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Resident urges Laguna Beach to add animal‑control officers and vehicles after Palisades fire
Summary
A resident asked the council to hire two additional animal control officers with vehicles, and to finance the program with a modest increase in pet licensing fees to enable faster rescues during wildfires.
A Laguna Beach resident urged the City Council at the March 11 meeting to expand animal‑control capacity after the recent Palisades fire, citing pets trapped in homes and a news crew’s rescue of three dogs.
The speaker, addressing the council during non‑agenda public comment, said the city currently has two animal control vehicles and three officers and proposed hiring two additional officers with two vehicles. "My proposal…is the hiring and training of 2 additional animal control officers vehicles," the commenter said, adding that officers would be embedded with and staged near Laguna Beach Fire Department resources in endangered neighborhoods to respond quickly when homeowners cannot access their property.
The speaker suggested paying for the program with a small increase in pet licensing fees, noting that "Laguna Beach currently has among the lowest licensing fees in the county." The commenter said as a pet owner they would support a modest fee increase to avoid future tragedies.
No formal council action was recorded at the meeting on the animal control proposal; the comment was filed as public testimony for council consideration.
