Laguna Beach mayor urges regional collaboration on crowding as Coastal Commission orders Hotel Laguna signs removed

Mayor Alex Runagi of Laguna Beach said the city must distinguish between overnight visitors and “day trippers,” work with other coastal cities to manage capacity during busy periods and public-safety threats, and oppose efforts to privatize beach access. Runagi said the California Coastal Commission has sent an enforcement letter requiring Hotel Laguna to remove signs restricting public entry by Friday.

Runagi, speaking in a radio interview with host Tom Johnson, said Visit Laguna Beach focuses on attracting overnight hotel guests, which helps raise transient occupancy tax revenue that funds local infrastructure. “When our hotels have high occupancy, that means we get more transit occupancy tax, which means that’s — and that’s the best kind of tax because residents of Laguna Beach just don’t have to pay it,” Runagi said. He contrasted that with day trippers, whom he described as increasing summer crowds and straining local capacity.

The mayor said the city’s ability to limit access is constrained by state law and Coastal Commission rules. “The Coastal Commission says that we cannot stop people from having access to the beach. We can't regulate parking in neighborhoods to stop people from coming to the beach. So our hands are tied,” Runagi said. He called for “thoughtful, creative approaches” and said Laguna Beach has begun informal collaboration with other cities that face similar pressures, including Malibu and Santa Monica.

Runagi described a recent visit with Malibu Council Member Halen Conrad and other local officials that included walking downtown Laguna Beach and discussing capacity and public-safety planning. “Public safety is our number one priority. Wildfires are a huge threat in Malibu and the city of Laguna Beach. And when you have so many people in town at the same time, it really becomes a public safety issue,” he said, adding that coordinated lobbying or statewide policy changes with other coastal cities might be needed to allow more management of access on days with heightened risk.

On recent media coverage of Hotel Laguna, Runagi said his direct observations suggested the hotel was telling staff the public retained access but that signs on site were creating confusion. “I asked the person the staff member who was at Hotel Laguna, I said, what's going on here? Why do we have these, these signs that say people don't have access to this?” Runagi said. He said hotel staff told him some managers were unreachable and that the California Coastal Commission had sent an enforcement letter requiring the signs be removed by Friday.

Runagi framed the enforcement letter as consistent with the state’s constitutional guarantee of public beach access while acknowledging that the city still needs tools to manage safety and capacity. “This is a perfect example of abuse where you can't privatize the beach. But with that being said, we can have reasonable limits as it relates to public safety issues and evacuation in the summer months,” he said.

Separately, Runagi urged residents to apply to serve on city commissions, committees and boards, saying diverse perspectives improve city government. He said many committees have openings, that applications are due Friday and that information is available on the city clerk’s website. “You can always reach out to our city clerk, Anne Marie McKay, for more information,” he said.

The interview lasted about 11 minutes and focused on visitor management, public-safety concerns during peak days, the Hotel Laguna enforcement action, and volunteer recruitment for advisory bodies.