On May 26, 2016, the Orange County Grand Jury released its 2015-16 Grand Jury report, Drones: Know Before You Fly.  The purpose of the report was to examine the topic of the expanding recreational drone market and its consequences for Orange County’s emergency responders.  In compliance with Penal Code 933.05 (a) and (b), the City is required to provide a response to each of the findings and recommendations directed to the City Council by August 24, 2106.  Specifically, responses are required for all of the findings and six of the recommendations which pertain specifically to municipalities.

A majority of the findings within the Grand Jury report outline the fact that there is little to no awareness of the rules that govern the use of drones as established by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  Further the report finds that most of the cities in Orange County do not have any local ordinances to regulate drone use and have not established procedures for reporting drone incidents that may occur.  For the most part, the City of Garden Grove agrees with the findings within the report.  With regard to the finding that the FAA-required registration of recreational drones provides a useful tool for local enforcement of drones, the City does not have enough information to agree or disagree with the finding. 

The report also makes six recommendations to cities pertaining to drone use.  The recommendations request that all Orange County cities and the County take action to become knowledgeable about existing laws applicable to recreational drones, to adopt a recreational drone ownership and operation ordinance similar to that of an ordinance adopted by the City of Los Angeles, to establish local contacts for reporting of drone incidents, and to provide educational information on drone ownership and operation.  The City’s response states that the City will draft a proposed ordinance for City Council consideration before the end of the year and will comply with the other recommendations including providing information to our residents about laws and ordinances that apply to recreational drone use, establishing and publishing on our website a point of contact for drone related complaints and posting ownership and operation educational links on the City’s website.    

None.   

It is recommended that the City Council:

•  Approve the attached response and authorize submittal to the Orange County Grand Jury.