THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021
Laguna Beach Under Flash Flood Watch Tonight Through Friday
The City of Laguna Beach is expected to be impacted by a winter storm tonight through Friday afternoon, which will bring intermittent periods of heavy rain and potential localized flooding. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch through Friday afternoon for Orange County.
The City is working to monitor incoming storms, assess potential impacts and take actions needed to protect lives and property. It is important that community members are also prepared to protect themselves and their properties, staying informed and are ready to act if recommended to do so.
Install Your Flood Gates Tonight
Flash flooding may be possible with the heaviest rain happening overnight tonight. Downtown business owners and residents should put flood gates into place by Thursday evening as a precautionary measure to protect property and inventory.
Sandbags Are Available
As a reminder, the City of Laguna Beach is providing pre-filled sandbags to residents and business owners (not for contractors) from two locations:
- Act V parking lot – 1900 Laguna Canyon Road
- Aliso Beach East parking lot – 31118 Coast Highway
Sandbags are also available at Laguna Beach’s four fire stations. They are free; however, you must provide your own sand. It is not permitted to fill them with sand from Laguna’s beaches or playgrounds.
The good news: your local authorities are watching the incoming winter storm. We will continue to assess the situation and provide more information via Nixle if conditions worsen significantly.
OC Parks will be closing Aliso & Wood Canyon and Laguna Coast Wilderness Parks due to the upcoming inclement weather.
Helpful Storm Preparedness Links For You
- AlertOC mass notification system designed to keep Orange County residents and businesses informed of emergencies that may require immediate life saving actions
- Nixle notifications for emergency text and email communications from the City of Laguna Beach
- National Weather Service Forecast updates
- Orange County ALERT Rainfall totals
- Windy for Radar – Set it to rain and thunder, and you can move the timeline at bottom to project it forward to see how the rain is projected to move in
- SCE Outage Map - In the event that trees blow down and knock out the power
- Neighborhood Evacuation Maps & Terminology - Find your neighborhood and know your route. No evacuations are anticipated at this time
City Council Approves $600,000 LB Cares Grant for Hotels and Reallocates Grant Funds to Retail Businesses
City is Accepting Applications for Community Assistance and Cultural Arts Grants
On Tuesday, January 26, 2021, the Laguna Beach City Council approved an expansion of the LB CARES Grant Program to provide up to $600,000 to qualifying local hotels experiencing impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City Council also reallocated $116,000 unawarded LB CARES funding to qualified Laguna Beach retail businesses that did not receive funding during the first round of the program, and allocated up to $64,000 to work to help bring non-qualified applicants into program compliance. Click HERE for a list of all restaurants and retailers that have received funding through the LB CARES Grant Program to date!
Community Assistance Grant Funding
On Tuesday, the City Council also authorized staff to move forward with an expedited schedule for the Community Assistance Grant Program, with a total of $250,000 available for distribution.
The City of Laguna Beach makes Community Assistance Grants available to non-profit organizations that provide special services to the residents of Laguna Beach. The objective of this program is to assist local organizations in funding new projects or expanded services within the community.
Cultural Arts Grant Funding
As part of Tuesday’s City Council action, $60,000 was allocated to fund the Cultural Arts Grant funding deficit, and an expedited schedule was also approved. Applications will be accepted from non-profit organizations whose primary purpose and experience is presenting arts programs. Through the support of the Laguna Beach Tourism Marketing District and City of Laguna Beach, up to a total of $200,000 will be available for distribution.
Laguna COVID-19 Relief Fund
To quickly provide direct financial assistance to individuals and employees living or working in Laguna Beach that have been impacted by COVID-19, the Laguna Beach City Council amended its $300,000 matching grant for Phase 2 of the Laguna Covid-19 Relief Fund to a $150,000 donation for immediate one-time use. The remaining $150,000 will be allocated as matching grant funds.
The Laguna Covid-19 Relief Fund, administered by the Laguna Beach Community Foundation (LBCF), provides Emergency Assistance Mini-Grants up to a maximum of $1,000 per household to individuals living or working in Laguna Beach with emphasis on those in the restaurant, hospitality, retail, and personal services industries. All donations made to the Laguna Covid-19 Relief Fund are tax-deductible.
Mayor Whalen Talks About Helping More of the Community Through This Week's Grant Fund Adjustments
In today's podcast update, Mayor Whalen details the adjustments made to the LB CARES Grant Program for businesses, and the Covid-19 Relief Fund matching grant for individuals, in order to help more locals.
He also addresses the State’s lifting of stay-at-home restrictions, and what we’re expecting from local eateries complying with outdoor dining protocols.
Be Coyote Aware
January is coyote courting and mating season and coyotes require more food during this time. Also, seasonal weather changes in January may increase coyote activity and coyote sightings. This will be especially true if we experience more rainfall than normal this month.
Keep your pets indoors in the evening and at night, secure the lid to your garbage cans and dumpsters, and do not leave food or water outside.
If you see a coyote in a residential area, please call Laguna Beach Animal Services at (949) 497-0701. You may also report coyote sightings to coyotes@lagunabeachcity.net.
New Parking Rate Changes Begin February 1
Effective February 1, 2021, off-season parking rates at most City parking meters and parking lots will increase by $1 per hour, or by $1 per day in parking lots with daily flat rates.
This change is consistent with the five-year Citywide parking rate structure approved by the City Council on November 17, 2020. It represents the first increase in off-season parking rates since 2016 in the Downtown and since 2014 outside of Downtown.
For more information, please contact Michael Litschi, Deputy Director of Public Works, at (949) 497-0303 or mlitschi@lagunabeachcity.net.