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16.4 Epidemic and Pandemic
An outbreak occurs when there are more cases of a particular disease than expected in each area, or among a specific group of people, over a particular period of time. Epidemic has a similar definition, but generally refers to when a larger number of people or larger geographic area are experiencing an outbreak. In an outbreak or epidemic, it is presumed that the cases are related to one another or that they have a common cause.3F
334 A pandemic then refers to an epidemic which has spread over a large area such as an entire country, or even a continent, usually affecting a larger number of people.
The Santa Clara County Department of Public Health is responsible for protecting and improving the health of the community within the OA. The public health department responds to public health related emergencies and disasters and supports field responders at medical and rescue incidents. The OA has numerous health care facilities within its borders, including the following:
The Stanford Health Care-Stanford Hospital in Stanford El Camino Hospital in Mountain View
Santa Clara Medical Center, in Santa Clara
Good Samaritan Hospital in San José
Kaiser Permanente San José Medical Center
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford
The following sections describe commonly recognized human health hazards that are a concern in the OA.
COVID-19
In late 2019, patients were reported exhibiting symptoms of an abnormal flu-like illness. The initial outbreak rapidly expanded across the world over the next few months and became known as COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a type of coronavirus. The disease spreads from personto-person, usually through close contact such as when someone in conversational distance coughs, sneezes, speaks, sings, or breathes.34F
335 The disease can also spread through the air in congested areas where people tend to conjugate and through touching surfaces contaminated by the virus.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fevers, chills, and sore throat. Other symptoms include muscle aches, severe fatigue or tiredness, headache, new and persistent cough, shortness of breath, and loss or change of sense of taste or smell. Symptoms usually begin within 5-6 days from the time of exposure.
However, some people with the disease remain asymptomatic. It is believed that some asymptomatic people may have been able to transmit the disease to others, but further research is needed. Everyone is able to be infected although older people, people with pre-existing conditions, and people who are pregnant are more likely to be infected or have a serious infection.
By March 4, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to make additional resources available, formalize emergency actions already underway across multiple state agencies and departments, and help the state prepare for broader spread of COVID-19. The proclamation came as the number of positive California cases rose and following one official COVID-19 death. Since then, cases 334 Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Lesson 1: Introduction to Epidemiology. https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section11.html 335 World Health Organization. (December 2021). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): How is it transmitted? https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/coronavirusdisease-covid-19-how-is-ittransmitted?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_oSJxvnq_gIVFdiGCh2sYQe4EAAYASAAEgJByfD_BwE 480
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continued to rise and over 1.1 million people died of COVID-19 in the United States alone. Measures were implemented to reduce the rapid spread including social distancing, mandatory testing, and isolation and quarantine policies.
Figure 77 illustrates the course of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County from onset through January 2023. As this plan is being prepared, the California COVID-19 State of Emergency ended on February 28, 2023, and the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency is scheduled to end on May 11, 2023.
Figure 77: Santa Clara COVID Cases 2020–202335F
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Almost 7,000 cases of COVID-19 per day were recorded across the county at the peak of the pandemic, as shown in Table 125, but the percentages of each city’s population that were infected ranged from 9.6% in Monte Sereno to 37.3% in Gilroy.
336 Santa Clara County Public Health. (2023). COVID Cases and Deaths Dashboard. https://covid19.sccgov.org/dashboard-cases-and-deaths
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Table 125: COVID-19 Cases Countywide and by City of Residence36F 337
County/City Cases Population Rate City Cases Population Rate Santa Clara
Countya
496,338 1,885,508 26.3% Monte Sereno 331 3,492 9.5%
Campbell 10,005 42,470 23.6% Morgan Hill 13,696 43,876 31.2% Cupertino 8,523 60,614 14.1% Mountain
View
13,885 80,993 17.1%
Gilroy 20,715 55,525 37.3% Palo Alto 10,714 67,019 16.0% Los Altos 4,913 30,588 16.1% San José 285,709 1,026,658 27.8% Los Altos
Hills
1,231 8,517 14.5% Santa Clara 27,388 126,209 21.7%
Los Gatos 6,805 30,922 22.0% Saratoga 4,540 30,886 14.7% Milpitas 17,293 77,457 22.3% Sunnyvale 27,079 152,323 17.8% a Countywide total (includes city cases).
The spread and scope of COVID-19 was more than sufficient for it to be declared a pandemic. The only comparable outbreak in modern times could be the 1918 flu pandemic which affected an estimated one third of the world’s population. The two pandemics shared similar characteristics; their exact origins are unknown, it took multiple years for the diseases to run their course, and they required significant local, regional, and global efforts to respond and recover from.
Today, COVID-19 still represents a series threat however, some of that threat has been mitigated by the development of COVID testing capabilities and vaccines. COVID vaccines have been shown to effectively decrease the severity and likelihood of infection. COVID-19 is expected to be endemic, meaning that it will remain present in certain parts of the world with relatively low spread except for occasional outbreaks.
For this reason, it will continue to be a challenge that public health professionals will have to prepare for and respond to. There are still many unknowns about the disease as well. One significant threat is being referred to as “long COVID” or Post-COVID Conditions (PCC). Some people who develop the disease are experiencing long-term symptoms that continue or develop after the initial infection. These symptoms can include a wide range of problems including tiredness, fatigue, fever, difficulty breathing, coughing, difficulty thinking of concentrating, and more. While scientists work to develop effective treatment, the public, government, and private sector should be aware of this poorly understood condition.37F 338
Disease Outbreaks
In addition to COVID-19, there have been other major disease outbreaks within Santa Clara County since 2018 (see Table 126).38F
339
337 Santa Clara County Public Health. (2023). COVID Cases and Deaths Dashboard. https://covid19.sccgov.org/dashboard-cases-and-deaths
338 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (December 2022). Long COVID. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-termeffects/index.html?s_cid=11841:%2Blong%20%2Bcovid:sem.b:p:RG:GM:gen:PTN:FY23 339 California Office of Emergency Services. (2023). California State Hazard Mitigation Plan – Part 3. https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Hazard-Mitigation/Documents/California-SHMP_PublicReview_Vol1- Part3.pdf
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Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is caused by certain bacteria (called Borrelia burgdorferi) that can spread from the bite of an infected western blacklegged tick. Lyme disease may start as a mild illness that begins 3 to 30 days after a tick bite and might easily be mistaken for other common illnesses like a cold or flu. Signs and symptoms also can include a red, painless rash that may spread over time. If Lyme disease is not treated, it might develop into more severe health problems.39F
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Valley Fever
Valley fever (also called coccidioidomycosis or “cocci”) is a disease caused by a fungus that grows in the soil and dirt in some areas of California and the southwestern United States. People and animals can get sick when they breathe in dust that contains the Valley fever fungus. This fungus usually infects the lungs and can cause respiratory symptoms including cough, fever, chest pain, and tiredness.340F 341
West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne disease that was first detected in the United States in 1999. WNV first appeared in California in 2003, and by 2004, WNV had spread to all 58 counties. In 2022, there was one human case, 26 dead birds and 23 mosquito samples taken.341F 342
Risk of infection is reduced through the coordinated efforts of local and state public health and vector control agencies. People can protect themselves from WNV by taking precautions to prevent mosquito bites.342F
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Table 126: Disease Outbreaks Identified in Santa Clara County, 2018–202234F 344
Disease Outbreaks 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
COVID-19 x x x
Lyme Disease x x
Valley Fever x x x x x
West Nile Virus x x x x
Other Diseases of Concern
Influenza
Epidemics of the flu typically occur in the fall and winter. Because flu seasons fluctuate in length and severity, a single estimate cannot be used to summarize influenza-associated deaths. Figure 78 depicts the weekly percentage of emergency department visits for influenza-like illness in Santa Clara County by influenza season. The most recent reports are for February 22, 2023. 340 California Department of Public Health. (n.d.) Lyme Disease. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/LymeDisease.aspx 341 California Department of Public Health. (n.d.). What is Valley Fever? https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/pages/Coccidioidomycosis.aspx 342 California Department of Public Health. (n.d.) 2022 West Nile Virus Activity in California. West Nile. https://westnile.ca.gov/
343California Department of Public Health. (n.d.) West Nile Virus. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/WestNileVirus.aspx 344 California Department of Public Health. (n.d.) Diseases and Conditions. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/allDiseases.aspx
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Figure 78: Weekly Percentage of Emergency Department Visits for Influenza-Like Illness in Santa Clara County, 2019, to February 22, 202334F
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H1N1
In April 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a health advisory on an outbreak of influenzalike illness caused by a new subtype of influenza A (A/H1N1) in Mexico and the United States. The disease spread rapidly, and in June the WHO declared an H1N1 pandemic, marking the first global pandemic since the 1968 Hong Kong flu. In October, the U.S. declared H1N1 a national emergency. In August 2010, the WHO declared an end to the pandemic globally. H1N1 viruses and seasonal influenza viruses are co-circulating in many parts of the world. It is likely that the 2009 H1N1 virus will continue to spread for years to come, like a regular seasonal influenza virus.
H5N1/H7N9
The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus is an influenza A subtype that occurs mainly in birds, causing high mortality among birds and domestic poultry. Outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 among poultry and wild birds are ongoing in a number of countries.
H5N1 virus infections of humans are rare, and most cases have been associated with direct poultry contact during poultry outbreaks. Rare cases of limited human-to-human spread of H5N1 virus may have occurred, but there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission. Nonetheless, because all influenza viruses have the ability to change and mutate, scientists are concerned that H5N1 viruses one day could be able to infect humans more easily and spread more easily from one person to another, potentially causing another pandemic.
345 Santa Clara County Public Health. (2023). Influenza Report. https://publichealthproviders.sccgov.org/diseases/influenza/influenza-report 484
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While the H5N1 virus does not now infect people easily, infection in humans is much more serious when it occurs than is infection with H1N1. More than half of people reported infected with H5N1 have died.
Infections in humans and poultry by a new avian influenza A virus (H7N9) continue to be occasionally.
The last outbreak was in 2017 in China. Another case was reported in Malaysia. While mild illness in human cases has been seen, most patients have had severe respiratory illness, and some have died.
Source investigation by Chinese authorities is ongoing. Many of the people infected with H7N9 reportedly have had contact with poultry. However, some cases reportedly have not had such contact. Close contacts of confirmed H7N9 patients are being followed to determine whether any human-to- human spread of H7N9 is occurring. No sustained person-to-person spread of the H7N9 virus has been found at this time. However, based on previous experience with avian flu viruses, some limited human- to-human spread of this the virus would not be surprising.
As of the time of this writing, there is currently an outbreak of avian flu in birds. Over 58 million birds have been impacted, primarily in North and South Dakota345F
346. Santa Clara County has not reported any cases
of avian influenza. The first case of influenza A (H5N1) in humans was reported in the U.S. in April 2022.
Despite the unlikely transmission of the bird flu to humans, the CDC still recommends preventative measures for those exposed to infected birds. No cases of H7N9 have been detected in people in the United States.
Smallpox
Smallpox is a sometimes-fatal infectious disease. There is no specific treatment, and the only prevention is vaccination. Symptoms include raised bumps on the face and body of an infected person. The oldest evidence of smallpox was found on the body of Pharaoh Ramses V of Egypt who died in 1157 BC.
Outbreaks have occurred from time to time for thousands of years, but the disease is now eradicated after a successful worldwide vaccination program. The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1949. The last naturally occurring case in the world was in Somalia in 1977. As of the publication of this document, there are no cases of smallpox in the world. Currently only two locations in the world have samples of smallpox: The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta and the Ivanovsky Institute of Virology in Russia.
After the disease was eliminated, routine vaccination among the general public was stopped. Therefore, any cases of smallpox in the world would be considered an immediate international emergency. In 2003, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health conducted an investigation of state residents who became ill after having contact with prairie dogs. The cases appeared in May and June of 2003, and symptoms in the human cases included fever, cough, pox-like rash and swollen lymph nodes. CDC laboratory test results indicated that the cause of the human illness was Monkeypox, an orthopox virus that could be transmitted by prairie dogs. This outbreak, and the potential use of smallpox as a weapon of bioterrorism, brought the fear of smallpox back to the forefront of the population. A detailed nationwide smallpox response plan created at the end of 2002 is designed to quickly contain a potential outbreak and vaccinate the population.
346 U.S. Department of Agriculture. (May 2023). 2022-2023 Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-diseaseinformation/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks 485
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Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of illnesses caused by several distinct families of viruses.
VHF describes a multisystem syndrome (multiple systems in the body are affected). Characteristically, the overall vascular system is damaged and the body’s ability to regulate itself is impaired. These symptoms are often accompanied by hemorrhage (bleeding); however, the bleeding itself is rarely life- threatening.
While some types of hemorrhagic fever viruses can cause relatively mild illnesses, many cause severe, life-threatening disease.
The viruses that cause VHFs are distributed over much of the globe. However, because each virus is associated with one or more particular host species, the virus and the disease it causes are usually seen only where the host species live. Some hosts, such as the rodent species carrying several of the New World arenaviruses, live in geographically restricted areas. Therefore, the risk of getting VHFs caused by these viruses is restricted to those areas. Other hosts range over continents, such as the rodents that carry viruses that cause the Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in North and South America, or the rodents that carry viruses that cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Europe and Asia.
Ebola
The 2014 Ebola virus outbreak was unprecedented in geographical reach and impact on health care systems across the globe. This was the largest and deadliest Ebola virus outbreak ever recorded. It was the first time the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Mali, and Senegal saw the virus. Ebola is more common in Central African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, where it was first discovered in 1976. It was also the first time that Ebola made it to the United States and Europe, prompting world-wide preparedness and response efforts. The outbreak was closely monitored, and traveler screenings were developed for those returning from West Africa.
In August 2014 two U.S. healthcare workers returned to the United States for treatment for Ebola. The case that most impacted the health care system in the United States was a patient diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas, Texas who died due to Ebola in October 2014. The nurse who provided care for him later tested positive for Ebola. This caused responses across the country from hospitals, emergency medical teams, fire departments and public health agencies to enhance isolation precautions, develop emergency policies, train with personal protective equipment, and conduct multi-agency emergency exercises in case the spread of Ebola became a pandemic.
Before the 2014 outbreak, only 2,200 cases of Ebola had been recorded and 68 percent were fatal.
Twenty percent of new Ebola infections were linked to burial traditions in which family and community members wash and touch dead bodies before burial. In Guinea, 60 percent of Ebola infections were linked to traditional burial practices.
Plague
Plague is a potentially fatal infectious disease of animals and humans caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium. People usually get plague from being bitten by a flea that is carrying the plague bacterium or by handling an infected animal. Today, modern antibiotics are effective against plague, but if an infected person is not treated promptly, the disease is likely to cause illness or death.
Plague is an ancient disease but outbreaks throughout the world continue. Major plague epidemics occurred in the middle of the sixth century in Egypt, Europe, and Asia; during the 14th century in Europe, following caravan routes; in the 18th century in Austria and the Balkans; and in the late 19th century worldwide (but mostly in China and India). Manchuria in 1910–1911 witnessed about 60,000 deaths due to pneumonic plague with a repeat in 1920–1921. A minor outbreak occurred as recently as the summer of 1994 in Surat, India, closely following an earthquake in September 1993. Globally, the WHO reports 1,000 to 3,000 cases of plague every year.
In North America, plague is found in certain animals and their fleas from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains, and from southwestern Canada to Mexico. The last urban plague epidemic in the United States 486
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occurred in Los Angeles in 1924–25. Since then, human plague in the U.S. has occurred as mostly scattered cases in rural areas (an average of 10 to 15 persons each year per the CDC). Most human cases in the United States occur in northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, southern Colorado, California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada.
Zika Virus
Zika is a disease transmitted by yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). An Aedes mosquito can only transmit Zika virus after it bites a person who has this virus in their blood. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild, with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. People usually do not get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they rarely die from the Zika virus. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly (abnormally small head and brain), as well as other severe fetal brain defects. Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections. Zika virus is not spread through casual contact but can be spread by infected men to their sexual partners. There is a growing association between Zika and Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a disease affecting the nervous system.
The mosquitos that carry Zika are not native to California and from 2015 to the publishing of this document, there has been no local mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus in California.346F 347 However,
infestations have been reported in multiple counties in California. Most cases were documented in people who were infected while traveling outside the United States. The CDC maintains a list of countries where zika has been reported. Required reporting for Zika in California began in 2016. These numbers may be underestimated given multiple factors, including the fact many people are asymptomatic. Currently, the represent a decrease in cases in Santa Clara County. Thirty-six cases were reported from 2015 to 2016, 14 in 2017, 8 in 2018, 3 in 2019, and no cases since.
16.4.2 Hazard Profile
Location
These diseases are a worldwide threat, occasionally increasing in severity in some locations. Areas with higher concentrations of vulnerable populations are more likely to experience a serious outbreak.
Severity
The severity can range from very localized, in just case of just a few infected, to severe with widespread infection and complications. Widespread sickness and loss of life have resulted from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The most recent totals available as this plan is being written show a total of 496,338 confirmed cases and 2,714 deaths in Santa Clara County.
Warning Time
The first human cases of the diseases discussed in this MJHMP appeared with very little warning, as did the start of recent outbreaks. Air travel radically increases the speed at which disease spreads around the world. Today’s communication does provide warning to local communities of diseases which could be a problem for them in the future.
347 The Mercury News. (2016, March). Four Zika virus cases reported in Bay Area. https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/03/03/four-zika-virus-cases-reported-in-bay-area/ 487
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Critical Facilities and Infrastructure
No direct impact is expected on the facilities, but the operation of medical-related facilities can and have been overwhelmed. The operation of critical infrastructure can be impacted by employee absence due to illness.
Environment
Epidemic, pandemic, and vector-borne diseases can be directly or indirectly tied to environmental impacts. Air pollution in California dropped suddenly during the COVID-19 lockdown between March 19 and May 7, 2020. Changes in the environment, due to human stressors or climate change, may increase vector-borne diseases and drive disease emergence in wildlife which could be transmitted to humans.347F 348
Future Trends in Development
Future development in Santa Clara County is not anticipated to have any direct impact on the risk of epidemic/pandemic disease. There could be an indirect impact from the development of buildable lands in that the population that could be exposed to this hazard would be increased. However, no direct impact is expected.
Cascading Impacts
In general, cascading impacts are not anticipated. A widespread pandemic like COVID-19 could threaten global supply chains and the local economy due to disruptions, delays, and shutdowns due to preventative employee health measures and lack of healthy workers.
16.5 Fog
The National Weather Service describes nine types of fog.348F 349 Fog in the Santa Clara County OA has
different origins depending on the time of year. In summer, fog forms when warm, moist, and stable air is blown across a cooler surface (land or water). The air temperature falls until the dew point is reached and condensation occurs. Fog typically occurs in the Bay Area in June, July, and August. It is usually foggy in the morning, with fog burning off as the temperatures rise.
In winter, fog typically originates from the Great Valley. Radiation (ground) fog forms in the moist regions of the Sacramento River Delta and arrives to the region via Suisun and San Pablo Bays and San Francisco Bays on cool easterly winds. While this type of fog is less frequent than summer fog, appearing one winter and not again for years, it is typically denser and more likely to lead to significantly reduced visibility.349 F
350
The fog typical for the San Francisco Bay Area is known as advection fog. This type of fog forms when warm, moist, and stable air is blown across a cooler surface (land or water). The air temperature falls until the dew point is reached and condensation occurs. Fog typically occurs in the Bay Area in the June, July, and August. It is usually foggy in the morning, with fog burning off as the temperatures rise. 348 Semenza JC, Rocklöv J, Ebi KL. (May 2022). Climate Change and Cascading Risks from Infectious Disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9334478/
349 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d.). National Weather Service Glossary. https://w1.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?word=fog
350 L.A. Times. (n.d.). Inside the return of Tule fog in California’s Central Valley. https://www.latimes.com/projects/return-tule-fog-california-central-valley 488
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16.5.1 Hazard Profile
Past Events
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Storm Events Database reports 5 events of dense fog since the last plan update. Dense fog means the visibility was limited to a quarter of a mile or less.
However, this database does not account for the more common fog events in the OA, which typically occur in the morning when the temperatures are cool, and the relative humidity is high.
Location, Frequency, and Warning Time
Fog can occur almost anywhere during any season and is classified based on how it forms, which is related to where it forms. Certain seasons are more likely to have foggy days or nights based on a number of factors, including topography, nearby bodies of water, and wind conditions. Fog can form overnight. Local National Weather Service offices issue a Dense Fog Advisory when widespread dense fog develops. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has implemented a fog detection and warning system that uses speed and visibility detectors to assess road conditions, traffic management software to process data and control the field devices, and changeable message signs to provide information to the traveling public.350F
351
Severity
Heavy fog is particularly hazardous when it reduces visibility to ¼ mile or less. Although fog seems like a minor hazard, it can have significant impacts. Severe fog incidents can close roads, cause vehicle accidents, cause airport delays, and impair the effectiveness of emergency response. The California Highway Patrol records and news reports describe highway accidents, many with serious injuries or deaths, due to low visibility in dense fog. Many of those accidents involve chain reaction crashes including recent crashes in Santa Clara County. Financial losses associated with transportation delays caused by fog have not been calculated in the United States, but it is likely to be substantial.
Critical Facilities and Infrastructure
Critical facilities and infrastructure in the Santa Clara County OA would only be impacted indirectly by the fog hazard.
Environment
In the context of the MJHMP Update, fog is considered to be a hazard, but fog plays a key role in California’s ecosystems and agricultural sector.
Future Trends in Development
As more lands are developed in the Santa Clara County OA and more people use the area’s highways, the fog hazard’s impact will increase.
Cascading Impacts
Potential cascading impacts of dense fog involve delays in response to all other hazard events in the vicinity and relate to highway accidents, some of which could involve hazardous materials. 351 Berman, M., Liu, J., and Justison, L. (2009). Caltrans Fog Detection and Warning System. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/27652
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Scenario
The worst-case scenario for the fog hazard is probably the situation today. The negatives of delays, inconvenience, and potential traffic accidents are clear. Increases in temperatures in the Santa Clara County OA and likely related decreases in fog could have a more long-term negative impact on the environment and agriculture.
16.6 Identified Needs
This assessment of the other hazards of interest led to identification of the following needs throughout the Santa Clara County OA:
Continue regular and redundant emergency preparedness training for field level responders (police, fire, and public works) and public information staff in order to respond quickly in the event of a disaster associated with the identified hazards of interest. Enhance awareness training for all local government employees to recognize threats or suspicious activity in order to prevent an incident from occurring.
Continue all facets of hazardous materials team training and response through commitment of resources from the Environmental Health Department, local fire departments, and potential funding through homeland security budgets.
Continue to improve response times for public safety throughout the Santa Clara County OA so as to reduce exposure to human-caused incidents. Maintain appropriate staffing levels of public safety personnel to address vulnerabilities identified in this section. Continue to implement the hazardous materials business plan with enhancements, as warranted by the type of uses in the Santa Clara County OA and innovative technologies in preventing hazardous materials incidents.
Continue to work proactively with industrial businesses regarding placards and labeling of containers, emergency plans and coordination, standardized response procedures, and notification of the types of materials being transported through the Santa Clara County OA. On at least an annual basis, conduct random inspections of transporters as allowed by the business; install mitigating techniques at critical locations; implement routine hazard communication initiatives; enhance security along the transportation corridors; and continuously look to the use of safer alternative products to conduct all business and transportation operations. Participate in regional, state, and federal efforts to gather terrorism information at all levels and keep public safety officials briefed at all times regarding any local threats. Further develop response capabilities based on emerging threats.
Commit support to the Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative by dedicating fire, emergency medical services, emergency management grant managers, and police personnel to the program as funded with Homeland Security grants.
Participate in the Cal OES Disaster Resistant California annual conference and other training sessions sponsored by regional, state, and federal agencies. Use Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in future planning efforts as well as enhancing existing infrastructure and buildings to prevent or mitigate human-cause incidents.
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is an urban planning design process that integrates crime prevention with neighborhood design and community development. The process is based on the theory that the proper design and effective use of the built environment can reduce crime and the fear of crime and improve the quality of life. It creates an environment where the physical characteristics, building layout, and site planning allow inhabitants to become key agents in ensuring their own security.
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Participate in regional training exercises per the requirements of Homeland Security Presidential Directive #8 in support of national preparedness. These training exercises may be sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security San José office, the Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative, local government offices of homeland security, grant funds through Cal OES, or FEMA.
Training exercises test and evaluate the ability to coordinate the activities of local and state government first responders, volunteer organizations and the private sector in responding to terrorism and technological hazards. The trainings enhance interagency coordination, provide training to staff, test response and recovery capabilities, and implement the Standardized Emergency Management System, the National Incident Management System, and the California and national mutual aid systems.
Work with the private sector to enhance and create business continuity plans to be followed in the event of an emergency.
Review existing automatic aid and mutual aid agreements with other public safety agencies to identify opportunities for enhancement.
Identify, relocate, or construct a redundant Emergency Operations Center in a location away from hazards.
Maintain an emergency services information line that the public can contact 24 hours a day during an emergency to ask questions of emergency staff. Coordinate with all school districts in the OA and individual cities to ensure that their emergency preparedness plans include preparation for human-caused incidents. Encourage local businesses to adopt information technology and telecommunications recovery plans.
Promote 72-hour self-sufficiency through the United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County and other neighborhood associations, emergency preparedness efforts through local governments, emergency preparedness websites of local governments, civic organizations and the private sector, public outreach, and other means. Ensure inclusion of program information for people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. Prepare and present the human-caused hazard risk and preparedness program to the public through meetings, town hall gatherings, and preparedness fairs and outreach. Maintain any and all citizen advisory groups and periodically e-mail emergency preparedness information including human-caused hazard preparedness instructions and reminders. Support disease prevention through vaccination and personal emergency and disaster preparation to help reduce the impacts of human health hazards. Integrate medical and response personnel in a unified command to provide care when needed in response to human health hazards.
Adequately train and supply medical and response personnel. Carry out up-to-date and functional all-hazard contingency planning. Develop a system for informing the public with a unified message about the human health hazard. Provide health agencies and facilities with surge capacity management and adaptation to the rising number and needs of the region.
491
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 16: Other Hazards of Interest 396
16.7 Related Plans
The following plans also address issues related to the “other hazards,” including response priorities.
Santa Clara County Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan and Annexes
The Santa Clara County OA Emergency Operations Plan is an all-hazards document describing the OA’s Emergency Operations organization, compliance with relevant legal statutes, other guidelines, and critical components of the Emergency Response System. The Emergency Operations Plan consists of threat summaries based on a Santa Clara County OA hazard analysis. This hazard analysis was conducted by Santa Clara County OEM staff, providing a description of the local area, risk factors and the anticipated nature of situations that could occur in the Santa Clara County OA. The Emergency Operations Plan is activated during extraordinary emergency situations associated with large-scale disasters or emergencies affecting the Santa Clara County OA.
Santa Clara County Public Health Department Plan
This Santa Clara County Public Health Department Plan outlines the efforts to prepare for response to a disaster that has a medical/health component. The Countywide Medical Response System plan is focused on the goal of terrorism preparedness, and addresses topics such as risk communications, decontamination, personal protective equipment, mass prophylaxis, education, training, and exercises.
Each topic identifies participating agencies, including fire, law enforcement, hospitals, emergency management, schools, the medical examiner, mental health services, and many others. The plan further enumerates a list of responsibilities to the Countywide Medical Response System for each identified agency, as well as a list of public health commitments through the system that will assist those agencies.
Hazardous Materials Business Plans
Hazardous materials business plans are implemented by Certified Unified Program Agencies within their jurisdictions, along with local fire departments to protect human health and the environment from hazardous materials incidents.
492
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 397
17 Mitigation Strategy
17.1 Goals and Objectives
Hazard mitigation plans must identify goals for reducing long-term vulnerabilities to identified hazards (44 CFR Section 201.6(c)(3)(i)). A guiding principle, a set of goals and measurable objectives for this plan were reviewed and approved by the larger Planning Team based on data from the preliminary risk assessment and updates to mitigation priorities since the previous MJHMP. The guiding principle, goals, objectives, and actions in this plan all support each other. Goals were selected to support the guiding principle. Objectives were selected that met multiple goals. Actions were prioritized based on the action meeting multiple objectives.
17.1.1 Guiding Principle
A guiding principle focuses the range of objectives and actions to be considered. This is not a goal because it does not describe a hazard mitigation outcome, and it is broader than a hazard-specific objective. The guiding principle for this hazard mitigation plan is as follows:
To equitably reduce risk and increase resilience by establishing and promoting a comprehensive mitigation program and efforts to protect the Whole Community and environment from identified natural and humaninduced hazards.
17.1.2 Goals
The following are the mitigation goals for this plan:
1. Actively develop community awareness, understanding, and interest in hazard mitigation and empower the Operational Area to engage in the shaping of associated mitigation policies and programs.
2. Minimize potential for loss of life, injury, social impacts, and dislocation due to hazards.
3. Minimize potential for damage to property, economic impacts, and unusual public expense due to hazards.
4. Minimize likelihood and impact of hazards causing environmental damage or damaging open space/nature preserves in the County and preserving ecological connectivity in the region and by working with residents to help build community capacity to respond and adapt to hazards and emergencies.
5. Effectively deliver essential information to the whole community that promotes personal preparedness and includes advice to reduce personal vulnerability to hazards.
6. Encourage programs and projects that promote community resiliency by maintaining the functionality of critical Operational Area resources, facilities, and infrastructure.
7. Pursue feasible, cost-effective, grant eligible, and environmentally sound hazard mitigation measures.
8. Increase adaptive capacity to reduce risk from hazard impacts that stem from a changing climate. 493
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 398
9. Remove barriers for local governments to access mitigation funding (broad vs. specific) and reduce the administrative pain points to recipient agencies during the project deployment and auditing phases.
The effectiveness of a mitigation strategy is assessed by determining how well these goals are achieved.
17.1.3 Objectives
Each selected objective meets multiple goals, serving as a stand-alone measurement of the effectiveness of a mitigation action, rather than as a subset of a goal. The objectives also are used to help establish priorities and have been reviewed and approved by the Mitigation Strategy Working Group, and the larger Planning Team. The objectives are as follows:
1. Establish and maintain partnerships in the identification and implementation of mitigation measures in the Operational Area.
2. Implement hazard mitigation programs and projects that protect life, property, and the environment.
3. Develop and provide updated information about threats, hazards, vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies to state, regional, and local agencies, as well as private sector groups, communitybased organizations, and non-profits.
4. Improve understanding of the locations, potential impacts, and linkages among threats, hazards, vulnerability, and measures needed to protect life, property, and the environment.
5. Encourage the incorporation of mitigation best management measures into plans, codes, and other regulatory standards for public, private, and non-governmental entities within the Operational Area.
6. Inform the public on the risk exposure to natural hazards and ways to increase the public’s capability to prevent, prepare, respond, recover, and mitigate impacts of these events.
7. Advance community and natural environment sustainability and resilience to future impacts through preparation and implementation of state, regional, and local projects.
8. Reduce repetitive property losses from all hazards.
9. Where feasible and cost-effective, encourage property protection measures for vulnerable structures located in hazard areas.
10. Improve the process on how public agencies select systems that provide warning and emergency communications for a broad array of agencies. This includes improving the selection process and ensuring warning and emergency communications processes are effective and accessible.
