Council approved hiring another seasonal fire inspector, buying two used electric vehicles and upgrading charging infrastructure, plus authorization to buy a replacement bottle‑fill compressor and a flow‑water refill station for the firehouse.

City staff and the fire marshal urged the council to codify safer brush‑clearance rules — including banning metal blades and requiring on‑site fire suppression — and to move the formal enforcement start date to Jan. 1 to catch hazardous conditions earlier in the year.

Paul Roller of Southern California Edison told La Habra Heights residents that sea-surface anomalies and a Kelvin wave point to one of the strongest El Ninos on record, but he cautioned that historical analogs are imperfect and local precipitation outcomes are uncertain.

La Habra Heights hosted a Saturday workshop on El Nino preparedness featuring a Southern California Edison meteorologist, a storm-drain mapping update and Firewatch volunteers; officials said sandbags are stocked at City Hall and urged residents to clear gutters and review insurance.

La Habra Heights officials say quick action by local crews, mutual‑aid partners and water‑dropping helicopters stopped the Sept. 14 Palos fire from causing wider destruction. The fire took about 4 hours 16 minutes to control; two homes were lost and a comprehensive investigation is underway.

A Greater Los Angeles Vector Control official told the council that July test data show a sharp increase in mosquito-borne virus activity, including multiple West Nile–positive mosquito pools in the La Habra Heights area and an elevated test positivity rate compared with last year.

The Planning Commission heard a remote demo of Claritya hosted permitting platform and debated next steps, asking staff to arrange a CitizenServe demonstration and to investigate phased implementation that starts with simple permits.

Commissioners wrestled with a draft change that would base ministerial thresholds on structural footprint rather than floor-area and considered a parallel livable-area cap to ensure larger projects receive public review; staff will return with redlined language.

The city council voted to appropriate $2.1 million to purchase County-owned parcels along Harbor Boulevard to create developable sites to meet state housing requirements and pursue wildfire risk reduction, with council and staff planning mitigation discussions with the Puente Hills Habitat Authority.

The Planning Commission unanimously adopted a resolution finding county‑owned parcels on the east side of Harbor Boulevard consistent with La Habra Heights’ General Plan, a procedural step toward city acquisition that staff said could help the city meet housing‑element obligations despite sewer and site constraints.