Council approves aggressive 2025 Wildfire Safety Plan, underscores resident participation

A CERT volunteer points to a fire evacuation map at a recent city event. Photo/City of Laguna Beach

The Laguna Beach City Council unanimously approved a sweeping new wildfire mitigation and emergency preparedness plan on Tuesday evening, integrating 67 new action items that city leaders say are critical to protecting residents and property as fire threats escalate across California.

“So, what's the big picture for success here as a community?” said Councilmember Bob Whalen. “I think there are several components to it. The first is…continued public agency effort right on the part of the city, on the part of the water districts, [and] on the part of our surrounding agencies that have been assisting us. But the second one, and I think the one that we really have to stress, and which was not really that prevalent in the night in the 2019 report, is private homeowner effort.”

The motion, passed at the end of a packed council session, formalizes the city’s 2025 comprehensive roadmap, primarily focused on hardening infrastructure, improving evacuation systems, expanding fuel modification zones and mobilizing homeowners for wildfire resilience.

“We need to stop prioritizing the ‘nice-to-dos’ and start funding the ‘need-to-dos,’” said Whalen. “This plan is essential to the future of our community.”

The council focused on five key areas, which build on a 2019 plan, including the evacuation and alert system. With notes from the Lahaina and Palisades fires, the city is updating the plan to include a real-time database of residents with mobility limitations, staging heavy equipment, like bulldozers, on red flag days to clear blocked evacuation routes and expand and test the city’s outdoor alert system.

The city also plans to expand defensible space around properties, with a proposal to increase the zone from 100 feet to 300 feet. It will use the new state executive order to fast-track approvals for vegetation clearance in high-risk zones. The city also recently received a Community Wildfire Protection Plan grant to create a city-specific framework for these modifications.

Another focus area is public safety technology. The city plans to increase its use of AI-driven fire detection cameras that provide real-time alerts. It also plans to pilot smart traffic signals that prioritize evacuation flow and is looking into irrigation-triggered fire suppression systems.

Community preparedness and education are at the forefront of the city’s safety plan. It aims to hire a full-time disaster preparedness educator and expand its Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), launching door-to-door education campaigns. Next year might see a new “Zone Zero” law banning flammable materials within five feet of structures.

“A lot was done since the 2019 report in the realm of infrastructure…there’s definitely room to grow,” said Sarah Lemonis, the city’s new emergency coordinator. “The first way is to reduce the scope of outages from public safety power shut-offs, which is directly correlated to undergrounding our utility lines. We want to work with our utility partners…to underground more of the utilities and reduce the scope of outages for our residents.”

According to City Manager Dave Kiff, the city has earmarked $4 million for the proposed 2025-2026 budget for short- and medium-term goals, but it also acknowledged that total costs will likely run into the tens of millions. The council responded by exploring ways to reach $10 million in annual funding through potential development fees, city land assets and program reprioritization.

“This is not a one-year project,” said Mayor Alex Rounaghi. “We’re talking about a 10-year commitment to make our city fire-resilient, and that means hard choices, including reallocating from services we like to things we absolutely need.”

Multiple agencies across Orange County contributed input, including Orange County Fire Authority, Laguna Beach, and South Coast Water Districts, and hundreds of residents participated in public forums. Water districts are pursuing key projects like the Doheny Ocean Desalination Plant, gravity-fed storage and expanding recycled water infrastructure.

“The city can only do so much,” said Lemonis. “Residents need to harden their homes, register for alerts and be prepared to evacuate.”

The city is urging Laguna Beach residents to schedule free fire safety inspections from the Laguna Beach Fire Department, clean flammable vegetation and debris, especially within five feet of the property, and install ember-resistant vents and remove wood mulch near the property’s foundation. It also encourages residents to pack a “go bag” with essentials, get familiar with evacuation zones, and sign up for emergency alerts via Nixle and AlertOC. Training is available via CERT to learn how to manage a disaster and to help others.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” said Whalen. “It just keeps going, and you have to keep renewing and making the effort. I think we can do that as a community. I think we are committed to doing it.”

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