Agenda packet — Atwater City Council, June 22, 2026 (part 15 of 15)

2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex C: City of Gustine
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021-2026 Update Page 22 policies, programs and fiscal capabilities and further protect the community. Future improvements may include providing training for staff members related to hazards or hazard mitigation grant funding in partnership with the County and Cal OES. Additional training opportunities will help to inform City staff members on how best to integrate hazard information and mitigation projects into their departments.

Continuing to train City staff on mitigation and the hazards that pose a risk to the City of Gustine will lead to more informed staff members who can better communicate this information to the public.

In addition, the LPT noted City staff will review current equipment inventory to determine best practices in equipment needed to mitigate hazards. After inventory, City staff will recommend the purchase of equipment needed.
4 MITIGATION STRATEGY

4.1 Goals and Objectives
The City of Gustine adopts the hazard mitigation goals and objectives developed by the Planning Team and described in Section 5 Mitigation Strategy of the Basin Plan.

4.2 Mitigation Actions
The Planning Team for the City identified and prioritized the following mitigation actions based on risk assessments, goals, and objectives. Background information as well as information on how the action will be implemented and administered, such as ideas for implementation, responsible office, partners, potential funding, estimated cost, and timeline also are described.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex C: City of Gustine
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021-2026 Update Page 23 Table 4-1 City of Gustine Mitigation Action Plan
ID
Goal(s)
and
Lifelines
Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost
Estimate and
Potential
Funding
Priority Timeline Status/Implementation
Notes
1 1,2,3
Safety
and
Security
Flood and
Levee
Failure
Develop and enhance storm-water
drainage improvements to reduce
frequent flooding. Projects may
involve upgrade gutter and
drainage systems, basins, trunk
lines, auxiliary pipes and
interconnections. For example,
connect a drain pipe loop around
the city and install street drainage
gutters in the downtown area
Public Works,
Development
Services
$100,000-
$1,500,000
Grants,
General Fund
High 36-48
Months New in 2021
2 2,3
Safety
and
Security
Earthquake
Perform building specific seismic
vulnerability assessment of Cityowned critical facilities (building and infrastructure such as water
towers and airplane hangars)
constructed prior to 1980 and take
action to upgrade or retrofit as
needed.

Public Works,
Development
Services
$500,000-
$1,500,000
Grants,
General Fund
Medium 36-48
Months New in 2021
3 2,3,4
Food,
Water,
Shelter
Drought
Investigate Drought Monitoring,
Risk, and Management Options.

Develop and implement a water
conservation plan that seeks to
reduce the nonessential use of
water to conserve county water
supplies. The conservation plan
would establish mandatory water
restrictions within Merced County
to discourage waste. Lastly,
incorporate treatment of recycled
water for potable consumption.

To reduce the likelihood of
drought impacts occurring again
in the future, develop drought
Public Works
County and
all
jurisdictions
$500,000-
$100,000,000
Grants,
General Fund
High 48-60
Months New in 2021

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex C: City of Gustine
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021-2026 Update Page 24 ID
Goal(s)
and
Lifelines
Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost
Estimate and
Potential
Funding
Priority Timeline Status/Implementation
Notes
plans that outline proactive
strategies that can be
implemented before, during, and
after drought to increase societal
and environmental resiliency and
enhance drought response and
recovery capabilities.
4 2,3,4
Food,
Water,
Shelter
Flood and
Levee
Failure
Explore cost/benefit of joining the
NFIP and gain an understanding
of the sanction designation
through further discussions with
Ca DWR and FEMA.

Public Works,
Development
Services
Staff time Low 2022 New in 2021

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex C: City of Gustine
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021-2026 Update Page 25 5 IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE
Moving forward, the city will use the mitigation action table in the previous section to track progress on implementation of each project. Implementation of the plan overall is discussed in Section 6 in the Base Plan.

As noted in Section 6 of the Base Plan, the LPT representatives from Gustine will report on efforts to integrate the hazard mitigation plan into local plans, programs and policies and will report on these efforts at the annual LPT plan review meeting.

5.2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Updating the Plan
The City will follow the procedures to monitor, review, and update this plan in accordance with Merced County as outlined in Section 6 of the Base Plan. The City will continue to involve the public in mitigation, as described in Section 6.2.1 of the Base Plan. The City Manager will be responsible for representing the city in the County LPT, and for coordination with City staff and departments during plan updates. The City realizes it is important to review the plan regularly and update it every five years in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act Requirements as well as other State of California requirements.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 1 1 CITY OF LIVINGSTON

1.1 Community Profile

1.1.1 Mitigation Planning History and 2021 Process
This annex was updated during the development of the 2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) update. This Jurisdictional Annex builds upon the previous version of Livingston Annex as part of the 2014 Merced County MJHMP. A review of jurisdictional priorities found no significant changes in priorities since the last update.

The City’s Local Planning Team (LPT) held the responsibility for implementation and maintenance of the plan. Members are listed in Appendix A. More details on the planning process followed and how the jurisdictions, service districts and stakeholders participated can be found in Section 3 Planning Process of the Base Plan, along with how the public was involved during the 2021 update.

1.1.2 Geography and Climate
The City of Livingston in Merced County is situated approximately 14 miles northwest of the City of Merced, the county seat. Livingston is one of the smaller cities in the County of Merced and is located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, 70 miles northwest of Fresno. Livingston is located in the center of California, about two hours from the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and Yosemite National Park. Monterey and San Jose are accessible in one and a half hours and within one hour of San Joaquin’s Valley’s major cities of Stockton and Fresno. The City is located in the western portion of the County with Highway 99 running through the city limits. According to the United States Census Bureau, Livingston is a total area of 3.7 square miles and has an elevation of 131 feet above sea level. Much of this area is farmland that has been annexed either pre-emptively, or in anticipation of future growth. The actual City of Livingston is much smaller.

The climate in the City of Livingston cycles through a cool rainy winter season and a dry summer season as does much of Merced County. Livingston lies in the fertile San Joaquin Valley. Like the rest of the valley, it has long, dry summers and depends on irrigation water. The winters are mild, alternating between fog, rain, and sun, with occasional frost. This makes for long growing seasons, with a low risk of mold, storms, drought or other bad weather interfering with crops.

The following climate information is from the Southwest Climate and Environmental Information Collaborative (SCENIC) and the climate data station located in Los Banos, which is the closest station to Livingston. The annual average precipitation for the City of Livingston is 8.8 inches with the most precipitation, on average, occurring in January. The warmest month of the year on average is July, with an average high temperature of 96°F. The highest recorded temperature was 114°F in June 1950. On average, the coolest month of the year is December. The lowest recorded temperature was 14°F in December 1990. On average, there are 95 days per year where the maximum temperature exceeds 90°F and 24 days per year where the minimum temperature falls below 32°F.

1.1.3 City History
The town was originally named after Dr. David Livingstone, a British explorer of Africa who was an international celebrity in the late 1800’s. The first acknowledged settler of Livingston in 1862 was David

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 2 Baldwin Chedester, a wagon master of a wagon train from Iowa. He supplied food and produce to the railroad gangs building the railroad. Edward Olds, an ex-member of the railway gang, set up a saloon and clothing store on the banks of the Merced River in November 1871. The only other existing building was a grain warehouse built in 1868 by William Little who owned 2,500 acres of land for grain and grazing.

Development into a town site was stimulated by railway gang workers, gold seekers, and farmers. Before there was a town, there was only the railway station of Cressey named after the pioneer family who owned 7,500 acres. The City of Livingston was incorporated on September 11, 1922 under the laws of the State of California.

Although the town’s original streets were laid out when the railroad arrived in the 1870’s, real growth in the town began when irrigation water became available in the early 1900’s. Like its neighbors Turlock, Hilmar, and Atwater, much of the settlement was accomplished through the colony system. Land speculators bought large tracts of land and then subdivided them and sold the subdivisions to farmers on credit. In 1872, the town lost the election as the new county seat to Merced by 200 votes. In 1873, in a petition for a new post office, the final letter "E" was inadvertently deleted, and the town officially became Livingston. Livingston experienced a period of slow growth until land speculators and promoters such as the Hunter Land Company and land hungry families from as far away as Iowa began to admire the area.

By 1909, because water was on the land through the process of irrigation, Livingston was able to achieve a period of steady growth. Livingston was incorporated in 1922 with Charles Daman as its first mayor.

1.1.4 Economy
The top industries in the City are related to manufacturing, educational services and health care and social assistance, and agriculture. Livingston’s economy is intertwined with the economy of Merced County.

Merced County is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the State with over $3 billion worth of agricultural products generated in 2019. Agriculture will continue to be economically important to Livingston as well. The main agricultural products produced in the Livingston area include:
● Chickens and Turkeys - The Foster Farms poultry company headquarters and main processing plant are located in Livingston. The chicken ranches import most of their feed from other parts of the United States. The tallest building in the area is the Foster Farms grain elevator located in Delhi, right outside the Livingston City limits
● Dairy - Merced County is the second largest dairy producer in California, right behind Tulare County.

The Joseph Gallo Dairy, just outside Livingston, has the single largest dairy herd in the United States.

Neighboring towns (especially Hilmar) have many more dairy cattle. According to statistics from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Merced County had 305 operating dairies in 2006, down from the 327 dairies in 2005 and 335 dairies in 2000. While the number of diaries has gone down, the number of milk cows increased by 4,000 during that 12-month period. Dairy farmers and industry experts say recent increases in feed costs, tightened environmental regulations and growing pressure to sell land for development are among the factors that could be pushing some dairies to close.
● Grapes - Joseph Gallo, Ernest and Julio Gallo, the Arkelian family, and many family farmers grow grapes for wine, the table and raisin-making. Ernest and Julio Gallo have a major grape pressing operation near Livingston.
● Sweet Potatoes - Ninety percent of the sweet potatoes grown west of the Rockies are grown and packed in Livingston, Delhi and Atwater. The sweet potatoes benefit from the sandy soil in the area. ● Other Crops - Other crops grown in the Livingston area include barley, wheat, corn, soybeans, onions, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, melons, peaches and alfalfa. Most of the peach orchards have been replaced by almonds. The alfalfa, soybeans and corn are grown to support the dairies.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 3 Table 1-1 and Table 1-2 show how the City of Livingston’s labor force breaks down by occupation and industry based on estimates from the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Table 1-1 City of Livingston Employment by Occupation, 2015-2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates Occupation # Employed % Employed
Management, business, science, and arts occupations 1,205 18.4% Service occupations 982 15.0%
Sales and office occupations 1,413 21.6%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,149 17.5% Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,803 27.5% Total 6,552 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ *Excludes armed forces
Table 1-2 City of Livingston Employment by Industry Sector, 2015-2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates Industry # Employed % Employed
Manufacturing 1,369 20.9%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 1,244 19.0% Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 777 11.9% Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 561 8.6%
Retail trade 559 8.5%
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services
473 7.2%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services 470 7.2% Construction 345 5.3%
Wholesale trade 310 4.7%
Other services, except public administration 191 2.9%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 157 2.4% Public administration 96 1.5%
Information 0 0.0%
Total 6,552 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ Estimates of select economic characteristics for the City of Livingston are shown in Table 1-3.

Table 1-3 City of Livingston Economic Characteristics, 2015-2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates Characteristic % Employed
Families below Poverty Level (%) 15.4%
All People below Poverty Level (%) 16.4%
Median Family Income $58,268
Median Household Income $54,886
Per Capita Income $18,238
Population in Labor Force 7,068
Population Employed* 6,552
Unemployment Rate 4.9%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ *Excludes armed forces

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 4

1.1.5 Population
The total estimated City population in 2019 was 14,228 up 35.9% from 10,473 people counted during the previous census in 2010. Select demographic and social characteristics for the City of Livingston are summarized in the tables below based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 5-Year Estimates, 2015-2019.

Table 1-4 City of Livingston Demographic and Social Characteristics, 2015-2019 ACS 5-Year Estimates
Characteristic
Gender/Age
Male 6,772
Female 7,456
Median age (years) 29.9
Under 5 years 1,132
Under 18 years 4,269
65 years and over 1,519
Race/Ethnicity
White 3,596
Asian 3,033
Black or African American 17
American Indian/Alaska Native 151
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 10,456
Education
% High school graduate or higher 57.40%
Disability Status
% of Population 5 years and over with a
disability

11.80%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ Table 1-5 Housing Occupancy and Units
Housing Characteristic Estimate Percentage
Housing Occupancy
Total Housing Units 3,699 100%
Units Occupied 3,607 97.5%
Vacant 92 2.5%
Housing Units
1-unit detached 3,078 83.2%
1-unit attached 54 1.5%
2 units 107 2.9%
3 or 4 units 28 0.8%
5-9 units 172 4.6%
10-19 units 31 0.8%
20 or more units 72 1.9%
Mobile Home 157 4.2%
Boat, RV, van etc. 0 0.0%
Housing Tenure
Owner Occupied 1,922 53.3%
Renter Occupied 1,685 46.7%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 5

1.1.6 Development Trends
Livingston has long been recognized for its friendly small-town atmosphere, which is a valued characteristic that is desirable to maintain. In order to maintain a sustainable community, it must find a way to attract a variety of industries, local and region serving commercial development, and provide housing opportunities that will appeal to all demographic categories ranging from university students and faculty to retirees and young families. In order to achieve these objectives, the General Plan focuses on a number of basic themes that are reflected in goals and policies.

Although agriculture will continue to play a major role in the community, Livingston is a community in transition and transformation, driven by new commercial and residential developments. Livingston’s two major interchanges on Highway 99 will be the major economic development drivers in the future. An additional interchange at Sultana Drive has recently been completed and will eventually be in the City.

Over the last several years, additional businesses have located along the freeway.

The goals of the City of Livingston, as stated in the 2025 General Plan, include the following:
● Protect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents; ● Ensure development that preserves the community character and is in harmony with the City’s unique small-town environment;
● Deliver high quality, responsive City services in an efficient and effective manner; ● Develop and encourage a culturally diverse community; and, ● Promote an economically diversified commercial and industrial economy to ensure the future financial stability of the City.

Livingston began the process of updating their General Plan in March 2020. The General Plan provides the opportunity for additional residents, commercial retail, commercial services, and public services in areas at build-out. There are plans light industrial, manufacturing, and other services that will increase employment opportunities uses as well.

City of Livingston Goals for Future
● Promote the development of a wholesome and attractive City resulting from orderly development and preservation of its natural beauty.
● Provide a wide array of business outreach, innovation and competitiveness support services and resources to new and expanding businesses to stimulate job and investment growth. ● Provide a clear, clean and open visual image of the community that reflects the highest standards of design for public and private commercial, residential, institutional and industrial development. ● Attract and support globally competitive companies; Livingston will expand employer access to local workforce development resources that develop workers with necessary technical and job-ready skills. ● Establish a Business Education Initiative that brings business, government, and education together to form partnerships to ensure future prosperity for students and young people by creating a full range of unique, results oriented programs to address the needs of business and students. ● Promote buildings and public infrastructure development that are practical, aesthetically pleasing and in harmony with the environment and surrounding landscape. ● Provide an atmosphere in which people can live in good health, move safely about the community (even at night) and feel confident that they and their property are protected from criminal harm, flood and other natural hazards and man-made disasters.

In terms of changes in development since the 2014 planning process, the City of Livingston experienced a 11% increase in total housing units between 2010 and 2019. Of the total housing units 83% are singlefamily homes. This is the greatest increase of total housing units during this time period in Merced

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 6 County. Additionally, according the 2040 General Plan Existing Conditions and Trends Workbook, the majority of new housing development over the last eight years (or since approximately 2010) was constructed between 2017 and 2019. Some of these new residential developments are located north and northeast of the City. Overall, the increases in development and population also increases exposure to severe weather-related hazards and pandemics/epidemics, as well as earthquakes. This growth also puts more demands on water resources and can increase vulnerability to drought. 2 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND SUMMARY
Although the City of Livingston is located in an area where there are few obvious hazards, potential hazards do exist. The main objective of hazard identification is to document potential hazards that must be considered when making decisions on the location, type, and density of development. The official Planning Team for the City of Livingston identified hazards that affect the City and developed hazard profiles based upon the risk assessment, past events, and their potential impacts to the community. The overall hazard significance takes into account the geographic area, probability and magnitude as a way to identify priority hazards for mitigation purposes. This is discussed further in the Vulnerability Assessment Section for the significant hazards that have unique impacts on Livingston, where applicable.

Table 2-1 City of Livingston —Hazard Profiles
Hazard Geographic Area Probability of
Future
Occurrence
Magnitude/Se
verity
Overall
Significance
Dam Incident Limited Occasional Limited Medium
Drought Extensive Likely Limited Medium
Earthquake Limited Occasional Limited Medium
Flood and Levee Failure Limited Occasional Negligible Medium Severe Weather: Heavy Rain Extensive Highly Likely Critical High Geographic Area
Limited: Less than 10% of planning area
Significant: 10-50% of planning area
Extensive: 50-100% of planning area
Probability of Future Occurrences
Highly Likely: Near 100% chance of occurrence in
next year or happens every year.

Likely: Between 10 and 100% chance of
occurrence in next year or has a recurrence
interval of 10 years or less.

Occasional: Between 1 and 10% chance of
occurrence in the next year or has a recurrence
interval of 11 to 100 years.

Unlikely: Less than 1% chance of occurrence in
next 100 years or has a recurrence interval of
greater than every 100 years.

Magnitude/Severity (Extent)
Catastrophic—More than 50 percent of property severely
damaged; shutdown of facilities for more than 30 days;
and/or multiple deaths
Critical—25-50 percent of property severely damaged;
shutdown of facilities for at least two weeks; and/or
injuries and/or illnesses result in permanent disability Limited—10-25 percent of property severely damaged;
shutdown of facilities for more than a week; and/or
injuries/illnesses treatable do not result in permanent disability
Negligible—Less than 10 percent of property severely
damaged, shutdown of facilities and services for less than 24 hours; and/or injuries/illnesses treatable with first aid Significance
Low: minimal potential impact
Medium: moderate potential impact
High: widespread potential impact
Source: Planning Team

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 7

2.1 Vulnerability Assessment
The intent of this section is to assess Livingston’s vulnerability separate from that of the planning area as a whole, which has already been assessed in the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment in the Base Plan.

This vulnerability assessment analyzes the population, property, and other assets at risk to hazards ranked of medium or high significance that may vary from other parts of the planning area.

The information to support the hazard identification and risk assessment was based on a combination of the previous LHMP for the City and County and jurisdiction specific information collected during the 2021 update. A Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Guide and associated worksheets was distributed to each participating municipality or special district to complete during update process in 2021. Information collected was analyzed and summarized in order to identify and rank all the hazards that could impact anywhere within the County, as well as to rank the hazards and identify the related vulnerabilities unique to each jurisdiction.

Each participating jurisdiction was in support of the main hazard summary identified in the Base Plan (see Table 5.2). However, the hazard summary rankings for each jurisdictional annex may vary due to specific hazard risk and vulnerabilities unique to that jurisdiction. The information in this annex helps differentiate the jurisdiction’s risk and vulnerabilities from that of the overall County.

Note: The hazard “Significance” reflects overall ranking for each hazard and is based on the City’s Planning Team member input from the Data Collection Guide and the risk assessment developed during the planning process (see Chapter 4 of the Base Plan), which included a more detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis with best available data.

The hazard summaries in Table 2-1 above reflect the hazards that could potentially affect City. The discussion of vulnerability for each of the following hazards is located in Section 2.3 Estimating Potential Losses. The priority hazards of Medium or High significance for the City of Livingston are identified below.
● Dam Incidents
● Drought
● Earthquake
● Flood and Levee Failure
● Severe Weather: Heavy Rain
Drought and severe weather hazards are not addressed in this vulnerability assessment as the exposure is similar to the overall County exposure, and the potential for losses are difficult to quantify specific to the City of Livingston.

2.1.1 Other Hazards
Hazards assigned a significance rating of Low and those which do not differ significantly from the County ranking (e.g., Low vs. High) are not addressed further in this plan and are not assessed individually for specific vulnerabilities in this section. In the City of Livingston, those hazards include subsidence, hazardous materials incidents, cyber-attacks, agricultural pests and disease, pandemics, and wildfire.

Additionally, the City’s LPT decided to rate landslides as Not Applicable (N/A) to the planning area due to a lack of exposure, vulnerability, and no probability of occurrence.

Wildfire is profiled in the vulnerability assessment to address wildfire threat in the City’s SOI but was rated a low priority hazard given the City consists of urban areas and because there are few mapped moderate and low wildfire threat zones.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 8

2.2 Assets at Risk
This section considers the City of Livingston’s assets at risk, including values at risk, critical facilities and infrastructure, historic assets, economic assets and growth and development trends.

2.2.1 Values at Risk
The following data on property exposure is derived from the Merced County 2020 Parcel and Assessor data. This data should only be used as a guideline to overall values in the City as the information has some limitations. The most significant limitation is created by Proposition 13. Instead of adjusting property values annually, the values are not adjusted or assessed at fair market value until a property transfer occurs. As a result, overall value information is likely low and does not reflect current market value of properties. It is also important to note that in the event of a disaster, it is generally the value of the infrastructure or improvements to the land that is of concern or at risk. Generally, the land itself is not a loss and is not included in the values below. Table 2-2 shows the exposure of properties (e.g., the values at risk) broken down by property type for the City of Livingston.

Table 2-2 Property Exposure for the City of Livingston by Property Types Property Type Improved
Parcel Count
Building Count Improved
Value
Estimated
Content Value
Total Value
Agricultural 8 9 $713,550 $713,550 $1,427,100
Commercial 82 235 $75,954,862 $75,954,862 $151,909,724
Exempt 48 114 $8,331,817 $8,331,817 $16,663,634
Industrial 19 33 $103,753,191 $155,629,787 $259,382,978 Mixed Use 3 4 $53,004 $53,004 $106,008
Residential 3,177 3,605 $519,238,129 $259,619,065 $778,857,194 Vacant Land 7 7 $142,582 $142,582 $285,164
Total 3,344 4,007 $708,187,135 $500,444,666 $1,208,631,801 Source: Wood GIS analysis, Merced County Assessor’s Office

2.2.2 Critical Facilities and Infrastructure
A critical facility may be defined as one that is essential in providing utility or direction either during the response to an emergency or during the recovery operation. FEMA sorts critical facilities into seven lifeline categories as shown in Figure 4-1 in the Base Plan.

A summary of critical facilities by FEMA Lifeline Category in Livingston is listed in Table 2-7.