11. Partner with educational institutions that provide research, case studies and the like to help bolster agency communication that demonstrates the value of hazard mitigation.
17.2 Mitigation Alternatives
Catalogs of natural hazard mitigation alternatives were developed that present a broad range of alternatives to be considered for use in the OA, in compliance with 44 CFR (Section 201.6(c)(3)(ii)). One catalog was developed for each natural hazard of concern evaluated in this plan. The catalogs present alternatives that are categorized in two ways:
By who would have responsibility for implementation:
▪ Individuals (personal scale).
▪ Businesses (corporate scale).
494
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 399
▪ Government (government scale).
By what the alternative would do:
▪ Manipulate the hazard.
▪ Reduce exposure to the hazard.
▪ Reduce vulnerability to the hazard.
▪ Increase the ability to respond to or be prepared for the hazard.
Hazard mitigation actions recommended in this plan were selected from among the alternatives presented in the catalogs. The catalogs provide a baseline of mitigation alternatives that are backed by a planning process, are consistent with the established goals and objectives, and are within the capabilities of the planning partners to implement. Some of these actions may not be feasible based on the selection criteria identified for this plan. The purpose of the catalog was to provide a list of what could be considered to reduce risk of the flood hazard within the OA. Actions in the catalog that are not included for the partnership’s action plan were not selected for one or more of the following reasons:
The action is not feasible.
The action is already being implemented.
There is an apparently more cost-effective alternative. The action does not have public or political support.
The catalogs for each hazard are presented in Table 127 through Table 134.
Table 127: Alternatives to Mitigate the Dam and Levee Failure Hazard What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Manipulate the
Hazard
None. Remove dams.
Remove levees.
Harden dams.
Remove dams.
Remove levees.
Harden dams.
Reduce Exposure to
the Hazard
Relocate out of dam
failure inundation
areas.
Replace earthen
dams with
hardened
structures.
Replace earthen dams with
hardened structures.
Relocate critical facilities out of
dam failure inundation areas.
Consider open space land use
in designated dam failure
inundation areas.
Reduce
Vulnerability to the
Hazard
Elevate home to
appropriate levels.
Flood-proof
facilities within
dam failure
inundation areas.
Adopt higher floodplain
standards in mapped dam
failure inundation areas.
Retrofit critical facilities within
dam failure inundation areas.
495
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 400
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Increase the Ability
to Respond to or Be
Prepared for the
Hazard
Learn about risk
reduction for the dam
failure hazard.
Learn the evacuation
routes for a dam failure
event.
Educate yourself on
early warning systems
and the dissemination
of warnings.
Educate
employees on the
probable impacts
of a dam failure.
Develop a
continuity of
operations plan.
Map dam failure inundation
areas.
Enhance emergency
operations plan to include a
dam failure component.
Institute monthly
communications checks with
dam operators.
Inform the public on risk
reduction techniques.
Adopt real-estate disclosure
requirements for the re-sale of
property located within dam
failure inundation areas.
Consider the probable impacts
of climate in assessing the risk
associated with the dam failure
hazard.
Establish early warning
capability downstream of listed
high hazard dams.
Consider the residual risk
associated with protection
provided by dams in future
land use decisions.
Table 128: Alternatives to Mitigate the Drought Hazard
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Manipulate the
Hazard
None. None. Groundwater recharge
through stormwater
management
Reduce Exposure to
the Hazard
None. None. Identify and create
groundwater backup
sources.
Reduce Vulnerability
to the Hazard
Drought-resistant
landscapes.
Drought-resistant
landscapes.
Water use conflict
regulations.
496
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 401
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Reduce water system
losses.
Modify plumbing
systems through water
saving kits.
Reduce private water
system losses.
Reduce water system
losses.
Distribute water saving
kits.
Increase the Ability to
Respond to or Be
Prepared for the
Hazard
Practice active water
conservation.
Practice active water
conservation.
Public education on
drought resistance.
Identify alternative
water supplies for times
of drought and create
mutual aid agreements
with alternative
suppliers.
Develop drought
contingency plan.
Develop criteria
“triggers” for droughtrelated actions.
Improve accuracy of
water supply forecasts.
Modify rate structure to
influence active water
conservation
techniques.
Table 129: Alternatives to Mitigate the Earthquake Hazard What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Manipulate the
Hazard
None. None. None.
Reduce
Exposure to the
Hazard
Locate outside of hazard
area (off soft soils).
Locate or relocate
mission-critical
functions outside
hazard area where
possible.
Locate critical facilities
or functions outside
hazard area where
possible.
Reduce
Vulnerability to
the Hazard
Retrofit structure (anchor
house structure to
foundation).
Build redundancy for
critical functions and
facilities.
Harden infrastructure.
Provide redundancy for
critical functions.
497
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 402
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Secure household items that
can cause injury or damage
(such as water heaters,
bookcases, and other
appliances).
Build to higher design.
Retrofit critical buildings
and areas housing
mission-critical
functions.
Adopt higher regulatory
standards.
Increase the
Ability to
Respond to or Be
Prepared for the
Hazard
Practice “drop, cover, and
hold.”
Develop household
mitigation plan, such as
creating a retrofit savings
account, communication
capability with outside, and
72-hour self-sufficiency
during an event.
Keep cash reserves for
reconstruction.
Become informed on the
hazard and risk reduction
alternatives available.
Develop a post-disaster
action plan for your
household.
Adopt higher standard
for new construction;
consider “performancebased design” when
building new structures.
Keep cash reserves for
reconstruction.
Inform your employees
on the possible impacts
of earthquake and how
to deal with them at
your work facility.
Develop a continuity of
operations plan.
Provide better hazard
maps.
Provide technical
information and
guidance.
Enact tools to help
manage development
in hazard areas (e.g.,
tax incentives,
information).
Include retrofitting and
replacement of critical
system elements in
capital improvement
plan.
Develop strategy to
take advantage of postdisaster opportunities.
Warehouse critical
infrastructure
components such as
pipe, power line, and
road repair materials.
Develop and adopt a
continuity of operations
plan.
Initiate triggers guiding
improvements (such as
<50% substantial
damage or
improvements).
Further enhance
seismic risk
assessment to target
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Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 403
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale high hazard buildings
for mitigation
opportunities.
Develop a postdisaster action plan
that includes grant
funding and debris
removal components.
Table 130: Alternatives to Mitigate the Flooding Hazard What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Manipulate the
Hazard
Clear storm drains and
culverts.
Use low-impact
development techniques.
Clear storm drains
and culverts.
Use low-impact
development
techniques.
Maintain drainage system.
Institute low-impact
development techniques on
property.
Dredging, levee construction,
and providing regional
retention areas.
Structural flood control, levees,
channelization, or revetments.
Stormwater management
regulations and master
planning.
Acquire vacant land or
promote open space uses in
developing watersheds to
control increases in runoff.
Reduce
Exposure to the
Hazard
Locate outside of hazard
area.
Elevate utilities above
base flood elevation.
Use low-impact
development techniques.
Locate critical
facilities or functions
outside hazard area.
Use low-impact
development
techniques.
Locate or relocate critical
facilities outside of hazard
area.
Acquire or relocate identified
repetitive loss properties.
Promote open space uses in
identified high hazard areas
via techniques such as:
planned unit developments,
easements, setbacks,
499
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 404
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale greenways, sensitive area
tracks.
Adopt land development
criteria such as planned unit
developments, density
transfers, clustering.
Institute low impact
development techniques on
property.
Acquire vacant land or
promote open space uses in
developing watersheds to
control increases in runoff.
Reduce
Vulnerability to
the Hazard
Raise structures above
base flood elevation.
Elevate items within
house above base flood
elevation.
Build new homes above
base flood elevation.
Flood-proof structures.
Build redundancy for
critical functions or
retrofit critical
buildings.
Provide floodproofing when new
critical infrastructure
must be located in
floodplains.
Harden infrastructure, bridge
replacement program.
Provide redundancy for critical
functions and infrastructure.
Adopt regulatory standards
such as freeboard standards,
cumulative substantial
improvement or damage, lower
substantial damage threshold;
compensatory storage, nonconversion deed restrictions.
Stormwater management
regulations and master
planning.
Adopt “no-adverse impact”
floodplain management
policies that strive to not
increase the flood risk on
downstream communities.
Increase the
Ability to
Respond to or
Be Prepared for
the Hazard
Buy flood insurance.
Develop household plan,
such as retrofit savings,
communication with
outside, 72-hour selfsufficiency during and
after an event.
Keep cash reserves
for reconstruction.
Support and
implement hazard
disclosure for sale of
property in risk
zones.
Produce better hazard maps.
Provide technical information
and guidance.
Enact tools to help manage
development in hazard areas
(stronger controls, tax
incentives, and information).
500
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 405
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Solicit cost-sharing
through partnerships
with others on
projects with multiple
benefits.
Incorporate retrofitting or
replacement of critical system
elements in capital
improvement plan.
Develop strategy to take
advantage of post-disaster
opportunities.
Warehouse critical
infrastructure components.
Develop and adopt a continuity
of operations plan.
Consider participation in the
Community Rating System.
Maintain and collect data to
define risks and vulnerability.
Train emergency responders.
Create an elevation inventory
of structures in the floodplain.
Develop and implement a
public information strategy.
Charge a hazard mitigation
fee.
Integrate floodplain
management policies into
other planning mechanisms
within the OA.
Consider the probable impacts
of climate change on the risk
associated with the flood
hazard.
Consider the residual risk
associated with structural flood
control in future land use
decisions.
501
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 406
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Enforce National Flood
Insurance Program.
Adopt a Stormwater
Management Master Plan.
Table 131: Alternatives to Mitigate the Landslide/Mass Movement Hazard What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Manipulate the
Hazard
Stabilize slope (dewater,
armor toe).
Reduce weight on top of
slope.
Minimize vegetation
removal and the
addition of impervious
surfaces.
Stabilize slope (dewater,
armor toe).
Reduce weight on top of
slope.
Stabilize slope (dewater,
armor toe).
Reduce weight on top of
slope.
Reduce Exposure
to the Hazard
Locate structures
outside of hazard area
(off unstable land and
away from slide-run out
area).
Locate structures outside
of hazard area (off
unstable land and away
from slide-run out area).
Acquire properties in
high-risk landslide areas.
Adopt land use policies
that prohibit the
placement of habitable
structures in high-risk
landslide areas.
Reduce
Vulnerability to the
Hazard
Retrofit home. Retrofit at-risk facilities. Adopt higher regulatory standards for new
development within
unstable slope areas.
Armor/retrofit critical
infrastructure against the
impact of landslides.
Increase the
Ability to Respond
to or Be Prepared
for the Hazard
Institute warning system
and develop evacuation
plan.
Keep cash reserves for
reconstruction.
Educate yourself on risk
reduction techniques for
landslide hazards.
Institute warning system
and develop evacuation
plan.
Keep cash reserves for
reconstruction.
Develop a continuity of
operations plan.
Produce better hazard
maps.
Provide technical
information and
guidance.
Enact tools to help
manage development in
hazard areas: better
502
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 407
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Educate employees on
the potential exposure to
landslide hazards and
emergency response
protocol.
land controls, tax
incentives, information.
Develop strategy to take
advantage of postdisaster opportunities.
Warehouse critical
infrastructure
components.
Develop and adopt a
continuity of operations
plan.
Educate the public on
the landslide hazard and
appropriate risk
reduction alternatives.
Table 132: Alternatives to Mitigate the Inclement Weather Hazard What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Manipulate the
Hazard
None. None. None.
Reduce Exposure
to the Hazard
None. None. None.
Reduce
Vulnerability to
the Hazard
Insulate house.
Provide redundant
heat and power.
Insulate structure.
Plant appropriate trees
near home and power
lines (“Right tree, right
place” National Arbor
Day Foundation
Program).
Relocate critical
infrastructure (such as
power lines)
underground.
Reinforce or relocate
critical infrastructure
such as power lines to
meet performance
expectations.
Install tree wire.
Harden infrastructure such as
locating utilities underground.
Trim trees back from power
lines.
Increase the
Ability to
Respond to or Be
Prepared for the
Hazard
Trim or remove trees
that could affect power
lines.
Trim or remove trees
that could affect
power lines.
Create redundancy.
Support programs such as
“Tree Watch” that proactively
manage problem areas
through use of selective
503
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 408
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Promote 72-hour selfsufficiency.
Obtain a NOAA
weather radio.
Obtain an emergency
generator.
Equip facilities with a
NOAA weather radio.
Equip vital facilities
with emergency power
sources.
removal of hazardous trees,
tree replacement, etc.
Increase communication
alternatives.
Modify land use and
environmental regulations to
support vegetation
management activities that
improve reliability in utility
corridors.
Modify landscape and other
ordinances to encourage
appropriate planting near
overhead power, cable, and
phone lines.
Provide NOAA weather radios
to the public.
Table 133: Alternatives to Mitigate the Tsunami Hazard
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Manipulate the
Hazard
None. None. Build wave abatement
structures (e.g., the
“Jacks” looking
structure designed by
the Japanese).
Reduce
Exposure to the
Hazard
Locate outside of hazard
area.
Locate structure or
mission critical functions
outside of hazard area
whenever possible.
Locate structure or
functions outside of
hazard area whenever
possible.
Harden infrastructure
for tsunami impacts.
Relocate identified
critical facilities
located in tsunami
high hazard areas.
Reduce
Vulnerability to
the Hazard
Apply personal property
mitigation techniques to your
home such as anchoring
Mitigate personal
property for the impacts
of tsunami.
Adopt higher
regulatory standards
that will provide higher
504
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 409
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale your foundation and
foundation openings to allow
flow through.
levels of protection to
structures built in a
tsunami inundation
area.
Utilize tsunami
mapping once
available, to guide
development away
from high-risk areas
through land use
planning.
Increase the
Ability to
Respond to or
Be Prepared for
the Hazard
Develop and practice a
household evacuation plan.
Support/participate in the
Redwood Coast Tsunami
Working Group.
Educate yourself on the risk
exposure from the tsunami
hazard and ways to minimize
that risk.
Develop and practice a
corporate evacuation
plan.
Support/participate in the
Redwood Coast Tsunami
Working Group.
Educate employees on
the risk exposure from
the tsunami hazard and
ways to minimize that
risk.
Create a probabilistic
tsunami map for the
OA.
Provide incentives to
guide development
away from hazard
areas.
Develop a tsunami
warning and response
system.
Provide residents with
tsunami inundation
maps.
Join NOAA’s Tsunami
Ready program.
Develop and
communicate
evacuation routes.
Enhance the public
information program to
include risk reduction
options for the
tsunami hazard.
505
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 410
Table 134: Alternatives to Mitigate the Wildfire Hazard What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Manipulate the
Hazard
Clear potential fuels on
property such as dry
overgrown underbrush
and diseased trees.
Clear potential fuels
on property such as
dry underbrush and
diseased trees.
Clear potential fuels on
property such as dry
underbrush and diseased
trees.
Implement best
management practices on
public lands.
Reduce Exposure
to the Hazard
Create and maintain
defensible space around
structures.
Locate outside of
hazard area.
Mow regularly.
Create and maintain
defensible space
around structures and
infrastructure.
Locate outside of
hazard area.
Create and maintain
defensible space around
structures and infrastructure.
Locate outside of hazard
area.
Enhance building code to
include use of fire resistant
materials in high hazard
area.
Reduce
Vulnerability to
the Hazard
Create and maintain
defensible space around
structures and provide
water on site.
Use fire-retardant
building materials.
Create defensible
spaces around home.
Create and maintain
defensible space
around structures and
infrastructure and
provide water on site.
Use fire-retardant
building materials.
Use fire-resistant
plantings in buffer
areas of high wildfire
threat.
Create and maintain
defensible space around
structures and infrastructure.
Use fire-retardant building
materials.
Use fire-resistant plantings in
buffer areas of high wildfire
threat.
Consider higher regulatory
standards (such as Class A
roofing).
Establish biomass
reclamation initiatives.
Increase the
Ability to
Respond to or Be
Prepared for the
Hazard
Employ techniques from
the National Fire
Protection Association’s
Firewise Communities
program to safeguard
home.
Identify alternative water
supplies for firefighting.
Support Firewise
community initiatives.
Create /establish
stored water supplies
to be utilized for
firefighting.
More public outreach and
education efforts, including
an active Firewise program.
Possible weapons of mass
destruction funds available
to enhance fire capability in
high-risk areas.
506
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 411
What Alternative
Would Do Personal Scale Corporate Scale Government Scale Install/replace roofing
material with noncombustible roofing
materials.
Identify fire response and
alternative evacuation
routes.
Seek alternative water
supplies.
Become a Firewise
community.
Use academia to study
impacts/solutions to wildfire
risk.
Establish/maintain mutual
aid agreements between fire
service agencies.
Create/implement fire plans.
Consider the probable
impacts of climate change
on the risk associated with
the wildfire hazard in future
land use decisions.
17.3 Santa Clara County 2023 Mitigation Action Plan
An action plan is a detailed document that identifies specific steps required to achieve a particular goal.
The document breaks down the goal into actionable and measurable tasks that can be easily followed and tracked. These actions are determined by the risk of natural hazards impacting a community and the identifying solutions. The purpose of an action plan is to define specific steps necessary for achieving a certain goal, including required resources and a timeline for completing tasks.
The 2017 Santa Clara County MJHMP included action items for the entire Operational Area. The participants did not choose to continue to identify area-wide actions and opted for actions by jurisdiction only. The area-wide actions were integrated as appropriate in the Santa Clara County Annex and their status is summarized in Volume II Section 13. Each individual jurisdictions and special districts information can be found in each annex in Volume 2.
The planning partners utilized the following criteria to prioritize action items into the categories of high, medium, or low.
High Priority— A project that:
▪ Meets multiple goals and objectives (i.e., multiple hazards); ▪ Addresses multiple hazards;
▪ Has benefits that exceed cost;
▪ Has funding secured or is an ongoing project;
507
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 412
▪ Meets eligibility requirements for Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants; ▪ Can be completed in the short term (1 to 5 years);
▪ Addresses immediate short-term impacts of climate change; ▪ Benefits underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND ▪ Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment. Medium Priority— A project that:
▪ Meets multiple goals and objectives;
▪ Addresses multiple hazards;
▪ Has benefits that exceed costs;
▪ Has funding has not been secured, but that is grant eligible under Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants or other grant programs;
▪ Project can be completed in the short term (1-5 years), once funding is secured. Medium priority projects will become high priority projects once funding is secured; ▪ Addresses immediate short-term impacts of climate change; ▪ Benefits underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND ▪ Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment. Low Priority— A project that:
▪ Will mitigate the risk of at least one hazard;
▪ Has benefits that do not exceed the costs or are difficult to quantify:
▪ Does not have secured funding;
▪ Is not eligible for Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant funding; ▪ Has a timeline for completion that is long term (greater than 5 years). Low priority projects may be eligible for other sources of grant funding from other programs; ▪ May address impacts of climate change;
▪ May benefit underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND ▪ Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment. 508
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 413
Table 135 County of Santa Clara 2023 Action Items
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC-1* Maintain, implement, and update as
appropriate, the County
unincorporated CWPP, while
expanding the planning scope to
integrate all of the Operational
Area’s jurisdictions. Create
defensible space programs on a
county-wide basis. Using the 2023
Santa Clara County CWPP as a
guide, implement fuel management
and fuel reduction treatment
throughout the county specifically
adjacent to areas classified as high
and extreme risk to structures to
reduce the potential for catastrophic
wildfire.
Wildfire Santa Clara County
Fire Department- orFireSafe Council
SCCFD
General
Budget;
County OEM
General
Budget;
HMGP;
PDM; EMPG
Ongoing Low
509
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 414
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC-2* CAL FIRE, South County Fire, and
the Santa Clara County Fire
Department should prepare for
coordinated wildfire response
operations through the
development of a Wildfire Annex to
the County's Emergency
Operations Plan. In August 2020 in
response to the SCU Lightning
Complex, the Wildfire Annex was
used to shed light into the response
and recovery activities that
unfolded.
Wildfire County OEM SCCFD
General
Budget;
County OEM
General
Budget;
HMGP;
EMPG
Short-term Low
SCC-4* Continue to promote programs that
mitigate vegetation fire, such as
diseased tree removal, creating
defensible space, and FireWise
community programs. In
accordance with the 2023 CWPP,
promote public education and
outreach to engage citizens in
helping to reduce risk around
individual property, particularly in
areas with larger drive times from
fire response. Utilize Fire Safe
Councils free chipping programs,
teach Firewise landscaping
techniques, and organize
community cleanup and green
waste removal in high risk areas to
reduce ignitability.
Wildfire Santa Clara County
Fire Department
SCCFD
General
Budget;
County OEM
General
Budget;
South
County Fire
General
Budget;
HMGP; and
EMPG
Ongoing Low
510
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 415
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC-8* Develop, update, and maintain GIS
inventories of essential facilities, atrisk buildings and infrastructure and prioritize mitigation projects. Ideas
for Implementation: • Identify critical
facilities at risk from natural hazards
events. • Develop strategies to
mitigate risk to these facilities, or to
utilize alternative facilities should
natural hazard events cause
damage to the facilities in question.
• Identify bridges at risk from flood
or earthquake hazards.
All Hazards, Flood,
Earthquake, Wildfire
ISD (GIS) County ISD
Budget,
County
OEM
Budget,
Emergency
Management
Performance
Grant
Program,
HMGP;
PDM;
FMA; EMPG
Longterm/Ongoing
Medium
SCC-9* Maintain the WebEOC system so
that it is up to date. For example,
review the WebEOC vendor's Road
Map, assess the vendor
technology's fitness relative to the
needs of the County's situational
awareness process and IT
infrastructure; consider upgrading
to a new system if necessary.
All Hazards, Wildfire,
Flood, Inclement
Weather – Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River, Inclement Weather
– High Winds
ISD (GIS) County ISD
Budget,
County
OEM
Budget,
Emergency
Management
Performance
Grant
Program,
HMGP;
PDM;
FMA; EMPG
Short-term Medium
511
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 416
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC10*Participate in statewide effort to
collaborate on spatial data
standardization, data sharing
platform, common operating
procedures.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
TSS (GIS) County ISD
Budget,
County
OEM
Budget,
Emergency
Management
Performance
Grant
Program,
HMGP;
PDM;
FMA; EMPG
Ongoing Medium
SCC11*Develop and provide the Indoor
Mapping, Evacuation Routing to
Emergency Response Personnel.
All Hazards, Wildfire TSS (GIS) County ISD
Budget,
Emergency
Management
Performance
Grant
Program,
HMGP;
PDM; FMA;
EMPG
Long-term Medium
512
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 417
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC13A*Identify county facilities vulnerable
to earthquakes and develop
appropriate actions.
Identify county facilities vulnerable
to earthquakes (may include
building age, soft story structures,
building materials more vulnerable
to earthquake damage). Consider
options to retrofit, relocate or
consider alternate methods to
minimize earthquake damage and
maintain response functionality.
Earthquakes ISD (GIS) County ISD
Budget Fleet
and Facilities
Budget
Emergency
Management
Program,
HMGP;
PDM; FMA;
EMGP
Long-term Medium
SCC13B*Identify the most seismically
vulnerable bridges on county roads.
Establish priorities for repair,
retrofit, or other efforts to harden
bridges against earthquake damage
to maintain transportation
functionality and facilitate
emergency response.
Earthquakes ISD (GIS) County ISD
Budget Fleet
and Facilities
Budget
Emergency
Management
Program,
HMGP;
PDM; FMA;
EMGP
Long-term Medium
513
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 418
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC15*Deploy plume modeling software
and enable OEM staff to manage
data input to assess hazardous
materials atmospheric risk. Due to
the COVID-19 global pandemic
there has been no progress on this
ongoing capability.
All Hazards, Wildfire,
Climate Change,
Inclement Weather –
High Wind
County Fire, Consumer
and Environmental
Protection Agency
(Department of
Environmental Health)
County ISD
Budget,
County
OEM
Budget;
County
Public
Health
Budget;
SCCFD;
EMPG; the
State
Homeland
Security
Grant
Program
Long-term Medium
SCC18*Miguelito Road Repairs for two road
sections (located in east side of
San Jose): Section 1, located near
the intersection of Camino Vista
Way and Miguelito Road, would
replace the current soldier pile wall
with a new retaining wall and
repave the roadway. Section 2,
located near the intersection of Rica
Vista Way and Miguelito Road,
would repair the slope failure.
All Hazards, Landslide Roads and Airports County
Roads and
Airports
Budget;
County OEM
Budget;
HMGP;
PDM; FMA
Long-term Medium
514
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 419
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC21*Alma Bridge Road Slide Repair
(located in Los Gatos): Project site
is 0.75 mile south of the Los Gatos
Rowing Club @ Lexington
Reservoir
Dam Failure,
Landslide
Roads and Airports County
Roads and
Airports
Budget;
County OEM
Budget;
HMGP;
PDM; FMA
Long-term Medium
SCC23*Review and implement selected
recommendations detailed in the
Loma Fire Watershed Emergency
Response Team Final Report,
October 25, 2016 (CA-SCU006912). Potential actions may include, but are not limited to
deployment of an early warning
system, infrastructure
improvements, establishment of a
Firewise community program,
waterway clearance, general
watershed restoration, etc.
Wildfire County OEM County
Roads and
Airports
Budget;
County OEM
Budget;
HMGP;
PDM; FMA
Long-Term Medium
515
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 420
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC24*Review critical facilities and capital
projects for mitigation project
potential- including, but not limited
to: water drainage, power
production maintenance/ upgrades,
etc.
Review flood risk assessment of
critical facilities at risk to 100 and
500 year flood. Initiate further study
to determine appropriate methods
to reduce flood risk, which might
include stormwater capture or
drainage, use of permeable
surfaces, changes to landscaping,
flood control structures, relocation,
or alternatives.
All Hazards
Flood
Fleet and Facilities County
Roads and
Airports
Budget,
County OEM
Budget,
County Fleet
and Facilities
Budget,
County
Roads and
Airports
Budget,
County
Planning &
Development
Budget;
HMGP;
PDM; FMA;
EMPG; the
State
Homeland
Security
Grant
Program
Short-term Medium
516
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 421
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC25*Provide technical information and
guidance to public on individual risk
identification using information
sharing/ GIS platforms.
Use GIS tools such as StoryMaps
or other GIS platforms or web
applications for public education
and outreach. Provide a method for
residents to understand where they
are in relation to potential hazards,
and educate them on what actions
they can take to reduce their
personal risk.
All Hazards, Wildfire,
Drought, Climate
Change, Flood
ISD (GIS) County ISD
Budget,
County OEM
Budget,
SCCFD;
EMPG; the
State
Homeland
Security
Grant
Program
Short-term High
SCC26*Develop strategy to take advantage
of post disaster opportunities
through the development of
Disaster Recovery Planning,
Disaster Cost Recovery Planning,
etc.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
County OEM County OEM
Budget;
SCCFD;
County
Finance
Agency
Budget;
EMPG; the
State
Homeland
Security
Grant
Program;
HMGP
Long-term Medium
517
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 422
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC27*Develop and adopt a COOP for
County Departments, as
appropriate.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
County OEM County OEM
Budget;
SCCFD;
County ISD;
EMPG; the
State
Homeland
Security
Grant
Program;
HMGP
Short-Term Medium
SCC28*Maintain existing data and gather
new data needed to define risks
and vulnerabilities impacting the
County. New data should be
integrated into County policies,
including but not limited to
stormwater management, postdisaster recovery, real estate disclosures, environmental
protection, climate change, fire
suppression, and seismic activity.
All Hazards, Climate
Change, Wildfire,
Earthquake
County OEM County OEM
Budget;
SCCFD;
County ISD;
EMPG; the
State
Homeland
Security
Grant
Program;
HMGP
Ongoing Medium
518
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 423
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC29*Maintain existing data and gather
new data needed to define risks
and vulnerability impacting the
County. New data should be
integrated into County plans,
including but not limited to the
County's General Plan, Capital
Improvement Plan, Stormwater
Plan, Habitat Conservation Plan,
Community Wildfire Protection
Plan, Forest Management Plan,
Climate Action Plan, Emergency
Operations Plan, Threat & Hazard
Identification & Risk Assessment,
Post-Disaster Recovery
Framework, Continuity of
Operations Plan, and Public Health
plans.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
County OEM County OEM
Budget;
SCCFD;
County ISD;
EMPG; the
State
Homeland
Security
Grant
Program;
HMGP;
BRIC
Ongoing Medium
519
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 424
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC30*Develop a Debris Collection and
Management Plan.
Earthquake, Wildfire,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/ /High Winds,
Dam/Levee Failure,
Flood, Landslide/Mass
Movement
County Roads and
Airports
County OEM
Budget;
SCCFD;
County ISD;
County
Roads &
Airports
Budget;
County
Public Health
Budget;
EMPG; the
State
Homeland
Security
Grant
Program;
EMPG
Short-term High
SCC32*Integrate the hazard mitigation plan
into other plans, ordinances, and
programs that dictate land use
decisions within the community.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
County OEM County OEM
Budget,
SCCFD
Budget,
County
Planning &
Development
Budget
Ongoing Medium
520
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 425
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC33*Development and implement a
program to capture perishable data
significant events (e.g. high water
marks, locations of poor draining
following heavy rain, roadways or
culverts that have been damaged in
flood events, damage from high
wind events, preliminary damage
estimates, damage photos) to
support future mitigation efforts
including the implementation and
maintenance of the hazard
mitigation plan.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
County OEM County OEM
Budget,
SCCFD
Budget,
County
ISD/GIS
Budget,
County
Finance
Agency
Budget
Long-term Medium
SCC34*Actively participate in the plan
maintenance protocols outlined in
Volume 1 of the hazard mitigation
plan.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
County OEM County OEM
Budget,
HMGP,
BRIC
Ongoing Medium
521
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 426
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
SCC35*Coordinate with the private sector
on prioritization of critical facilities
before and during restoration of
utility services.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
County OEM County OEM
Budget
Ongoing Medium
1 Address gaps in data and missing
information within this Annex for the
next plan update.
All Hazards, Earthquake,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality,
Inclement Weather –
Heavy
Precipitation/Atmospheric
River/Extreme
Temperatures/High
Winds/Space Weather,
Drought, Climate
Change, Dam/Levee
Failure, Flood,
Landslide/Mass
Movement
All Departments General
fund,
Short term Medium
522
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 427
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
2 Maintain a coordinated, multilingual public awareness campaign to educate and engage the public
about hazard risk, preparedness,
and safety to provide real-time
health related information during
extreme heat and poor air quality
warning days and information on
cooling center, resiliency hubs,
emergency shelters, and other
preparedness and post disaster
resources for the region.
Inclement Weather –
Extreme Temperatures,
Wildfire/Wildfire
Smoke/Air Quality
County OEM General fund Ongoing Medium
3 Consider nature-based solutions
such as a goal to plant 1,000 trees
annually Countywide in areas to
address issues such as urban heat
islands, low tree canopy, poor air
quality and stormwater
management. Work with local
governments, agencies, and
nonprofit partners to build a
comprehensive urban forest.
