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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Amendment to Professional Services Agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to include an update of the General Plan Safety Element.
1. Motion authorizing the City Manager to Amend the Professional Services Agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc., to include an update of the General Plan Safety Element as part of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan preparation for an additional cost of $135,683, and a revised total not to exceed contact amount of $455,683.
2. Resolution of appropriation in the amount of $135,683.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Consent Calendar
Approved for November 7, 2023 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City needs to update the Safety Element of the General Plan. SB 370 requires the Safety Element to include a vulnerability assessment identifying how climate change is expected to affect hazardous conditions in the community, as well as goals, policies, and measures to adapt to, and increase resilience. Because these topics are intertwined with climate mitigation and the focus of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, it is best practice for these efforts to be coordinated, consistent, and presented to the community together.
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RECOMMENDATION
That City Council authorize the City Manager to amend the Professional Services Agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc., to include preparation and completion of an update of the General Plan Safety Element as part of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan Preparation.
BACKGROUND
On September 27, 2022, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute an 18-month Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with Rincon to develop a “Qualified” Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) for the City of Glendale for a total not to exceed amount of $320,000. Included in the original CAAP scope of work was a task for Rincon to prepare a climate vulnerability analysis. The climate vulnerability analysis identifies, categorizes, and prioritizes risks across all community sectors based on exposure (assessed using climate change projections), sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.
This scope of work was requested within the CAAP in anticipation of an update to the General Plan Safety Element and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). New legislative bills require cities to develop policies that address communities that are vulnerable to climate change, emergency evacuation, and wildfire risks. The work Rincon Consultants is completing for the CAAP can be adopted into the Safety Element update and, by reference, into the LHMP update.
ANALYSIS
California has prioritized mitigating climate change impacts and building more resilient communities. Recently, the California State Legislature has passed several bills (described below) requiring updating safety elements to account for these priorities.
This new legislation requires communities to prepare specific technical studies and develop policies that address communities who are vulnerable to climate change, emergency evacuation, and wildfire risks.
1.Senate Bill 99. Residential Emergency Evacuation Routes. Senate Bill 99 requires all cities and counties, upon the next revision of the housing element on or after January 1, 2020, to update the safety element to include information identifying residential developments in any hazard area identified in the safety element that does not have at least two emergency evacuation routes.
2.Senate Bill 1035. General Plans. Senate Bill 1035 requires cities and counties to update their safety element during a housing element or local hazard mitigation plan update cycle, but not less than once every eight years if new information on flood hazards, fire hazards, or climate adaptation or resilience is available that was not available during the previous revision of the safety element. 3{{section.number}}b
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3.Senate Bill 379. Climate Adaptation. Senate Bill 379 requires all cities and counties to include climate adaptation and resiliency strategies in the safety elements of their general plans upon the next revision beginning January 1, 2017. The bill requires the climate adaptation update to include a set of goals, policies, and objectives for their communities based on the vulnerability assessment and implementation measures, including the conservation and implementation of natural infrastructure that may be used in adaptation projects.
4.Senate Bill 1241. State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Severity Zones.
The Senate Bill requires review and update of the safety element upon the next revision of the housing element on or after January 1, 2014, as necessary to address the risk of fire in state responsibility areas and very high fire hazard severity zones. The specific requirements are codified in GC § 65302(g)(3) and 65302.5(b) and included as Attachment A to this memorandum.
5.Assembly Bill 747. Evacuation Routes. Assembly Bill 747 requires all cities and counties to identify evacuation routes in the safety elements of their general plans upon the next revision of their local hazard mitigation plan, beginning on or after January 1, 2022. The bill requires evaluating evacuation route capacity, safety, and viability under various emergency scenarios. The safety element can be updated based on information included in an adopted local hazard mitigation plan, emergency operation plan, or other document, provided the information fulfills the goals and objectives of the assembly bill requirements.
These new requirements allow for the Safety Element to be better designed for agencies to further implementation efforts to prevent increased hazard risks such as wildfire and urban heat as well as emergency response and evacuation.
Rationale.
SB 379 allows for cities and counties to comply with the law by either (i) updating the safety element of their general plan OR (ii) using an existing local hazard mitigation plan (LHMP), climate action or adaptation plan (CAAP), or similar plan that adequately addresses the regulatory requirements of SB 379. Local jurisdictions that already have an adopted LHMP as of January 1, 2017, will need to update the safety element of the general plan pursuant to SB 379 upon the next revision of the LHMP. (SCAG 2021.) SB 379 requires city and county safety elements of general plans to be reviewed and updated to include climate adaptation and resilience strategies. Specifically, the review and update must consist of three main components:
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1. A Vulnerability Assessment that identifies the risks that climate change poses to the local jurisdiction and the geographic areas at risk from climate change impacts.