Table 2-3 City of Livingston Critical Facilities by FEMA Lifeline Category FEMA Lifeline Number of Facilities
Communications 6
Energy 1
Food, Water, Shelter 3
Hazardous Material 3
Safety and Security 14
Transportation 5
Total 32
Source: HIFLD

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 9 A more detailed list of select critical facilities identified by the planning team from the 2014 Merced County HMP can be found in Table 2-8 below. This table lists the critical facilities and other community assets identified by the Planning Team as important to protect in the event of a disaster. Within the City of Livingston, the following are considered critical facilities:
● Livingston Fire Department Stations.
● Livingston Police Department building.
● Livingston City Hall.
● Water supply lines and wells.
● Wastewater treatment plant, pumping stations, and trunk lines. ● Major electrical transmission lines and substations.
● Major communication lines and microwave transmission facilities.

Critical facilities also include major roadways which may serve as principal evacuation routes.

Table 2-4 City of Livingston Community Assets
Description of Facility Square
Footage
Replacement
Value ($) *
Contents
Value ($) *
Livingston Fire House 3,016 211,257 43,732
Branch Library 3,044 371,275 71,376
Veteran’s Memorial 3,400 220,693 0
City Hall
Livingston Community Center Community Center
Recreation Center
Corp Yard
Public Works
Equipment Barbeque 7,547 3,280
Storage 0 5,658 4,841
City Office Buildings 3 locations 7,750 0 303,452
Parks and Recreation
Source: Livingston Planning Team 2014 Merced County HMP *Note: all dollar values are from the 2014 plan after being adjusted for inflation to 2021 values.

2.2.3 Historic, Cultural, and Natural Resources
There are no locations located in Livingston which are recorded by the National Register of Historic Places, however there could be many locations throughout the City which hold cultural significance for the residents of Livingston. Natural resources are important to include in benefit-cost analyses for future projects and may be used to leverage additional funding for projects that also contribute to community goals for protecting sensitive natural resources. Awareness of natural assets can lead to opportunities for meeting multiple objectives. For instance, protecting wetlands areas protects sensitive habitat as well as attenuates and stores floodwaters.

2.3 Estimating Potential Losses

2.3.1 Dam Incidents
Protection from flood hazards created by dam failures is critical to the safety and wellbeing of Livingston residents. Dam failures can result from a number of natural or man-made causes, such as earthquakes, erosion, improper siting, improper maintenance, rapidly rising flood waters, and structural/design flaws.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 10 The ability to provide warning for potential victims of flooding from dam failure is influenced by the type of dam constructed, the frequency of inspections for structural integrity, the flood wave arrival time, the ability to notify persons downstream and their need to evacuate. Aside from loss of life, damage to property and displacement of people, hydroelectric facilities on dams that fail would suffer damage. This could have an impact on life support systems in communities outside the immediate hazard areas. A failure of one of the dams operated by the Merced Irrigation District (MID) that generate electricity could affect supply to the CAADC site, within which the Castle Medical Center is located. Should more of the City choose MID as its electricity supplier and distributor, those customers would likewise be affected.

Figure 2-1 depicts potential dam failure inundation areas that would affect Livingston. Failure of the Don Pedro or McSwain dams would affect the northwestern portions of the City. Potential failure of the New Exchequer dam would result in complete inundation of the City. Representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers have stated that a dam inundation area map is currently not available for Castle Reservoir. Table 2-5 through Table 2-7 summarize Livingston’s exposure to dam inundation.

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2021 Merced County Hazard Mitigation Plan
Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 12 Table 2-5 New Exchequer Dam Inundation
Property Type Improved Parcel County Building Count Population Agricultural 8 9
Commercial 79 231
Exempt 48 113
Industrial 19 33
Mixed Use 3 4 16
Residential 3,176 3,604 14,200
Vacant Land 7 7
Total 3,340 4,001 14,216
Source: California DSOS, National Inventory of Dams, Merced County Assessor’s Office Table 2-6 Don Pedro Dam Inundation
Property Type Improved Parcel County Building Count
Agricultural 1 1
Total 1 1
Source: California DSOS, National Inventory of Dams, Merced County Assessor’s Office Table 2-7 McSwain Dam Inundation
Property Type Improved Parcel County Building Count
Agricultural 1 1
Total 1 1
Source: California DSOS, National Inventory of Dams, Merced County Assessor’s Office

2.3.1.1 Future Development
The results of the SOI and dam analysis are shown in Table 2-8 through Table 2-10.

Table 2-8 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed to New Exchequer Inundation Property Type Improved Parcel County Building Count Population Agricultural 17 20
Commercial 2 12
Exempt 1 1
Industrial 3 5
Mixed Use 1 1 3
Residential 35 44 146
Total 59 83 149
Source: California DSOS, National Inventory of Dams, Merced County Assessor’s Office Table 2-9 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed to Don Pedro Inundation Property Type Improved Parcel County Building Count
Agricultural 1 3
Total 1 3
Source: California DSOS, National Inventory of Dams, Merced County Assessor’s Office

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 13 Table 2-10 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed to McSwain Inundation Property Type Improved Parcel County Building Count
Agricultural 1 1
Total 1 1
Source: California DS

2.3.2 Earthquakes
The City of Livingston’s distance to fault zones in the region, including the Ortigalita, Calaveras, San Andreas and Hayward Faults, places it within ‘Maximum Expectable Earthquake Intensity Zone III’ where ‘High Severity, Most Probable Damage’ could result should an earthquake occur in the region. There is no record of any seismic activity originating within the City; however, the City of Livingston has been shaken by earthquakes originating elsewhere. There is documented evidence of six earthquakes that shook the area, those of 1872, 1906, 1952, 1966, 1984, and 1989. Major damage occurred in Livingston in 1906, with minor damage recorded throughout the county from other occurrences.

No damaging earthquakes greater than M6.0 has been recorded in the City of Livingston or Merced County in over 200 years, though several have been very close. The most recent large earthquake near Merced County, and the City of Livingston, was 16 miles east north-east of King City at a magnitude of 5.3 on October 20, 2012. Several aftershocks followed the main earthquake, including a M3.1 aftershock.

This quake was preceded by two earthquakes located approximately 100 miles from Merced County, the 1982 New Idria earthquake (M5.4) and the 1983 Coalinga quake (M6.5). There was low level ground shaking and low local magnitude reported.

Based on the earthquake shaking potential mapped for the City of Livingston, the proximity to the San Andreas Fault and the history of shaking but no surface rupture, the probability of damaging seismic ground shaking in the City of Livingston is considered as likely. Other hazards associated with earthquake activity, such as lateral spreading, surface cracking or differential setting, are considered unlikely to occur, although no studies have been conducted to determine the likelihood of these hazards.

2.3.3 Flood and Levee Failure
The primary types of flood events in Merced County that may impact the City of Livingston are riverine and urban. Regardless of the type of flood, the cause is often the result of severe weather and excessive rainfall, either in the flood area, upstream, or from winter snowmelt.

Most of the Northwest corner of Livingston lies within the 100-year floodplain designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The area in the northern portion of the city limits falls in the 100-year floodplain. The City of Livingston participates in the National Flood Program. Figure 2-2 and Figure 2-3 reflect the flood potential impact areas in and around the City of Livingston based on the 100- year floodplain. The hazard potential for future flooding is likely.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 16 Table 2-11 City of Livingston FEMA 1% Annual Chance Flood Hazard, by Property Type Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content
Value
Total Value Estimated
Loss Population
Agricultural 1 1 $7,441 $7,441 $14,882 $3,721
Total 1 1 $7,441 $7,441 $14,882 $3,721 0
Source: Merced County Assessor’s Office; National Flood Hazard Layer Effective 12/2/2008; FEMA; Wood analysis Based on this analysis, the City of Livingston has 1 improved parcel located within the 100-year floodplain for a total value of over $14,882. No parcels were found to be located in within the 500-year floodplain.

2.3.3.1 Critical Facilities at Risk
Critical facilities are those community components that are most needed to withstand the impacts of disaster as previously described. There are critical facilities located within the City of Livingston which are also in the floodplain, as shown in Figure 2-4. The impact to the wider community could be great if these facilities are damaged or destroyed during a flood event.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 18

2.3.3.2 Insurance Coverage, Claims Paid, and Repetitive Losses The City of Livingston joined the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) on May 25, 1978. NFIP Insurance data indicates that as of July 2021, there were 4 flood insurance policies in force in the City with $665,000 of coverage. All of the policies are single family residential and located in the B, C, and X zone.

There have been no historical claims for flood losses in Livingston. According to the FEMA Community Information System accessed July 23, 2021, the City has no Repetitive Loss properties or Severe Repetitive Loss properties.

2.3.3.3 Future Development
The results of the SOI and flood analysis are shown in Table 2-12.

Table 2-12 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed to 1% Annual Chance Flood Hazard Property
Type
Improved
Parcel Count
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content
Value
Total Value Estimated
Loss Population
Agricultural 1 1 $103,862 $103,862 $207,724 $51,931
Total 1 1 $103,862 $103,862 $207,724 $51,931 0
Source: Merced County Assessor’s Office; National Flood Hazard Layer Effective 12/2/2008; FEMA; Wood analysis

2.3.4 Wildfire
Weather components, such as temperature, relative humidity, wind, and lightning, also affect the potential for wildfire. High temperatures and low relative humidity dry out the fuels that feed the wildfire creating a situation where fuel will more readily ignite and burn more intensely. Both urban and wildland fires conditions exist in Merced County and its cities which increases the chances for damage to property, loss of life and/or injury. In most of Merced County, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) ranks fuel loading as low. Fuels are mainly crops and grasses. In the southwest corner, there are some brush, pine, and grass fuels, which are ranked as moderate fuel hazards, primarily in the area west of Interstate 5.

There have not been any state or federal disaster declarations in the City of Livingston or Merced County related to wildfire in the past. The LPT noted that although there are many fire starts, the fuels are “flashy” and fires are usually quickly put out. Properties in the City vulnerable to wildfire threat areas are summarized in Table 2-13.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 19 Table 2-5 Properties Exposed to Wildfire Threat Areas
Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
Very High
Building
Count
High
Building
Count
Moderate
Building
Count
Low
Total
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content Value Total Value Population
Agricultural 3 0 0 1 2 3 $206,335 $206,335 $412,670
Commercial 8 0 0 1 10 11 $24,166,802 $24,166,802 $48,333,604 Exempt 4 0 0 2 2 4 $1,970,108 $1,970,108 $3,940,216
Industrial 6 0 0 1 18 19 $8,724,473 $13,086,710 $21,811,183 Mixed Use 1 0 0 0 1 1 $40,000 $40,000 $80,000 4
Residential 191 0 0 54 137 191 $56,115,683 $28,057,842 $84,173,525 753 Vacant
Land
1 0 0 0 1 1 $85,000 $85,000 $170,000
Total 214 0 0 59 171 230 $91,308,401 $67,612,796 $158,921,197 756 Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis

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Table 2-6 Critical Facilities Exposed to Wildfire Threat Areas FEMA Lifeline Count
Low Wildfire Threat
Communications 2
Total 2
Source: Merced County, HIFLD, CAL FIRE, FRAP, Wood GIS Analysis Figure 2-6 shows the fire responsibility areas in the City of Livingston. Refer to Section 4 of the Base Plan for methodology and results of the countywide analysis.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 23

2.3.4.1 Future Development
The results of the SOI and wildfire analysis are shown Table 2-15 and Table 2-16.

Table 2-7 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed Within Fire Threat Areas Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
High
Building
Count
Moderate
Building
Count
Low
Total
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content
Value
Total Value Population
Agricultural 4 0 3 3 6 $748,751 $748,751 $1,497,502
Commercial 1 0 0 2 2 $3,485,270 $3,485,270 $6,970,540
Industrial 2 0 0 4 4 $595,669 $893,504 $1,489,173
Residential 3 0 0 3 3 $286,779 $143,390 $430,169 10
Total 10 0 3 12 15 $5,116,469 $5,270,914 $10,387,383 10 Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis 3 CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT
Capabilities are the programs and policies currently in use to reduce hazard impacts or that could be used to implement hazard mitigation activities. This capabilities assessment is divided into five sections:
regulatory mitigation capabilities, administrative and technical mitigation capabilities, fiscal mitigation capabilities, mitigation outreach and partnerships, and other mitigation efforts. To develop this capability assessment, the jurisdictional planning representatives reviewed a matrix of common mitigation activities to inventory which of these policies or programs and shared any updates or changes through the Livingston Data Collection Guide. The team then supplemented this inventory by reviewing additional existing policies, regulations, plans, and programs to determine if they contribute to reducing hazardrelated losses.

During the plan update process, this inventory was reviewed by the jurisdictional planning representatives and Wood consultant team staff to update information where applicable and note ways in which these capabilities have improved or expanded. Additionally, in summarizing current capabilities and identifying gaps, the jurisdictional planning representatives also considered their ability to expand or improve upon existing policies and programs as potential new mitigation strategies. The City of Livingston’s capabilities are summarized below.

3.1 Regulatory Capability
The regulatory and planning capabilities table lists planning and land management tools typically used by local jurisdictions to implement hazard mitigation activities. The table below indicates those that are in place in the City of Livingston.

Figure 3-1 City of Livingston —Regulatory and Planning Capabilities Regulatory Tool Yes/No Comments
General Plan Y 1999 General Plan, Safety Element (geologic/seismic hazards, structural hazards, wildland and urban fire hazards, flooding, dam failure inundation, noise). The City
announced the update the City’s General Plan in March
2020. The Livingston 2040 General Plan Update is expected to take two years to develop. The updated plan can

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Zoning ordinance Y Title 5, Zoning Regulations
Subdivision ordinance Y Title 6, Subdivision Regulations Growth management ordinance N
Floodplain ordinance Y Title 4, Building Regulations, Chapter 5 Floodplain Management
Other special purpose ordinance
(stormwater, steep slope, wildfire)
Y Title 9, Public Ways and Property, Chapter 12, Urban
Stormwater Quality Management
Building code Y Title 4, Building Regulations, Title 7, Fire Regulations and Department of Public Safety
Fire department ISO rating Y ISO Rating 4
Erosion or sediment control
program
Y Title 4, Building Regulations, Chapter 6, Grading, Erosion and Sedimentation Control
Title 9, Public Ways and Property, Chapter 12, Urban
Stormwater Quality Management
Stormwater management program Y Title 9, Public Ways and Property, Chapter 12, Urban Stormwater Quality Management
Storm Water Management Program (FY 2006-2007) (MS4)
(Water Quality Order No. 2003-0005-DWQ)
Storm Drainage Master Plan (No Date)
Joint program with the Merced Irrigation District (MID); MID owns and operates several canals around the City (e.g., Arena and Livingston Canals) that offer stormwater
drainage capabilities for stormwater originating in City.

Site plan review requirements Y Title 5, Zoning Regulations, Chapter 5.6.7, Site Plan and Design Review
Capital improvements plan Y Capital Improvements summarized in the City’s 2021-2022 Budget (e.g., police department dispatch upgrade, diesel sweeper, road improvements [Winton Parkway Widening,
Hammatt Road Overpass], Wells 8 & 9)
2007 Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Site Plan
Economic development plan N
Local emergency operations plan N The City follows the County’s emergency response procedures and the Merced County 2007 Emergency
Operations Plan.

Other special plans Y 2007 Water Distribution System Master Plan 2015 Urban Water Management Plan
Flood insurance study or other
engineering study for streams
Y Flood Insurance Study (December 2, 2008)
Elevation certificates (for floodplain
development)
Y Title 4, Building Regulations, Chapter 5 Floodplain
Management, Section 4.5.5.1, Standards of Construction
(Elevation and Floodproofing verification is provided by the Floodplain Administrator)
Other
Source: Planning Team; City of Livingston Website
City of Livingston General Plan (1999) - The City of Livingston approved its General Plan revision in December 1999. The City is currently preparing the Livingston 2040 General Plan, which is anticipated to

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 25 be completed by 2022. This General Plan defines the City’s goals, objectives and policies that guide the physical growth, use and development of land under the jurisdictional authority of the City.

The purpose of the Safety Element is to reduce or eliminate long term risk to people and property from natural or human caused hazards. This element focuses on establishing policies and programs to protect the community from risks associated with emergency planning, fire protection, law enforcement, and flooding. The Safety Element is being expanded in the 2040 General Plan to cover additional natural hazards and safety related issues that are more commonly associated with the built environment as affecting the health and safety of residents living within the City. These include geologic and seismic hazards, flooding, wildfire, drought, noise, hazardous materials, and future hazard trends that may occur in the City related to climate change (e.g., extended drought, more high heat days, more frequent wildfires). The City of Livingston Safety Element does not reference incorporation of the 2014 MJHMP.

Also, integration of the 2014 MJHMP was not noted in any of the other City planning mechanisms.

However, the City is currently updating their General Plan and can incorporate the 2021 MJHMP by reference in the Safety Element.

Livingston Fire Department – The City of Livingston Fire Department is managed through a contractual agreement with the County. The agreement consists of staffing for one CALFIRE full time position and 15 volunteer members in the City. The Department consists of one station, owned by the County, and this station serves residential, commercial, and industrial structures.

Disaster Preparation and Response Management and Coordination Ordinance, Title 1, Administration Chapter 20 - The declared purposes of this chapter are to provide for the preparation and carrying out of plans for the protection of persons and property within the City in the event of an emergency; the direction of the emergency organization; and the coordination of the emergency functions of the City with all other public agencies, corporations, organizations and affected private persons. The council’s powers include the development of emergency and mutual aid plans and agreements and the ordinances and resolutions as necessary to implement the City’s Emergency Plan and any other such plans and agreements.

Fire Regulations and Department of Public Safety, Title 7, Chapter 2 – This chapter establishes a department of public safety for the City. It directs the City’s Fire Marshal with the responsibility for enforcement of the building standards adopted by the state fire marshal as published in the California Building Code (CBC) relating to fire and panic safety, such as plan reviews and inspections for buildings in regards to the building permit. It also requires the Fire Marshal to assess conformity with the Health And Safety Code, California Fire Code, National Fire Protection Standards, Title 19 and Title 24 California Code of Regulations and other state regulations within the scope of the California state Fire Marshal's office.

Floodplain Management Ordinance Title 4, Chapter 5 - It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to:
● Protect human life and health;
● Minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects; ● Minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public;
● Minimize prolonged business interruptions;
● Minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains; electric, telephone and sewer lines; and streets and bridges located in areas of special flood hazard; ● Help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of areas of special flood hazard so as to minimize future blighted areas caused by flood damage; ● Ensure that potential buyers are notified that property is in an area of special flood hazard; and,

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3.2 Administrative and Technical Capability
The table below identifies City personnel with responsibilities for activities related to mitigation and loss prevention in the City of Livingston. Many positions are full time and/or filled by the same person. A summary of technical resources follows.

Table 3-1 City of Livingston —Personnel Capabilities
Personnel Resources Yes/No Department/Position
Planner/engineer with knowledge of land
development/land management practices
Y Community Development, Planning Division,
Engineer/professional trained in construction
practices related to buildings and/or
infrastructure
Y Community Development, Engineering Division
Public Works Department, Engineering Division
Planner/engineer/scientist with an
understanding of natural hazards
Y Community Development, Engineering Division
Personnel skilled in GIS N
Full time building official Y Community Development, Building Division, Building Inspector, Building Technician
Floodplain manager Y Community Development, Building Division, Floodplain Administrator
Emergency manager Y Police Department, Police Chief is Designated Emergency Manager
Grant writer N
Other personnel N
GIS Data Resources (Hazard areas, critical
facilities, land use, building footprints, etc.)
N
Warning Systems/Services (Reverse 9-11, cable
override, outdoor warning signals)
N
Other
Source: City of Livingston Website; Planning Team; OES
Merced County has a full-time GIS coordinator who assists the cities and districts in the county with GIS data needs. Merced County, in conjunction the cities of Merced, Atwater, Los Banos, Livingston, Gustine, Dos Palos, emergency fire, law enforcement, health, and Emergency Medical Service agencies, launched the Emergency Notification System (ENS) – a technical capability service allowing residents throughout the entire county to be alerted of an emergency or an important community alert in their area. The improved Merced County Emergency Notification System (ENS) will allow residents throughout the county alternate ways of being contacted during an emergency, such as cell phones, business phones, home phones, emails, text messages or hearing-impaired receiving devices. More importantly, individuals can choose how they will be notified and in what preference order. When an emergency message is issued about a potential safety hazard or concern, messages will be sent to all standard voice and text communication devices registered in the system, including home phones, cell phones, e-mail, and more.

Residents and businesses with listed telephone numbers are already included in the system. Those residents having only a cell phone or wanting to be contacted through different methods can provide the information using the registration link at www.co.merced.ca.us/alert.

The City has a Council/Manager form of government. Under this municipal governmental form, the citizens elect four members of the City Council for four-year overlapping terms and a Mayor (who is also

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 27 considered a City Council Member) for a two-year term. City Council members choose the mayor pro tempore from among themselves. The City Manager is appointed by the five-member City Council by majority vote and serves at the “pleasure” of the governing body. He/she acts as the City’s Chief Executive Officer as well as its Budget and Financial Officer.

3.3 Fiscal Capability
The following table identifies financial tools or resources that the City could potentially use to help fund mitigation activities. There are currently no specific funding sources for hazard mitigation.

Table 3-2 City of Livingston —Available Financial Tools and Resources Financial Resources Accessible/
Eligible to Use
Has this been used for mitigation in the past?
Community Development Block Grants Yes No
Capital improvements project funding Yes No
Authority to levy taxes for specific
purposes
Yes No
Fees for water, sewer, gas, or electric
services, new development
Yes No
Incur debt through general obligation
bonds
Yes No
Incur debt through special tax bonds Yes No
Incur debt through private activities Yes No
Federal Grant Programs (Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program)
Yes Yes
Source: Planning Team

3.4 Outreach and Partnerships
The Merced County Office of Emergency Services provides education and outreach on Disaster Preparedness for all of the jurisdictions within the County. This education program is in coordination and partnerships with county and the cities’ departments with education programs including the Sheriff’s Office, Police Departments, Fire Departments, Agricultural Commissioner, and the Department of Public Health.

3.4.1 Planning Commission
The Planning Commission performs the duties described in the present or any future zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations of the City’s Municipal Code. This includes any similar ordinance, statute, rule or regulation of the State, County or this City pertaining to the districting, zoning or dividing the city into districts or zones and regulating the construction of improvements, the use, division or minor subdivision of property within the City. The City Council provides the Planning Commission with its directions and assigns tasks. The Planning Commission is charged with the responsibility of studying the needs of the City in which they advise and recommend to the City Council concerning the establishment, modifications and change of zones or districts, and designations of the uses to which property contained therein may be prohibited, restricted, and regulated and other duties as may be delegated by the City Council.