Inclement Weather –
Extreme Temperatures,
Flood
Office of Sustainability General
fund, BRIC
Medium-term Medium
523
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 428
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
4 In coordination with SCVWD, host
regular workshops and classes on
water conservation, including
providing information on droughttolerant landscaping, available rebates for water retrofits, and
water efficiency strategies in new
buildings. Distribute outreach
materials for water conservation.
Drought County OEM? General
Fund
Medium-term Medium
5 Work with local jurisdictions in dam
inundation zones to ensure
residents and businesses are
aware of the potential risk, and that
dam inundation mitigation
strategies are integrated into local
planning efforts. Work with local
jurisdictions to identify vulnerable
populations and unique information
needs to communicate their risk.
Use GIS mapping for risk analysis
and communication as appropriate.
Dam/Levee Failure County OEM General
Fund
Medium
Term
Medium
524
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 429
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s) Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or
Division Responsible
for Implementation
Potential
Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
6 Identify facilities to serve as
warming or cooling centers/shortterm severe weather shelters in an effort to reduce loss of life. Assist
vulnerable populations by
facilitating and also notifying them
about warming centers (a shortterm emergency shelter that operates when temperatures or a
combination of precipitation, wind
chill, wind and temperature become
dangerously inclement).
Extreme Heat, Extreme
Cold, High Wind, Heavy
Rain
County OEM General
Fund
Medium
Term
Medium
7 Identify areas with above ground
utilities at risk to damage from high
wind and evaluate feasibility of
pursuing funding for
undergrounding of utilities.
Consider areas where powerlines
may be near areas with high wildfire
risk.
High Wind, Wildfire County OEM General
Fund
Medium
Term
Medium
525
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 430
17.4 Financial Capabilities
Determining current and/or potential funding sources is an important step of the mitigation planning process. By exploring, identifying, and evaluating alternative sources now, planning partners are positioned to select and implement actions which are financially obtainable.
This plan is written in accordance with federal guidelines in order to ensure participants remain eligible for certain mitigation funds. Under the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 44, Part 201.6 (44 CFR §201.6), Local Mitigation Plans, local governments must have a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-approved plan in order to apply for and/or receive hazard mitigation project grant funds for hazard mitigation programs including:
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
HMGP Post Fire Program (HMGP-PF)
Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)
Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Program
It is important to consider a variety of funding streams. Mitigation actions can and should be funded through multiple different avenues. Funding opportunities may include federal agencies; state, local, and tribal programs, as applicable; or private funding. Potential Federal, State, and Local funding opportunities are described below.
17.4.1 Federal
FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grants fund eligible mitigation measures to reduce future disaster losses. Eligible applicants include state agencies, local governments, special districts, federally recognized tribes, and private non-profit organizations.
California’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) administers hazard mitigation assistance grants on behalf of FEMA. Cal OES supports outreach to inform eligible jurisdictions of available grants, reviews applications, and provides technical assistance. Cal OES is also responsible for submitting applications to FEMA by FEMA’s stated deadline. When eligible entities are interested in applying for these funds, the State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO) can provide additional guidance and education about available grants and the grant application process.
526
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 431
Table 136: FEMA Mitigation Funding Sources
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program
(HMGP / 404
Mitigation)
Post-disaster -
application period
opens on the date of
the presidential
declaration.
Provides funding to state, local, tribal,
and territorial governments to develop
hazard mitigation plans and implement
mitigation products to reduce or
eliminate future disaster losses. Eligible
project types including planning and
enforcement, flood protection,
retrofitting, and construction. An
approved hazard mitigation plan is
required to receive funding. Because
the State of California has an enhanced
HMP, the State is eligible for additional
HMGP funds, up to 20% of the federal
share of disaster assistance provided
after a federally declared disaster.
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation
/hazard-mitigation
https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation
/hazard-mitigation-assistance-guidance
HMGP Post Fire
(HMGP-PF)
State’s first FMAG
declaration of the fiscal
year to 6 months after
the end of that fiscal
year
Helps communities implement hazard
mitigation measures after wildfires
disasters. Funding depends on the 10-
year national average assistance
provided under Fire Management
Assistance Grants (FMAG)
declarations for States.
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation
/hazard-mitigation-assistance-guidance
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files
/2020-07/fema_DRRA-1204-policy.pdf
Fire Management
Assistance
Grants (FMAG)
Post-Fire Management
Assistance Declaration
Available to states, local and tribal
governments for the mitigation,
management, and control of fires on
publicly or privately owned forests or
grasslands.
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files
/documents/fema_fmagppg_063121.pd
f
Public Assistance
406 Program
Post-federal disaster
declaration
Public Assistance funded mitigation
measures for disaster-damaged
facilities. Limited to eligible counties
and eligible damaged facilities, as well
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/pressrelease/20220328/fema-hazardmitigation-grants-404-and-406 527
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 432
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
as only the parts of the facility that are
damaged. Designed to reduce the
potential of future losses through a
similar disaster to the same eligible
facility.
Flood Mitigation
Assistance (FMA)
Annual Funding for cost-effective measures to
reduce or eliminate the long-term risk
of flood damage to buildings,
manufactured homes, and other
structures insured under the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation
/floods
Building Resilient
Infrastructure and
Communities
(BRIC)
Annual Provides funding to states, local
communities, tribes, and territories to
implement mitigation projects. This
program is designed to support
capability- and capacity-building,
promote partnerships, and enable large
projects. It emphasizes nature-based
solutions, community lifelines, and
benefitting underserved communities.
Each State has allocated funds as well
as a nationally competitive fund.
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files
/documents/fema_bric-policy-fp-008-
05_program_policy.pdf
https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files
/documents/fema_riskmap-naturebased-solutions-guide_2021.pdf https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files
/documents/fema_fy-22-mitigationaction-portfolio.pdf
Pre-Disaster
Mitigation (PDM)
Congressionally
appropriated
Makes funding available for state, local,
tribal, and territorial governments to
plan for and implement sustainable
cost-effective measures designed to
reduce the risk to individuals and
property from future natural hazards.
Previously replaced by the BRIC
program, the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2022
reauthorized PDM for FY22.
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation
/pre-disaster
528
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 433
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
Rehabilitation of
High Hazard
Potential Dam
(HHPD) Grant
Program
Annual Provides technical, planning, design,
and construction assistance in the form
of grants for rehabilitation of eligible
high hazard potential dams. The dam
must be located in a jurisdiction with a
FEMA-approved plan that includes dam
risks.
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/emergencymanagers/risk-management/damsafety/rehabilitation-high-hazardpotential-dams https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files
/documents/fema_hhpd-fact-sheet_05-
19-2020.pdf
National Flood
Insurance
Program (NFIP)
Ongoing Eligible property owners, renters and
businesses who purchase flood
insurance through the NFIP may be
eligible for funds to repair their
property. Increased Cost of
Compliance (ICC) claim benefits may
be available for compliance activities
including elevation, flood-proofing,
relocation, and demolition.
FEMA https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance
Planning partners may soon have access to additional mitigation funds through FEMA’s new Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Program. The Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act became law on January 1, 2021, and authorized FEMA to provide grants to eligible entities including the State of California for the development of a revolving loan fund for hazard mitigation initiatives.
Once established, this revolving loan fund will provide low interest loans to jurisdictions to reduce vulnerability to natural disaster, foster resilience, and reduce disaster suffering. These loans may be used as the non-federal cost match for other HMA grant applications. The first application for STORM is currently open as of the time of this writing.
FEMA funds should not be the only source of mitigation funding a community considers. Other federal resources are described in Table 137. 529
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 434
Table 137: Additional Federal Funding Sources
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
Community Development
Block Grant – Disaster
Recovery (CDBG-DR)
Congressionally
Appropriated
Grants to states and local governments to
develop viable communities (e.g., housing,
suitable living environment, expanded economic
opportunities) and recover from federally
declared disasters. Principally for low- and
moderate-income areas.
U.S.
Department of
Housing and
Urban
Development
(HUD)
https://www.hud.gov/progr
am_offices/comm_plannin
g/cdbg
CDBG-Mitigation (CDBGMIT)Congressionally
Appropriated
Supports a range of mitigation activities focused
on reducing or eliminating the long-term impacts
of future disasters.
HUD https://www.hud.gov/progr
am_offices/comm_plannin
g/cdbg-dr/cdbg-mit
Section 108 Loan
Guarantee Program
Upon request Provides low-cost, long-term financing for economic development and community
development projects, including improvements
to increase resilience.
HUD https://www.hudexchange.
info/programs/section108/section-108-programeligibilityrequirements/#overview Natural Resources
Conversation Services
(NRCS)
Ongoing Can provide funding and technical assistance to communities to address threats to watersheds,
including conducting damage assessment and
evaluating potential solutions.
U.S.
Department of
Agriculture
(USDA)
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov
/
Urban Waters Small
Grants Program
Every two years Program that protects and restores urban waters by improving water quality through
activities that also support community
revitalization and other local priorities.
U.S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency (EPA)
https://www.epa.gov/urban
waterspartners/urbanwaters-smallgrants#:~:text=Overview% 20Since%20the%20incept
ion%20of%20the%20Urba
n%20Waters,with%20indiv
idual%20award%20amou
nts%20of%20up%20to%2
0%2460%2C000.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/
default/files/2016-
10/documents/uwsg_flyer
_october2016.pdf
530
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 435
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
Clean Water State
Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
Annual Provides low-cost financing for a range of water infrastructure projects.
EPA https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf
https://www.epa.gov/nps/f
unding-resourceswatershed-protection-andrestoration
WaterSmart Annual Funding opportunity to support adequate and safe water supplies through water conservation,
water management, and restoration projects.
Bureau of
Reclamation
https://www.usbr.gov/wate
rsmart/
Partners for Fish and
Wildlife
Ongoing Financial and technical assistance to private
landowners, corporations, local governments,
and universities interested in pursuing
restoration projects affecting wetlands and
riparian habitats.
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife
Service (FWS)
https://www.fws.gov/progr
am/partners-fish-andwildlife
National Coastal
Resilience Fund
Annual Funds nature-based solutions designed to
improve the resilience of coastal communities
and ecosystems.
National Fish
and Wildlife
Foundation
https://www.nfwf.org/progr
ams/national-coastalresiliencefund?activeTab=tab-1
Flood Risk Management
Program (FRMP)
Upon request Program designed to focus the policies,
programs, and expertise of the Corps toward
reducing overall flood risk. USACE works with
local government partners to coordinate flood
risk management within the context of shared
responsibility, including helping communities
understand their flood risk, communicate flood
risk to the public, and develop solutions.
U.S. Army
Corps of
Engineers
https://www.iwr.usace.arm
y.mil/Missions/Flood-RiskManagement/Flood-RiskManagementProgram/Partners-inSharedResponsibility/State-andLocal/ 531
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 436
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
Community Wildfire
Assistance
Ongoing Technical and funding assistance for wildfire
mitigation measures and training.
Department of
Interior Bureau
of Land
Management
https://www.blm.gov/sitepage/programs-publicsafety-and-fire-fire-andaviation-regionalinformation-montanadakotas-3 Emergency Management
Performance Grant
(EMPG)
Annual Grant designed to support state, local, tribal,
and territorial emergency management
agencies in the implementation of the National
Preparedness System and the National
Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient
nation. FY23 EMPG program also included an
emphasis on the national priorities of equity;
climate resilience; and readiness.
DHS/FEMA https://www.fema.gov/gran
ts/preparedness/emergen
cy-managementperformance
Emergency Watershed
Protection
Ongoing Program that offers technical and financial
assistance to help local communities relieve
imminent threats to life and property caused by
natural disasters that impair the watershed.
USDA https://www.nrcs.usda.gov
/programs-initiatives/ewpemergency-watershedprotection Watershed and Flood
Prevention Operations
(WVFPO) Program
Ongoing Provides technical and financial assistance to
help plan and implement watershed projects.
USDA https://www.nrcs.usda.gov
/programsinitiatives/watershed-andflood-preventionoperations-wfpoprogram#:~:text=The%20 Watershed%20Protection
%20and%20Flood%20Pre
vention%20%28WFPO%2
9%20Program,Watershed
%20and%20Flood%20Pre
vention%20Operations%2
0%28WFPO%29%20Prog
ram%20OVERVIEW
532
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 437
17.4.2 State
The State of California proactively invests in hazard mitigation and climate adaptation in order to develop more resilient communities. Open grants can be found online through the California Grants Portal. Table 138 lists some of the state-led funding sources available or likely to become available.
Table 138: State Mitigation Funding Sources
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
Prepare California As Funded Initiative to advance local capabilities through funding additional staff and covering the nonfederal cost share for mitigation actions.
Cal OES https://www.caloes.ca.gov/
office-of-thedirector/operations/recove
ry-directorate/hazardmitigation/preparecalifornia/
Earthquake Brace + Bolt
(EBB) Program
TBD Grants for qualified homeowners with eligible
houses in higher-earthquake-risk areas to
seismically retrofit their house.
California
Earthquake
Authority
https://portal.earthquakea
uthority.com/DiscountsGrants/Brace-and-BoltGrants#:~:text=CEA%20of fers%20two%20brace%20
%2B%20bolt%20grant%2
0programs,help%20CEA
%20policyholders%20pay
%20for%20a%20seismic
%20retrofit.
Proposition 84 Ongoing The California Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal
Protection Bond Act (Proposition) makes new
funding available for flood protection and water
management programs.
Multiple http://bondaccountability.r
esources.ca.gov/p84.aspx
http://bondaccountability.r
esources.ca.gov/PDF/Pro
p1E/PROPOSITION_84_f
act.pdf
533
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 438
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
Integrated Regional Water
Management Grant
Program
Ongoing A collaborative grant program that covers
planning, project implementation, and
disadvantaged communities and tribes in order to
implement water management solutions on a
regional scale.
Department of
Water
Resources
https://water.ca.gov/Progr
ams/Integrated-RegionalWater-Management
Urban Community
Drought Relief Funding
As Funded Offers financial assistance to address drought impacts, including drought resilience planning,
climate resilience activities, and water
conservation activities.
Department of
Water
Resources
https://water.ca.gov/Water
-Basics/Drought/UrbanDrought-Grant
https://water.ca.gov/-
/media/DWRWebsite/WebPages/WaterBasics/Drought/Files/Urba n-Community-DroughtRelief/FrequentlyAskedQu
estions.pdf
Wildfire Prevention Grants Annual Funding for eligible applicants to conduct hazardous fuels reduction activities, wildfire
prevention planning, and wildfire prevention
education.
CAL FIRE https://www.fire.ca.gov/wh
at-we-do/grants/wildfireprevention-grants
Wildfire Resilience Block
Grants
As Funded Provides technical and financial assistance for forest management including reducing the risk of
wildfires.
CAL FIRE https://www.fire.ca.gov/wh
at-we-do/natural-resourcemanagement/wildfireresilience#ResilienceGran tAnchor
534
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 439
Program Timeframe Description Lead Agency
or Agencies Resource(s)
Listos California Funded for
2023
Local resilience grants for community-based
organizations throughout the state to provide
disaster training and resources to vulnerable and
diverse populations.
Cal OES https://www.grants.ca.gov/
grants/2022-23-listoscalifornia-statewide-grantls-program-rfp/ https://news.caloes.ca.gov
/cal-oes-released-2023-
funding-opportunities-forlistos-california-campaign/
California Climate
Investments
Ongoing Over 70 programs that fund various projects
related to climate change and climate resilience.
More than 20
state agencies
https://www.caclimateinve
stments.ca.gov/allprograms
Resilient California Ongoing Resources for climate resilience including grant programs.
Governor’s
Office of
Planning and
Research
https://resilientca.org/topic
s/investing-in-adaptation/
Integrated Climate
Adaptation and Resiliency
Program (ICARP)
Ongoing Three grant programs designed to support
mitigation and climate adaptation through
adaptation planning, climate resilience efforts, and
preparing for the impacts of extreme heat.
Governor’s
Office of
Planning and
Research
https://opr.ca.gov/climate/i
carp/
Climate Smart Land
Management Program
Funded for
2023
New grant opportunity to implement projects and
develop plans that increase climate action on
California’s natural and working lands
Department of
Conservation
https://www.conservation.
ca.gov/dlrp/grantprograms/Pages/ClimateSmart-Land-ManagementProgram.aspx 535
Agenda Item # 3.
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17.4.3 Local
Local capability to fund mitigation actions can come from a variety of sources. Some sources local jurisdictions may have access to include:
Capital improvements project funding.
Taxes levied for specific purposes.
User fees for water, sewer, gas, or electric services. Stormwater utility fees.
General obligation bonds.
Special tax bonds.
Private activity bonds.
Development impact fees for homebuyers or developers. Public or private partnerships.
The individual resources of each participating planning partner are discussed in each annex in Volume 2.
17.5 Action Plan Prioritization
The planning partners utilized the following criteria to prioritize action items into the categories of high, medium, or low.
High Priority— A project that:
▪ Meets multiple goals and objectives (i.e., multiple hazards); ▪ Addresses multiple hazards;
▪ Has benefits that exceed cost;
▪ Has funding secured or is an ongoing project;
▪ Meets eligibility requirements for Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants; ▪ Can be completed in the short term (1 to 5 years);
▪ Addresses immediate short-term impacts of climate change; ▪ Benefits underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND ▪ Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment. Medium Priority— A project that:
▪ Meets multiple goals and objectives;
▪ Addresses multiple hazards;
▪ Has benefits that exceed costs;
▪ Has funding has not been secured, but that is grant eligible under Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants or other grant programs;
536
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 441
▪ Project can be completed in the short term (1-5 years), once funding is secured. Medium priority projects will become high priority projects once funding is secured; ▪ Addresses immediate short-term impacts of climate change; ▪ Benefits underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND ▪ Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment. Low Priority— A project that:
▪ Will mitigate the risk of at least one hazard;
▪ Has benefits that do not exceed the costs or are difficult to quantify:
▪ Does not have secured funding;
▪ Is not eligible for Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant funding; ▪ Has a timeline for completion that is long term (greater than 5 years). Low priority projects may be eligible for other sources of grant funding from other programs; ▪ May address impacts of climate change;
▪ May benefit underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND ▪ Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment.
17.5.1 Benefit-Cost Review
One of the criteria used to prioritize proposed mitigation actions was a benefit-cost review. This review was not of the detailed benefit-cost analysis required by FEMA for project grant eligibility under Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants. A less formal approach was used because some projects may not be implemented for up to 10 years, and associated costs and benefits could change dramatically in that time.
Therefore, a review of the apparent benefits versus the apparent cost of each project was performed.
Parameters were established for assigning subjective ratings (high, medium, and low) to the costs and benefits of these projects.
Cost ratings were defined as follows:
High—Existing funding will not cover the cost of the project; implementation would require new revenue through an alternative source (for example, bonds, grants, and fee increases). Medium—The project could be implemented with existing funding but would require a reapportionment of the budget or a budget amendment, or the cost of the project would have to be spread over multiple years.
Low—The project could be funded under the existing budget. The project is part of or can be part of an ongoing existing program.
Benefit ratings were defined as follows:
High—Project will provide an immediate reduction of risk exposure for life and property. Medium—Project will have a long-term impact on the reduction of risk exposure for life and property, or project will provide an immediate reduction in the risk exposure for property. 537
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Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 442
Low—Long-term benefits of the project are difficult to quantify in the short term.
Using this approach, projects with positive benefit versus cost ratios (such as high over high, high over medium, medium over low, etc.) are considered cost-beneficial and are prioritized accordingly.
For many of the strategies identified in this action plan, financial assistance may be available through FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants, all of which require detailed benefit/cost analyses. These analyses will be performed on projects at the time of application using the FEMA benefit-cost model. For projects not seeking financial assistance from grant programs that require detailed analysis, “benefits” can be defined according to parameters that meet the goals and objectives of this plan.
17.6 Plan Adoption
A hazard mitigation plan must document that it has been formally adopted by the governing bodies of the jurisdictions requesting federal approval of the plan (44 CFR Section 201.6(c)(5)). For multi-jurisdictional plans, each jurisdiction requesting approval must document that is has been formally adopted. Once the MJHMP has received FEMA Approvable Pending Adoption (APA) status, each participating jurisdiction or special district will take the plan to their governing body for final public comment and adoption. Copies of the resolutions adopting this plan for all planning partners can be found in Appendix B of this volume.
17.7 Plan Maintenance Strategy
A hazard mitigation plan must present a plan maintenance process that includes the following (44 CFR Section 201.6(c)(4)):
A section describing the method and schedule of monitoring, evaluating, and updating the mitigation plan over a 5-year cycle (44 CFR Section 201.6(c)(4)(i)). A process by which local governments incorporate the requirements of the mitigation plan into other planning mechanisms, such as comprehensive or capital improvement plans, when appropriate (44 CFR Section 201.6(c)(4)(ii)).
A discussion on how the community will continue public participation in the plan maintenance process (44 CFR Section 201.6(c)(4)(iii)).
This section details the formal process that will ensure that the hazard mitigation plan remains an active and relevant document and that the planning partners maintain their eligibility for applicable funding sources. The plan maintenance process includes a schedule for monitoring and evaluating the plan annually and producing an updated plan every five years. This section also describes how public participation will be integrated throughout the plan maintenance and implementation process. It also explains how the mitigation strategies outlined in this plan will be incorporated into existing planning mechanisms and programs, such as comprehensive land-use planning processes, capital improvement planning, and building code enforcement and implementation. The plan’s format allows sections to be reviewed and updated when new data become available, resulting in a plan that will remain current and relevant.
Pursuant to 44CFR 201.6(c)(4)(i), the plan maintenance matrix shown in Table 139 provides a synopsis of responsibilities for plan monitoring, evaluation, and update, which are discussed in further detail in the sections below.
538
Agenda Item # 3.
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Table 139: Plan Maintenance Matrix
Task Approach Timeline Lead
Responsibility
Support
Responsibility
Monitoring Preparation of status
updates and action
implementation
tracking as part of
submission for Annual
Progress Report.
January to
February, or upon
comprehensive
update to General
Plan or major
disaster
Jurisdictional
points of contact
identified in
Volume 2 annexes
Local Planning
Team Members
identified in
Volume 2 annexes
Evaluation Review the status of
previous actions to
assess the
effectiveness of the
plan
Progress report
completed and
submitted to
MJHMP County
Project Manager
each year
Jurisdictional
points of contact
identified in
Volume 2 annexes
MJHMP County
Project Manager,
as appropriate
Update Reconvene the
planning partners, at a
minimum, every 5
years to guide a
comprehensive
update to review and
revise the plan.
Every 5 years, or
upon
comprehensive
update to General
Plan or major
disaster
MJHMP County
Project Manager
Jurisdictional
points of contacts
identified in
Volume 2 annexes
17.8 Plan Implementation
Each planning partner is responsible for implementing specific mitigation actions as described in the mitigation strategies located in the annexes. In each mitigation strategy, every proposed action is assigned to a specific department or division in order to assign responsibility and accountability and increase the likelihood of subsequent implementation. This approach enables individual participants to update their unique mitigation strategy as needed, without altering the broader focus of the countywide plan. The separate adoption of participant-specific actions also ensures that each plan member is not held responsible for monitoring and implementing the actions of other jurisdictions or special districts involved in the planning process.
The Santa Clara County MJHMP Project Manager is the lead position for plan implementation and will work with the planning partner to ensure mitigation actions are implemented according to jurisdictional or special district capabilities and planning procedures. Each partner will implement the plan and their individual mitigation actions, as resources permit, through existing plans, programs, and policies and in the timeframe appropriate for their planning processes. This implementation will be done by reviewing the MJHMP and mitigation strategy during the update of the planning mechanisms identified.
As necessary, partners may consider seeking outside funding sources to implement mitigation projects in both the pre-disaster and post-disaster environments. When applicable, potential funding sources have been identified for proposed actions listed in the mitigation strategies.
17.9 Plan Maintenance Element
Planning partner points of contact will continue to collaborate as a planning group in coordination with the Santa Clara County MJHMP Project Manager. Primary contact will be through emails and conference calls. Partner points of contact will jointly lead the plan maintenance and update process by:
Discussing methods for continued public involvement and education; 539
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 444
Documenting successes and lessons learned;
Researching new or updated data, laws, policies, regulations, or initiatives that can contribute to hazard histories, risk assessments, loss estimates, vulnerabilities of assets, or action items for plan participants;
Reviewing potential funding availability, including state and federal grant program Notices of Funding Opportunities;
Assessing the progress of previously implemented actions that reduce vulnerability and losses, and any new opportunities for mitigation actions; and
Maintaining and completing documentation of the MJHMP maintenance process.
Each planning partner is responsible for monitoring and tracking the progress of action items identified by their jurisdiction or special district in this MJHMP and submitting a status summary to the County’s project manager on a yearly basis.
Additionally, each planning partner point of contact will work with their Local Planning Teams and other jurisdictional or special district representatives to:
Review existing action items to determine appropriateness for local funding; Prioritize potential mitigation projects; and
Update decision makers on progress of the plan.
17.9.1 Plan Update
The planning partners intend to update the hazard mitigation plan on a 5-year cycle from the date of initial plan adoption in accordance with the update schedule outlined in the DMA 2000. This cycle may be accelerated to less than 5 years based on the following triggers:
A Presidential Disaster Declaration that impacts the OA. A hazard event that causes loss of life.
A comprehensive update of a planning partner’s general plan.
It will not be the intent of future updates to develop a completely new hazard mitigation plan for the OA.
The update will, at a minimum, include the following elements:
The update process will be convened through a new planning partner group. The hazard risk assessment will be reviewed and, if necessary, updated using best available information and technologies.
The action plans will be reviewed and revised to account for any actions completed, no longer relevant, or changed and to account for changes in the risk assessment or new policies identified under other planning mechanisms.
The draft update will be sent to appropriate agencies and organizations for comment. The public will be given an opportunity to comment on the update prior to adoption. planning partner governing bodies will adopt the updated plan. 540
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 445
17.9.2 Grant Monitoring and Coordination
Santa Clara County OEM intends to be a resource to the planning partnership in the support of project grant writing and development. The degree of this support will depend on the level of assistance requested by the partnership during open windows for grant applications. It is not Santa Clara County OEM’s intent to lead any grant application effort for any specific planning partner requesting assistance. It will be the role of Santa Clara County OEM staff to provide support to a lead jurisdiction by providing or identifying resources for project development, scoping, feasibility, grant writing, environmental/historic preservation application, and benefit/cost analyses. As part of grant monitoring and coordination, Santa Clara County OEM agrees to provide the following:
Notification to planning partners about impending grant opportunities. A current list of eligible, jurisdiction-specific projects for funding pursuit consideration. Notification about mitigation priorities for the fiscal year to assist the planning partners in the selection of appropriate projects.
Training on the FEMA benefit-cost analysis tool upon request. Training on the sub-applicant system upon request.
Grant writing technical assistance upon request.
Technical review of the completed sub-applicant package upon request.
Grant monitoring and coordination is expected to occur on an annual basis in coordination with the annual progress report or as needed based on the availability of non-HMA or post-disaster funding opportunities.
17.9.3 Continuing Public Involvement
Each planning partner has agreed to provide links to the hazard mitigation plan website on their individual jurisdictional websites to increase avenues of public access to the plan. Santa Clara County OEM has agreed to maintain the hazard mitigation plan website. This site will not only house the final plan, but it will also become the one-stop shop for information regarding the plan, the partnership and plan implementation. The plan will be posted to the Office of Emergency Management’s website, where there will be an opportunity for continued public feedback and engagement with the County mitigation planning team by providing their contact information. To ensure continued public engagement on issues relating to hazard mitigation, all comments received from the public and from interested agencies on this hazard mitigation plan will be reviewed as part of the plan maintenance procedures.
Public participation will be sought throughout the implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of the MJHMP. This participation can be sought in a multitude of ways, including but not limited to periodic presentations on the plan’s progress to elected officials, schools, or other community groups; questionnaires or surveys; public meetings; and postings on social media and participant websites.
Each participant in this plan is responsible for creating and documenting continued public involvement opportunities throughout the life of the MJHMP. The Santa Clara County NHMP Project Manager may facilitate countywide public involvement strategies that include plan participants, such as partnering with the countywide groups and organizations to distribute and disseminate public surveys and information related to mitigation. Copies of the MJHMP and annual revisions will be posted on the websites of plan participants, as appropriate.
The Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan acts as a foundation plan for the entire County. MJHMP will inform many other planning efforts such as plans relating to infrastructure projects (green or otherwise), the County of Santa Clara Emergency Operations Plan, the County of Santa Clara Disaster Recovery Framework (currently in draft), and the Office of Emergency Management 541
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 446
Strategic Visioning Plan. Additionally, all other County plans that require a review of hazards and vulnerability will be informed by the MJHMP.
17.9.4 Incorporation into Other Planning Mechanisms
The information on hazard, risk, vulnerability, and mitigation contained in this plan is based on the best science and technology available at the time this plan was prepared. The general plans of the planning partners are considered to be integral parts of this plan. The planning partners, through adoption of general plans and zoning ordinances, have planned for the impact of natural hazards. The plan development process provided them with the opportunity to review and expand on policies contained within these planning mechanisms. The planning partners used their general plans and the hazard mitigation plan as complementary documents that work together to achieve the goal of reducing risk exposure to the citizens of the OA. An update to a general plan may trigger an update to the hazard mitigation plan.
All municipal planning partners are committed to creating a linkage between the hazard mitigation plan and their individual general plan. Additionally, all planning partners are committed to being in full compliance with California Assembly Bill 2140 and Senate Bill 379, which promote the integration of local hazard mitigation plans and general plans and mandate that these plans address climate change. Other planning processes and programs to be coordinated with the recommendations of the hazard mitigation plan include the following:
Emergency response plans.
Training and exercise of emergency response plans.
Debris Management Plans.
Recovery Plans.
Capital improvement programs.
Municipal codes.
Community design guidelines.
Water-efficient landscape design guidelines.
Stormwater management programs.
Water system vulnerability assessments.
Community Wildfire Protection Plans.
Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plans.
Resiliency Plans.
Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery action plans. Public information/Education plans.
Santa Clara County understands the importance of integrating plans in order to align efforts and increase the chances of success. Plan integration, including working closely with the County’s Safety Element update team and the countywide Community Wildfire Protection Plan team, has been a key element of this plan update. In addition to collaborating with these plan updates to integrate public feedback and wildfire risk data, the County will integrate this plan into other planning mechanisms as well. The MJMHP acts as a foundation plan for the entire County. It will inform many other planning efforts such as plans relating to infrastructure projects (green infrastructure or otherwise), the County of Santa Clara Emergency Operations Plan, the County of Santa Clara Disaster Recovery Framework (currently in draft), 542
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Section 17: Mitigation Strategy 447
and the Office of Emergency Management Strategic Visioning Plan. Additionally, all other County plans that require a review of hazards and vulnerability will be informed by the MJHMP. Including a broad range of internal partners helps ensure the planning partners that participated in this plan update will be able to carry over knowledge of this plan and its actions into other planning mechanisms. Additional information on how each plan participants will integrate this plan into other planning mechanisms is included in Volume II.
Some action items do not need to be implemented through regulation. Instead, these items can be implemented through the creation of new educational programs, continued interagency coordination, or improved public participation. As information becomes available from other planning mechanisms that can enhance this plan, that information will be incorporated via the update process. 543
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-1
Appendix A: Public Engagement Results
Public Survey Results
A 35-question survey was available to the public for seven weeks, from April 4–May 19, 2023. The survey results helped the Planning Team learn how the public viewed their risks and vulnerabilities to the hazards they felt could occur in the OA along with their viewpoint on impacts from climate change.
