit revenue by roughly $15,000, on average.

- Vacant and abandoned property registry: Community Development presented a proposal to expand Beaumont's existing 2008 abandoned-property registry to include vacant land and additional enforcement tools. Council gave staff consensus direction to proceed and asked staff to consider stronger incentives and enforcement to ensure owners maintain or remediate properties.

Closed session and report out

The council convened a closed session before the regular meeting to discuss several items listed on the agenda: conference with real property negotiators (Government Code section 54956.8) regarding vacant land identified by assessor parcel numbers; several existing litigation matters (Government Code section 54956.9(d)(1)); initiation of litigation (54956.9(d)(4)); and public-employee appointment and performance evaluation matters for the city manager (54957). City staff reported out after the closed session that item B4 was removed from the closed-session agenda and therefore not considered, and that for B1 through B3 and B5 through B7 "there is no action to report at this time." The summary read for the real-property item referenced the city as a potential purchaser and Beaumont Unified School District as a potential seller and listed APNs discussed by staff.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance (first reading) adopting 2025 California Building Standards (Title 24) with local amendments: approved, roll-call vote recorded as unanimous (Councilmembers Finn, Martinez, White, Mayor Pro Tem Voigt, Mayor Lara). - Ordinance (first reading) requiring helmets for human-powered and electric-assisted devices (Chapter 10.35): approved, roll-call unanimous. - Resolution updating idle fees at city electric-vehicle chargers: approved, roll-call unanimous. - Professional services agreements with HDL, Korn and Kone (property-tax consulting/auditing): approved, roll-call unanimous. - Resolution exempting governmental entities from non-public-safety special-event permits and deposits: approved, roll-call unanimous. - Consent calendar (G1'G12) including routine contracts and items: approved, roll-call unanimous.

What's next

Staff will return with the formal Title 15 ordinance language for second reading and adoption as required by law; the special-events ordinance amendment will come back to council with the revisions discussed; staff will refine the governmental-entity exemption language to list example entities (school districts, parks and libraries) as requested; and county and workforce staff will follow up with local partners and employers on program enrollment and employer reimbursements.

Ending

Council adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m. after receiving additional routine reports and public-safety recognitions. Several staff follow-ups were scheduled, including further ordinance drafts and outreach on defensible-space inspection changes.