City Creates Group To Address Tourism Impact In Laguna Beach

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — In response to a shift in tourism behavior, the City of Laguna Beach moved to create a Laguna Beach Stewardship and Visitor Impact Committee.

The committee, which was proposed by Laguna Beach Councilmember Mark Orgill, was approved during Tuesday's Aug. 13 City Council meeting.

The group — which will be managed by Orgill and Mayor Sue Kempf — will collaborate with key stakeholders and the greater Laguna Beach community to develop a detailed Local Stewardship Action Plan.

According to the city, the plan will be created with the goal of preserving and protecting Laguna Beach's unique environment, culture and heritage.

While the project will be created in the coming months, the city also recognized the urgency of creating a shift in how visitors treat Laguna Beach.

"We recognize the need to address some of these immediate issues — today, now — before we have a full stewardship in place," Orgill said during the meeting.

Measures outside of the action plan but currently underway include:

• Increasing the city's trash removal frequency and volume on beaches and in beach-adjacent neighborhoods.
• Appropriately staffing out traffic enforcement activities, including citing loud vehicles, speeding, unsafe turns, DUIs and more.
• Expanded parking enforcement, with less patience and higher fines for illegal parking.
• Enforcing against illegal short term lodgings in residential areas.
• Targeted social media & Google ads reminding visitors about rules for respectful beach-going, including:
  • Penalties against littering;
  • Penalties against smoking (neither vaping or smoking are allowed in Laguna Beach public spaces);
  • Prohibition against loud vehicle exhaust; and
  • Prohibitions against alcohol on the beach.

Kempf said the initiative is not all about red tape and rules.

"It's not all about telling people 'no,'" Kempf said. "It's also about building an understanding that Laguna Beach is a special place worthy of their care and protection — so that the same quality beches, ocean, culture and heritage is here for their next visit, or visits by their kids and grandkids in the long-term."

According to the city, long-term objectives include:

• Promoting and protecting a visitor culture that respects the beach and ocean environment, including weaving care for the Laguna Beach environment, culture and heritage into any and all visitor-oriented messages, including from our non-profit and marketing partners;
• Collaborating with key residential, destination, cultural and commercial stakeholders to help develop the stewardship initiatives; and
• Regularly updating and touching base with committed residents so that Laguna Beach residents maintain a bought-in, welcoming and prideful spirit of visitor interaction to collectively preserve the heart and soul of Laguna Beach.

The Committee is expected to take several months to prepare and present its Action Plan, including periodic updates to Council and community to help prepare for Summer 2025 and subsequent high-use seasons.

For more information, please contact Assistant City Manager Jeremy Frimond at (949) 497-0704