With this survey, the MJHMP planning process better supported the viewpoints and concerns of the public.
Figure 79: Sample of Public Survey Advertisement
The MJHMP public survey received 588 responses. There were 576 responses to the English survey, ten (10) responses to the Chinese survey, and two (2) responses to the Spanish survey.
The survey asked participants to pick a statement that best described their level of concern for each hazard. These levels of concern include:
• Not Concerned
• Somewhat Concerned
• Very Concerned
• Not Sure – Not Enough Information
The survey results are provided in the following tables. 544
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-2
Table 140: Survey Results Level of Hazard Concern
Hazard Very Concerned Somewhat
Concerned Not Concerned Not Sure/Needs More Information Drought 355 180 45 6
Earthquake 296 245 38 4
Thunderstorms 29 152 268 34
Flood 85 268 200 30
Dam/Levee
Failure
44 160 316 62
Terrorism 67 209 248 58
Tsunami 11 48 456 70
Extreme
Heat/Cold
161 234 170 19
Hazardous
Materials
69 252 218 44
Atmospheric
River
148 264 149 24
Smoke/ Air
Quality
304 193 73 14
Weapons of
Mass
Destruction
73 146 291 74
Wildfire 208 217 138 20
Landslide 54 202 284 43
Tornadoes 11 46 458 69
Windstorms 110 279 172 21
Pandemics 162 275 129 18
Space
Weather/Other
25 90 319 149
Table 141: Level of Concern for Climate Change Impacts
Climate Effect Very
Concerned
Somewhat
Concerned Not Concerned Not Sure/Needs More Information Sea Level Rise 120 260 173 2
Increased Severity of
Hazard Events
227 229 99 0
Hotter Temperatures 285 201 83 1
Damage to the
Environment
310 175 84 1
Human Health Issues 227 247 93 0
545
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-3
Climate Effect Very
Concerned
Somewhat
Concerned Not Concerned Not Sure/Needs More Information Increased Frequency of
Hazard Events
232 231 92 0
Decreased Water
Resources
392 147 37 2
Damage to Structures Not
Built for Climate Change
232 216 108 1
Harm to Food Production 224 239 97 2
Decreased Outdoor
Worker Productivity
109 264 173 2
Effect on Vulnerable
Populations
245 194 112 1
Table 142: Types of Stakeholders Represented
Group Represented Response (%)
Academia 6.4
Community Based Organizations 15.6
Special District 1.7
Neighboring Community 6.2
Healthcare Agency 2.1
Faith Based Organization 8.3
Private Organization 8.3
Private Utility 0.3
Table 143 lists comments received from the public survey and how this input that was taken into account during the plan update. Comments that didn’t relate to the hazard mitigation plan or were not a suggestion were not included.
Table 143: Public Comments
Public Comment Response
Our traditional methods for planning and
preparation cannot keep pace with the changing
natural hazard landscape. The current planning
cycles are simply too slow.
The Plan Maintenance Strategy in this plan
update emphasizes the need for more
engagement and timely update to information as
appropriate.
546
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-4
Public Comment Response
I like the hazard maps. Nice to know I'm not in a
tsunami zone but was surprised that part of the
Baylands is in a tsunami zone - and yet proposals
to build homes and businesses quite close to the
bay keep coming. We should be building near 280
not near the SF Bay. I was shocked Saltworks on
an average of 1 foot of elevation in Redwood City
was even considered. I think there are big projects
scheduled for Brisbane and some in the East Bay
too. I have not seen any documentation of the
risks of sea rise affecting Facebook or Google or
NASA building very close to the bay. How can we
overcome the lure of building on the cheapest
land when that land is cheaper because of
hazards?
This plan includes additional information on the
Tsunami hazard which was not previously
profiled. This question is too broad for this plan
update to address but reflects a real concern for
the OA.
Please keep the urban forest a priority and please
push back when the state wants us to increase
our population. We do not have the natural water
for it.
Changes in development and planning for
hazards including drought which includes water
shortage is addressed in this plan.
Reduce flood risks and obvious fire risks.
Mitigation of flood risks from San Franciscquito
Creek should be immediately accelerated as
many are at known risk from this; homeowners
and businesses should be educated and
encouraged to reduce dry brush/fire risks,
including trimming dry trees/foliage from growing
up to affect such things as electrical lines. Code
enforcement should be stronger since we all see
dead wood, etc. close to and eventually affecting
power lines. Utilities should be required to
evaluate and remedy these when they pose a risk.
Actions to reduce flood and fire risk are included
in this plan.
More work needs to be done with clearing fallen
trees in creek and streams.
While not strictly speaking mitigation, this is an
ongoing theme of public feedback. Therefore,
multiple jurisdictions have in progress work
towards debris management plans, and others
selected to include actions related to debris.
As a CERT in Los Gatos, we practice responding
to large scale earthquakes. For the community,
not just my property, the risk of wildfire, landslide,
flooding, dam release, gas leaks is has high
probabilities in specific areas. So the survey
should not be confined to an individual’s property
alone. My property is near, but not on,
landslide/flooding/wildfire zones.
This survey was open to all. Individuals who live
near, but not in, high risk areas are welcome to
participate in future hazard mitigation
opportunities as relevant.
There is so little help for disabled people, and
most of it is useless in practice.
Equity in mitigation is an important concept. This
is integrated into the County and its stakeholders
approach to this plan update, and will be
something discussed in the future as well.
547
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-5
Public Comment Response
In Louisiana, parishes have designated hurricane
evacuation routes. These are communicated to
the public and signs are posted along the routes
that say "Hurricane Evacuation Route." Should
Santa Clara County consider publishing
evacuation routes? Maybe it's no longer
necessary since we have Apple Maps. But one
would think the county should optimize the routes
and assign certain routes to certain
neighborhoods to minimize the chaos during
evacuations. For example, in New Orleans, they
convert all Interstate 10 lanes to westbound only
during evacuations to get twice the traffic flow out
of the city. Would something like this ever be
needed here?
Evacuation routes were not profiled as a part of
this plan update. However, other plans currently
be updated including the countywide Community
Wildfire Protection Plan will evaluate the current
evacuation route situation.
People are not well-informed about hazards in
their area and what can be done about it,
Multiple public education and outreach actions
were included as a part of the 2023 action items
listed in this plan in attempt to promote public
awareness of the risks to the OA and what can be
done about it, including mitigation.
I wish there had been a specific mention of softstory earthquake hazards in 2-story apartments built in the 1950s–1970s. There are dozens, if not
hundreds, of these in Mountain View alone. There
doesn't seem to be much progress on addressing
this well-known hazard. I also wish there had
been a way to share my level of concern about
large-scale environmental "tipping points" that
might lead to runaway rises in methane and
carbon dioxide. I am highly concerned about
them!
This is noted as a Jurisdiction-Specific
Vulnerability.
I would like to be involved. Gilroy is not well
represented or serviced in SCCo.
Gilroy was an active participate in this plan update
and because of this, will be eligible for future
mitigation funding opportunities. All are welcome
to participate in future plan maintenance and
implementation initiatives. Further information can
be found on Santa Clara County’s website.
How are you going to prioritize among all of the
issues and needs?
The planning teams prioritized each action in
accordance with the criteria listed in this plan.
Solutions should not be forced on residents,
rather provide them with a variety of options or
alternatives to pick from. Everyone wants the best
for the environment and wants to be safe, but no
one wants to be dictated to on exactly how, OR,
have their options taken away and left with only
one method.
The majority of hazard mitigation actions are
voluntary, not mandatory, initiatives. Multiple
jurisdictions selected additional public education
and outreach actions to take in order to share with
residents their options for conducting hazard
mitigation.
I believe everyone in coastal California should be
required to have earthquake insurance.
This suggestion was considered beyond the
scope of this hazard mitigation plan update.
548
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-6
Public Comment Response
Building new housing needs to have support
infrastructure such as roads so people can
escape their neighborhoods in emergencies and
not be trapped due to traffic.
This suggestion was considered beyond the
scope of this hazard mitigation plan update
however, other current planning initiatives are
evaluating evacuation routes.
I’m concerned about the lack of communication
abilities when the cell phone towers are down.
Power failure was discussed during the planning
meetings as well. A variety of related mitigation
activities were identified in the plan participant’s
lists of mitigation actions.
Traffic hazards, such as the dangerous
southbound 101 entrance from Charleston should
be closed and replaced by one from San Antonio
Road with an auxiliary lane connecting to the offramp at Rengstorff.
Traffic incidents were not profiled in this plan
update as it focused on natural hazards in
accordance with FEMA local mitigation planning
guidance. However, it may be considered in future
updates.
Stronger support and funding are needed Mitigation is an ongoing process. Gathering support and funding for projects are common
challenges. Additional actions and funding
capabilities that could be enhanced to support this
goal are included in the list of 2023 actions.
The most concerning time for us was the 2020
wildfires that caused awful smoke throughout our
area.
Wildfire smoke was also a concern of the Core
Planning Team. It was considered important to
address this in this plan update, particularly given
recent events. Wildfire smoke was addressed
under the “Wildfire” hazard in this plan update.
Ban fires in the Santa Clara Valley. The smoke
enters my home and causes breathing problems.
The entire neighborhood is affected when people
hold bonfires.
This recommendation was considered beyond the
scope of this hazard mitigation plan update.
Wildfires were considered the primary source of
concern for smoke. Smoke from wildfires was
addressed in this plan update.
Despite heavy rains, still need to focus on future
drought conditions. Also, future pandemics. Would
anticipate domestic infrastructure also represent
increasing targets for domestic terrorism
Mitigation actions were identified for both
inclement weather and drought as a part of this
plan update. Terrorism was not profiled as this
plan update focused on natural hazards in
accordance with FEMA local mitigation planning
guidance. However, it may be considered in future
updates.
Never hear of any task force I can join Multiple plan participants selected additional public education and outreach as a part of their
mitigation actions. Future opportunities to
participate will be advertised publicly. All are
encouraged to review the Santa Clara County
website for additional information.
549
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-7
Public Comment Response
There was no mention of pesticides/herbicides
esp. from professional gardeners. Also air
pollution from living near freeways and greatly
increased population driving in in SC Valley in
recent years. Affordable access to organic food
(vs. genetically modified and sprayed with
pesticides/herbicides). I've had a lot of ground
settling -- 1 foot drop since the Loma Prieta EQ in
1989, and with cold and wet weather recently
more ground settling and my front door latch
would hold the door closed so had to get a barn
latch put in -- lots of expansion and contraction of
house and building materials. ... Way too much
population increase in Silicon Valley, very
concerned about future resources, availability for
everyone, and costing more and getting less.
Food resources were not considered as a part of
this hazard mitigation update.
Offer inexpensive yet good coverage insurance The recommendation was considered beyond the scope of this hazard mitigation plan update but is
noted.
I hope some action is taken to secure Saratoga
Heights area where landslides happened in 80's
and now we see similar issues causing many
issues for residents, and all public utilities
providers like PG&E, SJ Water and
Cupertino/West Valley Sanitation District.
An action item was added by the City of Saratoga
to stabilize Saratoga Heights Drive to reduce the
possibility of landslide, erosion, and roadway
obstruction.
I would like to see more community projects that
encourage people to get involved in environment
preservation.
Noted.
Great job on forming this working group. I’m
hoping the working group incorporates all different
age/sex/race/disability groups, Including the
young, teens and differently abled folks. Telling
folks to get insurance, only solves the end result…
driving preemptive solutions would be more
effective. E.g. employing more environmental
solution minded folks and involving ALL in
discussions would be other suggestions.
The planning process was open to all. Further
public outreach and education as well as plan
maintenance opportunities can be targeted toward
a broad range of stakeholders.
The best thing you can do for county residents is
repave our roads and add drainage points.
The County included an action item on identifying
potential water drainage mitigation projects.
Resources need to be allocated toward hazards
affecting renters. The housing stock in SCC is old;
the majority of landlords appear reluctant to
update their properties to mitigate the hazards
that routinely impact renters (extreme heat/cold
events) or would we catastrophic if they occurred
(severe earthquake).
Multiple plan participants selected additional
public education and outreach initiatives as a part
of their mitigation actions. Renters are one group
that may need additional outreach to understand
their options.
Require use of EcoAtlas.org database of
headwater streams for all hillside community
planning. Require composite mapping of
landslides from property geotech reports in hillside
communities.
This suggestion was not included at this time.
550
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-8
Public Comment Response
Please include multilingual community forums.
Please include changing street light post bulbs,
my community has very dim lightbulbs and some
streets are not safely lit.
Multilingual public education and outreach
opportunities was noted as a capability that could
be expanded.
Would like to see more communities build up
many more CERTs since we will need to rely on
each other during a disaster
CERTs were considered a capability of multiple
participating jurisdictions. Multiple plan
participants included mitigation actions regarding
support CERTs.
Thanks you for what you are doing -- and
especially for publicizing this in various
languages. These issues affect all of us in Santa
Clara County, and it's so important that the
information be disseminated in languages besides
English.
The Core Planning Team agreed. In addition to
the multilingual engagement conducted during this
plan update process, multilingual public education
and outreach opportunities was noted as a
capability that could be expanded. Multiple plan
participants highlighted public education and
outreach as a part of their mitigation actions.
Targeted marketing to neighborhoods and level
risks. Often, news and warnings are not relevant
to all neighborhoods.
Targeted outreach can be a great way to get
relevant information into the hands of the people
who need it the most. Multiple plan participants
selected to include additional public education and
outreach efforts as a part of their mitigation
actions.
We need to slow or stop growth due to traffic
congestion and the greater problems that creates
in an emergency, and due to the overbuilding
adding risk to more people, and stop building tall
buildings on corners of major intersections.
Traffic incidents were not profiled as a hazard in
this plan update as this plan focused on natural
hazards in accordance with FEMA local mitigation
planning guidance however, it could be
considered in future updates.
A lot of the rules have changed since the late
1970s early 1980 when I purchased my home in
San Jose. I have not heard of any Hazard
Mitigation being done in my area of San Jose.
A discussion of San Jose’s previous mitigation
action items and mitigation success stories is
included in the City’s annex in Volume II.
Trees offer significant protection against heat and
wind as well as soil moisture retention but the city
of San Jose has official policies which deforest the
city by burdening low-income residents with the
cost of maintaining trees and adjacent utility
infrastructure, a significant cost risk which
average households in the East Side and
downtown cannot bear.
This was not identified by the City as a concern
during their capability assessment or actions.
However, the city is currently developing other
environmental-focused plans which may consider
this point further.
I am very concerned about the environment of
Santa Clara County and the whole world. I would
like to learn more and be an advocate for change.
I would be happy to do some community outreach
to help reduce the plastic use in the valley and to
see more trees planted and to see the trees near
power lines and trees at risk of falling are pruned
for safety.
All are encouraged to become involved in future
plan maintenance and implementation
opportunities. Please refer to the Santa Clara
County website for more information.
Ensure that there is informed public review of
plan.
The public was provided a two-week opportunity
to review the plan and specific representatives of
community-based organizations were invited to
review it in additional to planning stakeholders.
551
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-9
Public Comment Response
We need to keep water in Anderson to mitigate
fire risk and wildlife damage/death. Mitigation for
possible earthquake shouldn’t trump fire dangers
This suggestion was considered beyond the
scope of this hazard mitigation plan update
however it is noted.
Where are hazardous materials in my community
located? What are the disaster plans for my
community?
These are good questions which reflect the need
for additional public education and outreach.
Multiple plan participants selected these kinds of
actions in their action plan.
I’d like to see power and utility lines go
underground.
Multiple plan participants are actively working on
this or selected to include it as an action item.
From a wildland fire hazard perspective, all
communities south of Los Gatos served by the
Highway 17 corridor can only be honestly
described as death traps. A heavy emphasis on
evacuation, including fuels reductions along major
public roads, is the only way to prevent significant
loss of life. Mitigations would include adequate
defensible space, planned developments with
emergency exits, additional fire agency coverage,
a volunteer fire program for the Santa Clara side
as Santa Cruz side has, and last but not least,
cooperation with certain public and private
landowners who either do not care about or do not
have the funding to address significant wildfire
and fuel hazards. ESPECIALLY SAN JOSE
WATER COMPANY.
All of these types of mitigation measures have
been evaluated. Multiple plan participants listed
similar actions in their action plans. San Jose
Water was identified as a potential planning
partner however, they did not participate in this
plan update.
Fire risks are still extremely real. Homeowners
Insurance is tied to this risk. Defensible space is
the key. It’s neither fun or enjoyable work, but it’s
essential to community safety.
Defensible space is listed as a mitigation action
item for multiple plan participants.
You should include traffic planning as a possible
mitigation measure. With many communities
narrowing roadways to slow traffic, I'm concerned
that if people need to be moved from one area to
another, what was once a possible escape
corridor that could handle more traffic, has greatly
reduced the traffic flow capacity. The city has
installed permanent features that narrow the
roadway to a single lane in each direction with no
option to expand the flow if needed for an
evacuation.
This hazard mitigation plan focused on natural
hazards in accordance with FEMA local mitigation
planning guidance, but this can be reevaluated in
future updates.
Using social media to spread the word has
drawbacks — it can exclude many from
marginalized communities. Please be sure to
broaden your messaging beyond the suburban
upper-middle class.
Multiple in-person meetings were conducted as a
part of this plan update. Further, multiple plan
participants selected additional public education
and outreach as a part of their mitigation actions
moving forward.
Allow us to buy reasonably priced earthquake
insurance covering less than total destruction.
Allow us to remove trees next to houses for fire
safety even when they are healthy.
These suggestions were considered beyond the
scope of this hazard mitigation plan update but
are noted.
552
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-10
Public Comment Response
Don’t let this winter’s record rainfall make you
forget that we live in a drought zone!
This hazard mitigation plan update focused on all
hazards, including both Heavy rain, heavy winds,
extreme temperatures and drought.
(1) Stanford climate scientist, Noah Diffenbaugh,
published peer-reviewed research showing that
we will be subject more frequently and regularly to
both extreme dry spells (leading to wildfires and
water shortages) and extreme wind & rain
patterns (leading to flooding, landslides, and
power outages), all lasting longer periods. We
need to plan for our critical infrastructure (i.e.
electricity and medical services) to sustain this
kind of situations.
(2) We need to be ready for a devastating
earthquake hitting in a bitter and rainy winter.
The Hazard Mitigation Plan is designed to help
communities plan to reduce risk to critical
infrastructure, including community lifelines. Both
climate change and cascading impacts are
considered throughout this plan update.
Fire evacuation in some parts of my community
(Los Altos Hills) will be severely hampered by
one-lane roads and bottlenecks (e.g., Moody
Road by Foothill College) if traffic is not actively
controlled (by a human) to keep vehicles moving.
Specifically, if traffic lights are not deactivated (or set to blink yellow), they alone will create a
massive logjam.
The evaluation of specific evacuation routes was
not a part of the scope of this plan update
however, other current planning processes around
the County are looking into evacuation routes.
Stop building more high density homes in a area
that has regular droughts, limiting people helps w
low supplies. Stop building in areas anyone w
common sense knows could be dangerous, like
below Anderson Dam during the last 25 years
when it was known to be not earthquake safe. The
life's that would have been loss are huge. Areas in
SJ that had landslides in the 1960's should never
be built on yet many are. See what I mean???
Look at how much concrete covers our land,
backyards, water tables cannot be replenished
like that. Common sense folks!!!!
This comment is considered beyond the scope of
this hazard mitigation plan however, integrating
the risk and changes in development information
listed in this plan into future planning
mechanisms, permitting, and development
decisions may lead to the result requested.
Please include local CERT members in you
group. I am currently work in quality and I am very
good at spotting potential hazards and developing
scenarios to fix the issues. SJ CERT program
manager can vouch for me & person in charge of
CERT, my instructor at Santa Clara County Fire
also can. My wife and I are always prepared,
100% all the time!
Stakeholders including CERT members were
invited to planning meetings. All were welcome to
attend the public meetings and provide feedback
on the plan during the review process. All are
welcome to participate in future plan maintenance
and implementation opportunities. More
information will be made available on the Santa
Clara County website.
We need to retrofit buildings in which housing is
built on top of garage or parking, due to increase
risk of collapse in an earthquake.
Mitigation includes retrofitting buildings at risk
from collapse during an earthquake. Multiple plan
participants listed seismic retrofitting as a part of
their mitigation actions.
553
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-11
Public Comment Response
Please consider making a plan for an
electromagnetic pulse or a coronal mass ejection.
Also, i lost power 3 times in the last 2 years due to
pg&e’s equipment failure. Each of these times
was for 30 hours or more. Twice during a
heatwave. Last summer’s power outage cause me
heat exhaustion, with confusion and rapid heart
rate. It was 113 degrees in my neighborhood and
no power. This is so dangerous and I fear it will
happen again, it seems pg&e temporarily fixes the
problem but under strain the equipment breaks
again when we need it most.
Mitigation measures are important for the private
sector to consider as well. PG&E participated as a
stakeholder in this hazard mitigation plan but did
not develop specific actions as a participating
jurisdiction.
Educate hillside communities on the CA aquatic
resource inventory (EcoAtlas.org) by SFEI -
prohibit development near these small streams for
public safety. Compile complete map of all minor
and major landslide areas - most hillside
developments require GeoTech reports which
map these slides but a complete county-wide map
is not publicly available
These actions were not selected at this time.
Additional landslide mapping is available in
Volume II for each participating jurisdiction.
I have questions, how will all of this be funded?
Who pays?
Potential funding sources are listed in this plan
update for each action.
Thank you for doing this. The county needs to
consider a more proactive central role in disaster
planning that umbrellas the cities.
The County is actively involved in supporting
emergency management and hazard mitigation
efforts. The engagement between jurisdictions
and stakeholders that was conducted for this plan
update is described above as well as in each
annex.
Freeway exit at Arastradero from 280 North is
overgrown with weeds and has flammable debris
build-up. The area needs annual weeds/tree
debris mitigation, but this to my knowledge has
never been done. Fire from cigarettes or ignition
from other sources could spread quickly up hill
and into the surrounding fields and community.
Please attend to this area annually.
A related action was included in the community
where this comment came from.
Manage the water supply to homes effectively.
Invest in rainwater harvesting mechanisms at the
household level.
Multiple plan participants noted their support for
rainwater collection during their capability
assessment. Further education and outreach on
this topic could help residents implement this on a
household level. Multiple plan participants
indicated their support for additional public
education and outreach in their mitigation actions.
Hazmat releases are also concerning. This plan focused on natural hazards in accordance with FEMA local hazard mitigation
planning guidance however, this comment is
noted and can be evaluated during future
updates.
554
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-12
Public Comment Response
Has the group done a mapping assessment to
understand the number and location of
multijurisdictional areas? We live in SCC, but 4
houses up and down is Los Altos. Across the
street is Los Altos Hills. We have several hazard
issues that need coordination.
Coordination is one of the main goals of the
multijurisdictional hazard mitigation planning
process. This plan update provided the
opportunity to map and assess risk across
jurisdictions in Santa Clara County as well as
bring partners together. Future opportunities for
plan maintenance and the next plan update are
intended to continue to promote coordination.
Make users pay to put power and water in the
urban forest interface if they want to live there.
Not a government or PGE function.
This suggestion was considered beyond the
scope of this hazard mitigation plan update but is
noted.
I am interested in boosting the flood control
around Palo Alto. My neighborhood association,
AMNA, has discussed it.
All are welcome to participate in future plan
maintenance and implantation opportunities.
Further information will be able on the Santa Clara
County website. Ideas for how to reduce flood risk
in Palo Alto are also listed in this plan update.
We could incorporate this hazard mitigation plan
into all other plans for the future of our community
to ensure that hazard mitigation is the standard
and not the bare minimum.
Future plan integration is a goal of all the plan
participants.
We were able to afford putting in some things like
a Big watertank, propane generator, solar cells for
the sole purpose of mobile electricity, Big bus
batteries to store it, etc. I wish there were small
kiosks where residents could go that they were
aware of--in plain sight, but not commonly
operational--for electricity and water (a tank that
was always filled, and then refilled during an
emergency, as needed). It could hand out masks,
tests, do shots, etc. This current system of trying
to figure out your insurance, etc, was too much.
We could use a single site that was passed
everyday by people, a 30-minute walk from
people during an emergency.
This recommendation was considered outside the
scope of this hazard mitigation plan update but is
noted.
How to protect communities in Santa Clara
County?
This plan addresses multiple actions and
alternatives which can help reduce risk from the
hazards Santa Clara County faces.
Need the City of Santa Clara to hold public
hearings on these topics!
Residents of the City of Santa Clara were
welcome to attend two virtual and five in-person
meetings on this plan update. Residents are
encouraged to keep in touch with the city via
social media for future opportunities.
consider incentive programs for personal
emergency preparedness: rebates on expenses.
This suggestion was considered beyond the
scope of this hazard mitigation plan update but is
noted.
As an apartment renter, unclear what I can do or
what I should ask for/about wrt(sic) hazard
mitigation.
Renters often need additional information to
understand their options. Multiple plan participants
included public education and outreach initiatives
as a part of their mitigation actions.
555
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-13
Public Comment Response
Please create a plan and educate the community. Multiple plan participants included public education and outreach initiatives as a part of
their mitigation actions.
We are on a ridge, hence no personal concern
related to flood or dam failure. Built home in 1980.
Structure and property did just fine in Loma Prieta
quake so we feel very fortunate. Extremely
concerned about potential for wildfire issues
however. No problem with insurance so far, but
have intentionally avoided discussing the issue
with our long-standing provider. New buyers in our
neighborhood have been consistently turned
down for insurance due to fire hazard. I am
president of our small (20 properties) HOA and
would welcome being a conduit for any relevant
information. Many thanks to whoever is reading
this for all that you are doing for our county-wide
community!
All are welcome to participate in future plan
maintenance and implementation opportunities,
including HOAs. Further information will be
available on the Santa Clara County website.
Good Job on the survey. I think the most
important hazard is fire as we live in a valley
surrounded by hillsides. Sea Rise might be next
(flooding in Sunnyvale all the way to El Camino?)
and then earthquakes. I think more regular people
should be trained in emergency preparedness.
Thanks again for the opportunity to participate in
the survey.
All of the hazards listed are profiled in this hazard
mitigation plan update. Additional public education
and outreach initiatives were selected as part of
multiple plan participants’ mitigation actions.
Fire Hazard risk reporting system should be
available and a well-known like 911
The area we live in Cupertino has very high risk of
Fire Hazard due to poor maintenance of the open
area. But I still have not found an effective
authority to contact after many years
Issues like knowing who to contact can be
resolved through additional education and
outreach. Multiple plan participants included
additional public education and outreach activities
as a part of their mitigation actions.
Please get Caltrans and the State to clear the
overgrown and dead foliage on Highway 9
(Saratoga-Los Gatos Rd.) It's the only wildfire
evacuation route for my house and many others.
This activity was considered beyond the scope of
this hazard mitigation plan update but is noted.
I think it is time to re-implement natural disaster
and civil defense training & preparedness for
communities. Evacuation plans, how to shelter-inplace, community/neighborhood-based support groups. Better to be prepared than to panic.
Multiple plan participants included additional
public education and outreach activities as a part
of their mitigation actions.
It is vitally important to actively go into the
community and send specialists to observe survey
storm and any disaster damages to private
property, non-county maintained roads and
infrastructures, wells, etc. in unincorporated areas
of County-- so to NOT FAIL in acquiring
constituents needed relief, and Hazard Mitigation
funding for resilience planning for all Disasters,
including Wildfire.
The County actively supports obtaining Hazard
Mitigation funding and identified this as a
capability that can be increased this planning
cycle.
556
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-14
Public Meeting Summary
A total of seven public meetings, two virtual and five in-person, were held across the OA. During these meetings, members of the public were surveyed in-person, invited to take the digital MJHMP survey, and had the opportunity to discuss their hazard-related concerns. The results helped the plan participants including the County learn about the public’s interests, hazard impacts, and awareness of their risks.
Figure 80: Sample Public Feedback on Hazard Impacts - Gilroy Meeting 557
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-15
Figure 81: Sample Public Feedback on Hazard Impacts - Campbell Meeting 558
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-16
Figure 82: Sample In-Person Feedback Option - Gilroy Meeting Table 144: General Feedback Received
Public Feedback
Wind is a real concern. Falling trees and powerlines are scary to deal with.
Residents are not universally affected by flooding.
Needs to be planning for evacuation on non-County maintained roads. How many residents are in Lexington Hills? No one is paying attention or communicating what is going on in these areas.
PG&E doesn’t care about their mess.
Power is slow to come back on in current event. (Note: There was a heat wave at the time of this meeting)
“Priorities” shift seasonally, but they are all important.
Living with wildfires is a new reality for us. People are working outside when the air is unbreathable.
Indoor workers work without money for air filtration systems. Not just need for cool centers, but filtration.
559
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-17
Public Feedback
Drought – a community well system is expensive. This is another hazard that is seasonal. Need better system for capturing stormwater runoff. Need more education and funding. Need help installing residential and community systems.
San Jose Water increasing rates, doing a lot of work right now Flooding – takes a long time to recover from losses, get back to pre-disaster state. Roads washing out.
Flooding is an additional insurance, many areas didn’t know it was something they needed.
Extreme heat events happening more frequently and closer together than they use to. (“Once in 25 year rainfall” is happening five times per month)
Weekly newsletters/newspapers to spread information
Sirens in Gilroy, used them in ’98, haven’t used recently to signify floods. Five minutes can make a big difference as a house floods.
Monterey County uses Alert/Sheriff system all the time – has evacuation warning and fire maps. Make you respond that they’ve reached out.
How much time is enough time to evacuate and prepare? Depends on the event. Storms vs fire vs drought have really different timescale.
Averages don’t always capture the real situation on the ground – also look at min and max.
Why are these outreach meetings not also being sent out as press release to local news media for general circulation. Weekly newspapers service each of the different areas of the County unincorporated areas: make a requirement for public notice? County failed to designate evacuation route planning since 2009 CWPP recommendations.
Subdivisions of 30+ homes share a single egress route.
Participants expressed some frustration that the County does not engage with the South County communities enough.
Many questions about how the County is letting people in general know about hazards, specifically flood zones and flood risks, and how are the County is specifically reaching out to farm worker camps.
A reminder that mailing the property owners (directly or through water bill, etc) does not always provide information to renters or temporary residents.
One question about noxious fumes from a sewage plant impacting a neighborhood.
Advance Earthquake warning system should be in place.
Flood area warning system for the public within the areas that are known to flood regularly.
Air quality and evacuation for farm workers. The recent fires showed that the farm workers were not given notices for evacuations or poor air quality like the homeowners in the new housing tracks.
A few key takeaways from this public feedback was how concerned the public is with their risk from the hazards the OA face. Climate-change related changes in hazard frequency and severity is already being felt across the OA. This puts more people in harm’s way from hazards they were not aware they would have to face. Further impacts are discussed throughout the hazard profiles and jurisdictional-specific vulnerabilities are highlighted in Volume II of this plan.
