Agoura Hills council directs preparation of business‑license revocation after long-running noise dispute with New Era Performance

The Agoura Hills City Council on Jan. 22 directed staff to prepare a resolution to revoke the business license of New Era Performance and Tuning LLC after a public hearing that reviewed years of complaints and a city‑commissioned acoustical study. The council voted 5‑0 to ask the city attorney and staff to draft a revocation resolution for return at the council’s Feb. 12 meeting.

What the council considered

City prosecutor Eric Marcus presented findings and a legal framework showing the dynamometer (dyno) operations at New Era produced noise that exceeded Agoura Hills’ commercial noise limits. Marcus cited Agoura Hills Municipal Code §93.05 (noise limits) and §68.19 (authority to revoke business licenses) and asked the council to find that the business constitutes a public nuisance under AMC §1,200.

The city’s retained acoustical consultant, Robert Wu of Acoustics Group, Inc., testified that he conducted short‑term and continuous monitoring at locations adjacent to New Era’s site and identified 15 distinct dyno runs. He said roughly 10 of those runs had LEQ values above 65 dBA and that several Lmax values reached the 70s and 80s, with some instantaneous peaks reported in the report up to the 80–90 dBA range. Wu described his equipment as precision, Type 1 instrumentation and said he reviewed WAV audio and waveform data to distinguish dyno events from other engine revving or ambient sources.

Timeline and background presented in the hearing

- Complaints first reported to the city in 2017; city staff and the owner met in 2018, and the owner agreed at that time to operate the dyno with the roll‑up door closed and to pursue sound insulation. - The city received recurring complaints starting about 2021 and later retained Acoustics Group, Inc. to perform focused testing and a long‑term measurement. - Acoustics Group conducted measurements in late August/early September and again Sept. 28, 2024, and summarized results identifying 15 clear dyno runs with many runs exceeding the city’s daytime limit of 65 dBA.

Owner’s response…