2. A Set Of Adaptation And Resilience Goals, Policies, And Objectives based on the information in the Vulnerability Assessment for the protection of the community.
3. A Set Of Feasible Implementation Measures designed to carry out the identified goals, policies, and objectives.
The above components are being completed as part of the scope of work for the CAAP.
Thus, as Glendale Fire Department is updating the LHMP and Community Development Department is updating elements of the General Plan, which are intertwined with the climate mitigation focus of the CAAP, it is optimal for these efforts to be coordinated, consistent, and presented to the community together. This also allows for the most effectiveness and efficiency in staff resources, potentially resulting in significant cost and time savings.
Rincon will prepare specific technical studies and develop policies that address communities vulnerable to climate change, emergency evacuation, and wildfire risks.
The full scope of work can be found in Exhibit 1. Key tasks include:
1. Review of Existing Safety Element:
2. Preparation of Technical Reports
a. Evacuation Capacity Analysis
b. Identify Evacuation Scenarios
c. Evacuation Analysis
d. Evacuation Map
3. Safety Element CEQA Analysis (combined with CAAP): Rincon proposes modifying the existing Task 10 established for the CAAP to combine the CAAP and Safety Element update CEQA assessments. By combining the CAAP and Safety Element programs, Rincon can evaluate both documents in a single CEQA document.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
A key aspect of the scope of work for the Safety Element update is to undertake stakeholder and community engagement. Rincon will revise the CAAP Stakeholder Education and Engagement Plan to include Safety Element-related engagement activities, and:
•City Staff Working Group Meeting, Community Workshop, online community surveys, and City Council hearings.
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•In addition to the CAAP workshops, Rincon will plan and facilitate one additional community workshop and one additional pop-up event that focus exclusively on the Safety Element update. The community workshop will be in- person and will provide an overview of the Safety Element, new Safety Element requirements, results from the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, and Safety Element policy topics.
FISCAL IMPACT
The General Plan Safety Element update will cost $135,683, which was not included as a part of the FY 2023-24 budget. Therefore, staff is requesting for an appropriation from Measure S Undesignated Fund Balance. The appropriation request is outlined below:
Requesting Appropriation
Amount From (Account
String)
To (Account String) Funding Source
$135,683 24275-1070- 43110-1070-MSD-
8509-P8020-
Measure S
Undesignated Fund
Balance
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
CEQA does not apply to projects where the lead agency determines "with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment." CEQA Guidelines (14 Cal. Code Regs.) § 15061(b)(3). Here, the action involves the amendment of an existing professional services agreement for the preparation of a CAAP to include preparation of a required update the City’s Safety Element of the General Plan. These actions will benefit the health, welfare and safety of the community and natural environment resulting in a net positive environmental effect.
Accordingly, the project will have no possibility of having a significant effect on the environment as are appropriately exempt from CEQA.
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
In accordance with the City Campaign Finance Ordinance No. 5744, the following are the names and business addresses of the members of the board of directors, the chairperson, CEO, COO, CFO, Subcontractors and any person or entity with more than ten percent interest in the company proposed for contract in this agenda item report. Officers of Rincon Consultants, Inc.
Full
Name
Title Business
Address
City State Zip Ownership
John
Dreher
Chief Executive
Office/President
180 North
Ashwood
Ventura CA 93003 More than
10%
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Avenue
Lacrissa
David
Chief Financial
Officer/Vice
President
180 North
Ashwood
Avenue
Ventura CA 93003 More than
10%
Rich
Daulton
Secretary 180 North
Ashwood
Ave
Ventura CA 93003 More than
10%
Jennifer
Haddow
Vice President 180 North
Ashwood
Ventura CA 93003 More than
10%
ALTERNATIVES
Alternate 1: Approve the motion authorizing the City Manager to Amend Contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to include an update of the General Plan Safety Element.
Alternate 2: Choose not to authorize the motion.
Alternate 3: The City Council may consider any other alternative not proposed by staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Prepared by:
David Jones, Sustainability Officer
Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1: Rincon Consultants, Inc. Scope and Budget Modification to Prepare the City of Glendale Safety Element Update.