Further, there is significant need for additional public education and outreach. The public may be aware of some hazards, but not all risk is equal. Outreach to both homeowners and renters is important. Mitigation measures such as air filtration are also needed not only for public infrastructure, but residential and private sector structures as well. Additional public education and outreach actions are identified in Volume II of this plan.
560
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-18
Listening Section Summaries
Summary
Safety Element/MJHMP Update
Listening Session # 1: CARAS
December 15, 2022 5:30 – 7:00 PM
Facilitators: Sam Gutierrez, Principal Planner, County of Santa Clara Location: CARAS, Gilroy, CA
The Listening Session began with a poll to help the County better understand community demographics and experiences. As illustrated in Figure 1. What City Do you Live In/Near? A majority of residents live in or near Gilroy.
Figure 1. What City Do you Live In/Near?
As illustrated in Figure 2. Hazardous Events with the Greatest Impact, participants have experienced a broad range of hazardous events with Extreme Heat the primary event. Drought, wildfire + smoke, and Q1: What City Do You Live In/Near?
Watsonville
Morgan Hill
11% 4%
Milpitas
4%
Gilroy Milpitas Morgan Hill Watsonville
Gilroy
81%
561
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-19
flooding were experienced by 14 percent of participants. 82 percent of all participants have experienced a hazardous event that has impacted their life or home in the past 5 years.
Figure 2. Hazardous Events with the Greatest Impact
Approximately 4 out of 5 participants do not have a home emergency preparedness kit or supplies to support their household in the event of an emergency.
Figure 3. Emergency Preparedness Supplies
Finally, only 15 percent of participants were aware of County Services or Programs to support them prepare or respond to a hazardous event as illustrated in in Figure 4. County Services Awareness.
Q2: In the Past 5 Years, What Hazardous Event Has
Had the Greatest Impact on Your Life/Home?
Other
4%
None of the Above
18%
Earthquake +
Landslide
8%
Flooding
12%
Extreme Heat
Flooding
Other
Drought Wildfire + Smoke
Earthquake + Landslide None of the Above
Wildfire + Smoke
14%
Drought
12%
Extreme Heat
32%
Q3: Do You Have Emergency Preparedness
Supplies?
Partial
7% Yes
15%
No
78%
Yes No Partial
562
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-20
Figure 4. County Services Awareness.
County staff facilitated a interactive session where participants could respond to questions posted on whiteboards. The following are their responses.
1. What are your primary hazards of concern and why?
Q4: Are You Aware of County Services and
Programs?
Unsure
15%
No
70%
Yes No Unsure
Yes
15%
563
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-21
1. Extreme Heat / Calorextremo
a. I do not have air conditioning in my home / No tengo aire acondicionado en mi casa 6 b. I have air conditioning in my home, but cannot afford to run it during all heat events / Tengo aire acondicionado en mi casa, pero no puedo costearlo durante eventos de calor extremo 8 c. I work outdoors / Trabajoal airelibre 0
d. I have a family member or friends that work outdoors / Tengo un familiaro amigos que trabajan al aire libre
7 e. No close access to a cooling facility such as a park, library, or community center / Las instalacionesdel centrode enfriamiento, comoparques, bibliotecaso centroscomunitarios, no se encuentrancercade mí
2 f. There are cooling facilities such as a park, library, or community center in my community, but I don’t have physical access or do not feel safe going. / Instalaciones de centros de enfriamiento, como un parque, bibliotecas o centros comunitarios en mi comunidad, pero no puedo viajar allí debido al acceso físico o problemas de seguridad
2 2. Drought / Sequía
a. Plants are dying / Las plantas se están poniendo marrones y/o muriendo 3 b. Financial hardship of increased water cost / El aumento de los costos del agua es un desafío para mí
6 c. Water restrictions affect my health and well-being / Las restricciones de agua afectan mi salud y bienestar
3 564
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-22
d. I work in agriculture or a related and drought has led to less work / Trabajo en el sector agrícola y la sequía ha provocado menos trabajo
5 3. Wildfire + Smoke / Incendioforestal+ Humo
a. Injury to myself, family, friends / Lesión a mí mismo, familia, amigos 6 b. Loss of home, car, belongings / Pérdidade casa, coche, pertenencias 5 c. Don’t have insurance to cover my belongings / No tengo seguro contra incendios para proteger mi propiedad y pertenencias
6 d. I am sensitive to smoke and pollution / Soy sensible al humo y la contaminación del aire 4 e. I have a family member or friends that are sensitive to smoke and pollution / Tengo un familiaro amigos que son sensibles al humo y la contaminación del aire 4 f. Fear of not being able to escape wildfire / Miedo a no poder escapar de un incendio forestal 5 g. Don’t have information where to go during event of a wildfire evacuation / No sabe adónde ir durante un evento de evacuación por incendio forestall
5 4. Flooding / Inundación
a. Injury to myself, family, friends / Lesión a mí mismo, familia, amigos 10 b. Loss of home, car, belongings / Pérdidade casa, coche, pertenencias 6 c. Don’t have insurance to cover my belongings / No tengo seguro contra inundaciones para proteger mi propiedad y pertenencias
6 d. Fear of not being able to escape a flood / / Miedo a no poder escapar de una inundación 4 e. Don’t have information where to go during event of a flooding evacuation / No sabe adónde ir durante un evento de evacuación por inundación
6 5. Earthquake+ Landslide / Terremoto+ Deslizamientode tierra a. Injury to myself, family, friends / Lesión a mí mismo, familia, amigos 10 b. Loss of home, car, belongings / Pérdidade casa, coche, pertenencias 8 c. Don’t have insurance to cover my belongings / No tengo seguro contra terremotos para proteger mi propiedad y pertenencias
5 d. Fear of not being able to escape landslide / No sé si los peligros de deslizamientos de tierra son una preocupación para mi comunidad
5 e. Don’t have information where to go during event of an earthquake evacuation / No sabe qué hacer o adónde ir después de un terremoto
9 565
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-23
2. Which of the following applies to your household? Check all that apply. a. My household can easily cover the cost of housing. / Mi hogar puede cubrir fácilmente el costo de la vivienda.
1 b. My household can easily cover other regular expenses like transportation, food, and healthcare. / Mi hogar puede cubrir fácilmente otros gastos regulares como transporte, comida y atención médica. 1 c. My household has spent more than $100 in the past year on repairing damages caused by the environment or reducing potential impacts. / Mi hogar ha gastado más de $100 el año pasado en reparar daños causados por peligros o reducir problemas futuros. 4 d. We have delayed repairs we want to do to our home (like roof, windows, mold) because of cost. / Hemos retrasado las reparaciones que queremos hacer en nuestra casa (como el techo, las ventanas, el moho) debido al costo.
5 e. We do not have or need flood insurance. / No tenemos seguro contra inundaciones. 5 f. We do not have earthquake insurance. / No tenemossegurocontra terremotos. 9 g. If my household faced a $400 emergency expense, we would not be able to immediately pay for it in cash. / Si mi hogar enfrentara un gasto de emergencia de $400, no podríamos pagarlo inmediatamente en efectivo.
10 h. In order to pay a $400 emergency expense, my household would have to pay with a credit card or borrow the money. / Para pagar un gasto de emergencia de $400, mi hogar tendría que pagar con una tarjeta de crédito o pedir prestado el dinero.
9 i. Other / Otro
566
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-24
3. What information or materials would be helpful to make you feel safer in future hazardous events? What County resources or programs (e.g., fire safety) would be helpful to prepare you for future hazardous events?
What information or materials would be helpful to make you feel safer in future hazardous events?
a. Emergency alerts / Alertasde emergencia 7
b. Know evacuation routes / Conoce las rutas de evacuación 7 c. Items to keep in an emergency preparedness kit / Artículos para tener en un kit de preparación para emergencias
5 d. What to do with pets / Que hacer con las mascotas 4 e. Where are shelters or temporary cooling centers / Dondese ubican albergueso centros de enfriamiento temporal
5 What County resources or programs (e.g., fire safety) would be helpful to prepare you for future hazardous events?
a. Phone app that provides alerts / Aplicación de teléfono que proporciona alertas 3 b. Information about financial resources or services to support preparedness / Información sobre recursos financieros o servicios para apoyar la preparación 2 c. Written information provided in my language spoken / Información escrita proporcionada en mi idioma hablado
2 d. The ability to call someone at the County for support in my language / La capacidad de llamar 2 567
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-25
aalguien en el condado para obtener apoyo en mi idioma
5. Which of the following would you prioritize for neighborhood improvements? a. Improved transit infrastructure (bus stops, signs, benches) / Infraestructurade tránsitomejorada(paradasde autobús, letreros, bancos)
8 b. Safer biking routes / Rutasciclistasmásseguras 2
c. Pedestrian safety (sidewalks, crosswalks, speed bumps) / Rutas peatonales más seguras (aceras, cruces peatonales, badenes)
4 d. Improved water supply (safe drinking, firefighting) / Mejor suministro de agua (bebida segura, extinción de incendios)
4 e. Flood barriers / Barreras contra inundaciones 2
f. Security cameras for safety and dumping / Cámaras de seguridad para seguridad y vertido 3 g. More or improved parks /Más parqueso mejorados 2
h. Improved roads (potholes) / Carreterasmejoradas(baches) 4 i. Air quality monitoring / Monitoreo de la calidad del aire 2 j. Cool and clean air shelters (community center) / Centrosde enfriamiento/refugiosde airelimpio(centrocomunitario)
0 568
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-26
Summary
Safety Element/MJHMP Update
Listening Session # 3: CRC
March 15, 2023 5:30 – 7:00 PM
Facilitators: Sam Gutierrez, Principal Planner, County of Santa Clara Location:
Campbell Community Center, Campbell, CA
The Listening Session began with a poll to help the County better understand community demographics and experiences. As illustrated in Figure 1. What City Do you Live In/Near? A majority of residents live in or near Sunnyvale.
Figure 1. What City Do you Live In/Near?
Santa Clara
9%
San Jose
27%
Sunnyvale
46%
Sunnyvale Palo Alto
Palo Alto
9%
Lexington Hills San Jose Santa Clara
As illustrated in Figure 2. Hazardous Events with the Greatest Impact, participants have experienced a broad range of hazardous events with Extreme Heat the primary event, followed by Drought. Wildfire + smoke, and flooding were experienced by at least 11 percent of participants. 97 percent of all participants have experienced a hazardous event that has impacted their life or home in the past 5 years.
Lexington Hills
9%
569
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-27
Figure 2. Hazardous Events with the Greatest Impact
None of the
Earthquake +
Landslide
7%
Other
11%
Above
3%
Extreme Heat
29%
Wildfire +
Smoke
18%
Flooding
11%
Drought
21%
Extreme Heat Drought Flooding
Wildfire + Smoke Earthquake + Landslide Other
None of the Above
Approximately 1/3 of participants do not have a home emergency preparedness kit or supplies to support their household in the event of an emergency as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Emergency Preparedness Supplies
Yes No Partial
Finally, only 46 percent of participants were aware of County Services or Programs to support them prepare or respond to a hazardous event as illustrated in in Figure 4. County Services Awareness.
Yes
18%
Partial
46%
No
36%
570
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-28
Figure 4. County Services Awareness.
Yes No Unsure
County staff facilitated a interactive session where participants could respond to questions posted on whiteboards.
The following are their responses.
1. What are your primary hazards of concern and why?
Wildfire, severe rainstorms and evacuation planning, eroded roads
1. Extreme Heat / Calorextremo
a. I do not have air conditioning in my home / No tengo aire acondicionado en mi casa 1 b. I have air conditioning in my home, but cannot afford to run it during all heat events / Tengo aire acondicionado en mi casa, pero no puedo costearlo durante eventos de calor extremo 1 c. I work outdoors / Trabajoal airelibre
d. I have a family member or friends that work outdoors / Tengo un familiaro amigos que trabajan al aire libre
1 e. No close access to a cooling facility such as a park, library, or community center / Las instalacionesdel centrode enfriamiento, comoparques, bibliotecaso centroscomunitarios, no se encuentrancercade mí
f. There are cooling facilities such as a park, library, or community center in my community, but I don’t have physical access or do not feel safe going. / Instalaciones de centros de enfriamiento, como un parque, bibliotecas o centros comunitarios en mi comunidad, pero no puedo viajar allí debido al acceso físico o problemas de seguridad
Yes
46%
No
45%
Unsure
9%
571
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-29
2. Drought / Sequía
a. Plants are dying / Las plantas se están poniendo marrones y/o muriendo 3 b. Financial hardship of increased water cost / El aumento de los costos del agua es un desafío para mí
3 c. Water restrictions affect my health and well-being / Las restricciones de agua afectan mi salud y bienestar
1 d. I work in agriculture or a related and drought has led to less work / Trabajo en el sector agrícola y la sequía ha provocado menos trabajo
3.Wildfire + Smoke / Incendioforestal+ Humo
a. Injury to myself, family, friends / Lesión a mí mismo, familia, amigos 1 b. Loss of home, car, belongings / Pérdidade casa, coche, pertenencias 1 c. Don’t have insurance to cover my belongings / No tengo seguro contra incendios para proteger mi propiedad y pertenencias
1 d. I am sensitive to smoke and pollution / Soy sensible al humo y la contaminación del aire 5 e. I have a family member or friends that are sensitive to smoke and pollution / Tengo un familiaro amigos que son sensibles al humo y la contaminación del aire 5 f. Fear of not being able to escape wildfire / Miedo a no poder escapar de un incendio forestal 2 g. Don’t have information where to go during event of a wildfire evacuation / No sabe adónde ir durante un evento de evacuación por incendio forestall
5 4. Flooding / Inundación
a. Injury to myself, family, friends / Lesión a mí mismo, familia, amigos b. Loss of home, car, belongings / Pérdidade casa, coche, pertenencias c. Don’t have insurance to cover my belongings / No tengo seguro contra inundaciones para proteger mi propiedad y pertenencias
4 d. Fear of not being able to escape a flood / / Miedo a no poder escapar de una inundación 4 e. Don’t have information where to go during event of a flooding evacuation / No sabe adónde ir durante un evento de evacuación por inundación
2 5. Earthquake+ Landslide / Terremoto+ Deslizamientode tierra a. Injury to myself, family, friends / Lesión a mí mismo, familia, amigos 4 b. Loss of home, car, belongings / Pérdidade casa, coche, pertenencias 3 c. Don’t have insurance to cover my belongings / No tengo seguro contra terremotos para proteger mi propiedad y pertenencias
3 d. Fear of not being able to escape landslide / No sé si los peligros de deslizamientos de tierra son una preocupación para mi comunidad
2 e. Don’t have information where to go during event of an earthquake evacuation / No sabe qué hacer o adónde ir después de un terremoto
3 572
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix A: Public Engagement Results A-30
2. Which of the following applies to your household? Check all that apply. a. My household can easily cover the cost of housing. / Mi hogar puede cubrir fácilmente el costo de la vivienda.
2 b. My household can easily cover other regular expenses like transportation, food, and healthcare. / Mi hogar puede cubrir fácilmente otros gastos regulares como transporte, comida y atención médica. 2 c. My household has spent more than $100 in the past year on repairing damages caused by the environment or reducing potential impacts. / Mi hogar ha gastado más de $100 el año pasado en reparar daños causados por peligros o reducir problemas futuros. 3 d. We have delayed repairs we want to do to our home (like roof, windows, mold) because of cost. / Hemos retrasado las reparaciones que queremos hacer en nuestra casa (como el techo, las ventanas, el moho) debido al costo.
3 e. We do not have or need flood insurance. / No tenemos seguro contra inundaciones. 4 f. We do not have earthquake insurance. / No tenemossegurocontra terremotos. 2 g. If my household faced a $400 emergency expense, we would not be able to immediately pay for it in cash. / Si mi hogar enfrentara un gasto de emergencia de $400, no podríamos pagarlo inmediatamente en efectivo.
1 h. In order to pay a $400 emergency expense, my household would have to pay with a credit card or borrow the money. / Para pagar un gasto de emergencia de $400, mi hogar tendría que pagar con una tarjeta de crédito o pedir prestado el dinero.
1 i. Other / Otro
3. What information or materials would be helpful to make you feel safer in future hazardous events? What County resources or programs (e.g., fire safety) would be helpful to prepare you for future hazardous events?
a. Emergency alerts / Alertasde emergencia 5
b. Know evacuation routes / Conoce las rutas de evacuación 5 c. Items to keep in an emergency preparedness kit / Artículos para tener en un kit de preparación para emergencias
3 d. What to do with pets / Que hacer con las mascotas 2 e. Where are shelters or temporary cooling centers / Dondese ubican albergueso centros de enfriamiento temporal
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What County resources or programs (e.g., fire safety) would be helpful to prepare you for future hazardous events?
a. Phone app that provides alerts / Aplicación de teléfono que proporciona alertas 4 b. Information about financial resources or services to support preparedness / Información sobre recursos financieros o servicios para apoyar la preparación 3 c. Written information provided in my language spoken / Información escrita proporcionada en mi idioma hablado
1 d. The ability to call someone at the County for support in my language / La capacidad de llamar aalguien en el condado para obtener apoyo en mi idioma
5. Which of the following would you prioritize for neighborhood improvements? a. Improved transit infrastructure (bus stops, signs, benches) / Infraestructurade tránsitomejorada(paradasde autobús, letreros, bancos)
1 b. Safer biking routes / Rutasciclistasmásseguras
c. Pedestrian safety (sidewalks, crosswalks, speed bumps) / Rutas peatonales más seguras (aceras, cruces peatonales, badenes)
3 d. Improved water supply (safe drinking, firefighting) / Mejor suministro de agua (bebida segura, extinción de incendios)
1 e. Flood barriers / Barreras contra inundaciones 2
f. Security cameras for safety and dumping / Cámaras de seguridad para seguridad y vertido 1 g. More or improved parks /Más parqueso mejorados 1
h. Improved roads (potholes) / Carreterasmejoradas(baches) 4 i. Air quality monitoring / Monitoreo de la calidad del aire 3 j. Cool and clean air shelters (community center) / Centrosde enfriamiento/refugiosde airelimpio(centrocomunitario)
General comments:
• Wind is a real concern. Falling trees and powerlines are scary to deal with. • Residents are not universally affected by flooding.
• Needs to be planning for evacuation on non-County maintained roads. How many residents are in Lexington Hills? No one is paying attention or communicating what is going on in these areas. • PG&E doesn’t care about their mess.
• Power is slow to come back on in current event. (Note: These was a heat wave at time of listening session.)
• “Priorities” shift seasonally, but they are all important. • Living with wildfires is a new reality for us.
o People are working outside when the air is unbreathable. o Indoors [workers] work without money for air filtration systems. o Not just need for cooling centers, but filtration.
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• Drought – A community well system is expensive.
o This is another hazard that is seasonal.
o Need better system for capturing stormwater runoff. Need more education and funding. Need help installing residential and community systems.
• San Jose Water increasing rates, doing a lot of work right now • Flooding
o Takes a long time to recover from losses, get back to pre-disaster state o Roads washing out
o Flooding is an additional insurance, many areas didn’t know it was something they needed. • Extreme heat events happening more frequently and closer together than they use to. (“Once in 25 year rainfall” is happening five times per month)
• Weekly newsletters/newspapers to spread information.
• Sirens in Gilroy, used them in ’98, haven’t used recently to signify floods. o Five minutes can make a big difference as a house floods. • Monterey County uses Alert/Sheriff system all the time – has evacuation warning and fire maps. o Make you respond that they’ve reached you.
• How much time is enough time to evacuate and prepare? Depends on the event. Storms vs fire vs drought have really different timescale.
• Averages don’t always capture the real situation on the ground – also look at min and max. • Why are these outreach meetings not also being sent out as press release to local news media for general circulation. Weekly newspapers service each of the different areas of the County unincorporated areas: Make a requirement for Public Notice?
• County failed to designate evacuation route planning since 2009 CWPP recommendations.
Subdivisions of 30+ homes share a single egress route.
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Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan—DRAFT Appendix B: Adoption Resolution B-1
Appendix B: Adoption Resolution
Once the 2023 Santa Clara Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) has received FEMA “Approvable Pending Adoption” (APA) status, the governing body of every participating jurisdiction will formally adopt this MJHMP.
After FEMA has determined that all plan requirements have been met, including receipt of the formal adoption documentation, FEMA will provide a letter indicating the plan is approved.
A copy of the adoption resolutions and approval letter are included in this appendix. 576
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Santa Clara County
Multijurisdictional Hazard
Mitigation Plan 2023 Update
City of Los Altos Annex
February 21, 2024
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4. City of Los Altos
4.1. Hazard Mitigation Plan Points of Contact
The point of contact during the Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan planning process for the City of Los Altos was the Police Department’s Captain of Operations. This annex within the MJHMP was developed using information provided by the Local Planning Team for the City of Los Altos.
Table 54: City of Los Altos Local Planning Team Members for the 2023 Santa Clara County MJHMP
Name Position Organization Role on Team and in Planning Process
Katie Krauss Operations
Captain
City of Los Altos General oversight, hazard
identification, and plan development
Vency Woo Management
Analyst
City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan
development
Irene Silipin HR Manager City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan development
Marisa Lee Transportation
Services Manager
City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan
development
Veronica Tinoco Building Official City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan development
Stephanie
Williams
Planning Services
Manager,
Floodplain
Manager
City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan
development
Franklin Wong Public Works/CIP
Manager
City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan
development
Vivian Chu Finance Manager City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan development
Manny Hernandez Parks and Rec
Director
City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan
development
Jon Maginot Assistant City
Manager
City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan
development
Angela Averiett Police Chief City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan development
June Du Finance Director City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan development
Sonia Lee Public Information
Officer
City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan
development
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Name Position Organization Role on Team and in Planning Process
Nick Zornes Development
Services Director
City of Los Altos Hazard identification and plan
development
Brian Glass Assistant Fire
Chief
Santa Clara
County Fire
Hazard identification and plan
development
The City’s Local Planning Team Members participated in the MJHMP by attending meetings on the Plan Kick-Off, Risk Assessment, and three one-on-one meetings with the planning consultant. In addition, the city filled out the requested forms on each section which were used to develop this annex. The city also shared information regarding public opportunities to participate in the draft plan update utilizing the digital survey and seven in-person and virtual public outreach meetings. Further, the City team was provided the opportunity to review the draft plan prior to submittal to Cal OES and FEMA.
Table 55: External Stakeholders Invited to Be Involved in Planning Process Agency or Organization Stakeholder Type Description
American Red Cross Representatives of nonprofit
organizations, including
community-based organizations,
that work directly with and/or
provide support to underserved
communities and socially
vulnerable populations, among
others.
A nonprofit humanitarian
organization that provides
emergency assistance, disaster
relief, and disaster
preparedness education in the
United States.
American Red Cross – Silicon
Valley Chapter
Representatives of nonprofit
organizations, including
community-based organizations,
that work directly with and/or
provide support to underserved
communities and socially
vulnerable populations, among
others.
A nonprofit humanitarian
organization that provides
emergency assistance, disaster
relief, and disaster
preparedness education in the
United States.
Amateur Radio Emergency
Service (ARES)
Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
A corps of trained amateur radio
operator volunteers organized to
assist in public service and
emergency communications.
Cal OES Local and regional agencies
involved in hazard mitigation
activities.
Office responsible for
overseeing and coordinating
emergency preparedness,
response, recovery, and
homeland security activities
within the state.
California Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection
Local and regional agencies
involved in hazard mitigation
activities.
The fire department of the
California Natural Resources
Agency.
California Department of
Transportation
Agencies that have the authority
to regulate development.
An executive department of the
U.S. state of California.
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Agency or Organization Stakeholder Type Description
Cattlemen’s Association Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
A nonprofit trade association
that represents California's
ranchers and beef producers in
political affairs.
Cooper-Garrod Estate
Vineyards
Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
Garrod Farms is a family-owned
and operated estate winery and
stables.
Department of Homeland
Security
Agencies that have the authority
to regulate development.
The U.S. federal executive
department responsible for
public security, roughly
comparable to the interior or
home ministries of other
countries.
Department of Toxic
Substances
Agencies that have the authority
to regulate development.
An agency of the government of
the state of California that
protects public health and the
environment from hazardous
waste.
Emergency Medical Services Agencies that have the authority to regulate development.
Provides statewide coordination
and leadership for the planning,
development, and
implementation of
local EMS systems.
Emergency Services Volunteer
Representative
Local and regional agencies
involved in hazard mitigation
activities.
Organization that ensures public
safety, security, and health by
addressing and resolving
different emergencies.
Federal Aviation Administration Agencies that have the authority to regulate development.
Offers civil aviation safety
enforcement services.
Foothill - De Anza Community
College District
Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
Community college district
headquartered on the grounds
of Foothill College in Los Altos
Hills, California, United States.
Foothill - De Anza Community
College District Police
Department
Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
Services include providing and
presenting crime prevention
information, college outreach
programs, patrolling campuses
and parking lots, proactive crime
suppression, investigating all
offenses that occur on the
campuses, and informing
campus users of the occurrence
of crimes specified by federal
statute.
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Agency or Organization Stakeholder Type Description
Google Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
American multinational
technology company focusing
on artificial intelligence, online
advertising, search engine
technology, cloud computing,
computer software, quantum
computing, e-commerce, and
consumer electronics.
Hidden Villa Farm Representatives of nonprofit
organizations, including
community-based organizations,
that work directly with and/or
provide support to underserved
communities and socially
vulnerable populations, among
others.
Nonprofit educational
organization teaching programs
on environmental and
multicultural awareness.
Intel Corporation Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
An American multinational
corporation and technology
company headquartered in
Santa Clara, California.
Kaiser Permanente—Santa
Clara
Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
An American integrated
managed care consortium.
Life Moves Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
Provides interim housing and
supportive services for
homeless families and
individuals to rapidly return to
stable housing.
Los Altos Hills County Fire
District
Local and regional agencies
involved in hazard mitigation
activities.
In addition to direct fire
suppression and prevention, the
District performs support
functions such as Water Mains
and Hydrant Operations.
Los Altos School District Representatives of businesses, academia, and other private
organizations.
Los Altos School District serves
the elementary and intermediate
educational needs of Los Altos,
Los Altos Hills, Mountain View
and Palo Alto, United States.
Moffett Field Ames Research
Center, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration
(NASA)
Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
Major NASA research center
at Moffett Federal Airfield in
California's Silicon Valley.
National Weather Service,
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
Agencies that have the authority
to regulate development.
Scientific and regulatory agency
within the U.S. Department of
Commerce.
Pacheco Pass Water District Neighboring communities. Independent special water district.
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Agency or Organization Stakeholder Type Description
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Representatives of businesses, academia, and other private
organizations, and neighboring
communities.
One of the largest combination
natural gas and electric utilities
in the United States.
Purissima Hills Water District Local and regional agencies involved in hazard mitigation
activities.
Purissima Hills Water
District serves roughly two-thirds
of Los Altos Hills, consisting
mostly of residential customers.
Regional Water Quality Control
Board
Agencies that have the authority
to regulate development.
Provides government regulatory
services related to water
pollution and control.
Rotating Safe Car Park Local and regional agencies
involved in hazard mitigation
activities, and neighboring
communities.
Allows for temporary overnight
parking for homeless individuals
or families living out of their
cars as a safe alternative to
sleeping on the streets or in a
homeless shelter.
San Francisquito Creek Joint
Powers Authority
Local and regional agencies
involved in hazard mitigation
activities, and neighboring
communities.
The agency works to address
the cities' flooding,
environmental and recreational
concerns.
San José Water Agencies that have the authority
to regulate development.
An investor-owned public utility.
Santa Clara County CERT Representatives of nonprofit
organizations, including
community-based organizations,
that work directly with and/or
provide support to underserved
communities and socially
vulnerable populations.
Trains residents to prepare for
and respond to life-threatening
events in their community.
Santa Clara County FireSafe
Council
Representatives of nonprofit
organizations, including
community-based organizations,
that work directly with and/or
provide support to underserved
communities and socially
vulnerable populations.
A nonprofit, grassroots
organization that provides
education and project
assistance for homeowners.
Santa Clara County Local
Oversight Program
Local and regional agencies
involved in hazard mitigation
activities.
Program to oversee assessment
and mitigation of contaminated
sites to protect groundwater
resources, human health,
safety, and the environment.
Santa Clara County Parks Agencies that have the authority to regulate development, and
neighboring communities.
Provide, protect, and preserve
regional parklands for the
enjoyment and education.
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Agency or Organization Stakeholder Type Description
Santa Clara County Planning &
Development
Agencies that have the authority
to regulate development, and
neighboring communities.
Plays a key role in supporting
economic development and
ensuring opportunities for the
public to participate in
land development.
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s
Office
Agencies that have the authority
to regulate development, and
neighboring communities.
A local law enforcement agency
that serves Santa Clara County,
California.
Santa Clara University Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
A private Jesuit university in
Santa Clara, California.
Santa Clara Valley Open Space
Authority
Neighboring communities. An independent special district in Santa Clara County.
St. Louise Hospital (Santa Clara
County Hospital System)
Representatives of nonprofit
organizations, including
community-based organizations,
that work directly with and/or
provide support to underserved
communities and socially
vulnerable populations.
Community hospital.
Stanford Healthcare Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations, and neighboring
communities.
Multispecialty clinic that
provides convenient access to
advanced, specialty care in the
South Bay.
Vista Center for the Blind and
Visually Impaired
Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
Empowers individuals who
are blind or visually impaired to
embrace life to the fullest
through evaluation, counseling,
education, and training.
Westwind Barn Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations.
State-of-the-art horse boarding
and training facility.
County of Santa Clara Neighboring jurisdiction, local
agency involved in hazard
mitigation.
Response for engaging the
whole community in assessing
needs and developing strategies
to achieve stronger mitigation
capabilities within the Santa
Clara County Operational Area.
City of Campbell Neighboring communities. A city in Santa Clara County.
City of Cupertino Neighboring communities. Located in Silicon Valley.
City of Gilroy Neighboring communities. A city in Santa Clara County.
Town of Los Altos Hills Neighboring communities. A city in Santa Clara County.
Town of Los Gatos Neighboring communities. A city in Santa Clara County.
City of Milpitas Neighboring communities. A city in Santa Clara County.
City of Morgan Hill Neighboring communities. A city in Santa Clara County.
City of Mountain View Neighboring communities. A city in Santa Clara County.
City of Palo Alto Neighboring communities. Located in Silicon Valley. 584
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Agency or Organization Stakeholder Type Description
City of San José Neighboring communities. Located in Silicon Valley.
City of Santa Clara Neighboring communities. A city near San Jose, in California’s Silicon Valley.
City of Saratoga Neighboring communities. Located in Silicon Valley.
City of Sunnyvale Neighboring communities. Located in the Santa Clara Valley.
Santa Clara County Fire
Department
Local and regional agencies
involved in hazard mitigation
activities, and neighboring
communities.
A California Fire Protection
District serving Santa Clara
County.
Santa Clara Valley Water
District
Representatives of businesses,
academia, and other private
organizations, and neighboring
communities.
Provides stream stewardship,
wholesale water supply, and
flood protection for Santa Clara
County, California.
The City supported a “whole community” approach to this plan update. Neighboring communities, local and regional agencies involved in mitigation activities, agencies that have the authority to regulate development as well as businesses, academia, and other private and nonprofit interests were invited to be involved in the planning process by participating in planning meetings, public meetings, or reviewing the draft plan. In addition to the wide variety of stakeholders identified by the County, other stakeholders the City of Los Altos recommended including included the Los Altos School District, Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District, Resilient Los Altos, LA Chamber of Commerce, and Los Altos Village Association. Additional stakeholders that were able to participate are included in Volume 1 of this plan.
