Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: September 10, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: David Sanchez, Community Development Director Subject: General Plan Safety Element Update
BACKGROUND
The Safety Element is one of the seven mandatory Elements of the City’s General Plan.
The Safety Element establishes goals, objectives, and policies to reduce the potential short and long-term risk of death, injury, and property damage from natural and man- made hazards, including fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, climate change, and other hazards. The City’s Safety Element was adopted in 1989 and updated in 1990 and 2013.
Senate Bill 379 requires the Safety Element to address climate adaptation and resilience upon the next update of the County of Ventura’s Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP), which was adopted in 2022. Additionally, Senate Bill 1035 requires that whenever the City’s Housing Element is updated, the City must also review and update the Safety Element with respect to climate change risks, including flood and fire hazards.
The 2021-2029 Housing Element Update was adopted by the City Council on September 29, 2021. Therefore, it is necessary that the City update the Safety Element at this time.
On March 18, 2025, the Planning Commission reviewed the Safety Element Update and continued the item for staff to make minor revisions to the document. On May 6, 2025, the Commission reviewed the revised document and voted unanimously to recommend approval of the Safety Element Update to the City Council.
The Safety Element Update incorporates revisions requested by the Planning Commission and is attached to the Resolution as Exhibit A.
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Public Hearing
A public hearing has been advertised for the City Council meeting of September 10, 2025, posted at Camarillo City Hall, as well as on the City’s website (www.cityofcamarillo.org), and published in a newspaper (Camarillo Acorn) of general circulation for the area.
DISCUSSION
The State of California has prioritized mitigating climate change impacts and building more resilient communities. The California State Legislature has passed several bills that require the Safety Element to be updated to also account for these priorities. To comply with new legislation, communities are required to prepare specific technical studies and develop policies that address vulnerable communities to climate change, emergency evacuation, and wildfire risks. The Safety Element Update has been prepared to comply with the new legislative requirements, as discussed below.
Senate Bill 379 (SB 379)
SB 379 requires the City to assess vulnerability to hazards exacerbated by climate change and identify adaptation and resilience goals. A Community Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) was completed by Rincon Consultants Inc. and is attached to the Safety Element Update as Appendix B. The CCVA helps to inform the goals, policies, and implementation programs of the Safety Element and assesses potential equity impacts by evaluating how climate change may impact vulnerable populations, natural and managed resources, buildings and facilities, and infrastructure and critical services within the city. The CCVA includes identification and vulnerability scoring of sensitive populations that are most at risk of being impacted by climate change, such as older adults, children, communities of color, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with high outdoor exposure.
The results of the CCVA indicate that sensitive population groups are highly vulnerable to many climate hazards including extreme heat and warm nights, wildfire, landslides, drought, flooding, and air quality. Buildings and facilities in Camarillo are highly vulnerable to extreme heat and warm nights, wildfire, and air quality. Critical infrastructure and services are highly vulnerable to all climate hazards, including extreme heat/warm nights, wildfire, landslides, riverine and stormwater flooding, and air quality.
The Safety Element Update proposes new and updated policies aimed at minimizing the impacts due to climate change, geologic hazards, and flooding and increasing community resiliency. Refer to Goals SAF-1, SAF-2, SAF-3, SAF-4, along with its respective Objectives and Policies on pages 11-54 through 11-64 of the Safety Element Update.
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Assembly Bill 747 (AB 747)
Under AB 747, the City is required to identify evacuation routes and evaluate their capacity, safety, and viability under a range of emergency scenarios. Fehr & Peers conducted an Evacuation Capacity Analysis by modeling a wildfire event in the eastern side of the city adjacent to the undeveloped foothills near the Camarillo Springs, Leisure Village, and Upland Communities.
These communities will likely move west towards U.S. 101 to evacuate the encroaching fire. As such, the primary evacuation routes are Camarillo Springs Road and Santa Rosa Road, which connects the Camarillo Springs and Leisure Village communities to U.S. 101. Secondary evacuation routes are Pleasant Valley Road and Lewis Road. Other evacuation routes include Las Posas Road and Flynn Road.
