CONSENT CALENDAR City Council
July 14, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Jeff Boynton, City Manager
ORIGINATED BY: Anne Haraksin, Assistant City Manager
Michael Alfonso, Senior Administrative Analyst
SUBJECT: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH ATLAS
PLANNING SOLUTIONS TO UPDATE THE CITY'S LOCAL
HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN
BACKGROUND
The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) requires cities to have an approved Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) to be eligible to apply for and receive certain types of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) non-emergency disaster assistance, including funding for mitigation projects. An LHMP identifies natural and human-caused hazards that could impact a city, assesses the vulnerability and risks posed by hazards, develops strategies for mitigation of hazards, presents future maintenance procedures for the plan, and documents the planning process.
Hazards typically identified in plans include earthquakes, urban fires, droughts, floods, and climate change.
Cities are required to update the LHMP and resubmit the plan to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal EOS) and FEMA for approval every five years to remain eligible. The process to complete an approved mitigation plan is detailed in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 201.
FINDINGS
On January 24, 2023, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 23-03 adopting the City of La Mirada 2022 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The City contracted with Integrated Solutions Consulting to prepare the LHMP and the plan was prepared in compliance with DMA 2000.
The City's 2022 LHMP was prepared through a process, which included a Hazard Mitigation Plan Committee consisting of representatives from City departments, community stakeholders, and representatives from neighboring jurisdictions. During the planning process, the City provided public notifications through its website and social media. In November 2021, the City conducted an online survey to solicit input on the hazards that the City faces and the types of mitigation activities the City should undertake. A draft of the 2022 LHMP was placed on the City's website for public review Local Hazardous Mitigation Plan
City Council Meeting of July 14, 2026
and comment in June 2022. Following the public review period, the HMP was sent to Cal OES for review and approval. In September 2022, the LHMP was approved by Cal OES and was sent to FEMA for final review and approval. Cal OES and FEMA reviewed the LHMP and found it met the requirements of DMA 2000 and was eligible for final approval and adoption by the City Council.
City staff has initiated the process to update the current LHMP, which is required to be updated every five years. On May 6, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking qualified consultants to coordinate, facilitate, and prepare an updated LHMP. The selected consultant will collect and incorporate information and comments throughout and adopted by the City Council.
Four firms submitted proposals in response to the City's RFP. The proposals submitted by Atlas Planning Solutions, Emergency Planning Consultants, Integrated Solutions Consulting, and Risk Management Professionals were evaluated and scored by a committee comprised of City staff from various departments. The selection committee ranked the proposals based on the firm's ability to provide specific services meeting the City's requirements and time frames, the firm's approach to coordinating and preparing a LHMP, prior experience on similar projects, and pricing. The cost of the proposals ranged from $69,698 to $145,000.
The proposals submitted by all four firms scored well in all categories, and each firm was selected for an interview with City staff. Following the interviews, it was recommended the City contract with Atlas Planning Solutions (APS). APS is a come with is san f California-based planning and emergency management consulting firm specializing in hazard mitigation, emergency operations, and resilience planning. The firm's multidisciplinary team has extensive experience working with local, state, and federal agencies on planning efforts of varying size and complexity.
APS is partnered with Lee Rosenberg from Navigating Preparedness Associates (NPA), who was the primary author of La Mirada's current LHMP. Working for Integrated Solutions Consulting at the time, Mr. Rosenberg ensured that the City's first plan received no comments or requested revisions from FEMA. NPA is slated to assist APS as a subcontractor for the LHMP update. The two firms have direct knowledge of La Mirada's hazards, hazard planning framework, and prior mitigation strategies.
This familiarity will allow the firms to streamline the update process, focus on meaningful improvements, and efficiently meet FEMA and Cal OES requirements.
Additionally, the APS team has experience working with cities throughout the Los Angeles County and Orange County region.
APS will update the LHMP using established best practices and regulatory guidance to ensure full compliance with State and Federal standards. This includes DMA 2000, 44 CFR 201 (Planning) and Part 206 (Projects), the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning 2 Local Hazardous Mitigation Plan
City Council Meeting of July 14, 2026
Handbook, June 2025, and the California Government Code Section 65302(g). This framework ensures the plan is operationally sound, interoperable with partner agencies, and eligible for State and Federal grant funding opportunities. The 12- month process will involve facilitating Hazard Mitigation Plan Committee meetings with City staff and key stakeholders, community engagement and collaboration, hazard identification and risk assessment, documentation review and the development of mitigation strategies, development of the final LHMP document, and the submittal to Cal OES and FEMA. The proposed cost to update the LHMP submitted by APS is $77,170.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
It is recommended the City Council approve a professional services agreement with Atlas Planning Solutions in the amount of $77,170 to update the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement on behalf of the City.