4.1.1. Public Outreach and Engagement
In addition to inviting a wide range of stakeholders, the City supported public outreach and engagement through distributing a digital survey utilizing social media. This survey reached members of underserved populations, including primarily non-English speaking households. In addition, the MJHMP was discussed at two virtual and five in-person public meetings across Santa Clara County. These in-person meetings were targeted towards areas with socially vulnerably populations. These meetings were also designed to be accessible for AFN (access and functional needs) populations. The public was also provided the opportunity to comment on the draft plan. Examples of Los Altos outreach efforts are included in Figure 38 through Figure 40.
The participation of the City of Los Altos and its stakeholders helped inform the development of the MJHMP and this annex in accordance with current priorities. The new plan continues to expand upon the work of the prior plan including emphasizing partnerships both within jurisdictions and special districts as well as with external stakeholders. Further, there is an increased emphasis on climate change, reflecting the increased understanding of the risk this hazard poses to the OA. The City did not identify additional changes in priorities to be highlighted in their annex. 585
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Figure 38: Los Altos Website Outreach
Figure 39: Los Altos Social Media Outreach
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Figure 40: Los Altos Website Link to County Survey
4.2. Jurisdiction Profile
The following is a summary of key information about the jurisdiction and its history:
Date of Incorporation: December 1, 1952
Current Population: As of January 1, 2023, the California Department of Finance reported a population of 31,021.
Population Growth: According to the California Department of Finance, the City of Los Altos has experienced a 0.8% decline in population between 2022 (31,257) and 2023 (31,021). However, the City has experienced a steady incline in the population over the last decade. The U.S.
Census Bureau reports a population of 28,976 in 2010, and 31,467 in 2020. Location and Description: The City of Los Altos is a small city located in the northwestern region of Santa Clara County, California. Los Altos is bordered by Palo Alto and Mountain View to the north, with Sunnyvale and Cupertino to the south. Los Altos strives to maintain a semi-rural atmosphere where most streets do not have curbs, gutters, or sidewalks. The civic center is situated in the center of an apricot orchard, a remnant of those that once covered the area. Lot sizes for most single-family homes in the City are fairly large at more than a quarter of an acre in area. Since the mid-1990s, Downtown Los Altos has experienced mild economic difficulties due to competition from nearby regional shopping centers and chain stores. The City Council has embarked on a planning process with the goal of identifying economic drivers and developing a cohesive vision based on extensive community input that will guide the Downtown’s future. Brief History: The history of modern Los Altos dates back to 1906, when Paul Shoup, a Southern Pacific Railroad executive, formed the Altos Land Co. with friends. The group purchased 140 acres of land between Palo Alto and Mountain View owned by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the inventor of the Winchester rifle. The company planned a new town to serve the new Southern Pacific Railroad cutoff between Mayfield and Los Gatos and named it "Los Altos" (Spanish for "the heights") because the land was the highest on that cutoff.
In March 1907, at an outdoor land sale sponsored by the Altos Land Company, prospective buyers attended a promotional BBQ and purchased the first town lots. The site of the sale, near today's intersection of Foothill Expressway and Main Street, was the focal point of the new town.
The town's name gradually spread informally to identify a much larger unincorporated area 587
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served by the Los Altos School District formed in 1910, including what is today Los Altos Hills and portions of other neighboring towns.
This larger community's population exploded after World War II, and on December 1, 1952, an expanded Los Altos became the eleventh City in Santa Clara County. As a result of decreased interest in train travel due to the wide adoption of the automobile, the Southern Pacific Railroad, an essential part of the town's founding, ceased operation here in 1964, and its right-of-way became Foothill Expressway.
Climate: With an average annual rainfall of 24.71 inches, the state of California gets 14.5 less inches of rain than the national average (39.17 inches). Los Altos has had an average rainfall of
39.28 inches over the last 30 years, which is 0.11 inches fewer than the average nationwide, and 59 percent more than the average in California. Average summertime temperatures range from a low of 57 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) to a high of 79°F. Average wintertime temperatures range from a low of 38°F to a high of 58°F.
Governing Body Format: The City of Los Altos is governed by a five-member City Council. The City consists of five departments: General Government (City Manager’s Office), Community Development, Public Works, Recreation & Community Services and Police. The City currently has eleven Commissions and one Committee covering a variety of subject matters. The City Council assumes responsibility for the adoption of this plan; the City Manager will oversee its implementation.
4.3. Development Trends
The pace of development activity in the City of Los Altos is high and it is expected to remain at this level for the foreseeable future. Development is principally focused on the remodel or reconstruction of singlefamily dwellings on existing lots of record, as the City is nearly built-out and the subdivision of land to create new lots is a rare occurrence. The exception to this is for sites with a high-density zoning designation, where multiple family dwelling units are being developed with rental and condominium units.
The Los Altos General Plan includes the Housing Element, which was updated and adopted in 2023. This element addresses initiatives related to affordable housing, updating existing structures in accordance with new zoning regulations, and supports other developmental goals. It is stated that the City expects to add 2,000 new units by the year 2031. All City actions relating to land use development, annexations, zoning, subdivision and design review, redevelopment, and capital improvements, must be consistent with the City’s General Plan. Future growth and development in the City will be guided and managed by the goals, policies, and programs contained in the General Plan.
The City of Los Altos has increased its population since the previous plan was developed, thereby increasing its vulnerability to flooding. Los Altos has and will continue to monitor the vulnerability of its population through the hiring of an Emergency Manager, continuing to participate in identifying additional actions to reduce flood risk, evaluate areas for flood insurance penetration, and determine if there are any high-risk or vulnerable areas with limited coverage; additionally, they will continue to monitor future events.
Table 56Table 56 summarizes development trends in the performance period since the development of the previous hazard mitigation plan and expected future development trends. 588
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Table 56: Recent and Expected Future Development Trends Criterion Response
Has your jurisdiction annexed
any land since the
development of the previous
hazard mitigation plan?
If yes, give the estimated
area annexed and estimated
number of parcels or
structures.
No
Is your jurisdiction expected to
annex any areas during the
performance period of this
plan?
If yes, please describe land
areas and dominant uses.
If yes, who currently has
permitting authority over
these areas?
No
Are any areas targeted for
development or major
redevelopment in the next five
years?
If yes, please briefly
describe, including whether
any of the areas are in
known hazard risk areas.
Yes, the City’s recently adopted Housing Element plans for the development of approximately 2,000 new units by 2031 and includes the provisions for rezonings and/or zoning code amendments to existing zoning districts to accommodate this planned growth. The main anticipated areas of residential growth, other than the continued growth of the number of ADUs on existing single-family sites, are along El Camino Real, in the Downtown and surrounding commercial areas, Loyola Corners, and underutilized shopping center sites such as the Rancho Shopping Center.
Several residential sites in the hillside area of the City lie within areas with geologic and seismic zones, so any development there will have seismic risks. However, no major development would be allowed in the foothills area. The City strictly enforces Building Code seismic safety restrictions for all types of construction. For residential sites within earthquake fault zone areas, soil reports are required as a part of the development approval process. Although the entire City is subject to moderate to severe earth movement during a seismic event, standard engineering solutions to mitigate these conditions are enforced. All new developments and redevelopments in the City are subject to the requirements of California Building codes, including seismic retrofitting and upgrades. Sites identified in the City’s Housing Element for future housing developments also have similar building code and seismic requirements. Portions of the four creeks flowing through Los Altos have been channelized to increase the capacity of the creeks to reduce flooding and to permit development of the flood plain. Further channelization is not recommended for any of the creeks in Los Altos because of the conflict with preservation of natural resources. Adobe Creek is the most flood-prone of Los Altos creeks. In accordance with the adopted watercourse protection regulations, special setbacks are required, and development 589
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Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan–DRAFT Volume 2: City of Los Altos 178
Criterion Response
restrictions applied along Adobe Creek from Shoup Park to O’Keefe Lane.
Wildland fire hazards are not a major concern in Los Altos because the community is urbanized and most of the natural vegetation is isolated in small areas. Urban fire hazards in Los Altos are concentrated primarily in dense non-residential areas with limited landscape and separation between structures.
How many building permits
were issued in your
jurisdiction since the
development of the previous
hazard mitigation plan?
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total
Number of
Permits
1,809 1,902 1,879 1,667 1,961 1,840
Please provide the number of
permits for each hazard area or
provide a qualitative
description of where
development has occurred.
For hazards with a clearly defined extent and location, the City cannot estimate development impacts. However, most
development occurs outside of flood hazard areas. Many
properties are subject to flooding; however, their structures typically rest outside of the floodplain, except for Creekside properties that are subject to periodic flooding.
For hazards with impacts citywide, it is safe to assume that new development could be subject to impacts from hazards.
However, it is important to note that all new development was subject to regulatory requirements.
Please describe the level of
buildout in the jurisdiction,
based on your jurisdiction’s
buildable lands inventory. If no
such inventory exists, provide
a qualitative description.
The City is principally built out, and new development is infill development on underutilized sites.
4.4. Capability Assessment
4.4.1. Resources for the 2023 Planning Initiative
The following technical reports, plans, and regulatory mechanisms were reviewed to provide information for inclusion into the 2023 Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan for both Volume 1 and Volume 2 (City of Los Altos Annex). All the below items were additionally reviewed as part of the full capability assessment for the City of Los Altos.
City of Los Altos General Plan: The General Plan, including the Land Use and Safety Elements, were reviewed for information regarding goals and policies consistent with hazard mitigation for carry over as goals and objectives.
City of Los Altos Municipal Code: The Municipal Code was reviewed for the full capability assessment and for identifying opportunities for action plan integration. Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance: The Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance was reviewed for compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program. Capital Improvements Plan: The Capital Improvements Plan was reviewed to identify crossplanning initiatives for inclusion as mitigation projects. The Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) is the County’s flood control agency and is responsible for larger scale flood control 590
Agenda Item # 3.
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improvement projects. The City’s Capital Improvements Plan includes an annual stormwater improvement project to address localized flooding issues. City of Los Altos Emergency Operations Plan (EOP): The EOP was reviewed for compliance with Federal, State, and local directives.
4.4.2. Full Capability Assessment
An assessment of legal and regulatory capabilities is presented in Table 57Table 57 and Table 58Table
58. An assessment of fiscal capabilities is presented in Table 59Table 59. An assessment of staffing capabilities is presented in Table 60Table 60. An assessment of administrative and technical capabilities is presented in Table 61Table 61. Information on National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) compliance is presented in Table 62Table 62. An assessment of education and outreach capabilities is presented in Table 63Table 63. Classifications under various community mitigation programs are presented in Table 64Table 64. Development and permitting capabilities are presented in Table 65Table 65, and the community’s adaptive capacity for the impacts of climate change is presented in Table 66Table 66.
Table 57: Legal and Regulatory Capabilities: Codes, Ordinances, and Requirements Legal and
Regulatory
Capability
Local
Authority
Other
Jurisdiction
Authority
State
Mandated
Integration
Opportunity?
Building Code Yes Yes Yes No
Comment: Chapter 12.04 through 12.68 of the Los Altos Municipal Code (LAMC), (revised Nov. 8, 2016), County Fire Department
Zoning
Ordinance
Yes No Yes No
Comment: Chapter 14 of the LAMC (revised Nov. 8, 2016), California Planning and Zoning Code Subdivision
Ordinance
Yes No Yes No
Comment: Chapter 13 of the LAMC (revised Jan. 25, 2011), Subdivision Map Act Stormwater
Management
Ordinance
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Comment: Stormwater Master Plan (adopted April 26, 2016) Other Natural
HazardSpecific
Ordinances
Yes No Yes No
Comment: Flood Damage Prevention, Chapter 12 of the LAMC Post-Disaster
Recovery
No No No No
Comment: City of Los Altos Emergency Operations Plan (LAMC 2.28 – Emergency Plan) Real Estate
Disclosure
No No Yes Yes
Comment: California Civil Code §1102 et seq.
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Legal and
Regulatory
Capability
Local
Authority
Other
Jurisdiction
Authority
State
Mandated
Integration
Opportunity?
Growth
Management
Yes No Yes No
Comment: California Government Code §65300 et seq.
Site Plan
Review
Yes No No No
Comment: Chapter 14 of the LAMC
Environmental
Protection
Yes Yes Yes No
Comment: Los Altos General Plan (adopted Nov. 2002), CEQA, SCVWD, Dept. of Fish and Game, Water Quality Control Board, Bay Area Air Quality Management District Flood Damage
Prevention
Yes Yes No No
Comment: Chapter 12.60 of the LAMC, National Flood Insurance Program (revised March 24, 2009), FEMA, Department of Homeland Security
Emergency
Management
Yes Yes Yes No
Comment: City of Los Altos Emergency Operations Plan (LAMC 2.28 – Emergency Plan, adopted Oct. 22, 1987
Climate
Change
Yes No Yes No
Comment: Los Altos Climate Action Plan, State Initiative to protect climate & reduce emissions; California SB-379: Land Use: General Plan: Safety Element Acquisition of
land for open
space and
public
recreation
uses
Yes No No Yes
Comment: Chapter 13.24 of the LAMC
Table 58: Planning, Legal, and Regulatory Capabilities
Planning, Legal, or Regulatory Capability Local
Authority
Other
Jurisdiction
Authority
State
Mandated
Integration
Opportunity?
General Plan Yes No Yes No
Is the plan compliant with Assembly Bill 2140? Yes
Comment: Los Altos General Plan 2002-2020, November 2002 Capital Improvement Plan Yes No Yes Maybe
How often is the plan updated? Biannually
Comment: The 2022-2026 Capital Improvement Program was adopted by the City. 592
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Planning, Legal, or Regulatory Capability Local
Authority
Other
Jurisdiction
Authority
State
Mandated
Integration
Opportunity?
Floodplain or Watershed Plan No Yes Yes Maybe
Comment: Santa Clara Valley Water District
Stormwater Management Plan Yes Yes Yes Yes
Comment: Stormwater Master Plan (adopted 2016)
Urban Water Management Plan Yes Yes Yes No
Comment: NPDES Permit, Regional Water Quality Control Board Permit Habitat Conservation Plan No No No No
Comment: None identified
Green Infrastructure Plan Yes No Yes Yes
Comment: Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan
Parks or Open Space Plan No No No No
Comment: None Identified
Economic Development Plan Yes No No No
Comment: Los Altos General Plan Economic Development Element (adopted 2002) Transportation Plan No No No No
Comment: None Identified
Shoreline Management Plan No No No No
Comment: None Identified
Community Wildfire Protection Plan No No No No
Comment: None Identified
Forest Management Plan No No No No
Comment: None Identified
Climate Action Plan Yes No Yes No
Comment: Los Altos Climate Action Plan, December 2013
Comprehensive Emergency
Management Plan
No No No No
Comment: None Identified
Local Emergency Operations Plan Yes Yes Yes No
Comment: City of Los Altos Emergency Operations Plan (LAMC 2.28 – Emergency Plan, adopted Oct. 22, 1987)
Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk
Assessment (THIRA)
Yes No No No
Comment: City of Los Altos Emergency Operations Plan (LAMC 2.28 – Emergency Plan, adopted Oct. 22, 1987)
Post-Disaster Recovery Plan Yes Yes No No
Comment: City of Los Altos Emergency Operations Plan (LAMC 2.28 – Emergency Plan, adopted Oct. 22, 1987), Gov’t Code: 8642-8644
Continuity of Operations Plan Yes No No No
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Planning, Legal, or Regulatory Capability Local
Authority
Other
Jurisdiction
Authority
State
Mandated
Integration
Opportunity?
Comment: Agility Recovery Continuity of Operations Planning & Recovery – Bridging the gap between disaster and the Agency (City of Los Altos)
Public Health Plan No Yes No No
Comment: Santa Clara County Public Health Strategic Plan Other: N/A N/A N/A N/A
Comment: N/A
Table 59: Financial Capabilities
Financial Capability Could the resource be
used to fund future
mitigation activities?
Has the funding resource been
used in the past for mitigation
activities? If yes, for what type
of mitigation activities?
Community Development
Block Grants
Yes No
Other Federal Funding
Programs
No No
Capital Improvements Project
Funding
Yes Yes, the City is currently
designing a new EOC that should
be completed by 2024.
The City annually conducts road
maintenance to enable reliable
access for emergency vehicles
and evacuation routes.
The City has plans to budget for
updating emergency generators
at city hall and the maintenance
yard and to install battery backup
generation at every traffic signal.
Authority to Levy Taxes for
Specific Purposes
Yes – Subject to voter
approval
Unknown
User Fees for Water, Sewer,
Gas or Electric Services
Yes Unknown
Stormwater Utility Fee Yes No
Incur Debt through General
Obligation Bonds
Yes Unknown
Incur Debt through Special
Tax Bonds
Yes Unknown
Incur Debt through Private
Activity Bonds
Yes Unknown
Withhold Public Expenditures
in Hazard-Prone Areas
Yes Unknown
State Funding Programs Yes Unknown
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Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan–DRAFT Volume 2: City of Los Altos 183
Financial Capability Could the resource be
used to fund future
mitigation activities?
Has the funding resource been
used in the past for mitigation
activities? If yes, for what type
of mitigation activities?
Development Impact Fees for
Homebuyers or Developers
Yes Yes, only for capital improvements
and if there is a nexus to the growth.
Examples might include additional
fire department structures for staff
needed to serve new
population/buildings, or new
transportation infrastructure to
ensure evacuation/safety access if
growth exceeds existing
transportation capacity.
Public or Private Partnership
Funding Sources
Yes No
Table 60: Staffing Capabilities
Staffing Capability Have Capability? Is staffing adequate to enforce regulations?
Is staff trained on
natural hazards
and mitigation?
Chief Building Official Yes
Full Time
Department of
Development
Services, Building
Division Chief Building
Official and Building
Inspectors
Yes Yes
Parks and Recreation
Director
Yes
Full Time
Department of Parks
and Recreation
Yes Yes
Emergency Manager No
Position Vacant
Police Department
N/A N/A
Community Planner Yes
Full Time
Development Services
Department
Yes Yes
Civil Engineer Yes
Full Time
Public Works
Department and
Community
Development
Department – Building
Division
No No
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Agenda Item # 3.
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Staffing Capability Have Capability? Is staffing adequate to enforce regulations?
Is staff trained on
natural hazards
and mitigation?
Engineers or
professionals
trained in building or
infrastructure
construction practices
Yes
Full Time
Public Works
Department and
Community
Development
Department – Building
Division
Unknown Unknown
Planners or engineers
with knowledge of land
development and land
management practices
Yes
Full Time
Community
Development
Department, City of
Los Altos, Senior Staff
Unknown Unknown
Planners or engineers
with an understanding
of natural hazards
Yes
Full Time
Community
Development
Department, City of
Los Altos, Senior Staff
Unknown Unknown
Surveyors Yes
Full Time
Public Works On-Call
Unknown Unknown
GIS Coordinator or
personnel skilled or
trained in GIS
applications
Yes
Full Time
Public Works
Department,
Community
Development
Department, City of
Los Altos, Senior Staff
Unknown Unknown
Public Works Director Yes
Full Time
Development Services
Department and
Public Works
Department
Unknown Unknown
Fire Chief Yes
The City contracts
with the Santa Clara
County Fire District for
Fire and Medical
services.
Yes Yes
Environmental Director No N/A N/A
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Agenda Item # 3.
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Staffing Capability Have Capability? Is staffing adequate to enforce regulations?
Is staff trained on
natural hazards
and mitigation?
Staff with training in
benefit/cost analysis
Yes
Full Time
Public Works
Department,
Community
Development
Department, City of
Los Altos, Senior Staff
Unknown Unknown
Scientist familiar with
natural hazards in local
area
No N/A N/A
Table 61: Administrative and Technical Capabilities
Administrative or Technical
Capability
Have Capability? Has the capability been used to
assess or mitigate risk in the past? If
yes, what type of hazard event?
Maintenance programs to
reduce risk
Yes Yes, All Hazards
Mutual aid agreements Yes The Santa Clara County Fire Department has the ability to deploy as a single
resource or as a crew when requests for
mutual aid are received.
Hazard data and information No N/A
Hazus analysis or GIS
software
Yes Yes, All Hazards
Grant writing Yes – City Staff or
Contracting with
Consultants
No
Does your jurisdiction have
any established warning
systems or services for
hazard events?
Yes Yes, AlertSCC. Alerts are sent directly to
your mobile device, landline, and or
email. Alerts for fire, earthquake, Heavy
rain, heavy winds, extreme
temperaturescrime, and instructions
during a disaster.
Table 62: National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Compliance Topic Response
What department in your jurisdiction is
responsible for floodplain management?
Public Works/Community Development
Department
Who acts as your jurisdiction’s floodplain
administrator?
Planning Division, Planning Services Manager –
Advance Planning
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Agenda Item # 3.
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Topic Response
Is the floodplain administrator or NFIP
Coordinator certified?
No
Is floodplain management an auxiliary
function in your jurisdiction?
No
What is the date of adoption of your flood
damage prevention ordinance?
March 14, 1988, revised March 30, 2009
Effective FIRMs dated 5/18/2009 adopted
automatically as a part of the City’s municipal
code Chapter 12.60 – Floodplain Management
Provide an explanation of the permitting
process for development within the floodplain.
Refer to City Code, Chapter 12.60, Article 4
Does your floodplain management program
meet or exceed minimum requirements?
Yes
How are the substantial
improvement/substantial damage provisions
implemented?
The Floodplain Administrator in coordination with
the Building Official is authorized to conduct
inspections and document determinations of
substantial improvement and substantial damage.
In addition to physical inspections, the permit
review process can be used to track potential
substantially improved/substantially damaged
structures. The Floodplain Administrator is
responsible for reviewing all development permits.
When did your jurisdiction enter the NFIP? July 16, 1980 Is your jurisdiction in good standing with the
NFIP?
Yes
Are the jurisdiction’s Flood Insurance Rate
Maps (FIRMs) digital, paper, or both?
Digital
Explanation of NFIP administration services
within your jurisdiction.
Permit review in accordance with City Code,
Chapter 12.60, Article 4 and NFIP standard;
public education and outreach; documented
elevation certificates
Barriers to running an effective NFIP program
in your jurisdiction.
No known barriers
When was the most recent Community
Assistance Visit (CAV) or Community
Assistance Contact (CAC)?
8/11/16
Is a CAV or CAC scheduled or needed? No
Does your jurisdiction have any outstanding
NFIP compliance violations that need to be
addressed?
No
Do your flood hazard maps adequately
address the flood risk within your jurisdiction?
Yes
Does your floodplain management staff need
any assistance or training to support its
floodplain management program?
No
Does your jurisdiction participate in the
Community Rating System (CRS)?
Yes – currently class 8
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Agenda Item # 3.
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Topic Response
How many structures are exposed to flood risk
within your jurisdiction?
In 10% annual chance flood hazard area: 23
In 1% annual chance flood hazard area: 77
In 0.2% annual chance flood hazard area: 10,332
How many flood insurance policies are in
force in your jurisdiction?
What is the insurance in force?
What is the premium in force?
101 policies in force
$31,769,400 insurance in force
$79,333 premium in force
Areas of flood risk with limited NFIP policy
coverage.
Unknown
How many total loss claims have been filed in
your jurisdiction?
How many claims were closed without
payment or are still open?
What is the total amount of paid claims?
How many claims were for substantial
damage?
13 total loss claims have been filed.
$5,896 total payments for losses.
How NFIP compliance will be continued during
the next 5 years.
Unknown
Table 63: Education and Outreach Capabilities
Education or Outreach
Capability Response
How does the personnel,
program, or organization
relate to disaster
resilience and mitigation?
Could the personnel,
program, or
organization help
implement future
mitigation activities?
Does your jurisdiction have
a Public Information Officer
or Communications Office?
Yes, Public
Information
Officer
The PIO can directly
communicate hazard and
safety related information
with the public and
surrounding jurisdictions.
Yes
Does your jurisdiction have
personnel skilled or trained
in website development?
Yes Websites can be developed
to present hazard,
preparedness, and other
disaster related information.
Yes
Does your jurisdiction have
hazard mitigation
information available on
your website?
Yes The City of Los Altos Flood
Zone information webpage
contains links to the FEMA
and SCVWD website.
Yes
Does your jurisdiction
utilize social media for
hazard mitigation education
and outreach?
Yes Nixle, Nextdoor, Facebook,
and the City’s website are
used to build resilience
through hazard awareness
and other education
campaigns.
Yes
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Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan–DRAFT Volume 2: City of Los Altos 188
Education or Outreach
Capability Response
How does the personnel,
program, or organization
relate to disaster
resilience and mitigation?
Could the personnel,
program, or
organization help
implement future
mitigation activities?
Does your jurisdiction have
any citizen boards or
commissions that address
issues related to hazard
mitigation?
No N/A N/A
Does your jurisdiction have
any ongoing public
education or information
programs that could be
used to communicate
hazard-related information?
Yes The Los Altos website
provides preparedness
information.
Yes
Does your jurisdiction have
local citizen groups or
nonprofit organizations
focused on environmental
protection, emergency
preparedness, and/or
underserved populations?
Yes CERT groups respond to
disasters in the community.
Yes
Does your jurisdiction have
natural disaster or safety
related school programs?
No N/A N/A
Does your jurisdiction have
public/private partnership
initiatives addressing
disaster-related issues
No N/A N/A
Table 64: Community Classifications
Participating? Classification Date Classified
Community Rating System Yes 8 September 14,
2014
Building Code Effectiveness Grading
Schedule
Yes Pending Pending
Insurance Services Office (ISO) Fire Rating No N/A N/A
National Weather Service StormReady
Program®
No N/A N/A
Firewise USA® Program No N/A N/A
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Agenda Item # 3.
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Table 65: Development and Permitting Capabilities
Development or Permitting Capability Response
Does your jurisdiction issue development
permits?
If no, who does? If yes, which department?
Yes
Community Development
Does your jurisdiction have the ability to track
permits by hazard area?
No
Does your jurisdiction have a buildable lands
inventory?
No
Table 66: Adaptive Capacity for Climate Change
Adaptive Capacity Assessment Question Jurisdiction Rating Technical Capacity
Jurisdiction-level understanding of potential climate change impacts High
Comment: The City’s Sustainability Division in the Environmental Services and Utilities Department (ESUD) works with the City’s Environmental Commission to understand local climate change issues and implement the City’s 2022 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). A Climate Vulnerability Assessment was completed as part of the CAAP. Los Altos is also a member of Bay Area regional planning groups that tackle different mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Jurisdiction-level monitoring of climate change impacts Medium Comment: The 2022 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan includes a table of key performance indicators (KPI) to measure progress for each Action Item. The City is not currently actively monitoring climate change impacts.
Technical resources to assess proposed strategies for feasibility and externalities High
Comment: Sustainability Division staff work with the Environmental Commission and other City Departments to implement actions within the CAAP. The City also hires consultants to perform specialized technical work. Staff have limited analysis tools to assess externalities.
Jurisdiction-level capacity for development of greenhouse gas emissions inventory High
Comment: The greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory was completed in 2018. The City plans to conduct a GHG inventory every two years, per the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
Capital planning and land use decisions informed by potential climate impacts Medium
Comment: The 2022 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan established goals to incorporate climate preparedness and CAAP goals into City projects, programs, operations, and maintenance protocols.
These action items are in progress.
Participation in regional groups addressing climate risks Medium Comment: The City participates in SVCE’s Member Agency Working Group, the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, and ICLEI.
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Agenda Item # 3.
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Adaptive Capacity Assessment Question Jurisdiction Rating Implementation Capacity
Clear authority/mandate to consider climate change impacts during public decision-making processes High
Comment: CEQA regulations, Los Altos Climate Action Plan, Environmental Commission, City Council Identified strategies for greenhouse gas mitigation efforts High Comment: The 2022 City of Los Altos Climate Action and Adaptation Plan includes strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, energy, waste, and municipal operations.
Identified strategies for adaptation to impacts High
Comment: The 2022 City of Los Altos Climate Action and Adaptation Plan includes strategies for emergency management and community resilience.
Champions for climate action in local government departments Medium Comment: The Sustainability Division leads the implementation of the CAAP, with assistance from the Environmental Commission (seven appointed members), Planning Division, Building Division, Facilities Division, and Public Works Department. The City does not currently have “Climate Champions” in other departments.
Political support for implementing climate change adaptation strategies Medium
Comment: There is strong support from the Environmental Commission, GreenTown Los Altos (GTLA - local nonprofit), a portion of the community and support from City Council on implementing CAAP action items.
Financial resources devoted to climate change adaptation Low Comment: The City Council can allocate funding for climate change adaptation projects. The City also applies for grants from local groups such as SVCE and CALTRANS.
Local authority over sectors likely to be negative impacted Low Comment: The Vulnerability Assessment identifies sectors likely to be impacted by climate change.
The City has local authority over policy and programs that affect certain sectors, but the City does not have authority over the electricity grid and water supply system, which are projected to be impacted.
Public Capacity
Local residents’ knowledge of and understanding of climate risk High Comment: Los Altos has a highly educated community, many of whom understand climate risks. Many of the City’s high school students are also highly aware and educated on climate change. The local environmental group, GreenTown, has a robust and educational website and they host events, webinars, and workshops focused on various climate topics. The Environmental Commission is also a resource for residents and hosts an education webpage on the City’s website.
Local residents’ support of adaptation efforts High
Comment: Capacity varies, the younger population is highly aware of the climate impacts and are more likely able to adapt to them depending on severity. More vulnerable members in the community like Seniors have a reduced capacity to adapt to climate impacts.
Local residents’ capacity to adapt to climate impacts High Comment: The State of California and Los Altos have a strong economy and COVID taught more resilience. The community would be able to adapt to minor to medium climate impacts that occur seasonally. However, more long-term impacts could take a toll on the local businesses and economy.
Local economy current capacity to adapt to climate impacts High 602
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan–DRAFT Volume 2: City of Los Altos 191
Adaptive Capacity Assessment Question Jurisdiction Rating Comment: The State of California and Los Altos have a strong economy and COVID taught more resilience. The community would be able to adapt to minor to medium climate impacts that occur seasonally. However, more long-term impacts could take a toll on the local businesses and economy.
Local ecosystems capacity to adapt to climate impacts Medium Comment: Extreme climate impacts like prolonged wildfires and drought would cause pressure on the local ecosystems, waterways, and tree canopy.
4.4.3. Opportunities to Expand Upon and Improve Existing Capabilities The hazard mitigation planning process presented the opportunity for the community to discuss and evaluate their current capabilities however, building mitigation capabilities is an ongoing process. New capabilities can be added which will support mitigation. Current capabilities can also be enhanced to actively support mitigation and reduce risk. Significant efforts have been made to increase the capabilities of jurisdictions across the OA. By participating in this plan update, each community is reinforcing their support for mitigation and understanding of the capabilities they need to successfully implement mitigation measures. Actions that can expand and improve existing authorities, plans, policies, and resources for mitigation include:
Developing a Climate Action Plan which incorporates hazard data and actions to adapt to a changing climate.