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3.4.2 Former Livingston Redevelopment Agency
The Former Livingston Redevelopment Agency is a blended component unit of the City of Livingston, although technically it is a separate government unit under California law. It was established in 1985 pursuant to the Community Redevelopment Law of the California Health and Safety Code to eliminate urban blight and administer the City’s redevelopment activities and projects. California’s Community Redevelopment Law (Chapter 710, Statutes of 1951) was enacted by the California Legislature with the objective of redeveloping those areas found in many communities that have suffered from unsafe, unfit, deteriorated, and economically dislocated properties. Members of the City Council sit on the Livingston Redevelopment Agency Board.

3.4.3 Community Development Department
The Community Development Department oversees all development within the City of Livingston. This includes the overall design of the City as well as specific commercial, residential, and industrial site plans, building designs, community aesthetics, and property maintenance. The Community Development Department is divided into four divisions or departments: Building Division, Engineering, Division, Housing Division, and the Planning Division. They also oversee Planning Commission, which acts in an advisory capacity to the City Council on land use and development issues.

3.5 Other Mitigation Efforts
The City of Livingston Human Resources and Risk Management Division is responsible for all personnel functions of the City. This Division is also responsible for the City’s risk management and the City’s liability insurance, property insurance, and other insurance programs that relate to natural hazards and property protections.

3.6 Opportunities for Enhancement
Based on the capabilities assessment, the City of Livingston has several existing mechanisms in place that already help to mitigate hazards. There are also opportunities for the City to expand or improve on their policies, programs and fiscal capabilities and further protect the community. Future improvements may include providing training for staff members related to hazards or hazard mitigation grant funding in partnership with the County and Cal OES. Additional training opportunities will help to inform City staff members on how best to integrate hazard information and mitigation projects into their departments.

Continuing to train City staff on mitigation and the hazards that pose a risk to the City of Livingston will lead to more informed staff members who can better communicate this information to the public. 4 MITIGATION STRATEGY

4.1 Goals and Objectives
The City of Livingston adopts the hazard mitigation goals and objectives developed by the Planning Team and described in Section 5 Mitigation Strategy of the Base Plan.

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4.2 Continued Compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program The City has been an NFIP participating community since 1978. In addition to the mitigation actions identified herein the City will continue to comply with the NFIP. Floodplain management is under the purview of the Community Development Department and City Engineer (Floodplain Administrator) within the Engineering Division. This includes ongoing activities such as enforcing local floodplain development regulations, including issuing permits for appropriate development in Special Flood Hazard Areas and ensuring that this development mitigated in accordance with the regulations. This will also include periodic reviews of the floodplain ordinance to ensure that it is clear and up to date and reflects new or revised flood hazard mapping.

4.3 Progress on 2014 Mitigation Actions
During the 2021 planning process the City of Livingston Planning Team reviewed all the mitigation actions from the 2014 plan. Of their eight (8) mitigation actions from 2014, six (6) of the actions are continuing, and two (2) actions in-progress demonstrating ongoing progress and building the community’s resiliency to hazards. One new action was identified in 2021.

4.4 Mitigation Actions
The Planning Team for the City identified and prioritized the following mitigation actions based on risk assessments, goals, and objectives. Background information as well as information on how the action will be implemented and administered, such as ideas for implementation, responsible office, partners, potential funding, estimated cost, and timeline also are described.

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ID
Goal(s)
and
Lifelines
Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost Estimate
and Potential
Funding
Priority Timeline Status/Implementation
Notes
1 1,7
Safety
and
Security
MultiHazard:

Dam
Incident,
Earthquake,
Flood and
Levee
Failure
Severe
Weather,
Wildfire
Participation in Countywide Public
Education Program. A natural
hazards education and awareness
program in Merced County would
be a valuable tool for sharing
information with residents.

Implementation ideas include
sharing information online and
conducting workshops. The
county will partner with special
districts, the cities and other
entities to provide awareness and
education on hazards and steps to
mitigate.

OES / CEO's
Office
$100,000
Federal Grants High Ongoing Continue Not Started
2 1,2,4,6
Safety
and
Security
MultiHazard:

Earthquake,
Flood and
Levee
Failure,
Severe
Weather,
Wildfire
Integrate Local Hazard Mitigation
Plan into Safety Element of
General Plan. Recognizing the
potential duplication of effort over
evaluation of the same issues,
efforts to update the Health and
Safety Element will be conducted
in coordination with the multihazard mitigation plan and to also ensure AB2140 Compliance.

Integration and coordination of
both plans provides General Plan
policy direction for development
activity.

Community
Development
Agency
$5,000 General
Fund Medium
Next
General
Plan
review
cycle
Continue Not Started
3 1,7
Safety
and
Security
Earthquake
Non-structural Earthquake
Mitigation Outreach. Existing
structures can be retrofitted to
better withstand damage from
seismic events. Outreach will
include educating home and
Public Works $100,000
Federal Grants Medium Ongoing Continue Not Started

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 31 ID
Goal(s)
and
Lifelines
Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost Estimate
and Potential
Funding
Priority Timeline Status/Implementation
Notes
business owners about structural
and non-structural retrofit
techniques and how to seismically
strengthen their homes and
businesses. Specific techniques
include secure furnishings, storage
cabinets and utilities to prevent
injuries and damages, such as
anchoring, installing lathes, using
flexible connections on gas and
water lines, and bracing propane
tanks and water heaters.
4 1,2
Safety
and
Security
Earthquake
Countywide Inventory for
Unreinforced Masonry Buildings -
Use GIS a to map and track URMs
Countywide. An accurate
inventory of URM Buildings with
appropriate tracking will lessen
time during the recovery after an
EQ.

Public Works
$15,000 –
20,000 Federal
Grants
Medium 1 year
Continue Not Started
5 1,2,6
Food,
Water,
Shelter
MultiHazard:

Earthquake,
Flood and
Levee
Failure,
Severe
Weather,
Wildfire
Periodically review building codes
for updates and enhancements
and ensure necessary capabilities
for enforcement.

Building
Department
Staff time Dept.

Budget Medium
1 year
then
ongoing
Continue Not Started
6 1,2,7
Safety
and
Security
Flood and
Levee
Failure
Flood Insurance Promotion. City
staff will promote benefits of flood
insurance.

Planning
Department
Staff Time Dept.

Budget High Ongoing Continue Not Started

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 32 ID
Goal(s)
and
Lifelines
Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost Estimate
and Potential
Funding
Priority Timeline Status/Implementation
Notes
7 1,4,7
Safety
and
Security
Severe
Weather
Severe Weather Preparedness
Campaign. This project would add
to and enhance the existing,
campaigns that share information
on Severe Weather Hazards: Fog,
Freeze, Location of Warming
Centers, Heat Related Illness, All
Hazards Preparedness
information, etc.; The county will
work with special districts, the
cities and other entities.

Livingston
Fire
Department
$100,000
Federal Grants High Ongoing Continue In-Progress
8 1,2,4,5,7
Food,
Water,
Shelter
Drought
Promote Water Conservation
Program. Drought is a serious
issue that is faced in California.

Water awareness of all citizens
within the City and the County is
critical to the future of our water
supply. Reminders, education and
awareness will help keep the
conservation importance in the
forefront.

Public Works $100,000
Federal Grants High Ongoing Continue In-Progress
9 1,2,3
Food,
Water,
Shelter
Flood and
Levee
Failure
Upgrade of storm sewer lift
station/SCADA. Upgrade motors,
pumps, electrical panel and have
SCADA system connected to
mitigate potential for urban
stormwater flooding.

Public Works
$250,000,
Federal Grant

FEMA HMA
Grant
High 6 months
– 1 year New in 2021

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex D: City of Livingston
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 33 5 IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE
Moving forward, the City will use the mitigation action table in the previous section to track progress on implementation of each project. Implementation of the plan overall is discussed in Section 6 in the Base Plan.

5.1 Incorporation into Existing Planning Mechanisms
The information contained within this plan, including results from the Vulnerability Assessment, and the Mitigation Strategy will be used by the City to help inform updates and the development of local plans, programs and policies. The Engineering Division may utilize the hazard information when implementing the City’s Community Investment Program and the Planning and Building Divisions may utilize the hazard information when reviewing a site plan or other type of development applications. The City will also incorporate this MJHMP into the Safety Element of their Livingston 2040 General Plan, as recommended by Assembly Bill (AB) 2140.

As noted in Section 6 of the Base Plan, the HMPT representatives from the City will report on efforts to integrate the hazard mitigation plan into local plans, programs and policies and will report on these efforts at the annual HMPT plan review meeting.

5.2 Monitoring, Evaluation, and Updating the Plan
The City will follow the procedures to monitor, review, and update this plan in accordance with Merced County as outlined in Section 6 of the Base Plan. The City will continue to involve the public in mitigation, as described in Section 6.2.1 of the Base Plan. The Public Works Department lead will be responsible for representing the city in the County HMPT, and for coordination with City staff and departments during plan updates. The City realizes it is important to review the plan regularly and update it every five years in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act Requirements as well as other State of California requirements.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 1 1 CITY OF LOS BANOS

1.1 Community Profile

1.1.1 Mitigation Planning History and 2021 Process
This annex was updated during the development of the 2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) update. This Jurisdictional Annex builds upon the previous version of Los Banos Annex as part of the 2014 MJHMP. A review of jurisdictional priorities found no significant changes in priorities since the last update.

The City’s Local Planning Team (LPT) held the responsibility for implementation and maintenance of the plan. Members are listed in Appendix A. More details on the planning process follow and how the jurisdictions, service districts and stakeholders participated can be found in Section 3 Planning Process of the Base Plan, along with how the public was involved during the 2021 update.

1.1.2 Geography and Climate
The City of Los Banos in Merced County is situated 12 miles southwest of the City of Merced, the county seat. Los Banos is one of the larger cities in the County of Merced and is in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, 70 miles northwest of Fresno. Los Banos is in the center of California, about two hours from the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and Yosemite National Park. Monterey and San Jose are accessible in one and a half hours and within one hour of San Joaquin’s Valley’s major cities of Stockton and Fresno. The City is located in the western portion of the County west of Highway 165 and just north of Highway 152. Some have called Los Banos "The Crossroads" because State Highways 33, 152, and 165 pass through the City; Interstate 5 skirts its western boundaries and it’s an easy 30 minute drive to Highway 99. According to the United States Census Bureau, Los Banos has a total area of 10.12 square miles – 98.78% of it is land and 1.22% is water with an elevation of 118 feet above sea level.

The climate in the City of Los Banos is characterized by summers which are hot and dry and cool, wet winters, with most of the year’s rain falling from late December through March.

The annual average precipitation for the City of Los Banos is 9.1 inches with the most precipitation, on average, occurring in January. The warmest month of the year on average is July. The highest recorded temperature was 112°F in 2006. On average, the coolest month of the year is January. The lowest recorded temperature was 13°F in 2007.

1.1.3 History
The name “Los Banos” came from a Franciscan monk’s missionary trips to the valley from Mission San Juan Bautista back in the early 1800’s. On the route from San Juan Bautista, Padre Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta discovered pools of water in the rocks at the summit of the mountains in a little creek bed that flowed down into the San Joaquin Valley. At these baths or pools he camped overnight with his band of friendly Indians from the Mission. Reports of these baths led to the local ranchers naming the creek "El Arroyo de Los Banos del Padre Arroyo." The name of those spring baths became "Los Banos Crick." In 1873 a pioneer to the area named Gus Kreyenhagen ran a trading post near Los Banos Creek. The Post Office Department decided to establish a Post Office at the trading post and named it after the creek, hence the name “Los Banos.” Henry Miller arrived in San Francisco in 1850 with $6.00 in his pocket. After working as a butcher, he became aware of the need for a better grade of cattle than that which was available at that time in California. He came to the San Joaquin Valley and began his land acquisitions and

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 2 cattle empire. He acquired land on both sides of the San Joaquin River ultimately owning that land for a distance of 120 miles. In 1871 he formed the San Joaquin and Kings River Canal and Irrigation Company.

He is credited with being the first to introduce the crops of cotton, rice and alfalfa to the valley.

Agriculture remains the number one industry in and around Los Banos and this is due mainly to the early success of Henry Miller. He owned over 3,000,000 acres of land, stretching through Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and California. In Los Banos, Miller brought the railroad to town, constructed a bank, company store and many other building improvements. In addition, he planned and developed housing areas for local citizens and enhanced the quality of life in many ways. Miller created the May Day celebration, which still is observed in Los Banos, as a way of thanking his employees for their hard work and dedication. By the age of 89, when Henry Miller died in 1916, he had given millions of dollars to numerous worthy causes. Today the City of Los Banos is proud to honor his vision and legacy.

1.1.4 Economy
The City of Los Banos’ vision is to be a family-oriented community that maintains its small-town atmosphere while accommodating growth. Traditionally, the City of Los Banos has attracted agricultural‐ based industries and has relied on these types of industries for employment.

Through a collaborative effort of the County of Merced, cities of Atwater, Dos Palos, Gustine, Livingston, Los Banos, Merced, and Merced County, the Merced County Economic Development Team, prepared a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) adopted in May 2014. The Merced County Economic Development Team developed a strategic plan which engaged the county, cities, and other organizations in Merced County in developing an economic development strategic action plan with priority activities and projects. The adopted CEDS met the requirements of the Economic Development Administration (EDA) requirements and aligned with the goals and objectives adopted in the City of Los Banos General Plan.

Estimates of select economic characteristics for the City of Los Banos are shown in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1 City of Los Banos Economic Characteristics, 2015-2019 Characteristic City of Los Banos
Families below Poverty Level (%) 15.3%
All People below Poverty Level (%) 18.0%
Median Family Income $70,204
Median Household Income $62,874
Per Capita Income $22,880
Population in Labor Force 62.7%
Population Employed* 54.3%
Unemployment** 13.3%
Source: CA Department of Finance U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ *Excludes armed forces. **Does not reflect unemployment numbers due to COVID-19 Pandemic The most common industries within a five-mile radius of Los Banos are educational services and health care with a combined average of 15.7 percent of workers, closely followed by retail trade with 15.5% of workers. Many other industries include construction, arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services, and manufacturing. The tables below show the labor force breakdown by occupations and industry based on estimates from the 2015-2019 five-year American Community Survey.

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 3 Table 1-2 City of Los Banos Employment by Industry, 2015-2019 Occupation # Employed % Employed
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 2,290 15.70% Retail trade 2,271 15.50%
Construction 2,003 13.70%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services
1,569 10.70%
Manufacturing 1,509 10.30%
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services
1,174 8.00%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1,104 7.60% Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 937 6.40% Other services, except public administration 591 4.00%
Public administration 533 3.60%
Wholesale trade 302 2.10%
Information 199 1.40%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 139 1.00% Total 14,621 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ *Excludes armed forces
Table 1-3 City of Los Banos Employment by Occupation, 2015-2019 Occupation # Employed % Employed
Sales and office occupations 3,349 22.90%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 3,118 21.30% Service occupations 2,855 19.50%
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,756 18.80% Management, business, science, and arts occupations 2,543 17.40% Total 14,621 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ *Excludes armed forces

1.1.5 Population
In May 2020, the State Department of Finance released preliminary population data for the state demographic report, the estimates did not include potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the report the City of Los Banos has a population of 41,923 persons as of January 1, 2020 and gained 636 residents from the previous year. Select demographic and social characteristics for the City of Los Banos from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey and the California Department of Finance, are shown in Table 1-4.

Table 1-4 City of Los Banos Demographic and Social Characteristics, 2015-2019 Characteristic City of Los Banos
Gender/Age
Male 50.0%
Female 50.0%
Median age (years) 30.1

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 4 Characteristic City of Los Banos
Under 5 years 8.9%
Under 18 years 34.6%
65 years and over 9.5%
Race/Ethnicity
White 20.2%
Asian 2.7%
Black or African American 2.4%
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 71.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.8%
Some other race 0.0%
Two or more races 1.7%
Education*
% High school graduate or higher 69.7%
% with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher 10.5%
Social Vulnerability
% with Disability 11.1%
% Language other than English spoken at
home 55.6%
% Speak English less than "Very Well" 32.0%
% of households with a computer with
internet use 79.4%
% of households with no vehicle available 5.4%
Source: CA Department of Finance U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ * Population 25 years and over
The following table with information from the American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2015-2019) is related to housing occupancy in the City of Los Banos.

Table 1-5 City of Los Banos Housing Occupancy and Units, 2015-2019 Housing Characteristic Estimate Percentage
Housing Occupancy
Total Housing Units 11,293 100%
Units Occupied 10,777 95.4%
Vacant 516 4.6%
Housing Units
1-unit detached 9638 85.3%
1-unit attached 306 2.7%
2 units 141 1.2%
3 or 4 units 372 3.3%
5-9 units 275 2.4%
10-19 units 109 1.0%
20 or more units 139 1.2%
Mobile Home 278 2.5%
Boat, RV, van etc. 35 0.3%

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 5 Housing Characteristic Estimate Percentage
Housing Tenure
Owner Occupied 6121 56.8%
Renter Occupied 4656 43.2%
Source: CA Department of Finance U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/

1.1.6 Development Trends
Los Banos has long been recognized for its friendly small-town atmosphere, which is a valued characteristic that is desirable to maintain. The 2030 General Plan defines one overarching vision for the city: to be a vibrant, safe, and attractive city with community character and an improved economy, new job opportunities, affordable housing, improved public services and facilities, an excellent circulation system, and a superb quality of life. In order to achieve this objective, the General Plan focuses on a number of basic themes that each contain goals and policies to help achieve the vision. The themes as stated in the General Plan, include the following:
● Economic Development
● Land Use
● Circulation
● Parks, Open Space, and Resources
● Noise
● Safety
● Public Facilities and Utilities
Following the adoption of the General Plan, a population projection was prepared by the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG). MCAG projections cover the entire 30-year period from 2010 to 2040. The projections for Los Banos were augmented by growth rates used in the Environmental Impact Report for the University of California Site Selection, to account for the anticipated population increase generated by UC Merced, located at Lake Yosemite north of Merced. Based on MCAG’s projections, the City of Los Banos is expected to grow from its 1998 Department of Finance (DOF) estimated population of 21,992 to a population of 59,900 in 2040.

The following table summarizes the land uses at build‐out of the General Plan. The General Plan provides the opportunity for up to 17,000 additional residents in areas at build-out. There are plans for new jobs in commercial retail, commercial services, light industrial, manufacturing, public services, and other employment uses as well.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 6 Figure 1-1 Development Under the General Plan (Acres)
Build-out estimates are not official growth projections and do not represent City policy. Actual population, square footage, or number of dwelling units could be lower or higher than these estimates based on a number of factors. Buildout may vary overall or within individual land use designations due to:
● The need to preserve the agricultural base, grazing lands, and other types of open space; ● Infrastructure availability, including transportation facilities, public services, and facilities; ● The need to limit development due to flood risk, fire risk, geologic and soils constraints, presence of habitat and biological resources, and presence of other important natural resources; and ● Other factors, as described in the General Plan, community plans, specific plans, and City codes and ordinances.

The City has also developed estimates of average density and intensity to use in calculating 2030 General Plan buildout land use. The City has based buildout estimates on past recorded development activity, recent development plan submittals, regional and statewide population and employment growth forecasts, and other factors. These estimates help the city in anticipating, guiding, and absorbing the

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 7 pressures of future growth in the coming decades. The city is currently in the process of an update to the General Plan looking out to 2040, with a target of plan adoption in 2021.

In terms of development since the 2014 MJHMP, the City experienced a slight decrease (-1%) in total housing units. As noted in Table 1-5 above, 85% of the total housing units in City are single family homes.

The overall risk to hazards has not increased or changed since the 2014 plan. 2 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND SUMMARY
The City of Los Banos Planning Team identified the hazards that affect the city and summarized their frequency of occurrence, spatial extent, potential magnitude, and overall significance specific to their community (see Table 2-1). There are no hazards that are unique to Los Banos. The overall hazard significance takes into account the geographic area, probability and magnitude as a way to identify priority hazards for mitigation purposes. This is discussed further in the Vulnerability Assessment Section.

Table 2-1 City of Los Banos —Hazard Profiles
Hazard Geographic Area
Probability of
Future
Occurrence
Magnitude/
Severity
Overall
Significance
Drought Extensive Likely Limited Medium
Earthquake Significant Likely Significant Medium
Flood and Levee Failure Limited Likely Limited Medium
Severe Weather Limited Highly Likely Limited Medium
Wildfire Significant Highly Likely Negligible Medium
Geographic Area
Limited: Less than 10% of planning area
Significant: 10-50% of planning area
Extensive: 50-100% of planning area
Probability of Future Occurrences
Highly Likely: Near 100% chance of occurrence in
next year or happens every year.

Likely: Between 10 and 100% chance of
occurrence in next year or has a recurrence
interval of 10 years or less.

Occasional: Between 1 and 10% chance of
occurrence in the next year or has a recurrence
interval of 11 to 100 years.

Unlikely: Less than 1% chance of occurrence in
next 100 years or has a recurrence interval of
greater than every 100 years.

2.1 Vulnerability Assessment
The intent of this section is to assess Los Banos’ vulnerability that is separate from that of the planning area as a whole, which has already been assessed in Section 4 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment in the Base Plan. This vulnerability assessment analyzes the population, property, and other assets at risk to hazards ranked of medium or high significance that may vary from other parts of the planning area.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 8 The information to support the hazard identification and risk assessment was based on a combination of the previous LHMP for the City and County and jurisdiction specific information collected during the 2021 update. A Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Guide and associated worksheets was distributed to each participating municipality or special district to complete during the update process in 2021. Information collected was analyzed and summarized in order to identify and rank all the hazards that could impact anywhere within the County, as well as to rank the hazards and identify the related vulnerabilities unique to each jurisdiction.

Each participating jurisdiction was in support of the main hazard summary identified in the Base Plan (see Table 4-2). However, the hazard summary rankings for each jurisdictional annex may vary due to specific hazard risk and vulnerabilities unique to that jurisdiction. The information in this annex helps differentiate the jurisdiction’s risk and vulnerabilities from that of the overall County.

Note: The hazard “Significance” reflects overall ranking for each hazard and is based on the City of Los Banos Planning Team member input from the Data Collection Guide and the risk assessment developed during the planning process (see Section 4 of the Base Plan), which included a more detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis with best available data.