The model shows that some vehicles will require longer than the peak hour times following an evacuation order. Given the topographic constraints to the north, south, and east, the City has limited options to manage evacuation demand. The study provides recommendations for consideration such as creating reversible lanes and facilitating additional capacity in an evacuation event scenario. The Evacuation Capacity Analysis is attached to the Safety Element Update as Appendix C.
Senate Bill 99 (SB 99)
In compliance with SB 99, residential neighborhoods with 30 or more dwelling units in hazard areas with only one entry/exit were identified. Figure 11-14 (on page 11-49 of the Safety Element Update) shows that within City limits, 37 single access neighborhoods with one entry/exit were identified. Additionally, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) identified seven subdivisions with 30 or more dwelling units in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) in both the State Responsibility Area (SRA) and Local Responsibility Area (LRA) that are either completely or partially located in the City limits. These identified subdivisions are also noted in Figure 11-14.
The Safety Element Update recommends new policies to minimize the challenges with single access and ensure new developments provide at least two points of ingress/egress in compliance with SB 99. Additional policies ensure the City is prepared to respond to emergencies and disasters. Refer to Goal SAF-7, along with its respective Objective and Policies on pages 11-67 through 11-69 of the Safety Element Update.
Wildfires
The threat of a wildland fire in or near Camarillo is high due to the wildland urban areas in and around the city, where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with wildland or vegetative fuels. The threat of wildfire is particularly significant when strong Santa Ana winds are present.
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Camarillo has experienced wildfires, including the 2017 Thomas Fire. While the City did not incur any structural damage, it was indirectly impacted due to smoke and providing mutual aid and evacuation centers. In 2018, the Hill/Woolsey Fire started in the Camarillo area and was driven by fierce Santa Ana winds, ultimately burning 4,531 acres, including the Camarillo Grove Park. On November 6, 2024, the Mountain Fire broke out in the Somis area and quickly spread south and west across Hwy 118 and the Camarillo Heights area. The fire burned 19,904 acres resulting in 243 structures destroyed and 127 damaged. Within the city limits, four of these properties suffered total loss, while five properties experienced partial structural damage.
Due to the history of past wildfires in and near Camarillo, a Wildfire Hazard Assessment was prepared by TSS Consultants. See Attachment 3 to this report. The study assessed the likelihood a wildfire may occur based on conditions such as terrain, slope, winds, and their influence of wildfire behavior. While the study concluded that most of the city was categorized to have a wildfire hazard level of low to medium, there are areas in the city limits, including Camarillo Springs and areas surrounding the city limits to the south, east, and north that have a high wildfire hazard risk level.
CAL FIRE is responsible for developing Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps that identify areas of increased fire danger in California based on factors such as fuel loading, slope, fire weather, and other relevant conditions. These maps categorize fire hazards into three classifications—Moderate, High, and Very High—reflecting hazard potential rather than risk, as they do not account for mitigation efforts such as home hardening or fuel reduction.
Figure 11-8 (on page 11-29 of the Safety Element Update) displays the State Responsibility Area (SRA) and the recently adopted updated Local Responsibility Area (LRA) Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map. The SRA is where the State has financial responsibility for wildland fire protection and prevention. The LRA is within the incorporated city limits, where the local government is responsible for wildfire protection.
The Safety Element Update proposes significant updates to add new policies and strengthen existing policies with respect to fire hazards with the goal of minimizing the risk of wildfire hazards and potential impacts to the community and ecosystem. New policies include ensuring compliance with the latest defensible space regulations from CAL FIRE and VCFD; ensuring dedicated open space and undeveloped areas meet specifications for fire safety, including areas around fire ignition sources, such as utility lines; and regularly evaluating the City’s fire suppression capacity and future water supply, as part of the next Ventura County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. For reference, see Goal SAF-4, along with its respective Objectives and Policies.
Community Outreach
A hybrid in-person/virtual community workshop was held on October 20, 2022, at the Camarillo Library. The City’s consultant provided an overview of the Safety Element General Plan Safety Element Update
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Update, discussed the results of the CCVA, and received input from community members.
