Laguna Beach seeks Coastal Commission sign-off for enclosed lifeguard towers after barge delivery; mayor highlights WaveWatch rescues

Mayor Alex Renogy of Laguna Beach said the city is pursuing a streamlined approach with the Coastal Commission to approve enclosed lifeguard towers citywide after a barge recently delivered towers and cleared a landslide at Thousand Steps Beach.

“Weprioritized the idea of moving towards enclosed lifeguard towers as opposed totowers where itis wide open,” Renogy said, adding that the city wants the Coastal Commission to “sign off on a plan where we can get the approvals for all of the enclosed lifeguard towers” rather than seek individual coastal development permits for each tower.

Renogy described his second annual ride-along on WaveWatch, Laguna BeachPolice Department and marine safetyrescue vessel, and said the craft enables faster response times in water incidents than ground transport. He cited a past incident on the north side of Aliso Beach in which responders reached a person with a spinal injury before ground units arrived. “Whenyouare in the water, you can go faster than in traffic,” he said.

The mayor said a barge recently came to the shoreline to install what he believes were four enclosed lifeguard towers and to clear debris from a landslide at Thousand Steps Beach that occurred in January. He said photos of the barge operation would be run in local media.

Renogy placed public safety at the center of budget decisions and said the councilallocates resources within a roughly $125,000,000 budget. He described the plan to seek Coastal Commission approval as a way to streamline permits and reduce per-tower costs and delays as funding becomes available.

City officials did not state a firm schedule for installing towers citywide or provide final cost estimates. Renogy described the number of towers delivered as approximate and said further steps depend on Coastal Commission review and available budget funds.

Tom Johnson, the program host in the recorded conversation, asked about the barge and the timing of the installations; Renogy said the timing reflected logistical constraints and seasonal windows for marine operations. The mayor also said he intends to do a future ride-along with the fire department and to report back to the public.

The discussion did not include a formal council vote; Renogy framed the Coastal Commission approach as the cityplan and next step rather than a final administrative decision.