The hazard summaries in Table 2-1 above reflect significant hazards that could potentially affect City. The discussion of vulnerability for each of the following hazards is located in Section 2.3 Estimating Potential Losses, but only hazards are profiled where there was specific data available. Those hazards of Medium or High significance for the City of Los Banos are identified below. ● Drought
● Earthquake
● Flood and Levee Failure
● Severe Weather
● Wildfire
Drought and severe weather hazards are not addressed in this vulnerability assessment as the exposure is similar to the overall County exposure, and the potential for losses are difficult to quantify specific to the City of Los Banos.

Other Hazards
Hazards assigned a significance rating of Low and those which do not differ significantly from the County ranking (e.g., Low vs. High) are not addressed further in this plan and are not assessed individually for specific vulnerabilities in this section. In the City of Los Banos, those hazards include: dam incidents,subsidence, hazardous materials incidents, cyber-attacks, agricultural pests and disease, and pandemics. Drought and severe weather are hazards of medium significance in the City, but the specific vulnerabilities for the City of Los Banos do not differ significantly from the County, and as noted above it is therefore not addressed further in this annex.

Additionally, the City’s committee members decided to rate landslides as Not Applicable (N/A) to the planning area due to a lack of exposure, vulnerability, and no probability of occurrence.

2.2 Assets at Risk
This section considers Los Banos’ assets at risk, including values at risk, critical facilities and infrastructure, historic assets, economic assets and growth and development trends.

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 9

2.2.1 Values at Risk
The following data on property exposure is derived from the Merced County 2020 Parcel and Assessor data. This data should only be used as a guideline to overall values in the city as the information has some limitations. The most significant limitation is created by Proposition 13. Instead of adjusting property values annually, the values are not adjusted or assessed at fair market value until a property transfer occurs. As a result, overall value information is likely low and does not reflect current market value of properties. It is also important to note that in the event of a disaster, it is generally the value of the infrastructure or improvements to the land that is of concern or at risk. Generally, the land itself is not a loss and is not included in the values below. Table 2-2 shows the exposure of properties (e.g., the values at risk) broken down by property type for the City of Los Banos.

Table 2-2 City of Los Banos Property Exposure by Type
Property Type
Parcel
Count Improved Value Content Value Total Value
Agricultural 6 $519,029 $519,029 $1,038,058
Commercial 441 $287,223,390 $287,223,390 $574,446,780
Exempt 189 $15,571,378 $15,571,378 $31,142,756
Industrial 23 $29,327,893 $43,991,840 $73,319,733
Mixed Use 9 $175,156 $175,156 $350,312
Residential 11,554 $2,158,859,942 $1,079,429,971 $3,238,289,913 Vacant Land 31 $530,525 $530,525 $1,061,050
Total 12,253 $2,492,207,313 $1,427,441,289 $3,919,648,602 Source: Merced County Assessor, Wood analysis

Table 2-3 shows a summary of the critical facilities analysis. critical facilities and other community assets as important to protect in the event of a disaster. Within the City of Los Banos, the following are considered critical facilities:
● Los Banos Fire Department Stations.
● Los Banos Police Department building.
● Los Banos City Hall.
● Water supply lines and wells.
● Wastewater treatment plant, pumping stations, and trunk lines. ● Major electrical transmission lines and substations.
● Major communication lines and microwave transmission facilities.

Critical facilities also include major roadways which may serve as principal evacuation routes. The table that follows lists the critical facilities and other community assets identified by the county’s Planning Team as important to protect in the event of a disaster.

Table 2-3 City of Los Banos—Critical Facilities and Community Assets Description of Facility
Square
Footage
(sq. ft.)
Replacement
Value ($)
Contents
Value ($)
Los Banos City Hall 10,119 1,108,353 554,424

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 10 Description of Facility
Square
Footage
(sq. ft.)
Replacement
Value ($)
Contents
Value ($)
Los Banos Police Department Police Station, Police Annex – Station, Activities League
12,849 1,826,731 1,454,537
Fire Department Fire Station #1 and #2, Storage
Building
15,343 1,932,729 425,849
Miller & Lux Building Office Building 7,726 2,172,403 27,744 Airport – 1000 Airport Rd. Office & Lounge (Port. Ofc), Hangar Bldg & Hangars #2, #3,
and #4, Animal Shelter (Port.

Ofc), Kennel, Pilot Lounge
23,783 1,237,971 42,617
Child Development Center 10,000 1,744,209 10,624
Los Banos Community Center Community Center 2,300 12,006,050 261,531 Recreation Center 3,000 215,514
Scripps College 2,790 323,687 5,051
Corp Yard Garage, Office Building, Vehicle
Storage
8,172 199,070 147,710
Public Works Garage, Water Tanks (2) 15,420 2,426,281 825,593 Pump Stations (1,2,4-9), Pump
Building (Sewer Plant-Loc 21),
Booster Pump
11,403 1,943,014 0
Wastewater Treatment, Storage
(2)
2,400 28,188,043 112,381
Equipment Light Poles, Light Poles with
Cameras, Communication
Tower, Access Gates,
Contractor’s Equipment, H.

Miller Bronze Statue
0 2,506,173 0
Single Family Homes (3) 3781 298,795 0
City Office Buildings 3 Locations 2810 261,628 2,763
Parks and Recreation Baseball Field Lights/Towers,
Restroom, Announcer Booth,
Concession Stand, Maintenance
Shed
3580 357,900 16,147
Private Parking Garage 16,807
Lab 70 8,713 12,506
Source: Los Banos Planning Team

2.2.3 Historic, Cultural and Natural Resources
The following historical resources are located in the City of Los Banos:
● Bank of Los Banos Building – National Register (listed 8/24/1979) ● Church of St. Joseph – National Register (listed 7/8/2004) ● San Luis Gonzaga Archeological District – National Register (listed 5/7/1973) Natural resources are important to include in benefit-cost analyses for future projects and may be used to leverage additional funding for projects that also contribute to community goals for protecting sensitive natural resources. Awareness of natural assets can lead to opportunities for meeting multiple objectives.

For instance, protecting wetlands areas protects sensitive habitat as well as attenuates and stores floodwaters. Nearby to the City are the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and Grassland Wildlife Management Area are located to the east. The Wildlife Refuge encompasses 26,800 acres of wetlands,

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 11 riparian forests, natives grasslands and vernal pools. The Grassland Wildlife Management areas supports seasonally flooded marshlands, semi-permanent marshes and native grasslands. Both the Refuge and Wildlife Management Areas are located in flood hazard areas and benefits the surrounding area by absorbing floodwaters and recharging aquifers.

2.3 Estimating Potential Losses

2.3.1 Earthquake
The City of Los Banos’ distance to fault zones in the region, including the Ortigalita, Calaveras, San Andreas and Hayward Faults, places it within ‘Maximum Expectable Earthquake Intensity Zone III’ where ‘High Severity, Most Probable Damage’ could result should an earthquake occur in the region. There is no record of any seismic activity originating within the City; however, the Los Banos area has been shaken by earthquakes originating elsewhere. There is documented evidence of six earthquakes that shook the area, those of 1872, 1906, 1952, 1966, 1984, and 1989. Major damage occurred in Los Banos in 1906, with minor damage recorded throughout the county from other occurrences.

No damaging earthquakes greater than M6.0 have been recorded in the City of Los Banos or Merced County in over 200 years, though several have been very close. The most recent large earthquake near Merced County, and the City of Los Banos, was 16 miles east north-east of King City with a magnitude of

5.3 on October 20, 2012. Several aftershocks followed the main earthquake, including a M3.1 aftershock.

Based on the earthquake shaking potential mapped for the City of Los Banos, the proximity to the San Andreas Fault and the history of shaking but no surface rupture, the probability of damaging seismic ground shaking in the City of Los Banos is considered as likely. Other hazards associated with earthquake activity, such as lateral spreading, surface cracking, or differential setting, are considered unlikely to occur, although no studies have been conducted to determine the likelihood of these hazards.

2.3.2 Flood and Levee Failure
The primary types of flood events in Merced County that may impact the City of Los Banos are riverine and urban. Regardless of the type of flood, the cause is often the result of severe weather and excessive rainfall, either in the flood area, upstream, or from winter snowmelt. Failed dams can create floods that are catastrophic to life and property as a result of the tremendous energy of the released water.

Most of Los Banos lies outside the 100-year floodplain designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Several smaller areas in the southeastern portion of the city limits fall short of being in the 100-year floodplain as well as some small areas to the north of the city limits. The City of Los Banos participates in the National Flood Program; however, the FEMA Flood Insurance Study (Number 06047CV000C) reports ‘Merced County includes the Cities of Dos Palos and Los Banos, which do not contain any Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) and are non-flood prone.’ The following page reflects the flood potential impact areas around the City of Los Banos, with the 100-Year and 200-Year floodplains illustrated in Figure 2-1 and Figure 2-2 respectively. Available history, data, and surveys by FEMA, indicates the City of Los Banos is not in the floodplain and would rarely have the hazard potential for future flooding.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 14 Based on the analysis conducted, the City of Los Banos has no improved parcels located within the 100- year floodplain or 200-year floodplain. No parcels were found to be located within the 500-year floodplain.

Critical Facilities at Risk
Critical facilities are those community components that are most needed to withstand the impacts of disaster as previously described. There are no critical facilities located within the City of Los Banos which are also in the floodplain, although there are some within the general vicinity of Los Banos which are exposed to flood hazards as shown in Figure 2-3. The impact to the wider community could be great if these facilities are damaged or destroyed during a flood event.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 16 Insurance Coverage, Claims Paid, and Repetitive Losses
The City of Los Banos joined the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) on February 3, 1998. NFIP Insurance data indicates that as of July 2021, there were 16 flood insurance policies in force in the City with $5,180,000 of coverage. All of the policies are single family residential and located in the B, C, and X zone.

There has been no historical claims for flood losses in Los Banos. According to the FEMA Community Information System accessed July 23, 2021, the City has no Repetitive Loss properties or Severe Repetitive Loss properties.

2.3.3 Wildfires
Weather components, such as temperature, relative humidity, wind, and lightning, also affect the potential for wildfire. High temperatures and low relative humidity dry out the fuels that feed the wildfire creating a situation where fuel will more readily ignite and burn more intensely. Both urban and wildland fire conditions exist in Merced County and its cities which increases the chances for damage to property, loss of life and/or injury. In most of Merced County, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) ranks fuel loading as low. Fuels are mainly crops and grasses. In the southwest corner, there are some brush, pine, and grass fuels, which are ranked as moderate fuel hazards, primarily in the area west of Interstate 5.

There have not been any state or federal disaster declarations in the City of Los Banos or Merced County related to wildfire in the past. The LPT noted that although there are many fire starts, the fuels are “flashy” and fires are usually quickly put out. Table 2-4 below summarizes the counts, values, and property types of improved parcels exposed to various wildfire hazards, as well as an estimated exposed population.

Figure 2-5 shows the wildfire threat areas in Los Banos.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 17 Table 2-4 Properties Exposed to Wildfire Threat Areas
Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
Very High
Building
Count
High
Building
Count
Moderate
Building
Count
Low
Total
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content Value Total Value Population
Agricultural 2 0 0 1 2 3 $110,505 $110,505 $221,010
Commercial 11 0 0 1 16 17 $28,779,969 $28,779,969 $57,559,938 Exempt 13 0 0 3 10 13 $699,902 $699,902 $1,399,804
Mixed Use 1 0 0 0 1 1 $19,283 $19,283 $38,566 4
Residential 1,138 0 2 193 947 1,142 $298,688,139 $149,344,070 $448,032,209 4,111 Total 1,165 0 2 198 976 1,176 $328,297,798 $178,953,729 $507,251,527 4,115 Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis

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Table 2-5 Critical Facilities Exposed to Wildfire Threat Areas FEMA Lifeline Count
Low Wildfire Threat
Food, Water, Shelter 1
Safety and Security 2
Total 3
Source: Merced County, HIFLD, CAL FIRE, FRAP, Wood GIS Analysis Figure 2-6 shows the fire responsibility areas in the City of Los Banos. Based on the analysis there is 1 commercial building located with the moderate hazard area, with a total value of $1,478,268. Two critical facilities, one categorized as a Transportation Lifeline and the other a Food, Water, and Shelter Lifeline, are located within the local responsibility moderate fire hazard area. Refer to Section 4 of the Base Plan for methodology and results of the countywide analysis.

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Table 2-6 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed Within Fire Severity Areas Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count Improved Value Estimated Content Value Total Value Population SRA Moderate
Residential 3 3 $487,205 $243,603 $730,808 10
Total 3 3 $487,205 $243,603 $730,808 10
Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 22 Table 2-7 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed Within Fire Threat Areas Property Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
High
Building
Count
Moderate
Building
Count
Low
Total Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated Content
Value Total Value Population
Agricultural 21 0 8 29 37 $4,341,319 $4,341,319 $8,682,638 Commercial 4 0 1 4 5 $306,394 $306,394 $612,788
Exempt 4 0 1 3 4 $0 $0 $0
Industrial 2 0 1 1 2 $1,575,000 $2,362,500 $3,937,500
Residential 34 1 8 37 46 $4,092,501 $2,046,251 $6,138,752 153 Vacant Land 1 0 0 1 1 $16,236 $16,236 $32,472
Total 66 1 19 75 95 $10,331,450 $9,072,700 $19,404,150 153 Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 23 3 CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT
Capabilities are the programs and policies currently in use to reduce hazard impacts or that could be used to implement hazard mitigation activities. This capabilities assessment is divided into five sections:
regulatory mitigation capabilities, administrative and technical mitigation capabilities, fiscal mitigation capabilities, mitigation outreach and partnerships, and other mitigation efforts. To develop this capability assessment, the jurisdictional planning representatives reviewed a matrix of common mitigation activities to inventory which of these policies or programs and shared any updates or changes through the Los Banos Data Collection Guide. The team then supplemented this inventory by reviewing additional existing policies, regulations, plans, and programs to determine if they contribute to reducing hazard-related losses.

Table 3-1 City of Los Banos – Regulatory and Planning Capabilities Regulatory Tool
(ordinances, codes, plans) Yes/No Comments
General Plan Yes Approved July 15, 2009, currently working on update to be completed by 2021
Zoning ordinance Yes Chapter 3 – Municipal Code
Subdivision ordinance Yes Chapter 2 – Municipal Code
Growth management ordinance
Floodplain ordinance Yes Title 9, Section 4 – Municipal Code Other special purpose ordinance
(stormwater, steep slope, wildfire)
Yes Storm Water Pollution Plan
Building code Yes The 2019 California Code of Regulations, Title 24 Part 1 (California Administrative Code)
Fire department ISO rating Yes Rating 3
Erosion or sediment control program Yes Landscape Improvement Standards Stormwater management program Yes MS4 Permit
Site plan review requirements Yes Title 9, Section 4 – Municipal Code Capital improvements plan Yes 2022-2026
Economic development plan Yes Economic Development Strategic Plan, December 2012

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 24 Regulatory Tool
(ordinances, codes, plans) Yes/No Comments
Local emergency operations plan Yes 2015
Other special plans Yes Storm Water Pollution Plan
Flood insurance study or other
engineering study for streams
N/A
Elevation certificates (for floodplain
development)
N/A
Other
City of Los Banos General Plan, 2009 – The City of Los Banos approved its General Plan revision in July 2009, with an anticipated horizon year of 2030. This General Plan defines the City’s goals, objectives and policies that guide the physical growth, use and development of land under the jurisdictional authority of the City.

The purpose of the Public Health and Safety Element is to reduce or eliminate long term risk to people and property from natural or human caused hazards. This element focuses on establishing policies and programs to protect the community from risks associated with seismic, geologic, flood, and fire hazards.

The Public Health and Safety Element is now expanded to include community health and community safety related issues that are more commonly associated with the built environment as affecting the health and safety of residents living within the City. As noted above, the city is currently in the process of updating the General Plan through the year 2040.

The City of Los Banos Public Health and Safety Element does not reference incorporation of the 2014 MJHMP. Also, integration of the 2014 MJHMP was not noted in any of the other City planning mechanisms. However, the City can now incorporate the 2021 Merced County MJHMP by reference as part of their General Plan update process.

City of Los Banos Emergency Plan, 2015 – The Emergency Plan addresses the planned response to emergency situations associated with natural disasters, technological incidents, human caused events and national security emergencies in or affecting the City of Los Banos. The plan establishes the emergency management organization required to mitigate any significant emergency or disaster affecting the City; identifies the policies, responsibilities, and procedures required to protect the health and safety of communities, public and private property, and the environmental effects of natural, human caused and technological emergencies and disasters; and establishes the operational concepts and policies for disaster response and recovery.

City Fire Management Plan – The City of Los Banos Fire Department is a full-service department providing fire protection, fire suppression, inspections, public education, fire responders for medical aids, and all types of technical rescue operations. The department operates four (4) front line engines, one reserve engine, one OES engine, one ladder truck, two rescue units, water tender, and other service vehicles. The goals of the Los Banos Fire Department and Volunteer Fire Department are:
● To continue to provide cost effective fire protection and emergency services to the citizens of Los Banos;
● To improve operational efficiency and accountability, to continue moving in a positive direction providing the best possible service to the community;
● To continue to foster the Volunteer Fire Department providing training, comradery and pride in their department; and
● To support the goals, objectives and mission of the City of Los Banos.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 25 The primary mission of the Los Banos Fire Department and Volunteer Fire Department is to protect life and property for the citizens of the City of Los Banos from the effect of fires, medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, exposure to hazardous materials, earthquakes, floods, disasters and dangerous conditions. The life safety and property protection mission is accomplished through a wide range of programs which include fire protection, fire prevention, planning, fire prevention education, fire inspections, code enforcement, fire suppression, and training. The Los Banos Fire Department also provides mutual aid for fire/rescue and EMS services to other local agencies in Merced County, and participates in the statewide Master Mutual Aid plan.

Emergency Services Ordinance, Title 4, Chapter 2 – The declared purposes of this chapter are to provide for the preparation and carrying out of plans for the protection of persons and property within the City in the event of an emergency; the direction of the emergency organization; and the coordination of the emergency functions of the City with all other public agencies, corporations, organizations and affected private persons. The council’s powers include the development of emergency and mutual aid plans and agreements and the ordinances and resolutions as necessary to implement the Multi-Hazard Functional Plan and any other such plans and agreements.

California Fire Code – Title 4, Chapter 3 – For the purpose of prescribing regulations governing conditions hazardous to life and property from fire, hazardous materials or explosion, that certain Code known as the 2013 California Fire Code (Part 9 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), as published by the International Code Council, together with all appendices and subsequent additions and editions thereto, one copy of which is on file in the office of the City Clerk for public record and inspection, is hereby adopted by reference and made a part of this chapter as though set forth in this chapter in full, subject, however, to the amendments, additions, and deletions set forth in this chapter, and said Code shall be known as the Fire Prevention Code of the City of Los Banos. (§ 1, Ord. 1066, eff.

February 1, 2008, as amended by § 1, Ord. 1099, eff. August 20, 2011, and § 1, Ord. 1117, eff. March 19, 2014)
Floodplain Management Ordinance Chapter 9-Sec.4-9.12 – It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to:
● Protect human life and health;
● Minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects; ● Minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public;
● Minimize prolonged business interruptions;
● Minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains; electric, telephone and sewer lines; and streets and bridges located in areas of special flood hazard; ● Help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of areas of special flood hazard so as to minimize future blighted areas caused by flood damage; ● Ensure that potential buyers are notified that property is in an area of special flood hazard; and, ● Ensure that those who occupy the areas of special flood hazard assume responsibility for their actions.

3.2 Administrative and Technical Capability
The table below identifies city personnel with responsibilities for activities related to mitigation and loss prevention in the City of Los Banos. Many positions are full time and/or filled by the same person. A summary of technical resources follows.

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 26 Table 3-2 City of Los Banos – Personnel Capabilities
Personnel Resources Yes/No Department/Position Comments Planner/engineer with knowledge of land
development/land management
practices
Yes Planning and Economic
Development Director
Engineer/professional trained in
construction practices related to
buildings and/or infrastructure
Yes City Building Department
Building Official
Planner/engineer/scientist with an
understanding of natural hazards
Yes City Engineer, Public Works
Personnel skilled in GIS Yes Planning and Economic
Director
Full time building official Yes Building Department
Floodplain manager Yes Public Works Department –
Public Works Director
Emergency manager Yes City Administrator; City Fire
Chief
Grant writer Yes Administration
Other personnel Yes Many other agencies and
departments within the City
support personnel
capabilities to carry out
hazard mitigation activities
GIS Data Resources
(Hazard areas, critical facilities, land use,
building footprints, etc.)
Other
The City of Los Banos operates under a City Council/City Manager form of government. The City Council (4 members) makes laws and sets policies which are enforced and implemented by the City Manager, with the assistance of subordinate officers, department heads, and the City Clerk, City Treasurer and City Attorney. Municipal elections are held every two years in November of even-numbered years with City Council terms overlapping. The Mayor and two Council Members are elected at one election, and the other two Council Members, City Clerk and City Treasurer are elected at the next election. The City of Los Banos provides water, sewer, and storm drainage, as well as police, fire, and general government services.

The City of Los Banos has one school district which serves the students of the City and surrounding area.

The Los Banos Unified School District has eight elementary schools (K-6), five charter schools, three parochial schools, one junior high school, a continuation high school, an adult school, two high school campuses, and a media center. Los Banos has a Community College, and is minutes away from UC Merced.

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 27

Table 3-3 City of Los Banos – Available Financial Tools and Resources Financial Resources Accessible/
Eligible to Use
Has This Been Used for
Mitigation in the Past? Comments
Community Development
Block Grants
Yes
Capital improvements project
funding
Yes
Authority to levy taxes for
specific purposes
Yes Must be approved by voters
Fees for water, sewer, gas, or
electric services, new
development
Yes Services provided through cities
districts and levied through
property assessments adopted
development impact fees for Fire /
Police / water / waste water.

Incur debt through general
obligation bonds
Yes
Incur debt through special tax
bonds
Yes Requires approval through twothirds voters
Incur debt through private
activities
Yes Do not have any in place
Federal Grant Programs
(Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program)
Yes Various Departments

During the 2021 planning process the following outreach efforts were identified:
● Ongoing newsletter
● Fire Prevention School Programs
● Presence and use of social media
Education and outreach efforts, as well as emergency response planning, will need to address the needs of low-income residents and the large Spanish-speaking population. In past emergencies, volunteers have organized spontaneously to help those with mobility issues.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex E: City of Los Banos
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 28 assigns tasks. The Planning Commission is charged with the responsibility of studying the needs of the City in which they advise and recommend to the City Council concerning the establishment, modifications and change of zones or districts, and designations of the uses to which property contained therein may be prohibited, restricted, and regulated and other duties as may be delegated by the City Council.

