ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Laguna’s Lingering Fire Trouble

Last fall’s devastating fires continue to cause trouble in Laguna Beach, where residents pride themselves on their community’s rustic character. Now the trouble is centered on how fire-resistant new homes should be.

The City Council this week allowed sentiment to take precedence over safety. It unanimously rejected a sensible proposed ordinance to increase the fire resistance of new homes built in especially susceptible areas.

The council rejected a proposed requirement that fire-resistant or non-combustible siding be required in new residential construction close to grassy, undeveloped areas. The ordinance also had anti-fire rules governing windows and eaves on homes near these so-called “wild land” areas.

Residents of Canyon Acres, an enclave off Laguna Canyon Road that was hard-hit by the 1993 blazes, complained of the expense of rebuilding their homes to the standards in the ordinance. That concern is understandable, but it should have been outweighed by the prospect of making new dwellings as fire-resistant as possible.

Residents also claimed that the proposed requirements would have resulted in replacement homes that amounted to “concrete boxes or stucco boxes.”

City officials said wood shake and shingle roofs still will be banned from new homes, which is good. But in rejecting the other proposals, they lost an important opportunity to make a statement about life after last year’s wildfires.

The committee that proposed the ordinance included building and Fire Department representatives and officials of homeowners associations.

It is true that many in the city blamed the fires, which destroyed or damaged more than 400 homes, on a lack of firebreaks and water pressure. The attitude of complaining homeowners was that the city should fix those problems before saddling residents with extra costs.

To their credit, Laguna Beach officials have tried to cut red tape to speed the rebuilding process, but the city also must insist on a greater standard of safety.