Laguna Beach Emergency Operations Center Launches This Week With Special Ceremony

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Laguna Beach city officials and community members will gather to celebrate the grand opening of the city's first standing Emergency Operations Center.

The city will host the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Matt Lawson Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

According to city officials, the facilities will be where city staff, public safety and partner agencies will come together to coordinate the response during emergencies such as wildfires, storms and earthquakes.

"Laguna Beach knows what it means to face wildfire, storms, and coastal hazards," Mayor Mark Orgill said in a statement. "This new Emergency Operations Center gives our team the space and tools to coordinate quickly and keep residents informed when it matters most. We got here in part because of the effort and commitment of Matt Lawson, and we’re happy to name this new Center after Matt."

The center is named after Matt Lawson, a Laguna Beach resident, CERT volunteer and emergency preparedness advocate whose effort helped make the facility possible.

The Matt Lawson Emergency Operations Center ribbon-cutting ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 20516 S. Coast Highway.