3.4.2 The Economic Development Advisory Committee
The Los Banos Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC) was formed to assist the City of Los Banos in an advisory capacity. Cities throughout the State of California have Economic Development Advisory Commissions that meet monthly and provide ideas and support for economic projects within each jurisdiction’s redevelopment area.

3.4.3 Traffic Safety Committee
The City of Los Banos has established a Traffic Safety Committee as outlined in Los Banos Municipal Code Section 4-5.05. It was established in 1992. Members include representatives from the Public Works Department, Community & Economic Development Department, Police Department, Fire Department, and Planning Commission. This Committee has the duty of initiating or reviewing all proposals or requests for establishment, modification, elimination, or removal of all traffic control signs, signals, markings, speed zones, prohibited or restricted parking zones, or other such related matters, which fall under the lawful discretionary control of the City.

3.5 Other Mitigation Efforts
In addition to the project identified in the City’s Mitigation Action plan, the City of Los Banos’ Fire Department conducts annual fire and life safety inspections for all businesses and SB 1205 occupancies (Apartments, Hotels, Assemblies and Schools). The Los Banos Fire Department also provides mutual aid for fire/rescue and EMS services to other local agencies in Merced County and participates in the statewide Master Mutual Aid plan.

3.6 Opportunities for Enhancement
Based on the capabilities assessment, the City of Los Banos has several existing mechanisms in place that already help to mitigate hazards. There are also opportunities for the city to expand or improve on their policies, programs and fiscal capabilities and further protect the community. Future improvements may include providing training for staff members related to hazards or hazard mitigation grant funding in partnership with the County and Cal OES. Additional training opportunities will help to inform City staff members on how best to integrate hazard information and mitigation projects into their departments.

Continuing to train City staff on mitigation and the hazards that pose a risk to the City of Los Banos will lead to more informed staff members who can better communicate this information to the public. The City is also enhancing their residential inspection program that identifies unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings in the downtown area. These annual inspections help the City identify and mitigate seismic risk associated with this construction method of construction. 4 MITIGATION STRATEGY

4.1 Goals and Objectives
The City of Los Banos adopts the hazard mitigation goals and objectives developed by the Planning Team and described in Section 5 Mitigation Strategy of the Basin Plan.

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 29

4.2 Continued Compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program The city has been an NFIP participating community since 1998. In addition to the mitigation actions identified herein the City will continue to comply with the NFIP. Floodplain management is under the purview of the Director of the Public Works Department. This includes ongoing activities such as enforcing local floodplain development regulations, including issuing permits for appropriate development in Special Flood Hazard Areas and ensuring that this development mitigated in accordance with the regulations. This will also include periodic reviews of the floodplain ordinance to ensure that it is clear and up to date and reflects new or revised flood hazard mapping.

4.3 Progress on 2014 Actions
During the 2021 planning process the City of Los Banos Planning Team reviewed all the mitigation actions from the 2014 plan. Of their ten (10) mitigation actions from 2014, eight (8) of the actions are continuing and are implemented annually, demonstrating ongoing progress and building the community’s resiliency to disasters. Two (2) actions were deleted that were more county-focused. Seven (7) new actions were added in 2021.

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 30 Table 4-1 City of Los Banos Mitigation Action Plan
ID Goal(s) Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost
Estimate
Potential
Funding Priority Timeline Status/Implementation Notes
1 1,2,3
MultiHazard:

Earthquake,
Flood and
Levee
Failure,
Severe
Weather,
Wildfire
Participate in Countywide Public
Education Program. A natural
hazards education and awareness
program in Merced County would
be a valuable tool for sharing
information with residents.

Implementation ideas include
sharing information online and
conducting workshops. The county
will partner with special districts,
the cities and other entities to
provide awareness and education
on hazards and steps to mitigate.

OES / CEO's
Office $100,000 Federal Grants High Annually Continue – in progress 2 1,2,3
MultiHazard:

Earthquake,
Flood and
Levee
Failure,
Severe
Weather,
Wildfire
Integrate Local Hazard Mitigation
Plan into Safety Element of General
Plan. Recognizing the potential
duplication of effort over
evaluation of the same issues,
efforts to update the Health and
Safety Element will be conducted in
coordination with the multi-hazard
mitigation plan and to also ensure
AB2140 Compliance. Integration
and coordination of both plans
provides General Plan policy
direction for development activity.

Potential loss reductions in the
$1000s as any new development
within the county will be
considered within the context of
the county’s Health and Safety
Element.

Community
Development
Agency
$5,000 General
Fund Medium 1 to 3 years Continue – in progress
3 1,2,3 Earthquake
Non-structural Earthquake
Mitigation Outreach. Existing Public Works $100,000 Federal Grants Medium 1 to 3 years Continue – in progress

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 31 ID Goal(s) Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost
Estimate
Potential
Funding Priority Timeline Status/Implementation Notes
structures can be retrofitted to
better withstand damage from
seismic events. Outreach will
include educating home and
business owners about structural
and non-structural retrofit
techniques and how to seismically
strengthen their homes and
businesses. Specific techniques
include secure furnishings, storage
cabinets and utilities to prevent
injuries and damages, such as
anchoring, installing lathes, using
flexible connections on gas and
water lines, and bracing propane
tanks and water heaters.
4 1,3 Earthquake
Participate in countywide Inventory
for Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
- Use GIS a to map and track URMs
Countywide. An accurate inventory
of URM Buildings with appropriate
tracking will lessen time during the
recovery after an EQ.

Public Works $15,000 –
20,000
Federal
Grants Medium 1 year Continue – in progress
5 1,3
MultiHazard:

Earthquake,
Flood and
Levee
Failure,Seve
re Weather,
Wildfire
Periodically review building codes
for updates and enhancements and
ensure necessary capabilities for
enforcement.

Building
Department Staff time Dept. Budget Medium
1 year with
all CBC
updates
Continue – in progress
6 1,2,3 Severe
Weather
Participate in Severe Weather
Preparedness Campaign. This
project would add to and enhance
the existing, campaigns that share
information on Severe Weather
Fire
Department
$100,000 Federal
Grants High Annually Continue – in progress

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 32 ID Goal(s) Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost
Estimate
Potential
Funding Priority Timeline Status/Implementation Notes
Hazards: Fog, Freeze, Location of
Warming Centers, Heat Related
Illness, All Hazards Preparedness
information, etc.; The county will
work with special districts, the cities
and other entities.
7 1,2,3 Drought
Promote Water Conservation
Program. Drought is a serious issue
that is faced in California. Water
awareness of all citizens within the
County is critical to the future of
our water supply. Reminders,
education and awareness will help
keep the conservation importance
in the forefront.

Public Works $100,000 Federal
Grants High Annually Continue – in progress
8 1, 2 Wildfire
Implement and Monitor Weed
Abatement Program to Reduce
Wildfire Fuels
Fire
Department $15,000 General Fund High Annually New in 2021 9 3
Flood and
Levee
Failure,
Earthquake,
Wildfire
Prepare Emergency Plan for Critical
Infrastructure
Public Works
$25,000 General
Fund High 3 to 5 years New in 2021
10 3
Earthquake Perform Building-Specific Seismic
Vulnerability Assessment of City
Owned Critical Facilities
Building
Department/
Public Works/
Economic
Development
$50,000 General
Fund High 3 to 5 years New in 2021
11 2, 3
Flood Continue to Update Storm Water
System Master Plan to Identify
Potential Flood Mitigation Projects
Public Works
$100,000 Federal
Funds Medium 3 to 5 years New in 2021
12 1
Flood,
Earthquake,
Wildfire
Prepare a Shelter, and Emergency
Provision Plan to Ensure Adequate
Space and Supplies
Fire
Department $100,000 Federal
Funds Medium 3 to 5 years New in 2021

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 33 ID Goal(s) Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead Agency
and Partners
Cost
Estimate
Potential
Funding Priority Timeline Status/Implementation Notes
13 1
Severe
Weather
Prepare Weather Preparedness
Program (Extreme Heat and Cold)
Fire
Department $25,000 General
Fund Medium 1 year New in 2021
14 3
Drought Promote Water Conservation
Program with continued updates to
Urban Water Management Plan
Public Works
$50,000 General
Fund High 3 to 5 years New in 2021
15 1, 2
Earthquake
Flood and
Levee
Failure,
Wildfire
Rental Home Inspections to ensure
fire and life safety.

Fire
Department/
Community
Economic
Development
$100,000 General
Fund High 3 to 5 years New in 2021

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 34 5 IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE
Moving forward, the city will use the mitigation action table in the previous section to track progress on implementation of each project. Implementation of the plan overall is discussed in Section 6 in the Base Plan.

5.1 Incorporation into Existing Planning Mechanisms
The information contained within this plan, including results from the Vulnerability Assessment, and the Mitigation Strategy will be used by the City to help inform updates and the development of local plans, programs and policies. The Engineering Division may utilize the hazard information when implementing the City’s Community Investment Program and the Planning and Economic Department s may utilize the hazard information when reviewing a site plan or other type of development applications. The City’s Public Works Department would integrate key flood and stormwater projects outlined in the MJHMP in the most recent Capital Improvement Program. The City is also currently undergoing a General Plan update; during this planning process they City’s Planning and Economic Development Department will incorporate the 2021 MJHMP into the Safety Element of their General Plan, as recommended by Assembly Bill (AB) 2140.

As noted in Section 6 of the Base Plan, the HMPT representatives from Los Banos will report on efforts to integrate the hazard mitigation plan into local plans, programs and policies and will report on these efforts at the annual HMPT plan review meeting.

5.2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Updating the Plan
The City will follow the procedures to monitor, review, and update this plan in accordance with Merced County as outlined in Section 6 of the Base Plan. The city will continue to involve the public in mitigation, as described in Section 6.2.1 of the Base Plan. The Los Banos Fire Department, Fire Chief will be responsible for representing the city in the County HMPT, and for coordination with City staff and departments during plan updates. The City realizes it is important to review the plan regularly and update it every five years in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act Requirements as well as other State of California requirements.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 1 1 CITY OF MERCED

1.1 Community Profile

1.1.1 Mitigation Planning History and 2021 Process
This annex was created during the development of the 2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) update. This Jurisdictional Annex builds upon the City of Merced’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), which was prepared as a stand-alone plan in 2015, separate from the 2014 Merced County MJHMP. A review of jurisdictional priorities found no significant changes in priorities since the previous plan.

The City’s Local Planning Team (LPT) held the responsibility for implementation and maintenance of the plan. Members are listed in Appendix A. More details on the planning process follow and how the jurisdictions and stakeholders participated can be found in Section 3 Planning Process of the Base Plan, along with how the public was involved during the 2021 update.

1.1.2 Geography and Climate
The City of Merced is located in Merced County and in the heart of San Joaquin Valley approximately 100 miles south of Sacramento and 55 miles north of Fresno and Bakersfield. Merced is the county seat and also one of the larger cities in the County of Merced and is known as the “Gateway to Yosemite” because the City has served as a stopping place for visitors on their way to Yosemite National Park, which is approximately two hours away or approximately 80 miles to the east. The City is located in the eastern portion of the County at the intersection of Highway 99 and State Highway 140. According to the United States Census Bureau, Merced has a total area of 25 square miles – almost all of which consists of land with an elevation of 171 feet above sea level. The City is home to the University of California, Merced (UCMerced) with educational opportunities, commercial centers and agribusiness, a revitalized downtown with annual events and a live-stage theater, and a community and diversified industry with a history of food, farming and manufacturing.

The northern part of the City is characterized by rolling terrain and the southern part is relatively flat. The northern, western, and eastern portions of the City contain creeks and canals, including Bear Creek, Black Rascal Creek Fahrens Creek, and Cottonwood Creek. Lake Yosemite and UC-Merced are located approximately two miles to the north and east of downtown. Climate in the City of Merced cycles through a cool rainy winter season and a dry summer season. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cool and wet, with most of the year’s rain falling from late October through early April.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 2 Figure 1-1 City of Merced Planning Area Map

Source: City of Merced 2012 (Amended 2015)

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 3

1.1.3 History
The City of Merced’s history dates back to the 1870’s when the City developed along the banks of Bear Creek and growth was driven by the Central Pacific Railroad. In 1871, Charles H. Huffman was locating town sites along the new railroad, and like other San Joaquin Valley communities, the major railroad transportation corridor helped lay out the City’s grid along the alignment of the new railroad line. As a result, the older parts of Merced between Bear Creek and the Central Pacific Railroad line are along a southeast/northwest trending angle (City of Merced 2015).

The City initially grew in 1872 with the sale of lots and within a few months several buildings were constructed with the El Capitan Hotels serving as the primary entry point into the City. The City served as an entry point to the gold mining industry until Yosemite Valley became recognized and Merced became recognized as an important gateway to the national park. Around this same time the Merced County seat of government was relocated from Snelling to Merced and a new county courthouse was developed in the downtown.

The City of Merced’s commercial and industrial districts were established by 1875 with hotels, stables, small stores, warehouses, and industrial buildings behind the railroad tracks. Merced also had three distinctive residential districts within a few years, a street light system, and a water system, and in 1889 the City incorporated and by 1890 the City reached a population of 2,009 (City of Merced 2015).

Transportation continued to have a major impact on the City of Merced when the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad established a right-of-way through the City. After the turn of the century, growth and development slowed and residential development was limited to large 10 to 20 acre lots with large homes to the east of the City. The Yosemite Valley Railroad was constructed between 1905 and 1907 and located off the end of Main Street in the present day Westgate Shopping Center, which brought new jobs to the City, a demand for goods and services, and a surge of commercial and residential development that took place prior to World War I. Around the 1920’s Merced’s residential districts expanded to the west near the Yosemite Valley railroad tracks and by the 1930’s the population increased to 7,066. The opening of the Yosemite Highway (Highway 140) in 1926, the City further expanded with the increase in vehicle traffic and automotive-related businesses.

Merced continued to grow through the 1940s with the nearby airports and Merced Air Field (Castle Air Force Base). After World War II, the City expanded again and began developing their first zoning ordinance and redevelopment projects. By 1960, the City grew to 20,000 people and the Merced Junior College was established, the Merced Mall opened, and new single-family residential expanded. Soon after, the City adopted their first general plan in 1968, which foresaw the need for the University of California campus in the Valley. The 1960’s also brought the construction of Highway 99, which divided downtown Merced into three distinct subareas: north Merced, central Merced, and south Merced, south of Highway

99. The City’s population reached 37,000 by 1980 and an urban growth boundary was established that directed growth to the north and south to avoid prime agricultural lands and areas subject to high flood levels to the City’s east and west.

Again, the City grew through the 1980s and 1990s with residential construction and the population reached 55,608 (City of Merced 2015). It was not until the recession in 1990 that slowed the growth of the preceding decade. Around the same time, the City completed growth studies and directed growth to occur primarily north of northeast around Lake Yosemite. In 1995, the Lake Yosemite area was selected as the site for the present day UC-Merced campus and approximately 10 years later the campus opened in 2005. The City grew again after the second economic recession and by 2010 annexed another 3,800 acres of new residential, commercial, and industrial land, opened another hospital, and grew to a population of approximately 80,865.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 4 The City of Merced had steady economic growth in the following decade following the 2008 Recession, but in the initial years the City’s downtown suffered as it lost retail and real estate value. This was a result of both the recession and the closure of the Castle Air Force Base in 1995 (Collins 2020). The City recovered with continuing development and primarily from the expansion of the UC-Merced campus – the fastest growing public research university in the Country. The expansion of the university and the redevelopment in the City was largely accomplished through a public-private redevelopment effort to double the UC-Merced campus by 2020 (known as Merced 2020).

The expansion of the UC-Merced campus resulted in a positive impact on the City, and this is visible with the development of a Downtown Center across from the City Hall that has moved hundreds of jobs into the City. The City has also focused on revitalization of the downtown through key redevelopment projects at historic downtown landmarks: the Tioga Apartments, the Manzier Theatre, and the EL Capitan Hotel (Klein 2018). According to the City, the building industry did not slow down during the ongoing (2020- 2021) pandemic but continued to complete development projects through 2020 and into 2021. There were 1,974,217 square feet of construction added in 2020, and 600,000 square feet more than 2019 (City of Merced 2021). The total number of building permits was 3,727, and in 2020, the City processed the most single-family dwelling permits (723) and multi-family building permits (20) completed in the last decade. There were also 389 multi-family units added last year (City of Merced 2021). This growth has resulted in jobs, additional income, and new housing and businesses in the City.

1.1.4 Economy
The City of Merced’s vision is to increase employment opportunities for its citizens, promote a diverse and balanced economy, preserve the City’s economic base, support high-quality industrial areas and research and development parks, and provide access to commercial services to create a distinguished downtown.

Merced’s growth and increase in industry and retail businesses has added substantial retail and office space, new industrial buildings, new business parks, the UC-Merced campus, and a new hospital. The economic recession impacted the City and around this time, unemployment rates rose and many businesses and industries left the City, and house prices at the end of 2009 fell to 1998 levels. While the economy has traditionally relied on agribusiness and the presence of Castle Air Force Base, over the past twenty years, the economy has diversified with the presence of UC-Merced and new educational and hospital jobs, printing services, warehousing, and packaging industries.

Estimates of select economic characteristics for the City of Merced are shown in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1 City of Merced Economic Characteristics, 2015-2019 Characteristic City of Merced
Families below Poverty Level (%) 18.5%
All People below Poverty Level (%) 29.3%
Median Family Income $45,232
Median Household Income $45,232
Per Capita Income $20,488
Population in Labor Force 59.6%
Population Employed* 90.1%
Unemployment** 9.7%
Source: CA Department of Finance U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/
*Excludes armed forces. **Does not reflect unemployment numbers due to COVID-19 Pandemic

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 5 The most common industries within a five-mile radius of Merced are agribusiness, followed by educational services and health care. Other industries include printing, distribution, boat manufacturing, food processing, and packaging materials. Merced is the home of two major grocery distribution centers (i.e., SaveMart and McLane Pacific), Malibu Boats, Safeway food processing, and various printing companies. The City is also home to various non-manufacturing employers, including the County of Merced, Merced City School District, AT&T Call Center, Merced Union High School District, Merced College, UC-Merced, City of Merced, and numerous large retailers, such as Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Sears, and JC Penney. The tables below show the labor force breakdown by occupations and industry based on estimates from the 2015-2019 five-year American Community Survey.

Table 1-2 City of Merced Employment by Industry, 2015-2019 Occupation # Employed % Employed
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 8,161 23% Retail trade 4,103 12%
Manufacturing 2,972 8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 4,028 11.3% Construction 2,145 6%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services
5,171 15%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 1,558 4%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 1,070 3% Public administration 2,318 7%
Other services, except public administration 839 2%
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services
2,029 6%
Wholesale trade 775 2%
Information 355 1%
Total 35,524 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ *Excludes armed forces
Table 1-3 City of Merced Employment by Occupation, 2015-2019 Occupation # Employed % Employed
Management, business, science, and arts occupations 7,904 22% Service occupations 7,690 22%
Sales and office occupations 8,698 25%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 6,070 17% Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 5,162 14% Total 35,524 100%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/ *Excludes armed forces

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 6 2,710 residents from the previous year, leaving the population slightly higher. Select demographic and social characteristics for the City of Merced from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey and the California Department of Finance, are shown in Table 1-4.

Table 1-4 City of Merced Demographic and Social Characteristics, 2015-2019 Characteristic City of Atwater
Gender/Age
Male 49.5%
Female 50.5%
Median age (years) 30.1
Under 5 years 6.9%
Under 18 years 27.9%
65 years and over 9.1%
Race/Ethnicity
White 23%
Asian 14.4%
Black or African American 5.0%
American Indian/Alaska Native 1.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 57.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.0%
Some other race 0.0%
Two or more races 2.6%
Education*
% High school graduate or higher 73.6%
% with Bachelor’s Degree or Higher 14.6%
Social Vulnerability
% with Disability 13.8%
% Language other than English spoken at
home 53.0%
% Speak English less than "Very Well" 17.5%
% of households with a computer with
internet use 93.2%
% of households with no vehicle available 6.9%
Source: CA Department of Finance U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/
* Population 25 years and over
The following table with information from the American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2015-2019) is related to housing occupancy in the City of Merced.

Table 1-5 City of Merced Housing Occupancy and Units, 2015-2019 Housing Characteristic Estimate Percentage
Housing Occupancy
Total Housing Units 26,025 100%
Units Occupied 25,005 96.1%
Vacant 1,020 3.9%

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 7 Housing Characteristic Estimate Percentage
Housing Units
1-unit detached 17,384 66.8%
1-unit attached 694 2.7%
2 units 807 3.1%
3 or 4 units 2,617 10.1%
5-9 units 1,876 7.2%
10-19 units 578 2.2%
20 or more units 1,448 5.6%
Mobile Home 621 2.4%
Boat, RV, van etc. 0 0%
Housing Tenure
Owner Occupied 11,192 44.8%
Renter Occupied 13,813 55.2%
Source: CA Department of Finance U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2015-2019 5-Year Estimates, www.census.gov/

1.1.6 Development Trends
Merced has long been recognized for its small-town feeling, surrounded by agricultural and open space land, parks and historic structures, tree-lined streets, and the creek side bikeways. In order to maintain a sustainable community, it must find a way to attract a variety of industries, local and region serving commercial development, and provide housing opportunities that will appeal to all demographic categories ranging from university students and faculty to retirees and young families. In order to achieve these objectives, the General Plan focuses on a number of basic themes that are reflected in goals and policies. Parts of the City of Merced have grown since the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan, which relied on various assumptions and anticipated future conditions within Merced’s growth area, also known as the City’s Specific Urban Development Plan (SUDP)/Sphere of Influence (SOI). The previous growth considerations focused on the expansion of the vicinity around Lake Yosemite along with a future University community, limiting growth in the unincorporated areas surrounding the City, and setting aside commercial areas to support future employment.

Following the adoption of the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan in 2012, a population projection was prepared by the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG). MCAG projections cover the entire 20-year General Plan period. The projections for Merced, among other cities in Merced County were augmented by growth rates used in the Environmental Impact Report for the UC Merced 2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) to account for the anticipated population increase generated by UC Merced, located at Lake Yosemite north of Merced. Based on MCAG’s projections, the City of Merced was expected to grow to 103,000 by 2030. In comparison, the General Plan took into account the new UCMerced campus and revised MCAG growth projections, which subsequently reduced the population projections for 2030 but added the projections for the City, UC-Merced campus, University Community, and the County to account for additional land that may be useful throughout the life of the plan and to accommodate up to 40 years of potential development. Under this scenario, the City of Merced was expected to grow to 137,400 by 2030 and 152,100 by 2035.

