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Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: ADOPTION OF MULTI-HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
Date: October 13, 2026
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the 2026 Sonoma County Hazard Mitigation Plan (Volume 1), the Introduction and Cotati Annex (in Volume 2) and the appendices to Volume 2 and authorize staff to transmit the adoption documentation to Sonoma County and FEMA, as required.
Background
In 2021, the City of Cotati (City) adopted a detailed Hazard Mitigation Plan (Plan). This effort was in parallel with the larger Countywide update at that time, but due to a FEMA planning grant received by the City, the Cotati annex was more detailed than in prior cycles.
Adoption of the 2026 Sonoma County Hazard Mitigation Plan update every 5 years is a required step for maintaining eligibility for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs.
Adoption of the plan does not obligate the jurisdiction to fund or implement any specific mitigation project; rather, it establishes an approved policy framework that supports future planning, funding, and resilience efforts.
Hazard mitigation is the use of long-term and short-term policies, programs, projects, and other activities to minimize the loss of life, injury, and property damage that can result from a disaster.
Hazard mitigation is the first step in reducing risk and is the most effective way to reduce costs associated with hazards. This hazard mitigation plan examines our vulnerability to identify hazards and outlines actions that we can take to mitigate those hazards.
Due to the voluminous nature of the Plan, it is not practical to print the entire two volumes with the agenda packet. Therefore, staff have attached the relevant sections that are proposed for 1 4
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adoption from Volume 1 and Volume 2 with the agenda packet. However, the full Plan is available for review with the City Clerk at City Hall, 201 West Sierra Avenue and is also posted on the City’s website at: https://www.cotaticity.gov/326/County-Wide-Hazard-Mitigation-Plan Analysis/Discussion
The 2026 update reflects current hazard data, recent events, and updated vulnerability and mitigation strategies. Each jurisdiction participating in the plan must formally adopt a Hazard Mitigation Plan to maintain eligibility for funding under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs.
This 2026 update to the plan was coordinated with 22 planning partners in the County. The process started in June of 2023 when we were invited by Sonoma County to participate in the planning process. The plan has been reviewed and was recently approved by both the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and FEMA.
The hazards examined in the plan include the following:
Dam failure
Drought
Earthquake
Extreme cold
Extreme heat
Extreme wind
Flooding
Landslide
Sea Level Rise
Tsunami
Wildfire
The risk and vulnerability associated with each of these hazards were determined for each participating jurisdiction, based on past events, past and predicted future losses, and the expected probability of future occurrence. From this data, we were able to identify actions that can be taken to mitigate the hazards. Our annex to the plan identifies our risk and vulnerability to the hazards and actions we can take to mitigate them.
The following goals were established for the 2026 hazard mitigation plan update:
1. Protect people and minimize loss of life and injury.
2. Minimize potential for loss of property, economic and social impacts, and displacement due to hazards.
3. Minimize potential for environmental impacts and consider a broad range of mitigation strategies, including nature-based solutions where feasible.
4. Communicate and improve public understanding of natural hazard risk to the whole community within Sonoma County.
5. Support the advancement of effective mitigation policies, programs, and projects that are adaptive, proactive, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable to build a resilient Sonoma County.
6. Enhance the capability/capacity of the Sonoma County planning area to prepare, respond, 1 4
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and recover from the impact of natural hazards.
Upon adoption, the jurisdiction will remain eligible to participate in plan implementation, annual monitoring, and future updates, and may pursue mitigation projects identified in the annex through separate funding or approval processes. Maintenance of the plan includes a schedule for monitoring and evaluating the plan annually and producing an updated plan every five years.
Financial Considerations
Adopting the resolution has no financial impact on the City outside of the staff time required to compile the report and generate the council agenda item for approval. If and/or when a project is identified for implementation, the project will be brought to the City Council for consideration.
Environmental Issues
The proposed Hazard Mitigation Plan determined with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA review. This general rule can be applied to activities which could be subject to the CEQA process, but which logic dictates should not be subject to CEQA review. Therefore, based on the information provided above, the proposed resolution is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 14.03.021 of the CEQA Guidelines in that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant impact on the environment.