Budgeting and passing policies and procedures for mitigation actions. Adopting and implementing stricter mitigation regulations. Approving the training of staff for mitigation activities. Approving mitigation updates to existing plans as new needs are recognized. Continuing to update plans as necessary to ensure they are current and reflect the needs of the community or special district.
Further developing warning systems and messaging.
Creating and implementing additional public education and outreach offerings and increasing the volume of translated materials.
Ensuring grant opportunities are capitalized upon to meet mitigation goals.
Each type of the four FEMA-identified capabilities were evaluated, in addition to OA-priority capabilities like adaptive capacity. Gaps and limitations, if any, are discussed in the tables above. Additional jurisdiction-specific opportunities to expand on and improve capabilities for reducing risk include:
Hire an emergency manager.
Continue to participate in the Community Rating System and identify additional actions to both reduce flood risk and reduce flood insurance premiums.
Evaluate areas for flood insurance penetration and determine if there are any high-risk or vulnerable areas with limited coverage.
Collect hazard data and continue to monitor future events in order to show cost-effectiveness and identify additional mitigation actions needed.
Consider participating in additional planning mechanisms that support hazard mitigation. 603
Agenda Item # 3.
Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan–DRAFT Volume 2: City of Los Altos 192
Since the last plan update, multiple new grant programs that support mitigation measures have been established. FEMA’s annual BRIC grant program funds a variety of mitigation actions, including infrastructure projects, nature-based solutions, climate adaptation, hazard resistant building codes, and projects benefitting disadvantaged communities.
4.5. Integration with Other Planning Initiatives
This section describes the process for integrating the hazard mitigation plan into local planning mechanisms.
4.5.1. Existing Integration
The following plans and programs currently integrate the goals, risk assessment and/or recommendations of the hazard mitigation plan:
Emergency Operations Center Plan/Manual: The hazard mitigation plan is incorporated by reference. At the time of the next update, information obtained in the update of the hazard mitigation plan will be integrated into the Plan/Manual as appropriate. Los Altos General Plan, Natural Environment and Hazards Element: Provides background data and the City’s Goals, Policies and Programs to address and mitigate natural hazards. This Element of the General Plan includes Program NEH 16: that calls for the preparation and maintenance of an Emergency Preparedness Plan. At the time of the next update, information obtained in the update of the hazard mitigation plan will be integrated into the Plan/Manual as appropriate.
Capital Improvements Plan: The Capital Improvements Plan was reviewed to identify crossplanning initiatives for inclusion as mitigation projects.
4.5.2. Opportunities for Future Integration
The following plans and programs do not currently integrate the goals, risk assessment and/or recommendations of the hazard mitigation plan, but provide an opportunity for future integration:
Capital Improvement Plan: The city’s 2022-2023 Capital Improvement Program will be updated before the next MJHMP update. Information from this plan that could be incorporation into the Capital Improvement Plan include an understanding of the high-risk areas and mitigation goals and actions designed to reduce risk.
Legal and Regulatory Capabilities: Those capabilities identified as providing an integration opportunity in Table 57Table 57 and Table 58Table 58 will be reviewed and updated to include information on hazard risk reduction as feasible and appropriate.
Like other jurisdictions within this MJHMP update, Los Altos has a Planning Division which is responsible for the development and administration of programs to guide the physical development of Los Altos. The Planning Division is located within the Development Services Department. Both Planning and Development Services representatives participated in this plan update. The Local Planning Team will be responsible for ensuring this plan is integrated into other planning mechanisms as possible.
4.6. Jurisdiction-Specific Natural Hazard Event History Table 67Table 67 lists all past occurrences of natural hazards within the jurisdiction. 604
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Table 67: Natural Hazard Events
Type of Event FEMA Disaster #
(if applicable)
Date Preliminary
Damage Assessment
California Severe
Winter Storms,
Flooding, Landslides,
and Mudslides
DR-3592 3/10/23 Not available
California Severe
Winter Storms,
Flooding, Landslides,
and Mudslides
DR-4683 1/14/23 Not available
California Severe
Winter Storms,
Flooding, and
Mudslides
DR-3591 1/9/23 Not available
Wildfires DR-4558 8/22/20 Not available
Wildfire – SCU
Lightning Complex Fire
DR-5338 8/21/20 Not available
California Severe
Winter Storms,
Flooding, Mudslides
DR-4308 4/1/17 Not available
Severe Winter Storms,
Flooding, and
Mudslides
DR-4301 2/14/17 Not available
Wildfires DR-3287 6/28/2008 Not available
Summit Fire DR-2766 5/22/2008 Not available
Croy Fire FS-2465 9/23/2002 Not available
Tornado N/A 5/05/1998 $300,000
Severe Winter Storms
and Flooding
DR-1203 2/2/1998 Not available
Severe Storms,
Flooding, Mud and
Landslides
DR-1155 12/28/1996 Not available
Severe Winter Storms,
Flooding Landslides,
Mud Flow
DR-1046 2/13/1995 Not available
Severe Winter Storms,
Flooding, Landslides,
Mud Flows
DR-1044 1/3/1995 Not available
Severe Freeze DR-894 12/19/1990 Not available
Loma Prieta
Earthquake
DR-845 10/17/1989 Not available
Severe Storms &
Flooding
DR-758 2/12/1986 Not available
Grass, Wildlands, &
Forest Fires
DR-739 6/26/1985 Not available
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Type of Event FEMA Disaster #
(if applicable)
Date Preliminary
Damage Assessment
Coastal Storms,
Floods, Slides &
Tornadoes
DR-677 1/21/1983 Not available
Severe Storms, Flood,
Mudslides & High Tide
DR-651 12/19/1981 Not available
Drought EM-3023 1/20/1977 Not available
4.7. Jurisdiction-Specific Vulnerabilities
Hazus loss estimates for a 100-year probabilistic earthquake total $516 million, or 4.75% of the total replacement value. The three fault-based scenarios estimate losses between $430 and $460 million. Although the Hazus model does not project direct population impacts at the city level, it can be inferred that the population will be affected by disruptions to essential services and utilities, experience displacement from their homes, and incur possible physical injuries or death.
The Hazus model also did not include damage estimates for specific critical facilities. However, it is estimated that a significant percentage of essential facilities, transportation, and utility structures will receive at least moderate damage (see Table 34 in Volume 1). The City has not completed a recent earthquake vulnerability assessment and does not have a mandatory retrofit policy in place. In general, buildings with a higher collapse potential include residential and commercial buildings constructed prior to 1990 that have not had seismic retrofits.
Los Altos also includes areas of higher liquefaction potential near creeks. There is concern that these older buildings may include higher proportions of vulnerable populations, such as lowerincome households. • 9.5% of the population of Los Altos are within wildfire risk areas, which is lower than much of the OA. Over $700 million of buildings and contents are exposed to wildfire hazard. Risk is concentrated around riparian corridors and the edges of the town boundary closer to foothills near Hwy 280. Because a relatively small area is at risk to wildfire, the impacted area is likely to be relatively small. However, the entire area could be impacted by poor air quality from a large wildfire in nearby areas. Poor air quality can have widespread health impacts, particularly to those with chronic underlying health conditions, pregnant women, children, and people over 65 years of age. Climate change can contribute to extreme heat and prolonged drought, which subsequently increase the risk of severe wildfires. No critical facilities are believed to be at high risk to wildfire. • Los Altos’ primary vulnerability related to wildfire is poor air quality due to neighboring wildfire events. Vulnerable populations, including seniors, children, unhoused populations, outdoor workers, and people with existing respiratory conditions, are more susceptible to health impacts from wildfire smoke. Areas near the foothills are part of the wildland-urban interface and are at greater risk of exposure to wildfires.
3,242 residents of Los Altos are located in the dam inundation area from Stevens Creek Dam.
Dam failure can result from structure deterioration, overtopping from heavy precipitation, or from an earthquake. As shown in Volume 1, Figure 59, this is primarily in the southeast area of the city. One school and a bridge on Fremont Avenue are within the inundation boundary. Dam failure can cause extensive damage to structures and can cause injury or death to those caught in the resulting floodwaters. The distance of the dam from the city would not allow residents much warning time to evacuate in the event of a sudden failure. Vulnerabilities include potential flooding, property damage, and loss of life in populated areas downstream of Stevens Creek Dam in the case of dam failure. Areas at risk of inundation primarily include residences, schools, churches, and parks.
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• 3.4% of the city population are in high landslide hazard areas. Similarly, 3.4% of the structural value in the city is vulnerable to landslides. The risk is primarily along the foothills at the southern border of the city near Hwy 280 and along stream banks such as Stephens Creek and Permanente Creek. However, Los Altos rated risk to landslide as very low and did not choose to select a landslide-specific mitigation action as a result of low risk. • Hazus model results indicate relatively low potential losses to flooding in Los Altos, totaling $2.2 million and no population directly impacted for a 1% annual chance flood. However, damage from localized flooding is still a possibility from heavy rain/atmospheric rivers. The FEMA SFHA for .02% flood covers much of the city, so although Hazus did not project large dollar losses from flood damage, flood risk is still present. Hazus did not project damage to the critical facilities in Los Altos, but it should be noted that because of the widespread area of the city in the .02% SFHA there may still be flood risk to these facilities. The city could benefit from additional study to better understand areas of flood risk from riverine flooding and heavy precipitation events. The City’s greatest vulnerabilities are extreme heat, drought, and wildfires which can negatively impact community health and resources such as air quality, water availability, shelter, outdoor labor, utility assets, and biodiversity. Additionally, increases in the intensity of storms causing extreme precipitation, flooding, and high winds that cause trees to fall and power outages is a growing vulnerability as a result of climate change. The City does not have financial resources to implement stormwater infrastructure to prevent or lessen flooding risk or even maintain or rehabilitate most of the existing stormwater infrastructure. Recently, this vulnerability has resulted in increased demand from City safety crews working in emergency response. Wildfire risks and potable water supply availability are of great concern in relation to drought.
These risks are expected to increase with continued climate change. The Emergency Operations Center needs replacement.
Some utilities are aboveground and subject to outage resulting from natural hazard events such as high wind and heavy rain. Power outages can be harmful to human health if it occurs during periods of extreme heat or extreme cold. It can disrupt essential services and can also have economic impacts from business interruption or closure. Impacts from inclement weather such as heavy rain, hail, and wind are likely to be very similar across the OA. Individual events may impact only limited areas, but the entire OA is at risk to similar conditions. Heavy rain may cause localized flooding on roadways and low-lying areas which may disrupt transportation for the general public and can also delay emergency response.
Heavy rain can also have cascading impacts on landslide potential or strain the capacity of dams.
High winds can disrupt power, communication and other services and cause damage to structures. Extreme heat or cold can be harmful to health, particularly to those without access to housing with adequate warming and cooling systems, outdoor workers, or others participating in outdoor events.
Because of the variable nature of severe weather events, it is not well understood how critical facilities and vulnerable populations might be impacted. In particular, the city lacks information on areas where extreme heat is a concern. This may become a more significant problem in the future due to ongoing climate change. Nature-based solutions may be suitable to address heat or other risks in Los Altos.
There are four creeks that run through Los Altos: Adobe Creek, Hale Creek, Permanente Creek, and Stevens Creek. In addition, there is the by-pass near Blach School that carries overflow from Permanente Creek to Stevens Creek. During heavy rain, stormwater flows naturally and through conveyance infrastructure to the creeks, and eventually to the San Francisco Bay. However, during periods of heavy storms, the amount of water flowing to the creeks can be too much to be contained within the creek banks and cause flooding. Most flooding is limited to properties closer to creek areas; however, shallow flooding has occurred in areas throughout the City, including streets that do not have sufficient funding for necessary storm infrastructure upgrades and rehabilitation. Lack of consistent and dedicated stormwater infrastructure and Operation & 607
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Maintenance funding (discussed further in Volume 1, Section 13) leaves some communities more vulnerable to flooding, as these conveyance systems can’t be properly maintained to function as intended.
Storm drain improvements in the City of Los Altos do not have a dedicated funding source. The City sought the creation of a dedicated funding source through the Clean Water and Sustainable Storm Drain ballot initiative in 2019. The City proposed a Storm Drainage Fee to fund stormwater improvements, but the ballot did not pass. Therefore, there is no funding to perform the storm drain improvements throughout the City.
During the heavy winter storm of 2022-2023, there were severe drainage issues happening throughout the City. Heavy rain events caused inland flooding. However, the City was not able to address these issues due to lack of funding appropriated for stormwater issues. With no dedicated funding source, storm infrastructure cannot be maintained or rehabilitated which leads to dilapidated culverts and outfalls that can either be corroded, broken, or plugged with sediment.
These issues can cause unwanted infiltration and underutilization of storm pipes leading to flooding.
Drought is a hazard that has similar conditions over broad areas. It is anticipated that the impacts of drought will be consistent across the OA. Drought is also expected to become more frequent and possibly more severe in the future due to climate change. Drought impacts vegetation and can make it more vulnerable to disease and wildfire. Extended drought may necessitate limits on landscape irrigation or higher costs for irrigation, which can have economic impacts. Although agriculture is not a primary economic sector in Los Altos or the OA, drought can have severe negative impacts on growth of crops and gardens. Preserving the water supply for the long-term via conservation, recycling, or other methods is critical to the city. Los Altos has no direct tsunami risk, so tsunami is not profiled in this annex. Some regional transportation or utility services have potential to be disrupted which may have indirect impacts on residents.
Repetitive loss records are as follows:
Number of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-identified Repetitive-Loss Properties (RL): 0
Number of FEMA-identified Severe-Repetitive-Loss (SRL) Properties: 0 Number of RL Properties or SRL Properties that have been mitigated: 0
4.7.1. Social Vulnerability
Figure 41Figure 41 shows the social vulnerability of Los Altos. Most of the community has relatively low vulnerability. Based on social characteristics, people in Los Altos will be comparatively resilient to the impacts of natural hazards. SVI data is aggregated by census tract and is not able to be used to identify all persons who may have unique vulnerabilities to individual hazard areas. Educational outreach to inform all residents of their risks and appropriate actions to reduce their risk is needed. 608
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Figure 41: Los Altos Social Vulnerability
4.8. Hazard Risk Index
Table 68Table 68 presents the hazards of concern from highest risk index number to lowest, as assigned by the City of Los Altos.
Table 68: Hazard Risk Index
Hazard Probability Life Impact Property
Impact
Percentage
of Area
Impacted
Maximum
Probable
Extent
Drought Highly Likely Limited Limited Extensive Moderate Earthquake Likely Critical Critical Significant Major
Heavy Rain /
Atmospheric River
Highly Likely Critical Limited Significant Moderate
Extreme Heat Likely Minor Minor Significant Moderate
High Wind Occasional Minor Limited Minimal Moderate
Climate Change Highly Likely Minor Critical Significant Major Wildfire/Smoke/Air
Quality
Highly Likely Critical Limited Minimal Moderate
Dam/Levee Failure Unlikely Critical Limited Negligible Weak Flood Occasional Minor Limited Minimal Moderate
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Hazard Probability Life Impact Property
Impact
Percentage
of Area
Impacted
Maximum
Probable
Extent
Landslide/Mass
Movement
Unlikely Minor Minor Negligible Weak
Table 69: Comparison of Los Altos Hazard Risk Score to Operational Area (OA) Risk
Score
Earthquake
Dam/
Levee
Failure
Heavy
Rain
High
Wind
Extreme
Heat Wildfire Drought Flood Landslide
Climate
Change
Los
Altos
2 0.95 2.05 1.25 1.15 1.95 1.8 0.65 0 1.6
OA 2.24 1.19 1.44 1.44 1.44 1.68 1.21 0.90 0.36 1.13
4.9. Future Needs to Better Understand Risk/Vulnerability An earthquake vulnerability assessment is needed to identify buildings in need of retrofits. Other needs include updating the citywide flood risk assessment (CAAP Goal 6.1A), conducting a heat study and mapping (CAAP Goal 6.2A), conducting a social vulnerability assessment, including a socio-economic and demographic analysis of the City population, including residents, people who work in the City, and commuters who traverse the City on their way to or from other places, to help inform public messaging needs, including alert and warning messaging.
4.10. Status of Previous Plan Actions
Participants were asked to report the status of their mitigation actions listed in the previous plan as a part of this plan update. Where further information isn’t provided, the answers are defined as follows:
Completed – work on this action is totally complete.
Completed and ongoing – work on this action is complete; however, it is an ongoing project that will continue to be implemented. An example is a public outreach campaign that was created and will continue to be implemented.
In progress – work on this action has begun and is in progress, but the action is not yet complete. Retain – work on this action has not begun yet, the action is still relevant, and it should be in the 2023 MJHMP.
No longer relevant – Action item is no longer relevant due to reduce or eliminated risk, it no longer being feasible, there has been a change in jurisdictional or organizational priorities, or another reason as stated.
Unless specifically requested otherwise, only those actions listed as “retain” are incorporated into the 2023 action plan.
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Table 70: Status of Action Items from the 2017 MJHMP
Action Item Number* Action Item
Description
Hazard(s) Mitigated Current Status and
Comments
LA-1 Implement the adopted
Stormwater Master
Plan
Flood In progress
LA-2 Continue to maintain
good standing and
compliance under the
National Flood
Insurance Program
through enforcement of
flood zone ordinance,
cooperation with Santa
Clara Valley Water
District, participation in
floodplain identification
and mapping updates
and continued public
education
Flood Completed and
ongoing
LA-3 Improve/ replace the
substandard
Emergency Operation
Center Replace
substandard EOC by
relocating to the Los
Altos Community
Center.
All Hazards In progress
LA-4 Continue to work with
PG&E on the City's
Utility Undergrounding
Program
Earthquake, Wildfire,
Heavy Rain, Flood,
Landslide
Completed and
ongoing
LA-5 Integrate the hazard
mitigation plan into
other plans and
programs that dictate
land use decisions
within Los Altos
All Hazards Completed and
ongoing
LA-6 Develop a post-disaster
recovery plan and a
debris management
plan
All Hazards In progress
LA-7 Educate general public
through the
construction of a
demonstration garden
that showcases
drought-tolerant
landscaping and
stormwater best
management practices
Drought, Flood Completed
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Action Item Number* Action Item
Description
Hazard(s) Mitigated Current Status and
Comments
LA-8 Incorporate modern
security technology into
critical facilities
upgrade and new
construction
Human-caused In progress
LA-9 Conduct
comprehensive police
officer training
pertaining to humancaused multi-casualty
incidents. This training
will incorporate a multidisciplinary approach
with police action and
rescue operations
Human-caused Completed and
ongoing
LA-10 Where appropriate,
support retrofitting,
purchase or relocation
of structures located in
high hazard areas and
prioritize those
structures that have
experienced repetitive
losses
All Hazards Retain
LA-11 Actively participate in
the plan maintenance
protocols outlined in
Volume 1 of the hazard
mitigation plan
All Hazards Completed and
ongoing
* Number given to action item in 2017 Santa Clara County Operational Area Hazard Mitigation Plan
4.11. Mitigation Successes
The City of Los Altos has taken steps to reduce its risk from hazards, particularly flooding, by implementing mitigation activities. Partnerships are key to the City’s success. It takes a “Whole Community” approach to responding and recovering from significant emergencies and major disasters which includes the inclusion and integration of community partners, neighbors, and other stakeholders into all phases of emergency management. The Emergency Operations Plan indicates the mitigation actions that are available including:
• Building and Safety Codes
• Disaster/Fire/Flood Insurance
• Land Use Planning and Management
• Hazard Research and Analysis
• Land and Repetitive Loss Acquisition
• Monitoring and Inspection
• Public Outreach and Education
• Relocation
• Risk Mapping
• Safety Codes, Statutes, and Ordinances
• Tax Incentives and Disincentives
• Seismic Strengthening or Retrofitting
The Los Altos 2022 Climate Action & Adaptation Plan also addresses hazard mitigation through a strategic roadmap including strategies, goals and actions designed to help Los Altos be more resilient and carbon neutral. It recognizes the hazards Los Altos has recently faced including severe drought, heat 612
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waves, and poor air quality due to wildfire and identifies additional mitigation actions the City can take in the future to reduce risk.
Figure 42: Relationship Between Mitigation and Adaptation Actions One example of a project that will reduce risk in Los Altos is the Permanente Creek Flood Protection Project. This project is part of Valley Water’s ongoing efforts to protect over 2,200 properties in Los Altos and Mountain View. Elements of this project include retrofitting floodwalls, channel widening, and adding a detention basin. Valley Water has submitted documentation to FEMA for a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) in order to change the local flood map to reflect the impact of this project. The City of Los Altos has also implemented a number of green infrastructure projects and has a plan to conduct more. These projects include bioretention areas, rain gardens, and drainage and landscaping improvements around roadways in order to capture, treat and infiltrate stormwater and runoff.
The City also supports education and outreach activities. Los Altos provides flood risk and floodplain management information for residents on its website. In addition, the City contacted residents living in the Special Flood Hazard Area to inform of their risk and options as a part of a national program to increase awareness of the possibility of flooding, reducing risk and preparing for floods, and responding to hazards and damage caused by floods.
4.12. Hazard Mitigation Action Plan and Evaluation of
Recommended Actions
Table 71Table 71 lists the actions that make up the City of Los Altos hazard mitigation action plan. The maps in Figure 43Figure 43 through Figure 50Figure 50 present the City’s critical infrastructure, facilities, and identified hazard risk areas.
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Descriptions of the expected time frames for actions are provided below:
• Short term: 1–5 years
• Medium term: 5–10 years
• Long term: Over 10 years
Ongoing: Currently being funded and implemented under existing programs The planning partners utilized the following criteria to prioritize action items into the categories of high, medium, or low.
High Priority— A project that:
Meets multiple goals and objectives (i.e., multiple hazards); Addresses multiple hazards;
Has benefits that exceed cost;
Has funding secured or is an ongoing project;
Meets eligibility requirements for Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants; Can be completed in the short term (1 to 5 years);
Addresses immediate short-term impacts of climate change; Benefits underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment. Medium Priority— A project that:
Meets multiple goals and objectives;
Addresses multiple hazards;
Has benefits that exceed costs;
Has funding has not been secured, but that is grant eligible under Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants or other grant programs;
Project can be completed in the short term (1-5 years), once funding is secured. Medium priority projects will become high priority projects once funding is secured; Addresses immediate short-term impacts of climate change; Benefits underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment. Low Priority— A project that:
Will mitigate the risk of at least one hazard;
Has benefits that do not exceed the costs or are difficult to quantify:
Does not have secured funding;
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Is not eligible for Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant funding; Has a timeline for completion that is long term (greater than 5 years). Low priority projects may be eligible for other sources of grant funding from other programs; May address impacts of climate change;
May benefit underserved and/or socially vulnerable populations; AND Considers the Multi-Benefit Criteria utilized by the Santa Clara County Climate Collaborative, including equity, long-term value, ecosystem benefit, community benefit, and crossjurisdictional alignment. 615
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Table 71: City of Los Altos 2023 Action Items
Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or Division
Responsible for
Implementation
Potential Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
LA-10* Where appropriate, support
retrofitting, purchase or relocation
of structures located in high
hazard areas and prioritize those
structures that have experienced
repetitive losses.
All Hazards Public Works and
Community Development
Hazard Mitigation
Grant Program
(HMGP), PreDisaster Mitigation
(PDM), (Flood
Mitigation
Assistance) FMA,
Community
Development Block
Grant (CDBG-DR)
Long-term High
1 Create a COOP for City
operations. This will include the 10
elements of a viable continuity
plan: Essential Functions, Orders
of Succession, Delegations of
Authority, Continuity Facility,
Continuity Communications,
Records Management, Human
Capital, Training/exercise
Program, Devolution of Control
and Direction, and Reconstitution
Operations.
Climate
Change,
Drought,
Earthquake,
Flood,
Landslide,
Heavy
Precipitation,
Extreme Heat,
High Wind,
Wildfire
Emergency Management General fund Ongoing High
2 Update citywide flood risk
assessment.
Climate
Change, Flood,
Heavy rain,
High Wind,
Landslide
Environmental Services General fund Ongoing Medium
3 Conduct a heat study and mapping
project to identify areas of high risk
and vulnerable assets.
Climate
Change,
Extreme Heat
Environmental Services General fund Ongoing Medium
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Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or Division
Responsible for
Implementation
Potential Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
4 Implement and prioritize naturebased solutions to promote resilience in the community.
Flood, Heavy
Precipitation,
Extreme Heat,
High Wind,
Drought,
Climate
Change
Community
Development/Environmental
Services
General fund Medium-term Med
5 Work with the Wastewater
Treatment Plant to implement
upgrades to increase the amount
of recycled water production and
add desalination and treatment to
provide a drought resilient, potable
water supply.
Drought Environmental Services General fund Medium-term Med 6 Develop and implement
comprehensive riparian ecosystem
restoration plan and relevant
floodplain management policies.
Flood Environmental Services General fund,
FMA, BRIC
Short-term Med
7 Work with Valley Water to
revitalize and restore creeks,
learning from case studies like
Adobe Creek Reach 5 Restoration.
Restore the riparian ecosystem of
creeks flowing through Los Altos,
add managed ponds and dams to
slow the flow of water, and
increase percolation to the ground.
Increase natural floodplain
management through policies and
education to establish "Buffer
Zones" and limit new construction.
Flood,
Dam/Levee
Failure,
Landslide/Mass
Movement,
Heavy
Precipitation,
Extreme Heat,
High Wind,
Drought,
Climate
Change
Environmental Services General fund,
FMA, BRIC,
ICARP
Short-term Med
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Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or Division
Responsible for
Implementation
Potential Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
8 Expand green infrastructure
program to reduce impermeable
surface areas and capture runoff
from paved by implementing
porous paving in sidewalks,
parking lots and driveways, and
other water percolation methods
like bioswales to reduce
stormwater runoff to streets.
Flood, Heavy
Precipitation,
Dam Failure
Environmental Services General fund,
FMA, BRIC,
ICARP
Short-term Med
9 Develop resilience hubs which can
serve as evacuation centers, safe
zones, cooling centers depending
on the event.
All Hazards,
including
Extreme Heat,
Heavy Rain,
High Wind,
Flood, Dam
Failure,
Wildfire,
Earthquake
Emergency Preparedness
Coordinator
General fund,
BRIC
Medium-term High
10 Retrofit and/or install air filtration
systems on resilience hubs,
schools, and other facilities in
order to protect vulnerable
populations on bad-air-quality
days.
Wildfire Emergency Preparedness
Coordinator/Public Works
General fund Medium-term High
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Action
Item
Number
Action Item Description Hazard(s)
Mitigated
Lead Position, Office,
Department, or Division
Responsible for
Implementation
Potential Funding
Sources
Expected
Timeline for
Completion
Priority
11 Conduct survey of and outreach to
vulnerable populations (e.g.,
isolated seniors, outdoor workers,
long-term care residents) and the
people and institutions that care
for them. Collaborate with
community-based organizations to
develop outreach and a
comprehensive care strategy for
vulnerable populations.
All Hazards,
including
Heavy Rain,
High Wind,
Extreme Heat,
Drought, Flood
Emergency Preparedness
Coordinator
General fund Short-term Med
12 Form partnerships with
neighborhood-based organizations
like CERT and businesses to
develop Neighborhood Resilience
Hub programs and prepare
residents, mitigate risk, and
respond to climate change.
Develop community outreach and
engagement materials.
Climate
Change,
Drought,
Extreme Heat,
Heavy Rain,
High Wind
Emergency Preparedness
Coordinator
General fund Short-term Med
* Number given to action item in 2017 Santa Clara County Operational Area Hazard Mitigation Plan. 619
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Figure 43: City of Los Altos Critical Facilities Map
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Figure 44: City of Los Altos Critical Infrastructure Map 621
Agenda Item # 3.
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Figure 45: City of Los Altos Flood Hazard Area
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Figure 46: City of Los Altos Deep-Seated Landslide Susceptibility 623
Agenda Item # 3.
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Figure 47: City of Los Altos Liquefaction Susceptibility 624
Agenda Item # 3.
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Figure 48: City of Los Altos Wildfire Hazard Classification 625
Agenda Item # 3.
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Figure 49: City of Los Altos Wildfire Risk to Structures 626
Agenda Item # 3.
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Figure 50: City of Los Altos Fire Hazard Severity Zones and Historic Fires 627
Agenda Item # 3.
City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: August 27, 2024
Prepared By: Melissa Thurman
Approved By: Gabriel Engeland
Subject: Approve the use of electronic voting during City Council meetings
COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
☐Business Communities
☐Circulation Safety and Efficiency
☐Environmental Sustainability
☐Housing
☐Neighborhood Safety Infrastructure
☒General Government
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the use of electronic voting during City Council meetings
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost of electronic voting services is included with the costs for the city’s agenda management services with CivicPlus (MuniCode).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Not Applicable.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
On March 12, 2024 the City Council discussed the use of electronic voting during City Council meetings. During that discussion, the City Council directed staff to research software that offered electronic voting services.
BACKGROUND
On July 9, 2024, the City Clerk’s Office provided a demonstration to the City Council during a Special Meeting, regarding the use of electronic voting during City Council meetings. At the conclusion of the meeting the City Council directed staff to place an item on consent for the August 27, 2024 meeting to approve the use of electronic voting during City Council meetings.
DISCUSSION
Pursuant to AB2449, if one or more City Councilmember attends a meeting remotely, the use of electronic voting would be discontinued during that meeting and roll call voting would take place.
When all Councilmembers are present during a meeting, the use of electronic voting may resume.
ATTACHMENTS
1. None
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Agenda Item # 4.
City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: August 27, 2024
Prepared By: Brittany Whitehill
Approved By: Gabriel Engeland
Subject: Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information (PPI) Annual Report (FY24 - Year 3)
COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
☐Business Communities
☐Circulation Safety and Efficiency
☒Environmental Sustainability
☐Housing
☒Neighborhood Safety Infrastructure
☒General Government
RECOMMENDATION
Review and accept the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024 (Year 3)
FISCAL IMPACT
None
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061 (b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines (“Common Sense Exemption”) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the activity may result in significant impact on the environment.
BACKGROUND
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)- Community Rating System The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary program administered by FEMA that allows communities to earn flood insurance premium discounts through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for residents and businesses by promoting flood risk reduction practices, floodplain management, and encouraging the purchase of flood insurance. These flood risk reduction practices go above and beyond the normal enforcement of floodplain regulations.
Through participation in the CRS, Los Altos earns points for implementing various flood risk management activities, and in turn, property owners within the City are eligible for discounted flood insurance premium rates.
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Agenda Item # 5.
Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) – Program for Public Information (PPI) The PPI is a committee-based coordinated approach to flood hazard community outreach efforts.
The PPI is primarily organized and led by Valley Water and includes 11 participating agencies within Santa Clara County. The PPI was developed jointly but requires individual approval by each community’s elected body for that community to receive CRS points for its implementation.
Participation in the PPI is a major component of the public outreach effort for which Los Altos earns points for its CRS rating. According to FEMA, the PPI led by Valley Water is one of the first multi-jurisdictional PPIs to be completed, and it involves the largest number of participating communities to date.
5-Year PPI Update
Under CRS program requirements, the PPI must be updated every five years. Most recently, Valley Water’s Board approved the updated PPI on April 27, 2021. On July 13, 2021, the City Council adopted the PPI for the City of Los Altos. Each year, the CRS communities must reconvene to evaluate whether the flood risk reduction messages are still appropriate and adjust the PPI, as needed. Additionally, Valley Water, in collaboration with participating PPI agencies, must submit an annual report describing the PPI implementation (the report is provided as Attachment 1 to this staff report).