Table 1.6 below summarizes the population projections for the City of Merced, UC-Merced campus and University Community, and combination of the City and the UC-Merced development. It is important to note these projections are based on population forecasts completed in 2010 and may now be an

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 8 underestimate of potential growth projections for the City of Merced and UC-Merced/University community.

Table 1-6 City of Merced Population Projections, 2010-2035 Year City of Merced UC Merced/ University
Community
Merced + UC
Merced/Univ.

Community
County of Merced Percentage of County
(Merced & UC)
2010 81,500 1,900 83,400 260,000 32.1%
2015 91,500 4,700 96,200 287,000 33.5%
2020 107,600 9,400 117,000 331,000 35.3%
2025 121,800 15,600 137,400 372,000 36.9%
2030 137,400 22,500 159,900 417,500 38.3%
2035 152,100 31,300 183,400 465,500 39.4%
Sources: City of Merced 2012; MCAG 2010
The General Plan plans for new jobs in commercial retail, commercial services, light industrial, manufacturing, public services, and other employment uses. It also plans for growth through buildout estimates or the expansion of the urban limit line (i.e., SUDP/SOI). According to the City’s Draft EIR for the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan, approximately 33,463 acres of land will be available in the SUDP/SOI for proposed land uses. This includes 2,414 acres for agriculture, 9,947 acres for single-family residential, 1,027 acres for multi-family residential, 1,052 acres for office uses, 4,099 acres for industrial uses, 747 acres for business park use, 1,965 acres for commercial, 1,107 acres for open space, 1,740 acres for schools, and 1,014 acres for other lands. Build out estimates and designated land uses are not official growth projections and do not represent City policy and actual population, square footage, or number of dwelling units could be lower or higher than these estimates based on a number of factors. Build out may vary overall or within individual land use designations due to:
● The need to preserve the agricultural base, grazing lands, and other types of open space; ● Infrastructure availability, including the provision of transportation facilities, public services, and facilities;
● The need to limit development due to flood risk, fire risk, geologic and soils constraints, presence of habitat and biological resources, and presence of other important natural resources; and ● Other factors, as described in the General Plan, community plans, specific plans, and City codes and ordinances.

The major goals of the previous general plan update were to expand the SUDP/SOI to accommodate growth and the rural residential centers east of the City and the UC-Merced campus, preserve prime agricultural land around the City, continue the predominantly north-south growth pattern, plan for the area around UC-Merced, and locate higher densities along the transit corridors.

There are numerous recent development projects that have been approved or that are in progress in the City according to the City of Merced Tentative Subdivision Activity List (May 2021), including several road and infrastructure capital improvement projects, such as the R Street Crossings at Fahrens Creek, Mission Avenue Interchange, Parsons Avenue Reconstruction, Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades, and the Fahrens Creek Bridge upgrade. The most recent tentative development projects approved include various subdivision activity projects within the City that range from 2 to 520-acre tentative subdivision projects for residential developments (e.g., Crossing at River Oaks, Moraga, Mission Ranch, Stoneridge South, etc.).

These projects are proposed mostly along the north and south end of the City, with the two larger projects, the Crossing and River Oaks and Moraga located to the east of the City (City of Merced 2018).

The projects that were approved and some of those that are now under construction since the 2015 LHMP include 20 to 44 acre subdivisions consisting of 100 to 240 lot developments. The most recent projects

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 9 underway as of 2020 are located along the north end of the City (i.e., Palisades, Mansionette Commercial Development) and the south end of the City (i.e., Mission Ranch Phase 2). The City is also considering one 70-acre annexation project, which involves an off-campus student housing and retail project associated with UC-Merced campus.

Any increases in development and population increases exposure to hazards including severe weatherrelated hazards and pandemics/epidemics, as well as earthquakes. Increases in growth also puts more demands on water resources and can increase vulnerability to drought.

The areas located in the Sphere of Influence (SOI) shown in Figure 1-1 are areas each City plans to grow into and potentially slated for future development. Understanding the potential hazard exposure in these area can help to mitigate the impacts of events before development occurs in those areas. During this plan update process parcel analysis was conducted using the SOI and overlaid with available hazard risk layers to determine where future development may be at risk of natural hazard events. The results of the analysis have been integrated into the applicable hazard sections: dam, flood and wildfire. Table 1-6 is the summary of the SOI total exposure for the City of Merced.

Table 1-6 Sphere of Influence Total Exposure Summary
Property Type Improved
Parcel Count
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content
Value
Total Value
Agricultural 190 256 $20,956,556 $20,956,556 $41,913,112 Commercial 64 97 $16,870,315 $16,870,315 $33,740,630
Exempt 36 50 $18,162,288 $18,162,288 $36,324,576
Industrial 32 62 $22,790,175 $34,185,263 $56,975,438
Mixed Use 10 11 $280,289 $140,145 $420,434
Residential 2,180 2,403 $475,376,520 $237,688,260 $713,064,780 Vacant 16 17 $66,594 $66,594 $133,188
Total 2,528 2,896 $554,502,737 $328,069,420 $882,572,157 Source: Wood Analysis 2021
2 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND SUMMARY
The City of Merced Planning Team identified the hazards that affect the City and summarized their frequency of occurrence, spatial extent, potential magnitude, and significance specific to their community (see Table 2-1). There are no hazards that are unique to Merced. The overall hazard significance takes into account the geographic area, probability and magnitude as a way to identify priority hazards for mitigation purposes. This is discussed further in the Vulnerability Assessment Section.

Table 2-1 City of Merced —Hazard Profiles
Hazard Geographic Area
Probability of
Future
Occurrence
Magnitude/
Severity
Overall
Significance
Dam Incidents Extensive Occasional Catastrophic High
Earthquake Extensive Occasional Critical Medium
Flood and Levee Failure Significant Likely Critical High

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Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 10 Severe Weather: Extreme
Temperatures/Extreme Heat
Extensive Highly Likely Critical Medium
Wildfire Limited Highly Likely Negligible Medium
Geographic Area
Limited: Less than 10% of planning area
Significant: 10-50% of planning area
Extensive: 50-100% of planning area
Probability of Future Occurrences
Highly Likely: Near 100% chance of occurrence in
next year or happens every year.

Likely: Between 10 and 100% chance of
occurrence in next year or has a recurrence
interval of 10 years or less.

Occasional: Between 1 and 10% chance of
occurrence in the next year or has a recurrence
interval of 11 to 100 years.

Unlikely: Less than 1% chance of occurrence in
next 100 years or has a recurrence interval of
greater than every 100 years.

2.1 Vulnerability Assessment
The intent of this section is to assess Merced’s vulnerability that is separate from that of the planning area as a whole, which has already been assessed in Section 4 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment in the Base Plan. This vulnerability assessment analyzes the population, property, and other assets at risk to hazards ranked of medium or high significance that may vary from other parts of the planning area.

The information to support the hazard identification and risk assessment was based on a combination of the previous LHMP for the City and County and jurisdiction-specific information collected during the 2021 update. A LHMP Update Guide and associated worksheets was distributed to each participating municipality or special district to complete during update process in 2021. Information collected was analyzed and summarized in order to identify and rank all the hazards that could impact anywhere within the County, as well as to rank the hazards and identify the related vulnerabilities unique to each jurisdiction.

Note: The hazard “Significance” reflects overall ranking for each hazard and is based on the City of Merced’s Planning Team member input from the Data Collection Guide and the risk assessment developed during the planning process (see Section 4 of the Base Plan), which included a more detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis with best available data.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 11 ● Dam Incidents
● Earthquake
● Flood and Levee Failure
● Severe Weather: Extreme Temperatures/Extreme, Heat
● Wildfire
Severe weather (extreme temperatures/extreme heat) is not addressed in this vulnerability assessment as the exposure is similar to the overall County exposure, and the potential for losses are difficult to quantify specific to the City of Merced.

Other Hazards
Hazards assigned a significance rating of Low and which do not differ significantly from the County ranking (e.g., Low vs. High) are not addressed further in this plan and are not assessed individually for specific vulnerabilities in this section. In the City of Merced, those hazards include: drought, hazardous material incidents, severe weather (dense fog, heavy rain, high wind/tornado), subsidence, cyber attacks, agricultural pests and disease, and pandemics. A brief discussion on hazardous material incidents is profiled because this human-caused hazard was addressed in the City’s previous LHMP.

Additionally, the City’s committee members decided to rate landslides as Not Applicable (N/A) to the planning area due to a lack of exposure, vulnerability, and no probability of occurrence.

2.2 Assets at Risk
This section considers Merced’s assets at risk, including values at risk, critical facilities and infrastructure, historic assets, economic assets and growth and development trends.

Table 2-2 City of Merced Property Exposure by Type
Property Type
Parcel
Count Improved Value Content ValueEstimate Total Value
Agricultural 23 $1,112,724 $1,112,724 $2,225,448
Commercial 911 $1,045,871,699 $1,045,871,699 $2,091,743,398 Exempt 632 $48,779,381 $48,779,381 $97,558,762
Industrial 120 $167,440,322 $251,160,483 $418,600,805
Mixed Use 16 $259,279 $259,279 $518,558
Residential 20,611 $3,488,757,480 $1,744,378,740 $5,233,136,220 Vacant Land 49 $1,410,697 $1,410,697 $2,821,394
Total 22,362 $4,753,631,582 $3,092,973,003 $7,846,604,585

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 12 Source: Merced County Assessor, Wood analysis

2.2.2 Critical Facilities and Infrastructure
For the purposes of this plan, a critical facility is defined as one that is essential in providing utility or direction either during the response to an emergency or during the recovery operation. FEMA sorts critical facilities into seven lifeline categories as shown in Figure 4-1 in the Base Plan. The 2021 plan update process also involved the development of a web-based mapping application by the County in collaboration with Wood. This project webpage served multiple purposes: a planning process backgrounder for the HMPT and public with public survey links; a GIS map based –interactive storyboard (i.e., Experience Builder Application) to communicate the highlights of the risk assessment. The GIS application included interactive hazard maps; a web-based method for collecting, validating, updating and maintaining critical facilities for the plan; and a platform to make the Plan a “living document” moving forward. The City of Merced helped validate the critical facility GIS data collected to ensure accuracy and to align the data with the seven FEMA Lifelines framework classifications. More information on the webbased mapping application is detailed in Section 3.4.1 of the Base Plan.

Table 2-3 shows a summary of the critical facilities analysis for the City of Merced grouped by FEMA lifeline category. critical facilities and other community assets as important to protect in the event of a disaster. Within the City of Merced the following are considered key critical facilities and community assets:
● City of Merced Records – City Hall/Emergency Operations Center (678 W. 18th Street) ● Merced Fire Stations (Stations #51, #53, #54, #55, #81, #85) ● Merced Police Department – Central Station (611 West 22nd Street) ● Merced Police Department – South Station (470 West 11th Street) ● City of Merced Public Works Yard (1776 Grogan Avenue
● Merced Wastewater Treatment Facility (1961 Gove Road) ● McKee Water Tower (3362 McKee Road)
● Merced Medical Center Repeater
● Mercy Medical Center (3333 Mercy Avenue)
● St. Joseph’s Medical Center (3377 G Street)
● Valley Children’s Medical Center (1190 Olivewood Drive) ● Hylond Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center (3170 M Street) ● NICU Children’s Hospital (333 Mercy Avenue)
● Amie Marchini Senior Care (1450 E. 27th Street)
● Senior Community Center (755 W. 15th Street)
● Merced Coroner Facility (455 E 13th Street)
● Merced College (3600 M Street)
● Merced Regional Airport (324 W. 24th Street)
● Merced-Yosemite Regional Airport (20 MacReady Drive)
● Communications Tower
● Covalescent Facility (3170 M Street)
● Hobie House – Community Shelter
● Applegate Zoon (1045 W. 25th Street)
● Water supply lines and wells
● Pumping stations, and trunk lines
● Major electrical transmission lines and substations
● Major communication lines and microwave transmission facilities

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 13 ● Federal Prison and major railways
Critical infrastructure also include major roadways which may serve as principal evacuation routes. There are also several additional designated shelters in Merced for use in an emergency event including the Salvation Army Merced Corps Community Center, Merced United Way, Valley Crisis Center, recreation centers/parks, high school gyms and school cafeterias.

2.2.3 Historic, Cultural and Natural Resources
The following historical resources are located in the City of Merced ● Bank of Italy, Merced – National Register (listed 10/12/2004) ● Buhach Grammar School – National Register (listed 4/7/1983) ● Cook Maj. George Beecher House – National Register (listed 9/15/1983) ● Kaehler Rector House – National Register (listed 1/4/1982) ● Leggett House – National Register (listed 10/25/1979) ● Leggett Thomas H. House – National Register (listed 7/8/1982) ● Merced County Courthouse – National Register (listed 10/29/1975) ● Merced County High School – National Register (listed 5/31/1984) ● Merced Theatre – National Register (listed 5/1/2009)
● Tioga Hotel – National Register (listed 10/3/1980)
● U.S. Post Office – National Register (listed 2/10/1983) Natural resources are important to include in benefit-cost analyses for future projects and may be used to leverage additional funding for projects that also contribute to community goals for protecting sensitive natural resources. Awareness of natural assets can lead to opportunities for meeting multiple objectives.

For instance, protecting wetlands areas protects sensitive habitat as well as attenuates and stores floodwaters.

The City of Merced manages a well-developed network of parks and recreation facilities. From the incorporation of the City until the 1960’s, the City’s park system grew at a moderate rate. During the 1970’s the City’s park system expanded and there were 47 acres of developed park land as compared to 133 acres in 1980 (City of Merced 2004). During the 1980’s and early 1990’s, park development slowed but the City acquired additional park lands in the late 1990’s. By 2004, there were 310 acres of developed park land in the City and today the City owns approximately 330 acres of park and open space facilities (City of Merced 2016). These natural and recreational resources are summarized in the City’s 2004 Park and Open Space Master Plan.

The City also contains several important habitats, which could support sensitive plant and animal species.

Several creeks, including Fahrens, Cottonwood, Black Rascal, Bear, and Miles along with the Hartley Slough, provide habitat for native plants and animals (City of Merced 2016). These natural drainage courses have been preserved and protected in the City to create large tracts of open space and many of the City parks are oriented around regional surface water drainage features. The northern portions of the City contain seasonal wetlands and vernal pools in scattered locations, which provide potential habitat for several species of wildlife which are listed as threatened and endangered. The Merced Irrigation District (MID) irrigation canal system has also become an important open space feature in the area as has Lake Yosemite. The Merced National Wildlife Refuge is located outside the city limits to the southwest, and the extensive agricultural fields that surround the City also provide habitat for many wildlife species (City of Merced 2016).

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 14

2.3 Estimating Potential Losses

2.3.1 Dam Incidents
Protection from flood hazards created by dam failures is critical to the safety and well- being of Merced residents. Dam incidents can result from various natural or human caused events, such as earthquakes, erosion, improper siting, improper maintenance, rapidly rising flood waters and structural or design flaws.

The ability to provide warning for potential victims of flooding from dam failure is influenced by the type of dam constructed, the frequency of inspections for structural integrity, the flood wave arrival time, the ability to notify persons downstream and their ability to evacuate. Aside from loss of life, damage to property and displacement of people, hydroelectric facilities on dams that fail would suffer damage. This could have an impact on life support systems in communities outside the immediate hazard areas. A failure of one of the dams operated by the Merced Irrigation District (MID) that generate electricity could affect supply to the CAADC site, within which the Castle Medical Center is located. Should more of the City choose MID as its electricity supplier and distributor, those customers would likewise be affected.

A dam vulnerability assessment was completed during the 2021 update, following the methodology described in Section 4 of the Base Plan. Dam inundation areas from Yosemite dam with the City of Merced are shown in Figure 2-2 and Table 2-3 summarizes the values at risk within the inundation area. The Yosemite dam is rated as high significance. Yosemite dam is also rated as Extremely High by the California Department of Water Resources, Division of Safety of Dams. Extremely High rated dams are expected to cause considerable loss of human life or result in an inundation area with a population of 1,000 or more.

Areas of future development, located within the City’s Sphere of Influence are most vulnerable to dam inundation events. One critical facility, categorized as a Transportation Lifeline, is located within a dam inundation area.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update | 2021–2026 Page 15 Figure 2-2 City of Merced Potential Dam Inundation Areas

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2021 Merced County Hazard Mitigation Plan
Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 16 Table 2-3 Yosemite Dam Inundation
Property Type Improved Parcel County Building Count Population Agricultural 5 5 0
Commercial 24 30 0
Exempt 110 134 0
Industrial 22 38 0
Mixed Use 1 1 3
Residential 4,603 5,839 18,781
Vacant Land 3 3 0
Total 4,768 6,080 18,784
Source: California DSOS, National Inventory of Dams, Merced County Assessor’s Office Future Development
The results of the SOI and dam analysis are shown in and Table 2-4.

Table 2-4 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed to Yosemite Dam Inundation Property
Type
Improved
Parcel Count
Building
Count Population
Agricultural 14 16 0
Commercial 7 8 0
Exempt 2 4 0
Industrial 4 8 0
Residential 100 110 365
Vacant 1 1 0
Total 128 147 365
Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis

2.3.2 Earthquake
The City of Merced and surrounding areas historical earthquake activity is below California’s state average.

No known faults are located in the Merced area. The nearest known fault is the Kings Canyon Lineament, approximately 5 miles south of Atwater, however geological evidence would show this fault is not active.

There is no record of any seismic activity originating within the City; however, the County of Merced has been shaken by earthquakes originating elsewhere. There is documented evidence of six earthquakes that shook the area, those of 1872, 1906, 1952, 1966, 1984, and 1989. Major damage occurred in Los Banos to the southwest associated with the 1906 event, with minor damage recorded throughout the County from other occurrences.

No damaging earthquakes greater than M 6.0 have been recorded in the City of Merced or Merced County in over 200 years, though several have been very close. The most recent large earthquake near Merced County, and the City of Merced, was 16 miles east north-east of King City at a magnitude of 5.3 on October 20, 2012. Several aftershocks followed the main earthquake, including a M3.1 aftershock. This earthquake was preceded by two earthquakes located approximately 100 miles from Merced County, the 1982 New Idria earthquake (M5.4) and the 1983 Coalinga quake (M6.5). There was low level ground shaking and low local magnitude reported. The City of Merced Planning Team also report a M3.4 earthquake on March 31, 2016 with an epicenter 21 miles southwest of Los Banos. No damage was noted

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 17 associated with this recent earthquake event, but the team agreed there is a likelihood of a similar earthquake occurring again in the future.

Based on the earthquake shaking potential mapped for Merced County and the City of Merced, due to the proximity to the San Andreas Fault, and the history of shaking with no surface rupture, means the probability of damaging seismic ground shaking in the City of Merced is considered as occasional. Other hazards associated with earthquake activity, such as lateral spreading, surface cracking or differential setting, are considered unlikely to occur, although no studies have been conducted to determine the likelihood of these hazards.

2.3.3 Extreme Heat
Extreme heat is identified as a priority hazard; this hazard was also identified as a priority for the City of Merced in their previous plan. The City of Merced collaboratively works with all agencies throughout the County to address extreme heat by following the State of California Contingency Plan for Excessive Heat Emergencies and the Merced Operational Area Excessive Heat Guideline. The City also opens cooling zones and centers to provide shelter for vulnerable populations in the City and to help mitigate the hazard and continues to open additional facilities.

2.3.4 Flood and Levee Failure
The primary types of flood events in Merced County that may impact the City of Merced are riverine and urban. Flooding could also occur as a result of levee failure. Regardless of the type of flood, the cause is often the result of severe weather and excessive rainfall, either in the flood area, upstream, or from winter snowmelt.

The floodplain of the Merced River is well defined from the eastern county boundary to approximately 10 miles above the mouth of the river. Downstream of this point, the floodplain is undifferentiated from the valley floor and major floods can spread out over large areas. During the 1950 flood event, approximately 19,600 acres of land along the Merced River were inundated, including the towns of Snelling and Merced Falls. A large portion of Merced County continues to be subject to inundation during flood events, as approximately 380,010 acres, including a large portion of the City of Merced, have been determined to be in the FEMA floodplain. The physical risks associated with potential flooding and the regulatory requirements for floodplain management are important considerations when decisions are being made regarding future land use throughout the City of Merced given the City is traversed by four creeks from east to west, including Bear Creek, Fahrens Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Black Rascal Creek. The flood hazards for three of these four creeks are further summarized below based on information from the City’s previous LHMP.

Bear Creek
Historically, flood flows in excess of the Bear Creek channel capacity spill over the left bank of Bear Creek approximately 6 miles east of the City Merced (City of Merced 2015). Due to topography and embankments, overflow from Bear Creek does not return to the channel. The natural slope is southwest from Bear Creek, but some of the overflow moves westward and northwestward into Merced along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway embankment. There are flood relief structures along the embankment that allow part of the overflow to proceed southwestward, but much of the floodwater flows into Merced, where it ponds and eventually overtops the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway embankment between R and V Streets. The floodwater then flows as shallow flooding southwestward through downtown Merced, ponds behind the Southern Pacific Railroad embankment, eventually overtops the railroad embankment, and finally continues as shallow flooding through southwest Merced.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 18 Overflow from Bear Creek will also occur upstream of the West 16th Street bridges at several locations near the Daisy Park residential area. This floodwater will flow west through the Daisy Park area as shallow flooding, then over the Snelling Highway and into the Industrial Park area, where it will pond behind the U.S. Highway 99 embankment and the Black Rascal Creek levee. During the major flood events in 1969, 1997, 1998, and 2006, Bear Creek overflowed at the southwest end of the City of Merced in the vicinity of Thornton Avenue and State Highway 140.

Black Rascal Creek
Black Rascal Creek flood flows are diverted into Bear Creek approximately 3 miles east of Merced. Minor flooding from local runoff has occurred along Black Rascal Creek between G Street and Parsons Avenue.

Fahrens Creek
Fahrens Creek, which joins Black Rascal Creek near West Olive Avenue and State Highway 59 (Snelling Highway), flows through the northwestern part of Merced. Limited channel capacity, coupled with constricted bridge openings at State Highway 59, produces widespread ponding upstream from the bridges and road embankment.

A very large portion of the City of Merced is within the 100-year floodplain designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), particularly the southern portion of the City. Of the 14,954 acres within the City, 65.2% is within the floodplain: 60.7% (9,072 acres) is within the 100-year floodplain and

4.5% (668 acres) is within the 500-year floodplain. Based on the history of flooding in the County of Merced, the City of Merced and surrounding areas are considered to likely have the hazard potential for future flooding.

