Laguna Beach considers banning multi-posted shade structures on its sands

Laguna Beach could soon seek to ban multi-posted shade structures from its beaches, with city officials making an argument that they present a public safety issue.

A discussion on beach and park matters was on the agenda for the Jan. 23 City Council meeting. While the council was not asked to take a vote, city staff sought input from council members and the public to help refine a draft ordinance.

The city currently allows shade coverings, as long as they meet the requirement of being no more than 6 feet in both height and width.

“I kind of see all this in black-and-white terms,” Councilmember Alex Rounaghi said. “I want to be making this based on public safety, and so I just see an enforcement issue, if we have to be like, ‘Oh, you’re supposed to have it over here.’ … I think that’s just complicated, so I would start with [a ban at] the beaches, and I would apply it there. That would be my approach.”

Councilwoman Sue Kempf advocated for the pop-up shade coverings to also be prohibited in parks and picnic areas. The council stopped short of adding that to its recommendations, with Rounaghi stating it would be more difficult “to justify based on public safety grounds.”

Resident Greg Viviani also spoke in support of a citywide ban on large shade coverings.

“Going to beach umbrellas isn’t going to price people out of our town, which obviously is a concern for that kind of situation,” Viviani said. “I think that ... the safety, the view visibility, obviously, and for parents to see their kids when they’re in the water, all that is a big, major concern.

“I’ve seen it growing up here, and I’ve seen canopies popping up more, and more, and more, and people bringing more stuff. Our beaches can’t handle it.”

The initial suggestion from city staff was to create a framework for large shade coverings with multiple points of contact, including canopies and tents, that would prohibit their use seaward of lifeguard towers. In that scenario, some beaches — Woods Cove and Moss Cove among them — would not have had space behind the view of a lifeguard tower.

“The catalyst for this conversation, at least from the marine safety perspective, was purely view, because it was very difficult for us to see, particularly around those multi-post canopies, but we can enforce it any way the council desires — whether it’s allowing it, disallowing it, or putting them behind our lifeguard towers,” Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond said.

In addition to the shade structures, consideration was also given to locations and times at which skimboarding and surfing could take place. An ordinance could be brought back to the council ahead of the summer, Bond said, possibly as soon as March.

Special events

The ordinance will also aim to establish a comprehensive special event permit process. A staff report indicated city staff has proposed to define a special event as an activity or gathering that exceeds the capacity of a designated area specified by resolution of the City Council.

Special events may include informal weddings, outdoor athletic contests, organized play, and outdoor gatherings such as art shows, concerts and festivals. City staff are considering creating multiple tiers for special events, including one for events with more than 50 people and one for events that will exceed 500 people.

Approximately a dozen beaches and parks were named in a staff report as sites that could host special events, including the cobblestones at Main Beach, Aliso Beach, Picnic Beach, the Promenade on Forest Avenue, Bluebird Park and Lang Park.