Laguna Beach Joint Study Session with Heritage Committee - July 21, 2026

July 21, 2026

Executive Summary

- The Laguna Beach City Council and Heritage Committee held a joint study session on July 21, 2026 to discuss four foundational topics for strengthening the city's historic preservation programs: the Mills Act program, Certified Local Government (CLG) status, preparation of a Historic Context Statement, and creation of a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). - The Mills Act program, which currently has 142 contracts providing property tax incentives for historic preservation, was identified as the top priority for immediate action, with direction to address assessment inconsistencies, require updated 10-year work plans for each renewal term, implement monitoring and inspection mechanisms, and potentially establish a fee structure to fund oversight. - The City Council expressed strong interest in pursuing a Historic Context Statement as part of the General Plan update, viewing it as a foundational document that would provide consistent evaluation frameworks, reduce costs of repeated historical assessments, and improve CEQA defensibility. - Council and Committee members showed interest in exploring CLG status and the COA permit type but recommended further study before committing, wi

Key Decisions

- The City Council directed staff to move forward with modifications to the Mills Act program, including addressing assessor issues regarding new construction (such as ADUs), requiring updated 10-year work plans for each renewal term, and implementing monitoring and inspection mechanisms. - The City Council directed staff to pursue a Historic Context Statement in conjunction with the General Plan update, viewing it as a foundational policy document. - The City Council directed staff to conduct additional research on Certified Local Government (CLG) status and Certificate of Appropriateness (CO