A flood vulnerability assessment was completed during the 2021 update, following the methodology described in Section 4 of the Base Plan. Flood hazards for the City of Merced are shown in Figure 2-3 and Table 2-5 summarizes the values at risk in the City’s 100-year floodplain, respectively. These tables also detail loss estimates for each flood.

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2021 Merced County Hazard Mitigation Plan
Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 19 Figure 2-3 City of Merced 100-year Floodplain

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 20 Table 2-5 City of Merced FEMA 1% Annual Chance Flood Hazard, by Property Type Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content Value Total Value Estimated Loss Population
Agricultural 17 19 $704,235 $704,235 $1,408,470 $352,118 0 Commercial 527 1,873 $339,551,353 $339,551,353 $679,102,706 169,775,677 0 Exempt 433 960 $9,185,588 $9,185,588 $18,371,176 $4,592,794 0 Industrial 118 218 $167,406,079 $251,109,119 $418,515,198 $104,628,799 0 Mixed Use 9 9 $185,869 $185,869 $371,738 $92,935 29
Residential 9,161 12,140 $1,218,507,813 $609,253,907 $1,827,761,720 $456,940,430 38,848 Vacant 30 38 $1,030,699 $1,030,699 $2,061,398 $515,350 0 Total 10,295 15,257 $1,736,571,636 $1,211,020,769 $2,947,592,405 $736,898,101 38,877 Source: Merced County Assessor’s Office; National Flood Hazard Layer reflecting FEMA FIRM Effective 12/2/2008; FEMA; Wood analysis
Based on this analysis, the City of Merced has 10,295 improved parcels located within the 100-year floodplain for a total value of over $736 million. Of the 22,362 parcels within the City of Merced, this means that almost half (46%) of the total parcels in the City have a potential risk to flooding. Population at risk was calculated for the 100-year based on the number of residential properties at risk and the average number of persons per household (3.32). There is an estimated 38,877 persons at risk to flooding in the City of Merced. Table 2-6 summarizes the values at risk in the City’s 500-year floodplain.

Table 2-6 City of Merced FEMA 0.2% Annual Chance Flood Hazard, by Property Type Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content
Value
Total Value Estimated
Loss Population
Commercial 30 31 $62,378,180 $62,378,180 $124,756,360 $31,189,090 Exempt 33 69 $0 $0 $0 $0
Mixed Use 2 3 $41,361 $41,361 $82,722 $20,681 10
Residential 1,594 2,412 $337,480,454 $337,480,454 $674,960,908 $168,740,227 7,718 Total 1,659 2,515 $399,899,995 $399,899,995 $799,799,990 $199,949,998 7,728 1,659 parcels were found to be located in within the 500-year floodplain, which represents 7% of the total parcels in the City.

Critical Facilities at Risk
Critical facilities are those community components that are most needed to withstand the impacts of disaster as previously described. Specific information on critical facilities can be found in Section 3.4.1 of the Base Plan. Information on key critical facilities and community assets in the City of Merced is also included in the GIS Experience Builder Application developed by the County and Wood to communicate the highlights of the risk assessment and validate the critical facility GIS data collected during the MJHMP update process. Table 2-7 lists the critical facilities in the City’s 100-year floodplains and Figure 2-4 shows the location of the critical facilities. The impact to the community could be great if these facilities are damaged or destroyed during a flood event.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 21 Table 2-7 Critical Facilities at risk of 1% Annual Chance Flood Hazard, by FEMA Lifeline FEMA Lifeline Count
Communications 26
Energy 3
Food, Water, Shelter 30
Safety and Security 51
Transportation 25
Total 156
Source: HIFLD, FEMA NFHL

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 22 Figure 2-4 Critical Facilities at Risk of 1% Annual Flood Hazard

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 23 Insurance Coverage, Claims Paid, and Repetitive Losses
The City of Merced joined the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) on November 1, 1979. NFIP Insurance data indicates that as of July 2021, there were 3,401 flood insurance policies in force in the City with $786,021,200 of coverage. Of the policies in place, there have been 152 claims for flood losses totaling $2,230,265 in total loss payments.

According to the FEMA Community Information System accessed August 11, 2021, the City has 12 Repetitive Loss properties that resulted in flood losses totaling $401,664 associated with building content losses. Of these losses, $392,643 of the payments were associated with building contents in Zones AE, A1- 30, AO, AH, and A. There were no Severe Repetitive Loss properties.

Future Development
The results of the SOI and flood analysis are shown in Table 2-8 and Table 2-9.

Table 2-8 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed to 1% Annual Chance Flood Hazard Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content
Value
Total Value Estimated
Loss Population
Agricultural 114 156 $10,783,537 $10,783,537 $21,567,074 $5,391,769 0 Commercial 53 76 $12,078,814 $12,078,814 $24,157,628 $6,039,407 0 Exempt 19 25 $5,465,593 $5,465,593 $10,931,186 $2,732,797 0 Industrial 27 46 $20,347,558 $30,521,337 $50,868,895 $12,717,224 0 Mixed Use 4 5 $16,064 $8,032 $24,096 $6,024 17
Residential 679 800 $105,267,278 $52,633,639 $157,900,917 $39,475,229 2,656 Vacant Land 12 13 $54,242 $54,242 $108,484 $27,121 0
Total 908 1,121 $154,013,086 $111,545,194 $265,558,280 $66,389,570 2,673 Source: Wood Analysis 2021
Table 2-9 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed to 0.5% Annual Chance Flood Hazard Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content
Value
Total Value Estimated
Loss Population
Agricultural 9 10 $2,130,727 $2,130,727 $4,261,454 $1,065,364 0 Exempt 1 1 $2,848,363 $2,848,363 $5,696,726 $1,424,182 0 Residential 70 75 $24,684,881 $12,342,411 $37,027,322 $9,256,830 3 Total 80 87 $29,745,815 $17,362,453 $47,108,268 $11,777,067 252 Source: Wood Analysis 2021

2.3.5 Hazardous Material Incidents
Hazardous material incidents were ranked by the City as a priority hazard in both their previous plan and the current plan. These human-caused hazards are currently minimized through past studies completed to understand commodity flows, as documented in the City of Merced Hazardous Materials Commodity Flow Study. The City’s Fire Department have also been trained to handle hazardous material incidents and currently have both a hazardous material technician and specialists on staff to respond to these incidents.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 24 Further, the City established on Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County to establish, support, and train the Merced County Hazardous Material Response Team.

2.3.6 Wildfires
Weather components, such as temperature, relative humidity, wind, and lightning, also affect the potential for wildfire. High temperatures and low relative humidity dry out the fuels that feed the wildfire creating a situation where fuel will more readily ignite and burn more intensely. Both urban and wildland fires conditions exist in Merced County and its cities which increases the chances for damage to property, loss of life and/or injury. In most of Merced County, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal FIRE) ranks fuel loading as low. Fuels are mainly crops and grasses. In the southwest corner of the County, there are some brush, pine, and grass fuels, which are ranked as moderate fuel hazards, primarily in the area west of Interstate 5. Figure 2-5 shows the fire threat areas in the City of Merced and Table 2-10 summarizes the values at risk and detail loss estimates.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 25 Table 2-3 Properties Exposed to Wildfire Threat Areas in the City of Merced Property Type Improved Parcel Count
Building
Count
High
Building
Count
Moderate
Building
Count Low
Total
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content Value Total Value
Agricultural 3 0 1 3 4 $179,357 $179,357 $358,714
Commercial 2 0 0 6 6 $5,765,341 $5,765,341 $11,530,682
Exempt 28 1 13 19 33 $0 $0 $0
Industrial 3 0 0 4 4 $18,412,738 $27,619,107 $46,031,845 Mixed Use 1 0 0 1 1 $14,280 $14,280 $28,560
Residential 561 0 243 330 573 $132,105,988 $66,052,994 $198,158,982 Vacant Land 1 0 1 1 $26,508 $26,508 $53,016 1
Total 599 1 257 364 622 $156,504,212 $99,657,587 $256,161,799 Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 26 Figure 2-5 Wildfire Threat Areas in City of Merced

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 27 Table 2-11 shows the results of the critical facility analysis by fire threat area.

Table 2-4 Critical Facilities Exposed to Wildfire Threat Areas FEMA Lifeline Count
Moderate Wildfire Threat
Food, Water, Shelter 1
Safety and Security 1
Transportation 1
Low Wildfire Threat
Food, Water, Shelter 1
Hazardous Materials 2
Safety and Security 1
Transportation 4
Total 11
Source: Merced County, HIFLD, CAL FIRE, FRAP, Wood GIS Analysis Figure 2-6 shows the fire responsibility areas in the City of Merced. Based on the analysis there are 970 residential buildings located with the moderate hazard area, with a total value of $314,703,588. Six critical facilities, categorized as Food, Water, and Shelter and Transportation Lifelines are located within the local responsibility moderate fire hazard area. Refer to Section 4 of the Base Plan for methodology and results of the countywide analysis.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 28 Figure 2-6 City of Merced Fire Responsibility Areas

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 29 Future Development
The results of the SOI and wildfire analysis are shown Table 2-12 and Table 2-13.

Table 2-5 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed Within Fire Severity Areas Property Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content Value Total Value Population
SRA Moderate
Agricultural 12 14 $1,276,826 $1,276,826 $2,553,652 0
Commercial 9 10 $3,892,834 $3,892,834 $7,785,668 0
Exempt 3 4 $0 $0 $0 0
Industrial 3 6 $1,333,846 $2,000,769 $3,334,615 0
Residential 158 167 $51,380,141 $25,690,071 $77,070,212 554 Vacant Land 4 4 $12,352 $12,352 $24,704 0
Total 189 205 $57,895,999 $32,872,852 $90,768,851 554
Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis Table 2-6 Sphere of Influence Areas Exposed Within Fire Threat Areas Property
Type
Improved
Parcel
Count
Building
Count
High
Building
Count
Moderate
Building
Count
Low
Total
Building
Count
Improved
Value
Estimated
Content
Value
Total Value Population
Agricultural 70 5 16 71 92 $8,158,058 $8,158,058 $16,316,116 Commercial 9 0 0 9 9 $5,621,324 $5,621,324 $11,242,648
Exempt 6 2 0 5 7 $2,737,730 $2,737,730 $5,475,460
Industrial 1 0 0 2 2 $153,070 $229,605 $382,675
Mixed Use 2 0 2 1 3 $54,673 $54,673 $109,346 10
Residential 227 31 68 147 246 $47,501,282 $23,750,641 $71,251,923 817 Vacant 6 2 1 3 6 $24,757 $24,757 $49,514
Total 162 1 67 127 195 $30,390,581 $23,025,641 $53,416,222 359 Source: CAL FIRE, Merced County Assessor, Wood GIS analysis 3 CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT
Capabilities are the programs and policies currently in use to reduce hazard impacts or that could be used to implement hazard mitigation activities. This capabilities assessment is divided into five sections:
regulatory mitigation capabilities, administrative and technical mitigation capabilities, fiscal mitigation capabilities, mitigation outreach and partnerships, and other mitigation efforts. To develop this capability assessment, the jurisdictional planning representatives reviewed a matrix of common mitigation activities to inventory which of these policies or programs and shared any updates or changes through the Merced Data Collection Guide. The team then supplemented this inventory by reviewing additional existing policies, regulations, plans, and programs to determine if they contribute to reducing hazard-related losses.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 30 also noted key capabilities accounted for in the City’s existing LHMP. Additionally, in summarizing current capabilities and identifying gaps, the jurisdictional planning representatives also considered their ability to expand or improve upon existing policies and programs as potential new mitigation strategies. The City of Merced’s capabilities are summarized below.

Table 3-1 City of Merced —Regulatory and Planning Capabilities Regulatory Tool
(ordinances, codes, plans) Yes/No Comments
General Plan Yes Merced Vision 2030 General Plan, Adopted January 3, 2012
Zoning ordinance Yes Title 20 of the Merced Municipal Code Subdivision ordinance Yes Title 18 of the Merced Municipal Code Growth management ordinance No
Floodplain ordinance Yes Title 17 of the Merced Municipal Code Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (Ordinance No.
1250)
Other special purpose ordinance
(stormwater, steep slope, wildfire)
No
Building code Yes 2019 California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 1 (California Administrative Code)
Title 17 Buildings and Construction
Fire department ISO rating Yes Rating: 2
Erosion or sediment control program Yes 1983 Merced Critical Area Flooding and Drainage Plan Stormwater management program Yes Phase II Small MS4 General Permit (Permit No. CA000004, Water Quality Order No. 2013-0001 DWQ)
Program Effectiveness Assessment and Improvement Plan
for the City of Merced, City of Atwater, and Merced
County
Title 15 of the Merced Municipal Code, Division III – Storm Water System, Chapter 15.50 – Storm Water Management
and Discharge Control
Storm Drain Master Plan
Site plan review requirements Yes Title 20 of the Merced Municipal Code Chapter 20.32.030 – Site Plan Review
Capital improvements plan Yes City of Merced 2018-2023 Five-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
Economic development plan Yes Economic Development Department 2012 Economic Development Action Plan
Local emergency operations plan Yes City of Merced Emergency Operations Plan 2003 City of Merced Emergency Response/Disaster Plan
Other special plans No
Flood insurance study or other
engineering study for streams
Yes Flood Insurance Study (December 2, 2008)
Elevation certificates (for floodplain
development)
Yes Flood Elevation Certificates

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 31 Regulatory Tool
(ordinances, codes, plans) Yes/No Comments
Other No
Merced Vision 2030 General Plan, 2012 - The City of Merced adopted its first General Plan in 1950. The most recent update occurred in 2012 and resulted in the adoption of the Merced Vision 2030 General Plan in January 2012, with an anticipated horizon year of 2030. This General Plan defines the City’s goals, objectives and policies that guide the physical growth, use and development of land under the jurisdictional authority of the City.

The purpose of the Safety Element is to reduce or eliminate long term risk to people and property from natural or human caused hazards. This element focuses on establishing policies and programs to protect the community from risks associated with seismically-induced ground shaking, ground failure, dam failure/seiche, flooding, and wildfire. The element also covers human-caused hazards such as airport safety, crime and policing, and hazardous materials and waste.

The City of Merced 2030 General Plan Safety Element (Chapter 11) includes Policy S-1.1 – Develop and Maintain Emergency Preparedness Procedures for the City, which includes an implementing action to adopt and update the City of Merced LHMP, as needed. As previously noted, the City developed a singlejurisdictional and stand-alone LHMP in 2015. The goals and policies in the City’s 2030 General Plan Safety Element support and are consistent with the mitigation strategy actions in the 2015 LHMP. The 2015 City of Merced LHMP was also incorporated by reference into the Safety Element following plan amendments in 2015 (March 16, 2015 Resolution #2015-09).

City of Merced Emergency Response/Disaster Plan, 2011 (Emergency Operations Plan) - The City’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) addresses the planned response to emergency situations associated with natural disasters, technological incidents, human caused events and national security emergencies in or affecting the City of Merced. The EOP, also referred to as the Emergency Response/Disaster Plan, was updated in 2011 to address mitigation, planning, response, and recovery activities from various emergency situations. The EOP is compliant with the requirements of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), the Incident Command System (ICS), and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It is regularly updated by the City to prepare the community for responding to an emergency situation in a highly organized and efficient manner. The EOP was revised and updated in 2017 to meet local, state and federal needs.

Merced Fire Department – The City of Merced Fire Department (MFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical response services within the City limits. The City of Merced was established in 1873 and provides fire, rescue, and emergency management services for the citizens and visitors of Merced.

The MFD operates out of five fire stations that on average respond to 11,230 calls per calendar year. As of 2020, the MFD employs 63 public safety members and three support personnel. The MFD has five engines, one truck, one battalion chief, six captains, six engineers, and six firefighters to provide a minimum daily staffing of 19 personnel to cover daily staffing needs within the City California Fire Code Chapter 17.32 – The City of Merced adopts by reference as its fire code, the International Fire Code, 2018 Edition and the California Fire Code, 2019 Edition, and including among Appendices, Appendix Chapter 4 (Special Detailed Requirements Based on Use and Occupancy); Appendix Chapter B (Fire Flow Requirements for Buildings); Appendix Chapter C (Fire Hydrant Locations and Distribution); Appendix Chapter CC (Fire Hydrant Locations and Distribution); Appendix D (Fire Apparatus Access Roads); Appendix F (Hazard Ranking); Appendix H (Hazardous Materials Management Plans and Hazardous Materials Inventory Statements); Appendix I (Fire Protection system-Noncompliance Conditions); and Appendix J (Emergency Responder Radio Coverage), based on the 2009 International Fire

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 32 Code as published by the International Code Council (ICC) and as adopted and amended by the California Building Standards Commission in the California Building Standards Code Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations.

Flood Damage Prevention Chapter 17.48.020 (Ordinance No. 2321) – It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to:
● To protect human life and health;
● To minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects; ● To minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public;
● To minimize prolonged business interruptions;
● To minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, streets and bridges located in areas of special flood hazard; ● To help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of areas of special flood hazard so as to minimize future flood blight areas; ● To ensure that potential buyers are notified that property is in an area of special flood hazard; and ● To ensure that those who occupy the areas of special flood hazard assume responsibility for their actions.

3.2 Administrative and Technical Capability
The table below identifies City personnel with responsibilities for activities related to mitigation and loss prevention in the City of Merced. Many positions are full time and/or filled by the same person. A summary of technical resources follows.

Table 3-2 City of Merced – Personnel Capabilities
Personnel Resources Yes/No Department/Position Comments Planner/engineer with knowledge of land
development/land management
practices
Yes City Planning
Department/Planning
Manager
Engineer/professional trained in
construction practices related to
buildings and/or infrastructure
Yes City Engineering
Department/City Engineer
Planner/engineer/scientist with an
understanding of natural hazards
No
Personnel skilled in GIS Yes GIS Coordinator
Full time building official Yes Inspection Services/Chief Building Official
Floodplain manager Yes City Engineer
Emergency manager No
Grant writer No
Other personnel NA
GIS Data Resources
(Hazard areas, critical facilities, land use,
building footprints, etc.)
Yes GIS Coordinator
Warning Systems/Services
(Reverse 9-11, cable override, outdoor
warning signals)
Yes Merced County Emergency
Alert System
Everbridge
Other NA

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 33 The City operates under a City Council/City Manager form of government. The City Council makes laws and sets policies, which are enforced and implemented by the City Manager, with the assistance of subordinate officers, department heads, and the City Clerk, City Treasurer and City Attorney. Municipal elections are held every two years in November of even-numbered years with City Council terms overlapping. The Mayor and two Council Members are elected at one election, and the other two Council Members, City Clerk and City Treasurer are elected at the next election.

The City of Merced provides water, sewer, and garbage services through their monthly utility services.

They also provide storm drainage, police, fire, and general government services.

The Merced City School District serves school-aged children in grades kindergarten through eighth grade (K-8). There are 14 elementary schools (K-6), four middle schools (7-8), and one school that serves preschool students (pre-school program). High school education is provided by the Merced Union High School District which has eight comprehensive high schools and one continuation school. The City also offers opportunities for post-secondary education with satellite campuses for Merced College, UC Merced and other graduate schools.

Table 3-3 City of Merced —Available Financial Tools and Resources Financial Resources Accessible/
Eligible to Use
Has This Been Used for
Mitigation in the Past? Comments
Community Development
Block Grants
Yes No
Capital improvements project
funding
Yes No The City Council needs to approve
and establish a CIP.

Authority to levy taxes for
specific purposes
Yes No The City Council needs to approve
authority to levy taxes; this must
also be voted on by the
community.

Fees for water, sewer, gas, or
electric services, new
development
Yes No
Incur debt through general
obligation bonds
Yes No
Incur debt through special tax
bonds
Yes No
Incur debt through private
activities
Yes No
Federal Grant Programs
(Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program)
Yes No

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 34 partnerships with county and the cities’ departments with education programs including the Sheriff’s Office, Police Departments, Fire Departments, Agricultural Commissioner, and the Department of Public Health.

3.4.1 Planning Commission
The Planning Commission reviews development proposals for compliance with the General Plan and makes recommendations to the City Council on long range plans and maps for the City and plans for public improvements, plans and development plans for proposed for property within the City, and zoning and rezoning of property within the City. The Commission develops and maintains a long range comprehensive General Plan of the Merced planning area.

3.4.2 City Fire Department
The City Fire Department has a public education program in place that annually visits all 2nd grade classrooms to present the Exit Drills in the Home (EDITH).

3.5 Other Mitigation Efforts
In addition to the project identified in the City’s Mitigation Action plan the City of Merced’s Fire Department conducts annual fire and life safety inspections for all businesses and SB 1205 mandates reporting compliance of state mandated inspections for Hotels, Motels, Apartments, Schools, Jails and various residential care facilities. As a result, the City of Merced Fire Department conducts annual fire and life safety inspections for all businesses mandated by California Health and Safety Code. Fire and life safety inspections are annually completed for mercantile, assemblies, factories, hazardous, and storage facilities. In addition, city-wide weed abatement is heavily enforced.

3.6 Opportunities for Enhancement
Based on the capabilities assessment, the City of Merced has several existing mechanisms in place that already help to mitigate hazards. There are also opportunities for the City to expand or improve on their policies, programs and fiscal capabilities and further protect the community. Future improvements may include providing training for staff members related to hazards or hazard mitigation grant funding in partnership with the County and Cal OES. Additional training opportunities will help to inform City staff members on how best to integrate hazard information and mitigation projects into their departments.

Continuing to train City staff on mitigation and the hazards that pose a risk to the City of Merced will lead to more informed staff members who can better communicate this information to the public. Given the City’s flood risk and number of flood insurance policies, joining the Community Rating System could be another capability enhancement that could benefit residents by lowering flood insurance premiums.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 35 4 MITIGATION STRATEGY

4.1 Goals and Objectives
The City of Merced adopts the hazard mitigation goals and objectives developed by the Planning Team and described in Section 5 Mitigation Strategy of the Basin Plan.

4.2 Continued Compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program The City has been an NFIP participating community since 1974. In addition to the mitigation actions identified herein the City will continue to comply with the NFIP. Floodplain management is under the purview of the Inspection Services Department and the Chief Building Official. This includes ongoing activities such as enforcing local floodplain development regulations, including issuing permits for appropriate development in Special Flood Hazard Areas and ensuring that this development mitigated in accordance with the regulations. This will also include periodic reviews of the floodplain ordinance to ensure that it is clear and up to date and reflects new or revised flood hazard mapping.

4.3 Progress on 2014 Actions
During the 2021 planning process the City of Merced Planning Team reviewed all the mitigation actions from their 2015 plan. Of their nine mitigation actions from 2015, three (3) of the actions are continuing and are implemented annually, demonstrating ongoing progress and building the community’s resiliency to disasters. Six (56) were noted as being continuing not started.

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 36 Table 4-1 City of Merced Mitigation Action Plan
ID
Goal(s)
and
Lifelines
Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead
Agency
and
Partners
Cost
Estimate
and
Potential
Funding
Priority Timeline Status/Implementation
Notes
1 3, 4, 5,
Energy
Flood and
Levee
Failure,
Earthquake,
Wildfire
Prepare an Energy Assurance Plan Public
Works
$100,000
Federal
Grants
High 3 years Continue Not Started
2 1, 2, 3, 5
Safety
and
Security
Flood and
Levee
Failure
Develop and enhance storm-water
drainage improvements to reduce
frequent flooding
Developme
nt Services
$5,000
General
Fund
High 3 years Continue In-Progress
3 1, 2, 3, 6
Safety
and
Security
Dam
Incidents,
Flood and
Levee
Failure,
Earthquake,
Wildfire
Create a Disaster Preparedness Program
Fire
Department
$100,000
Federal
Grants
High 3 years Continue Not Started
4 1, 2, 3, 5,
Safety
and
Security
Flood and
Levee
Failure
Support Merced County efforts to
construct the Haystack Alternative of
Black Rascal Creek
Developme
nt Services
$50,000 –
100,000
Federal
Grants
Medium 1 year Continue Not Started
5 1, 2, 3, 5,
Safety
and
Security
Flood and
Levee
Failure
Update the City’s Storm-water Drainage
Master Plan
Developme
nt Services
Staff time
Dept.

Budget
Medium 1 year Continue In-Progress

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 37 ID
Goal(s)
and
Lifelines
Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead
Agency
and
Partners
Cost
Estimate
and
Potential
Funding
Priority Timeline Status/Implementation
Notes
6 1, 2, 6, 7;
Safety
and
Security;
Food,
Water,
and
Shelter
Dam
Incidents,
Flood and
Levee
Failure,,
Earthquake,
Wildfire
Prepare a Shelter and EmergencyProvision Plan Fire
Department
$100,000
Federal
Grants
Medium 1 year Continue Not Started
7 1, 2, 3, 6;
Food
Water,
and
Shelter
Wildfire Prepare a Natural Area Fire Prevention
Plan
Fire
Department
$100,000
Federal
Grants
Low 3 to 5
years
Continue Not Started
8 1, 2, 3, 6,
7; Safety
and
Security
Earthquake
Perform building-specific, structural
seismic vulnerability assessment of Cityowned critical facilities Public
Works
$100,000 -
$200,000
FEMA
HMA
Grants
Low 3 years Continue Not Started
9 1, 2, 3, 6,
7; Safety
and
Security
Earthquake
Create a program to retrofit or upgrade
unreinforced masonry buildings in
Downtown Merced, or other buildings in
the Plan area.

Developme
nt Services
$100,000 -
$1,000,000
FEMA
HMA
Grants
Low 3 to 5
years
Continue Not Started

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021 – 2026 Update Page 38 ID
Goal(s)
and
Lifelines
Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Description/Background/
Benefits
Lead
Agency
and
Partners
Cost
Estimate
and
Potential
Funding
Priority Timeline Status/Implementation
Notes
10 1, 2, 3, 5,
Safety
and
Security
Flooding Consideration for enrolling in the NFIP
Community Rating System program
Engineering
Department
$75,000
Staff time
Dept.

Budget
Medium 3 to 5
years
New in 2021
11 1, 2, 3, 6;
Food
Water,
and
Shelter
Severe
Weather:

Extreme
Temperatur
es/Extreme
Heat
Identify and open additional cooling
zones and centers within the City of
Merced to provide additional capacity of
vulnerable populations
Police
Department
$25,000
Staff time
Dept.

Budget
Medium 3 to 5
years
New in 2021
12 1, 2, 3, 6;
Food
Water,
and
Shelter
Wildfire
Enhance the City Weed Abatement
Program to included mandatory debris
clean-up and vegetation clearing on
properties to mitigate wildfire risk. This
action includes utilizing surveys and GIS
tools to identify seasonal wildfire hazards
in the community, providing notice to
property owners, and clearing the
properties to reduce wildfire potential,
loss of property and injury, and improve
air quality.

Fire
Department
$75,000
Staff time
General
Fund
High 1 year New in 2021

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2021 Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex F: City of Merced
Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | 2021–2026 Update Page 39 5 IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE
Moving forward, the City will use the mitigation action table in the previous section to track progress on implementation of each project. Implementation of the plan overall is discussed in Section 6 in the Base Plan.

5.1 Incorporation into Existing Planning Mechanisms
The information contained within this plan, including results from the Vulnerability Assessment, and the Mitigation Strategy will be used by the City to help inform updates and the development of local plans, programs and policies. The Engineering or Planning Departments may utilize the hazard information when implementing the City’s Community Investment Program and the Planning Department may utilize the hazard information when reviewing a site plan or other type of development applications. The City will also incorporate the 2021 MJHMP into the Safety Element of their General Plan, as recommended by Assembly Bill (AB) 2140.

As noted in Section 6 of the Base Plan, the HMPT representatives from Merced will report on efforts to integrate the hazard mitigation plan into local plans, programs and policies and will report on these efforts at the annual HMPT plan review meeting.

5.2 Monitoring, Evaluation and Updating the Plan
The City will follow the procedures to monitor, review, and update this plan in accordance with Merced County as outlined in Section 6 of the Base Plan. The City will continue to involve the public in mitigation, as described in Section 6.2.1 of the Base Plan. The Fire Department, Fire Chief or assigned designee will be responsible for representing the City of Merced in the County HMPT, and for coordination with City staff and departments during plan updates. The City realizes it is important to review the plan regularly and update it every five years in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act Requirements as well as other State of California requirements.

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City of Atwater
Water Shortage Contingency Plan
June 2026
B
Appendix B
Notices to Public
and Public Outreach Efforts

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City of Atwater
Water Shortage Contingency Plan
June 2026
C
Appendix C
City Resolution Adopting WSCP

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AGENDA REPORT

MEETING
DATE:

June 22, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Attorney's Office

PREPARED
BY:

SUBJECT: Approving Employment Agreement with Janell Martin for Interim City Manager (City Attorney’s Office)

RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION
Motion to adopt Resolution No. 3637-26 approving Employment Agreement, in a form approved by the City Attorney, with Janell Martin for Interim City Manager and authorize and direct the Mayor to execute the Agreement on behalf of the City; or Motion to approve staff's recommendation as presented.

I. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:

Ms. Martin is the current Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator. She is also serving as the Acting City Manager through June 25, 2026, the effective date of Mr. Hoem’s resignation. Approval of this interim agreement will formally appoint Ms. Martin as the Interim City Manager, allowing for continued administrative leadership during this transition period. Ms. Martin has many years of progressive responsibility and experience in the City, and will be able to utilize that experience well — with both the staff and the community — in her role as Interim City Manager.

The Interim City Manager Agreement contains the following key provisions:
• The Agreement shall remain in place until a new City Manager contract is approved. • The Interim City Manager salary shall be $213,606.41, annualized (or $17,800.53/month).

II. FISCAL IMPACTS:

Sufficient funding is available, for the remainder of this fiscal year, in the appropriate Funds. There will be some salary savings as Ms. Martin will still be performing duties as Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator.

III. LEGAL REVIEW:

CITY COUNCIL
Mike Nelson
John Cale Brian Raymond
Danny Ambriz Kalisa Rochester

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Agenda Report - Approving Employment Agreement with Janell Martin for Interim City Manager (City Attorney’s Office) Page 2

This item has been reviewed by the City Attorney's Office.

IV. EXISTING POLICY:

This item is consistent with goal numbers one (1) and four (4) of the City's Strategic Plan: to ensure the City's continued financial stability and to optimize organizational structure, respectively.

V. ALTERNATIVES:

N/A
VI. INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:

N/A
VII. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:

The purpose of ratifying employment agreements is to provide the public the opportunity to provide comments prior to ratification by the City Council.

VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:

This item is not a “project” under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as employment agreements would not cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21065.

IX. STEPS FOLLOWING APPROVAL:

Upon City Council's approval of the Interim City Manager Employment Agreement, the Mayor shall execute the Agreement on behalf of the City. The City Clerk department shall maintain an original copy in the Interim City Manager's Employment Agreement file.

Submitted by: /s/ Frank Splendorio
Frank Splendorio, City Attorney
Attachments:

1. 3637-26 Martin Interim CM

2. Martin Interim CM Agreement

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CITY COUNCIL
OF THE

CITY OF ATWATER
RESOLUTION NO. 3637-26

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF

ATWATER APPROVING AN EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

FOR INTERIM CITY MANAGER WITH JANELL MARTIN AND

AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE THE

AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Atwater acknowledges the importance of maintaining stable and effective administrative leadership during periods of organizational transition; and;
WHEREAS, Janell Martin currently serves as the Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator and has also been serving as Acting City Manager, demonstrating the experience, institutional knowledge, and leadership necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the Interim City Manager position; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to appoint Janell Martin as Interim City Manager pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the attached Employment Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Atwater as follows:

Section 1. The City Council hereby approves the Employment Agreement between the City of Atwater and Janell Martin for service as Interim City Manager, in substantially the form presented to the City Council and incorporated herein by this reference.

Section 2. The Mayor is hereby authorized and directed to execute the Employment Agreement on behalf of the City of Atwater, together with any non-substantive revisions approved by the City Attorney.

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Resolution No. 3637-26 Page 2
The foregoing resolution is hereby adopted this 22nd day of June 2026.

AYES:

NOES:

ABSENT:

APPROVED:

________________________________
MICHAEL G. NELSON, MAYOR
ATTEST:
_______________________________
KORY J. BILLINGS, CITY CLERK

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City of Atwater
Interim City Manager Employment Agreement

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EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT FOR INTERIM CITY MANAGER
This Employment Agreement for Interim City Manager (“Agreement”) is made by and between the CITY OF ATWATER (“City”) and Janell Martin (“Employee”). The City and Employee shall be referred to herein individually as a “Party” and collectively as “Parties.” There are no other parties to this Agreement.

RECITALS
A. Employee is currently employed by the City as its Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator.

B. The City has a vacancy in the position of City Manager.

C. The City will be conducting a recruitment to fill the vacancy, and in the meantime, Atwater City Council (“City Council”) wishes to appoint Employee to serve as Interim City Manager, and
Employee is willing to serve in that temporary capacity.

D. The Parties desire to set forth the terms and conditions of the interim appointment in this Agreement pursuant to the authority of, and subject to, the provisions of California Government Code (“Government Code”) section 53260 et seq.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants entered into between the Parties, and in consideration of the benefits that accrue to each, it is agreed as follows:

AGREEMENT
Section 1. Recitals. The recitals set forth above (“Recitals”) are incorporated herein by this reference and made a part of this Agreement. In the event of any inconsistencies between Recitals and Section 1 through 7 of this Agreement, Sections 1 through 7 will prevail.

Section 2. Appointment of Employee as Interim City Manager.

Section 2.1. The City Council hereby appoints Employee to the at-will, temporary position of Interim City Manager, effective June 26, 2026 (“Effective Date”), in and for the City, to perform the functions and duties of the City Manager role on a temporary basis. In the capacity of Interim City Manager, Employee shall report to, and serves at the pleasure of, the City Council, Employee’s primary duties as Interim City Manager are shown in the job description attached hereto as Exhibit A. Employee shall perform Employee’s duties under this Agreement pursuant to the laws of the State of California and applicable City Municipal Code, ordinances, and resolutions. Employee understands that Employee’s duties may

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City of Atwater
Interim City Manager Employment Agreement

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be amended from time to time by the City Manager as necessary to meet the City’s needs.

Section 2.2. Employee accepts such appointment and employment pursuant to the terms of this Agreement , and agrees she will continue to perform the role of Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator while serving as Interim City Manager. Employee agrees to devote all productive time, ability, and attention to the City’s business to the extent necessary to perform the duties and responsibilities in a manner satisfactory to City. Subject to the oversight of the City Council, Employee has discretion to structure her time and prioritize tasks to ensure that necessary functions of each position are adequately fulfilled.

Section 2.3. During this interim employment, Employee is subject to the City Council’s evaluation of performance, at time(s) selected by the City Council.

Section 3. At-Will Employment; Extended Term of Underlying Employment.

Section 3.1. At-Will. As Interim City Manager, Employee is an at-will employee serving indefinitely at the pleasure of the City Council. Accordingly, the City Council may terminate Employee’s employment as Interim City Manager at any time, with or without advance notice, and with or without cause. Employee understands and agrees that the current position as Interim City Manager is temporary and the terms of employment as Interim City Manager are governed only by this Agreement and that no right of employment for any specific term is created by this Agreement. Employee further understands that based on the “atwill” employment status, Employee acquires no property interest in employment by virtue of this Agreement, that Employee is not entitled to due process for any disciplinary actions under the City’s personnel policies and rules, and that no severance benefit applies to the termination of this Agreement or the temporary appointment as Interim City Manager.

Section 3.2. Termination of Employment As Interim City Manager. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earliest of the following: (a) the City’s receipt of Employee’s written notice of resignation from the role of Interim City Manager; (b) the City’s issuance of written notice of termination of Employee’s employment as Interim City Manager; or (c) the City Council’s appointment of an individual to the regular, on-going position of City Manager.

Section 3.3. Return to Underlying Position and Extension to Term of Underlying Employment. When Employee’s employment as Interim City Manager concludes, pursuant to section 3.2, Employee will continue her employment in the role of Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator.

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City of Atwater
Interim City Manager Employment Agreement

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Section 4. Compensation/Benefits.

Section 4.1 Interim City Manager Salary. Beginning on the Effective Date of this Agreement, Employee shall be compensated while serving as Interim City Manager at the equivalent rate of $17,800.53/month ($213,606.41/year), paid on a pro rata basis at the City’s normal payroll intervals.

Section 4.2. Subsequent Salary as Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator. Effective on the day following the date Employee’s assignment as Interim City Manager concludes, Employee will resume being paid pursuant to the terms and conditions of her employment as Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator.

Section 4.3 Benefits. Employee’s employment-related benefits will continue intact, and she will continue to receive the benefits of the Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator position for the duration of this Agreement. Employee’s compensation will be reported to CalPERS in accordance with CalPERS requirements (the parties do not anticipate that the increased compensation provided by this Agreement will be reportable to CalPERS).

Section 5. Notices. Any notice or communication required hereunder between the City and Employee must be in writing.

Section 6. Indemnification. In addition to the indemnification and related terms applicable under the underlying employment as Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator, the City shall defend, hold harmless, and indemnify Employee against any tort, personnel, civil rights, or professional liability claim or demand or other legal action, whether groundless or otherwise, arising out of an alleged act or omission occurring in the performance of Employee’s duties as Interim City Manager in accordance with the California Government Claims Act (Government Code section 810 et seq.) and shall provide a defense to Employee in accordance with Government Code sections 995-996.6. The City may decline to defend or indemnify Employee only as permitted by the Government Code. City may compromise and settle any such claim or suit and pay the amount of any resulting settlement or judgment; provided, however, the City’s duty to defend and indemnify Employee shall be contingent upon Employee’s good faith cooperation with such defense. In the event the City provides paid leave to the Employee pending an investigation or funds for a legal criminal defense pursuant to this Section, Employee shall reimburse the City for the amount of such paid leave or cost of the legal criminal defense, if Employee is convicted of a crime involving an abuse of office or position, as provided by Government Code sections 53243-53243.1. Also, if this Agreement is terminated, any cash settlement related to the termination that Employee may receive from the City shall be fully reimbursed to the City if Employee is convicted of a crime involving an abuse of his or her office or position as provided in Government Code section 53243.2-53243.4.

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City of Atwater
Interim City Manager Employment Agreement

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Section 7. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, including by signatures transmitted electronically or by fax, and all so executed shall constitute an agreement which shall be binding upon the Parties hereto, notwithstanding that the signatures of all Parties and Parties’ designated representatives do not appear on the same page.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been entered into by and between Employee and City as of the date of the Effective Date set forth above.

CITY:

City of Atwater, a municipal corporation
of the State of California
By:

Michael G. Nelson, Mayor
Date Signed:

EMPLOYEE:

By:

Janell Martin, an individual
Date Signed:

Approved as to Form:

By:

City Attorney

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EXHIBIT A

CITY MANAGER

DEFINITION
Under the administrative direction of the City Council, to plan, organize, manage, and direct the functions of City government; to represent City Council policies and programs with City staff, community organizations, other agencies, and the public; to review City departments’ annual budget requests and develop final expenditure recommendations for presentation to the City Council; to be responsible for employer-employee relations; and to do related work as required. Serves as Disaster Service Worker. FLSA Status:

Exempt.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This single position class serves as Chief Executive Officer for the operation of City government and the providing of public services. The incumbent serves at the pleasure of the City Council.

REPORTS TO
The City Council.

CLASSIFICATIONS SUPERVISED
Department Heads.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Serves as Chief Executive Officer for the City of Atwater; provides the City Council and management with advice and consultation on the development of City services and policies; coordinates the agenda for City Council meetings; directs special studies and surveys to determine the effectiveness of City government; keeps City Council members informed of the activities and potential problems of City services; represents City Council policies with employees, other government agencies, the public, and community organizations; reviews department budget requests, overseeing preparation of the annual budget and developing recommendations on final expenditure levels for presentation to the City Council; oversees expenditure controls for the adopted budget; maintains a continued awareness of administrative practices and recommends changes to the City Council; has responsibility for City employer-employee relations; reviews the operations of City departments for conformance with appropriate work standards; selects, directs, and evaluates executive management staff; coordinates City functions with other government agencies; oversees the preparation and administration of grant applications; responds to the most sensitive citizen information requests and complaints; serves as the Executive Director of the Fire District, Chief Finance Officer, Chief Building Official, Executive Director of Redevelopment Agency, and Executive Director of the Housing Authority. Attend night and weekend meetings.

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TYPICAL PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Sit for extended periods; frequently stand and walk; normal manual dexterity and eyehand coordination; lift and move objects weighing up to 25 pounds; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment including computer, telephone, calculator, copiers, and FAX.

TYPICAL WORKING CONDITIONS
Work is normally performed in an office environment; frequent driving to different locations throughout the City; continuous contact with other staff and the public.

Knowledge of:
• Principles and practices of public administration including administrative analysis, fiscal planning, and control, policy, and program development. • Laws, rules, ordinances, and legislative processes controlling municipal government services and operations.
• Organization, problems, and functions of municipal government. • Research and evaluation methods.
• Personnel, employer-employee relations, and equal employment opportunity programs, procedures, and requirements.
• Principles of management, supervision, training, and employee evaluation. • Personal computers, and software applications related to City management and administration.

Ability to:
• Plan, organize, manage, coordinate, and supervise the functions and services of the City to achieve efficient operations and achieve program goals. • Prepare and administer the City budget and oversee fiscal records. • Coordinate the preparation of the City Council agenda. • Direct the gathering, organization, analysis, and presentation of a variety of data and information.
• Prepare clear, concise, and accurate records and reports. • Evaluate, formulate, and develop recommendations on improvements to City operations, programs, and services.
• Provide advice and consultation to the City Council on the development of ordinances, regulations, programs, and policies.
• Communicate well during public presentations.
• Exercise supervisory and management authority tactfully and effectively. • Effectively represent the City’s policies, programs, and services with the public, community organizations, City staff, and other government agencies. • Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships.

TYPICAL WORKING CONDITIONS
Work is normally performed in an office environment; frequent driving to different locations throughout the City; continuous contact with other staff and the public.

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MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Training and Experience:
• Five (5) years of broad and extensive management, supervisory, and administrative experience, preferably including work in a public agency involving development and administration of programs, budgets, and public services.

Education:
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, or a closely related field. Education requirements may be substituted with equivalent public administration and/or local government experience.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• A Master’s degree in public administration, business administration, or a closely related field.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
• None.

License:
• Possession of a valid California driver’s license.

The contents of this class specification shall not be construed to constitute any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee, nor shall it constitute a contract of employment. The City of Atwater assumes no responsibility beyond the general accuracy of the document, nor does it assume responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information contained herein. The contents of this specification may be modified or revoked without notice.

Terms and conditions of employment are determined through a meet and confer process and are subject to the Memorandum of Understanding currently in effect.

Rev. 2-26-24

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AGENDA REPORT

MEETING
DATE:

June 22, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM:

PREPARED
BY:

Janell Martin, Assistant City Clerk/Records Coordinator SUBJECT: Discussion and Direction Regarding the Development of a Citywide Traffic Calming Policy

RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION
That the City Council discuss the development of a Citywide Traffic Calming Policy and provide direction to staff regarding the exploration of policy options and the preparation of a draft policy for future City Council consideration.

I. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:

The City Council has expressed interest in establishing a consistent and transparent approach for evaluating and addressing requests for traffic calming measures throughout the community. A Citywide Traffic Calming Policy could provide a framework for receiving requests, establishing evaluation criteria, identifying potential traffic calming strategies, and prioritizing projects based on objective factors.

This item is intended to provide an opportunity for the City Council to discuss the concept of a Citywide Traffic Calming Policy and, if desired, provide direction to staff to research best practices, evaluate potential policy components, and return to the City Council with a draft policy and any associated implementation considerations.

II. FISCAL IMPACTS:

There is no immediate fiscal impact associated with this discussion item. Any costs related to the development or implementation of a future Traffic Calming Policy would be identified and presented to the City Council as part of a future agenda item.

III. LEGAL REVIEW:

The item has been reviewed by the City Attorney's office.

IV. EXISTING POLICY:

Not required for all staff reports but should be included in most reports. Not required for informational items.

CITY COUNCIL
Mike Nelson
John Cale Brian Raymond
Danny Ambriz Kalisa Rochester

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Agenda Report - Discussion and Direction Regarding the Development of a Citywide Traffic Calming Policy Page 2

The Existing Policy section outlines current City policy/procedure pertaining to the agenda item. The report should cite specific code sections or policy documents that will be changed as a result of the proposed Council action.

This section will also include a description of how the item relates to the Strategic Plan.

As we currently do not have a strategic plan, a description of relevance may be skipped until a proper plan is adopted.

V. ALTERNATIVES:

N/A
VI. INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:

The item has been reviewed by the relevant departments.

VII. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:

The public will have an opportunity to speak prior to City Council action.

VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:

IX. STEPS FOLLOWING APPROVAL:

Attachments:

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Atwater City CouncilJune 22, 2026

Atwater City Council
June 22, 2026