City of Laguna Niguel Adopted Budget For Fiscal Year 2024-25 CITY OF LAGUNA NIGUEL PROFILE Laguna Niguel is a 14.72 square mile planned community in South Orange County, California and is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. It is surrounded by the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo and San Juan Capistrano. It is a General Law city with municipal elections in November of even numbered years. The City Council is comprised of five members, each elected on a “by-district” basis from their respective district. The City’s residents enjoy a strong retail and commercial environment. Seventy two percent (72%) of Laguna Niguel’s 26,187 housing units are owner occupied. Existing and planned use of Laguna Niguel’s 9,456 acres includes 3,549 acres residential, 276 acres commercial, 223 acres mixed uses, 222 acres public/institutional facilities and 3,650 acres designated to parks and open space. Over one-third of Laguna Niguel is designated as open space. This significant amount of open space is one of the key features defining the character and urban form of the City. The City has two community parks, 23 neighborhood parks, three mini-parks, one dog park, two county regional parks, two small county parks, and a skate park. The name “Laguna Niguel” is derived from the Spanish word “Laguna,” which means lagoon, and the word “Nigueli,” which was the name of a Juaneno Indian village once located near Aliso Creek. In 1821, California became Mexican territory and many rancheros were formed in Southern California, including Rancho Niguel. During this period, Rancho Niguel was primarily used as a sheep ranch. The first private landowner of the area was Juan Avila, a resident of San Juan Capistrano, who obtained land through a Mexican land grant in 1842. Juan Avila was also successful in re- establishing his title to the land after California became US territory in 1848 and remained the owner of “Rancho Niguel” until 1865. In 1895, the “Rancho Niguel” land became part of the Moulton Company, a company that would eventually control over 19,000 acres of local ranch land. The genesis of today’s Laguna Niguel was the establishment of the Laguna Niguel Corporation in 1959 by Cabot, Cabot and Forbes. Laguna Niguel was one of the first master planned communities in California. 1