The City conducted a community survey to gather vital community feedback on natural and man-made hazard concerns and preparedness. The survey, which ran from April 15 to June 3, 2024, saw participation from 51 residents, who provided their insights on Camarillo safety and hazards. Residents ranked wildfires, drought, earthquakes, and extreme heat days as top concerns. The Safety Element contains policies to enhance community safety through land use policies, exploring funding mechanisms for at-risk properties, enhanced drainage systems, and establishing resilience hubs for community support during emergencies. The survey results are attached to the Safety Element Update as Appendix A.
Implementing Actions
The Safety Element Update identifies actions the City, property owners and other governmental agencies can pursue in order to implement the Safety Element. Many of these actions are on-going activities that the City already engages in and will continue to carry out. The complete list of implementing actions is described in Section 11.4 on pages 11-70 through 11-73 of the Safety Element and are summarized below. •Continually review and update emergency plans.
•Regularly review the VCFD Standards and Guidelines and ensure that the City’s Municipal Code is updated to comply.
•Monitor the Ventura County Fire Protection District’s fire protection rating and cooperate with the Ventura County Fire Protection District in the correction of deficiencies by complying with VCFD Fire Prevention Guidelines for structure retrofitting requirements, landscape alterations, and defensible space maintenance.
•Regularly coordinate disaster planning efforts.
•Coordinate with VCFD to ensure developments in the VHFHSZ incorporate standards for construction, fuel modification, and defensible space. •Review any proposed updates or modifications to the Ventura County Airport Comprehensive Land Use Plan and/or Camarillo Airport Master Plan.
•Pursue grant funding to develop an Urban Heat Adaptation Plan. •Coordinate with local wildfire prevention agencies and groups such as the Ventura County Regional Fire Safe Council and the Ventura County Fire Department to pursue grant funding for a Camarillo Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
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Intergovernmental Agency Review
The City consulted with the Camarillo Police Department, VCFD and Camarillo Airport during the update process. The agencies reviewed the Draft Safety Element and their comments have been incorporated into the Safety Element Update.
CAL FIRE and Board of Forestry Review
CAL FIRE performed two rounds of reviews of the Draft Safety Element Update to ensure the document upheld the most rigorous wildfire requirements under CAL FIRE mandates and current legislation. Following CAL FIRE’s review, the Draft Safety Element was presented and accepted by the California Board of Forestry (BOF) at their December 10, 2024 meeting. BOF complimented the document and called it a “Safety Element other communities should use as a model.”
California Geological Survey
The Draft Safety Element Update was submitted to the California Geological Survey of the State Department of Conservation on May 30, 2025 in accordance with Government Code section 65302.5(a), which requires the City to submit a copy of the draft document 45 days prior to adoption. No comments were received.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no budget impact as a result of this action.
CEQA DETERMINATIONS
The City reviewed the environmental impacts of the Project under the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code §§ 21000, et seq. “CEQA”) and the regulations promulgated thereunder (14 Cal. Code of Regs. §§ 15000, et seq., the “CEQA Guidelines”). CEQA Guidelines §§ 15060(c)(2), 15061(b)(3), and 15378 exempt activities that will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, activities where there is possibility that it may have a significant effect on the environment, and activities that do not constitute a “project” as defined, respectively.
The proposed Safety Element Update is a policy document. No development is proposed, and it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed Safety Element Update may have a significant effect on the environment and this activity is exempt from further review.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Determine that the Safety Element Update is not subject to CEQA review under Section 15060(c)(2), 15061(b)(3), and 15378 of the California Environmental General Plan Safety Element Update
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Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that this may have a significant effect on the environment.
2. Adopt a resolution approving the Safety Element Update of the Camarillo General Plan and adoption of the 2022 Ventura County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan and all future updates by reference into the Safety Element of the General Plan in accordance with AB 2140 requirements.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution (including Attachment 1 - Safety Element Update with Appendices)
2. Wildfire Hazard Assessment
3. Public Hearing Notice
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL None