Orange roundup: Water-turf ban, hotel-tax ballot measure on council agendas; Planning Commission to weigh restaurant liquor license and charter school
City Council — June 23
The Orange City Council agenda for June 23 included several items with direct effects on city spending and services. Because minutes have not yet been published, outcomes and vote tallies are not available; the items below reflect what was scheduled for action.
Agendized items:
- Second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 10-26, which would ban the use of potable water to irrigate non-functional turf.
- A resolution to place a measure on the November 2026 ballot expanding and increasing the transient occupancy tax (the hotel tax paid by guests).
- Award of a $597,816 contract to CJ Concrete Construction for annual concrete replacement at various locations.
- Appropriation of $118,334.68 in Public Safety Realignment funding from Orange County, for overtime and supplies.
- Approval of agreements with Archie's Towing and Southside Towing for towing and storage services, including a new fee schedule.
The water-turf ordinance and the hotel-tax ballot measure are the items with the broadest reach for residents: one would set a new rule on how potable water may be used, and the other could change what hotel guests pay if voters approve it in November.
City Council — June 29
The June 29 council agenda included an ordinance extending Urgency Ordinance No. 08-26, the temporary moratorium on opening or expanding massage establishments, for more than 22 months. Also on the agenda: a proclamation recognizing the United States Semiquincentennial, and a closed-session discussion of existing litigation in the case Cole McDonough v. City of Orange, et al.
Minutes for this meeting have not yet been published, so whether the moratorium extension was adopted and any closed-session outcomes are not confirmed in the available record.
Design Review Committee — July 1
The regular Design Review Committee session scheduled for July 1, 2026, was cancelled. The next committee meeting is scheduled for July 15, 2026.
Coming up
- **Planning Commission — July 6:** The commission is scheduled to review a Conditional Use Permit for beer, wine, and distilled spirits sale at 237 W. Chapman Avenue, and a proposal to operate a charter elementary school with up to 864 students at 1937 and 2011 W. Chapman Ave. The agenda also includes construction of two new play areas within an existing parking lot at the school site.
- **Design Review Committee — July 15:** Next regular session after the July 1 cancellation.
Note: All recent council and committee items above are drawn from agendas; minutes have not yet been published. Vote tallies and final outcomes will be confirmed when minutes become available.
Earlier weeks
- week of 2026-06-29 — Orange City Council Weighs Outdoor Watering Ban, Hotel Tax Hike as Summer Heats Up
Generated from official meeting agendas and minutes — every underlying document is linked from the city page. Read the primary source before you rely on a detail.