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS
In October 2021, the City of Los Altos completed its mandated five-year audit administered by FEMA through the Insurance Services Office (ISO) which reviewed all the local CRS recognized activities. Prior to the audit, the City implemented CRS activities leading to a Class 8 CRS rating, giving residents a 10% discount on insurance premiums. With the adoption of the 2021 Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI and the incorporation of additional CRS activities, the City received additional points to bolster its rating to a Class 7, resulting in a 15% discount on insurance premiums for residents issued or renewed on or after April 1, 2023.
The FY24 Annual Report is the third annual report for the 2021 Santa Clara County MultiJurisdictional PPI (see Attachment 1). The report includes background information on how the PPI was developed by the participants, the preparation of the annual evaluation, the PPI accomplishments for FY24, and new initiatives. Appendix A of the Annual Report lists all the projects proposed in the 2021 PPI, with a column titled “Project Accomplishments” noting actions taken during the third year of the PPI (FY24). The most extensive outreach project was the Valley Water’s Annual Flood Awareness Campaign, for which the City of Los Altos gets CRS credit for since it targets our community. Specific city activities include: making brochures available in public buildings; including flood information and links to Valley Water Flood Awareness and FEMA information on the city’s website; publishing two newspaper ads in the Town Crier titled “Assess Your Flood Risk and Flood Insurance Availability”; sending letters targeted to property owners in special flood hazard areas; coordinating with Mission Trail to send out a Valley Water flood awareness bill insert (no cost to city); and participating in PPI coordination meetings.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information Annual Evaluation Report for FY24
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Agenda Item # 5.
Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information 2021 FY24 Annual Evaluation Report
(Year 3: July 2023 to June 2024)
June 2024
Prepared by:
Santa Clara Valley Water District
and
Santa Clara County CRS communities
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I. INTRODUCTION
The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The CRS program allows communities to earn flood insurance premium discounts for their residents and businesses by implementing local mitigation, floodplain management, and outreach activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements to reduce the risk of flooding.
In Santa Clara County, 11 (eleven) communities, including Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) have actively participated in the FEMA NFIP CRS for over 30 years.
The CRS participating communities (CRS communities) are City of Cupertino, City of Gilroy, City of Los Altos, City of Milpitas, City of Morgan Hill, City of Mountain View, City of Palo Alto, City of San Jose, City of Santa Clara, City of Sunnyvale, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water).
CRS communities, along with their external non-governmental stakeholders, non-CRS communities: City of Saratoga, Town of Los Altos Hills, Town of Los Gatos, and the County of Santa Clara who opted to join the 2021 Program for Public Information (PPI), comprised the 2021 PPI Committee. The original 2021 PPI Committee is listed in Table 1. Original Members of the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional 2021 PPI Committee of the 2021 PPI (Attachment 1). Since the development of the 2021 PPI, there may have been changes to the community’s original 2021 PPI Committee members (either the internal representatives to the organization and/or the external stakeholders). Those member changes are noted on the meeting attendance sheets.
For CRS credit, FEMA requires that each CRS community provide at least two representatives to the regional PPI Committee, with at least half of the representatives from outside the local government. Additionally, at least half of the representatives must attend all the meetings of the regional PPI Committee. Non-CRS communities are also required to provide an external stakeholder.
An important benefit of the PPI Committee’s work is close collaboration between local public agency staff who work on flood protection throughout Santa Clara County. Together, PPI Committee members continue strengthening their individual CRS programs and ensuring communities can evaluate their flood programs against a nationally recognized benchmark.
The 2021 PPI Committee, the remaining non-CRS communities (City of Campbell and City of Monte Sereno), and other interested parties make up the Santa Clara County CRS Users Group.
The Santa Clara County CRS Users Group collaborates to ensure floodplain management activities provide enhanced public safety, reduced damage to property and public infrastructure, and avoidance of economic disruption and loss in Santa Clara County. Through the five-year PPI development and the annual reporting process, members of the SC County CRS Users Group learn from one another about local floodplain management activities, including flood protection and land use issues. For both the Santa Clara County CRS Users Group and the 2021 PPI Committee, the PPI is one of the most impactful activities of the CRS program.
Under the CRS program, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reward CRS communities’ actions that meet the three goals of the CRS:
(1) reduce flood damage to insurable property
(2) strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the NFIP; and (3) encourage a comprehensive approach to floodplain management.
Flood insurance premiums for CRS communities are reduced in 5% increments for every 500 CRS points earned.
As of April 30, 2023, the total savings for Santa Clara County residents from CRS discounts is approximately $1.5 million.
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Valley Water is the lead flood protection agency for Santa Clara County. Valley Water performs many flood preparedness outreach and stream stewardship/maintenance activities that earn credit points for CRS communities. Since Valley Water is not a land-use agency, the points Valley Water earns as a “fictitious community” provide a foundation upon which the CRS communities can build. FEMA approved this unique arrangement with Valley Water in 1998.
The CRS Coordinator’s Manual, 2013 Edition, included the option to undertake a Program for Public Information (PPI), which standardizes our flood preparedness outreach messages and increases communities’ CRS points.
Each participant of the PPI Committee brings unique perspectives and suggestions that enhance the PPI. Each community must adopt the PPI through a formal vote by the community’s governing body.
In 2013, Valley Water initiated and facilitated the effort to develop the first Multi-Jurisdictional PPI so that all Santa Clara County CRS communities could work together and benefit from this activity.
Non-CRS communities were also invited to participate in the development of the PPI. This work effort resulted in the 2015 Multi-Jurisdiction PPI (2015 PPI).
On April 14, 2015, Valley Water’s Board adopted the 2015 PPI, which sunset in April 2020. Following Valley Water’s lead, the other CRS communities’ governing bodies adopted the 2015 PPI soon thereafter.
Under the CRS, the PPI must be updated every five years. Each subsequent year after adopting the PPI, the PPI Committee must submit an annual evaluation report to FEMA describing the PPI implementation for the prior fiscal year. The PPI Committee must evaluate whether the flood risk reduction messages in the PPI are still relevant and adjust the PPI, if needed. The annual evaluation report is shared with each CRS community’s governing body as an informational item.
As required, annual evaluation reports for FY16 (Year 1 of the 2015 PPI) through FY19 (Year 4 of the 2015 PPI) were prepared, sent to each CRS community’s governing body, and included in each community’s respective annual recertifications or as part of a community’s documentation for those that were cycled on any given year.
In FY20 (Year 5 of the 2015 PPI), the PPI Committee was required to update the 2015 PPI. The Insurance Services Office (ISO), FEMA’s CRS program management contractor, exempted the PPI Committee from submitting an annual evaluation report for FY20 (Year 5 of the 2015 PPI) as the committee focused on updating the document.
In February 2020, Valley Water hosted the start of the five-year PPI updated process. Fifteen Santa Clara County communities worked together to update the 2015 PPI. These communities included the current 11 CRS communities as well as four non-CRS communities that expressed interest in joining the 2015 PPI and possibly the CRS program. Staff and external stakeholders from each agency participated in developing the new PPI.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak started. The California State Emergency Services Act, the Governor’s Emergency Declaration related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor’s Executive Order N-29-20, and Order of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Officer dated March 16, 2020, went into effect.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused far-reaching, unprecedented changes. Businesses and organizations faced economic and operational uncertainty across every industry and sector. The workforce impacts during COVID-19 caused delays beyond control, including the PPI Committee’s ability to continue its work of updating the 2015 PPI. Many communities shifted priorities to respond to the public health crisis; therefore, FEMA provided an extension of completing the update to the 2015 PPI to early 2021.
The 2021 PPI Committee reconvened in October 2020 to resume the 2015 PPI update. Several virtual meetings followed until the 2021 PPI Committee completed the 2021 PPI in April 2021. The 2021 PPI was adopted by CRS communities, as indicated in Table 1. Adoption Dates 2021 PPI.
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II. 2021 PPI DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Valley Water, CRS, and non-CRS communities initiated the 2021 PPI process in February 2020. Due to COVID-19, discussions were postponed; the process was reinitiated in October 2020. The Santa Clara County 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information document was completed in April 2021 (refer to Section I. Introduction for COVID-19-related delays).
Virtual meetings were held between 2020 and 2021 to develop the 2021 PPI. FEMA’s six priority topic messages and the three additional messages identified in the 2015 PPI carried forward into the 2021 PPI. The 2021 PPI Committee felt all nine topics and supporting messages were still relevant for reaching Santa Clara County residents and ensuring they are flood-ready.
The below listed is Table 3 in the 2021 PPI: CRS Priority Messages Topic
Number Topic message Public Message (Select one message per topic) TOPIC #1 Know your flood hazard
x Know your flood risk
x Contact your floodplain manager to find out if your
property is in a floodplain
x Check if your home or business is in a
Special Flood Hazard Area
TOPIC #2 Insure your property for your flood
hazard
x Get flood insurance ahead of time
x Insure your property
x There is a 30-day waiting period for the policy to take place
TOPIC #3 Protect people from the flood hazard
x Put your 3-day emergency kit together
x Follow evacuation orders
x Learn the best route to high ground
TOPIC #4 Protect your property from the flood
hazard
x Protect your home from flood threats
x Prepare your home
x Sandbags can offer protection against a foot or less of floodwater
x Get sandbags before a flood
TOPIC #5 Build responsibly
x Build responsibly in floodplains
x Comply with development requirements
x Check with your city/county floodplain manager before you build
TOPIC #6 Protect natural floodplain functions
x Keep creeks clean and flowing
x Keep debris and trash out of our streams
x Don’t pollute, dump, or drain anything in creeks
Additional Outreach Topic Messages
(only one message per topic)
TOPIC #7 Develop an emergency plan x Develop an emergency plan TOPIC #8 Download disaster apps x Download disaster emergency apps TOPIC #9 Understand shallow flooding risks––
don’t drive through standing water
x Understand shallow flooding risks - don’t drive through standing water
The 2021 PPI Committee worked between the meetings to draft the 2021 PPI and review the extensive list of outreach and flood response projects (Attachment 2).
Based on the 2021 PPI Committee’s evaluation of the 2015 PPI, the consensus was that most of the 2015 PPI flood risk reduction messages were still relevant, so only minor edits were incorporated as needed.
This became the basis for the 2021 PPI; therefore, no additional FEMA review was required, as the 2015 PPI already ensured its provisions were fully compliant with FEMA requirements.
FEMA's ISO CRS Specialist and Technical Reviewers determine how many CRS points the 2021 PPI activities will earn. The PPI Committee estimates that of the possible 350 points for Activity 330, each CRS community could earn up to 300+/—points for PPI efforts.
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Once Valley Water approved the 2021 PPI (5-Year Plan), the final document was provided to the 2021 PPI Committee to present to their governing bodies for adoption and implementation.
Table 1. Dates of 2021 PPI Adoption shows each agency's 2021 PPI approval dates; all 11 CRS communities have adopted the 2021 PPI.
Table 1. Adoption Dates of the 2021 PPI
Community Date Presented Adopted
Santa Clara Valley
Water District 4/27/21 X
City of Cupertino 8/17/21 X
City of Gilroy 7/01/21 X
City of Los Altos 7/13/21 X
Town of Los Altos Hills
(*non-CRS community)
Not required Not required
Town of Los Gatos
(*non-CRS community)
Not required Not required
City of Milpitas 5/18/21 X
City of Morgan Hill 6/16/21 X
City of Mountain View 6/22/21 X
City of Palo Alto 6/14/21 X
City of San Jose 11/16/21 X
City of Santa Clara 7/06/21 X
County of Santa Clara
(*non-CRS community)
Not required Not required
City of Saratoga
(*non-CRS community)
Not required Not required
City of Sunnyvale 6/29/21 X
Total Approved 11
*Non-CRS communities are encouraged to participate in the ongoing efforts and initiatives of the Santa Clara County CRS Users Group and/or PPI Committee; however, those who opted to participate in the 2021 PPI are not required to adopt the PPI or share annual evaluation reports with their governing bodies.
III. ANNUAL EVALUATION REPORTS
The 2021 PPI states that the 2021 PPI Committee will meet at least once yearly to evaluate the PPI and incorporate any needed revisions. This meeting is coordinated in conjunction with the ongoing CRS User’s Group meetings, which occur at least twice a year.
The evaluation will cover the following:
Ɣ Review of projects that were completed.
Ɣ Evaluate progress toward outcomes.
Ɣ Provide recommendations on projects that have not been completed.
Ɣ Provide recommendations for new projects not previously identified.
Ɣ Address any Target Audience changes; and
Ɣ Assess the program's impact during an actual flood event if one has occurred.
The 2021 PPI Committee prepares the annual evaluation report for submission with each CRS community’s annual CRS recertification package (or scheduled 5-year cycle visits). The annual evaluation report is then shared with each CRS community governing body as an informational item.
Section V. 2024 Santa Clara County CRS Users Group/PPI Committee Meetings – Monitoring and Evaluating the 2021 PPI of this annual evaluation report summarizes the meetings held to develop the FY24 Annual Evaluation Report (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI).
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Table 2 below shows how each community expects to share the FY24 Annual Evaluation Report with its governing body.
Table 2. How the 2021 PPI FY24 Annual Evaluation Report, Year 3 will be shared with the Community’s Governing Body
Community Method for Sharing
Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Non-Agenda Item City of Cupertino Consent Item Council Agenda
City of Gilroy Consent Calendar
City of Los Altos Council Informational Staff Report
Town of Los Altos Hill (*non-CRS community) Not required Town of Los Gatos (*non-CRS community) Not required
City of Milpitas Memo to City Council
City of Morgan Hill Council Consent Calendar
City of Mountain View Council Weekly Update “Council
Connection”
City of Palo Alto Informational Staff Report
City of San Jose Council Consent Calendar
City of Santa Clara Council Consent Calendar
County of Santa Clara (*non-CRS community) Not required City of Saratoga (*non-CRS community) Not required
City of Sunnyvale City Manager’s “Update Sunnyvale”
*Non-CRS communities are not required to share annual evaluation reports with their governing bodies.
IV. 2021 PPI ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR FY24
The 2021 PPI Committee identified three efforts needed from each CRS community to prepare and finalize subsequent annual evaluation reports.
1. Governing bodies must adopt the 2021 PPI (Table 1. Adoption dates of the 2021 PPI). The 2021 PPI Committee must prepare an annual evaluation report and share it with its governing body as informational items (Table 2. How the 2021 PPI Annual Evaluation Report for FY24, Year 3 will be shared with the Community’s Governing Body).
2. For each fiscal year (July 1 - June 30), the communities must implement and monitor the outreach/flood response projects identified in Appendix A, CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community of the 2021 PPI (Attachment 2).
3. The PPI Committee must review and consider the ‘New Initiatives’ identified in the 2021 PPI (page 66) for advancing flood risk reduction efforts.
Governing Bodies Approval: All 11 CRS communities’ governing bodies, including Valley Water, adopted the 2021 PPI. Each agency (Community) shows the approval dates in Table 1 noted above.
Tracking System: The 2021 PPI is multi-jurisdictional and includes 15 agencies (11 CRS communities and four non-CRS communities). Tracking implementation is quite complex compared to a single-agency PPI. As the informal lead agency, Valley Water oversees the record-keeping to ensure consistency throughout the county.
An electronic file-sharing system, Egnyte, is set up with folders for each community to file and share documents related to the 109 potential outreach/flood response projects identified in the 2021 PPI and all CRS-related documentation. This also includes a comprehensive spreadsheet tracking which lists outreach projects accomplished in any given fiscal year by each community (Attachment 2). This spreadsheet, along with the annual evaluation report, will be submitted with annual CRS recertifications or as part of scheduled 5-year cycle visits.
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ISO assigns credit for Valley Water outreach/flood response projects to all Santa Clara County CRS communities’ ratings. Some communities also choose to carry out and report on their own outreach/flood response projects, in addition to those of Valley Water. These projects are shown on the composite spreadsheet (Attachment 2 - Appendix A from 2021 SC County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI noting FY24 Project Accomplishments) and include input from each agency.
The PPI Committee discussed the benefits of using the Egnyte shared-filing system for tracking the 2021 PPI outreach/flood response projects and all CRS-related documentation. The PPI Committee also discussed the importance of ensuring each agency regularly uploads its CRS documentation. These benefits are:
- Information Share/Knowledge Transfer: CRS communities can view each other’s program documentation. When a community improves its CRS rating, another community can access the documents submitted to determine how the CRS credited activities helped improve the score. - Document Repository: A central location for CRS-related documentation, organized to mirror the CRS Coordinator’s Manual (by community/activity/element), proves helpful when a community experiences staff turnover.
- Documentation Submittals: CRS documents are organized and easy to share with the CRS Specialists conducting cycle visits and/or annual recertification.
Summary of PPI Projects Accomplished in FY24
Attachment 2 of this annual evaluation report includes the complete list of outreach/flood response projects. It lists all projects proposed in the 2021 PPI, with a “Project Accomplishments” column noting actions taken during the third year, FY24 of the 2021 PPI.
Audiences Projects Accomplished
Community at Large (CAL) 81 potential projects, 64 accomplished Residents and Businesses in the Special Flood
Hazard Area (SFHA)
18 potential projects, 16 accomplished
Messengers to Other Target Audiences
(Organizations & Businesses Serving the
Community)
10 potential projects, 10 were accomplished
*Total Accomplished Projects 90 of 109
* Note: All projects carried out by CRS communities were accomplished in FY24. Variance in the number of potential projects versus accomplished projects is due to no updates from non-CRS communities, which is not required for this annual evaluation report.
These numbers go well beyond the minimum requirements of the CRS program for PPI credit under Activity 330; we anticipate all CRS communities will receive the maximum number of credits for our collective efforts in FY24.
Valley Water’s Outreach/Flood Response Projects
The 2021 PPI Committee identified the outreach/flood response projects for each community. The implementation of these projects is reflected in the ‘FY24 (Year 3) of the 2021 PPI Project Accomplishments’ column of Attachment 2.
FY24 Annual Flood Awareness Campaign
Valley Water's FY24 Flood Awareness Campaign (Attachment 3 for more details) theme was "Get Flood Ready.
You Live In a Flood Zone.” Valley Water's outreach employed digital geo-targeting technologies to reach businesses and residents in the flood zone. The campaign sought to drive awareness of flood risk, encourage residents to sign up for emergency alerts, and know where to find sandbags. Our materials emphasized our efforts to reduce the risk of flooding by working on capital improvement projects and showcasing our crews' work before, during, and after a storm emergency to keep the community safe from flooding. The overarching message was that we are ready and ask everyone to take steps to be flood-ready.
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CRS Communities Outreach/Flood Response Projects
Other Community Engagement Efforts
October officially kicked off the flood season. CRS staff regularly met with the California Department of Water Resources and state-wide partner agencies (communities and local, state, and federal agencies) to discuss the flood season, including sharing information about flood risk and how to prepare, and the 12th Annual California Flood Preparedness Week (CFPW). On September 26, 2023, Valley Water’s Board passed a resolution declaring October 21-28, 2023, as CFPW in Santa Clara County. Valley Water set-up a “Get Flood Ready” display in our Headquarters’ lobby. The resolution and display encourage residents and businesses to “Get Flood Ready” by preparing for the flood season.
Valley Water CRS staff provided materials for the Office of Communications’ Flood Preparedness 2023 Press Conference held on October 25, 2023 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5CbaVSWIuw). The Flood Preparedness Press Conference marked the launch of Valley Water’s 2023 flood campaign and coincided with California Flood Preparedness Week (CFPW).
Valley Water, the County of Santa Clara, and the City of San Jose are preparing for a strong El Niño and the possibility of extreme winter storms. Watch the news conference to learn about the National Weather Service's winter outlook forecast and an outline of our joint flood emergency preparedness efforts.
Valley Water CEO, staff, and then Chair John Varela, Valley Water Board of Directors; Brian Garcia, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, National Weather Service SF Bay Area/Monterey; Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, District 1, and Councilmember Domingo Candelas, San Jose City Council, District 8 were in attendance.
The event was live-streamed on Valley Water’s Facebook page. Valley Water staff showcased our Stream Maintenance Program heavy equipment and set up a sandbagging demo booth and an emergency kit table similar to the one displayed in Valley Water’s headquarters lobby at the onset of CFPW and remains throughout the flood season.
“Get Flood Ready” HQ lobby table display with sample contents encouraging visitors and staff to create a three-day emergency kit.
In November 2023, Valley Water presented and hosted a booth on flood preparedness at the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) City of San José District 5 Emergency Preparedness Event at the Mayfair Community Center in San José. Attendees included the San José Fire Department, the American Red Cross, the San José Neighborhood Watch Program, CERT volunteers, and members of the public.
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In November, Valley Water, along with other emergency preparedness organizations, presented flood preparedness tips at the Mayfair Community Center in San José.
In December 2023, the Organization for Latino Affairs (OLA) provided Valley Water’s emergency starter kits, English and Spanish flood preparedness information, and giveaways to approximately 500 attendees at the Santa Visits Alviso Foundation event in San José.
In February 2024, Valley Water partnered with Sacred Heart Community Service to provide free emergency starter kits and multilingual educational materials to distribute at events to help residents “Get Flood Ready!” In addition, Valley Water hosted a booth with “Get Flood Ready!” materials at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s King Tide Ride Event 2024 held on February 10, 2024, at Riverwalk Park in San Jose.
Valley Water provides “Get Flood Ready!” materials and tips at Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s King Tide Ride event in the Alviso community in north San José.
In April 2024, Valley Water participated in two emergency preparedness events to share the “Get Flood Ready” message. Staff hosted a booth at the Eggstravaganza Family Event organized by the Strong Neighborhood Initiative Program Mayfair Neighborhood Advisory Council in San Jose, which had more than 350 attendees. Valley
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Water also participated in an educational workshop with 40 attendees at The Links, Incorporated “Emergency Preparedness: Safety Now, Peace Later” event at the African American Community Service Agency in San Jose.
Valley Water provided flood-preparedness materials at the Eggstravaganza Family Event in San Jose.
Valley Water Education Outreach Program
Valley Water’s Education Outreach includes flood awareness messaging in year-round classroom lessons. A dedicated flood-focused lesson is offered from October through April. Valley Water’s role as a flood protection agency is introduced in all lessons so that participants in Education Outreach programs know that flood protection is one of Valley Water’s core objectives in Santa Clara County.
The following are the Education Outreach efforts from October 2023 April 2024.
Flood-Focused Programs
Education Outreach offers two lessons focused on flood awareness and preparedness: The Three Little Pigs and the Bad Weather Wolf for transitional kindergarten through second grade, and Watershed Maps for second and third grades.
The results of the Flood-Focused Programs delivered are as follows:
x 82 lessons
x 2,142 students
x 82 educators
Flood Awareness Messaging
In addition to Flood-Focused Programs, Education Outreach provided additional flood awareness messaging in general classroom presentations, assemblies, libraries, and public events.
The results of the general flood protection messaging are as follows:
x 241 events
x 8,021 students
x 343 educators
x 2,211 members of the public in Santa Clara County
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Community Events and Engagement
Booth Support at Events
Valley Water staff made a concerted effort to actively participate in community events, including community festivals and emergency preparedness affairs, particularly in communities and neighborhoods in or near flood zones. In FY24 (from September 2023 – May 2024), Valley Water and the communities’ staff hosted 25 booths and distributed flood preparedness information on flood safety and emergency preparedness materials, including Valley Water’s annual FPM. Those events are listed below:
1) 2023 Santos Family 17th Annual Car Show, Alviso, CA – 9/2/23 2) Silicon Valley Fall Festival (Day n Night Festival), Cupertino, CA – 9/9/23 3) Mountain View Art & Wine Festival – 9/9 – 9/10/23
4) Viva Calle, San Jose, CA – 9/10/23
5) Picnic by the Lake Multicultural Festival and Resource Fair, San Jose, CA – 9/20/23 6) County Parks La Fuente Celebration, San Jose, CA – 9/23/23 7) Children’s Moon Festival. San Jose, CA – 9/30/23
8) Assembly Member Ash Kalra’s Veggie Fest, San Jose, CA – 10/7/23 9) Supervisor Lee’s Day on the Bay, Alviso, CA – 10/14/23 10) Bay Area Diwali Festival of Lights, Cupertino, CA – 10/14/23 11) Pumpkins in the Park, San Jose, CA – 10/14/3
12) Shoreline 40th Anniversary Event, Mountain View, CA – 10/15/23 13) Teatro Vision Dia de Los Muertos Matinee, San Jose, CA – 10/20/23 14) South Asian Cultural Association of Sunnyvale’s Diwali Festival – 10/21/23 15) Morgan Hill Kidz Fest and Safe Trick or Treat – 10/28/23 16) City of Morgan Hill Fourth Saturday Downtown Event – 10/28/23 17) D8 Family Fall Festival, San Jose, CA – 10/28/23
18) Santa Visits Alviso – 12/9/23
19) Vietnamese American Roundtable Lunar New Year, San Jose, CA – 2/3/24 20) VMC Foundation Women’s Leadership & Policy Summit, San Jose, CA – 3/23/24 21) AAUW Wildflower Run, Morgan Hill, CA – 3/24/24
22) Cupertino Earth and Arbor Day Festival – 4/20/24
23) Emergency Preparedness Workshop, San Jose, CA – 4/27/24 24) Tech Interactive Tech Challenge, San Jose, CA – 4/28/24 25) Berryessa Art Festival, San Jose, CA – 5/11/24
Speakers Bureau Program
In FY24, Valley Water's ‘Let’s Talk Water Speakers Bureau Program’ reached the 22 organizations listed below. All general presentations mention flood protection and the need to ‘Get Flood Ready’ regardless of the county’s drought status. They also include links to Valley Water’s ‘Flood Ready’ information and resources webpage (ValleyWater.org/floodready), the hotline to call to report obstructions in creeks, and flood preparedness collateral available for all in-person events.
Valley Water’s Speakers Bureau Program can customize presentations to update community groups on waterspecific issues and provide updates on projects in their area. The FY24 presentations that included flood preparedness information are listed below.
1) June 2, 2023 – Rotary Club of Saratoga luncheon (FY23) 2) June 12, 2023 – Almaden Valley Community Association meeting (FY23) 3) June 22, 2023 – Gilroy Sons in Retirement meeting (FY23) 4) July 11, 2023 – Morgan Hill Kiwanis Club meeting
5) July 19, 2023 – Rotary Club of Morgan Hill meeting
6) July 25, 2023 – After Hours Rotary Club of Gilroy meeting 7) August 3, 2023 – Evergreen Community Roundtable
8) October 4, 2023 – Almaden Senior Association meeting
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Santa Clara County 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information FY24 Annual Evaluation Report (Year 3: July 2023 to June 2024) 11 of 12
9) November 16, 2023 – San Jose Sons in Retirement meeting 10) November 29, 2023 – Rocketship School Parents meeting 11) December 1, 2023 – Leadership Sunnyvale meeting
12) December 7, 2023 – Palo Alto Kiwanis Club meeting
13) January 8, 2024 – Berryessa Citizen Advisory Committee 14) January 26, 2024 – Valley Water Next Gen Career Pathways 15) February 4, 2024 – Unitarian Fellowship of Los Gatos 16) February 9, 2024 – The Forum
17) February 28, 2024 – Lions Club of Willow Glenn meeting 18) March 4, 2024 – Leadership Morgan Hill meeting
19) March 12, 2024 – Oak Grove Neighborhood Association meeting 20) March 19, 2024 – Santa Clara City Libraries
21) April 4, 2024 – Valley Water 101 Academy
22) April 18, 2024 – Kaiser Permanente Physicians
V. 2024 SANTA CLARA COUNTY CRS USERS GROUP/PPI COMMITTEE MEETINGS – MONITORING AND EVALUATING THE 2021 PPI
The FY24 Santa Clara County CRS Users Group/PPI Committee meetings were held on March 26, 2024 and May 29, 2024. Attendance by CRS communities was high. Staff from some non-CRS communities, external stakeholders, and other interested parties were also in attendance. Agendas, meeting notes, and attendance sheets for each meeting are included (Attachments 4-8).
As required by CRS, the objective of the March and May 2024 meetings was to monitor the implementation of the 2021 PPI, determine if the desired outcomes were achieved, and discuss whether any changes to the 2021 PPI were needed to complete this annual evaluation report. The PPI Committee agreed that the 2021 PPI messaging and projects would remain the same for the duration of the 2021 PPI, which sunsets in 2026.
VI. FUTURE MESSAGING – Other New Initiatives
The PPI Committee identified several opportunities to expand on existing initiatives and initiate new ones as follows:
1. Continue and expand the standardized flood message prepared for each community to include flood messages in utility bills yearly, including PG&E.
2. Expand on partnerships with local chambers of commerce to disseminate and share flood preparedness information.
3. Expand on outreach to the Asian and Latino communities who live in flood-prone areas.
4. Expand on outreach to ‘hot spots’/flood-prone areas by hosting on-site or virtual public events.
5. Expand the reach to local homeowners’ associations (HOA)s and apartment associations (i.e., Executive Council of Homeowners [ECHO]).
6. Expand the reach to residents in historically underserved and low-income communities through partnerships with organizations that serve these communities (i.e., Second Harvest Food Bank and others).
7. Communities could pursue FEMA Matching Funds Grants for severe Repetitive Loss Areas.
8. Review and expand other public information activities, such as Flood Protection Assistance (Activity 360) and Flood Insurance Promotion (Activity 370).
9. Develop a region-wide Flood Response Preparations (FRP) messaging plan.
The messages the PPI Committee originally chose are still relevant to Santa Clara County. The committee will continue to increase its efforts to encourage people to prepare personal/family emergency plans and be floodready. This will be incorporated into the flood preparedness outreach starting every fall. The PPI Committee will also continue coordinating efforts with Valley Water’s Education Outreach Program to promote flood preparedness in local schools.
The PPI Committee recommends continued use of social media for messaging. Mobile usage among individuals has increased exponentially over the years, and online platforms are rapidly adjusting to mobile-friendly
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Santa Clara County 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information FY24 Annual Evaluation Report (Year 3: July 2023 to June 2024) 12 of 12
standards. This provides an excellent opportunity to modernize campaign ad efforts by utilizing social media and digital advertising to increase exposure and reach more residents in Santa Clara County. Furthermore, these modern advertising methods allow for specialized demographic targeting to reach a narrow and defined audience, improving the ability to reach vulnerable populations effectively.
In support of our preparedness messaging, the PPI Committee will continue to promote the importance of having family emergency plans and kits ready before an emergency/flood event occurs.
The PPI Committee will continue to promote the American Red Cross All-Hazard App, which monitors alerts for severe weather, including floods, and the Floodsmart.gov and Ready.gov websites. The communities will distribute American Red Cross Emergency Contact Cards at events throughout the county.
VII. CONCLUSION
Overall, the CRS Users Group/PPI Committee successfully implemented the 2021 PPI in FY24. The 2021 PPI allowed PPI Committee members to mutually decide which flood risk reduction messages are most appropriate for our residents and identify how to deliver these messages effectively. Participating in the 2021 PPI aims to enhance the effectiveness of the flood risk messages to residents, reduce flood risks within Santa Clara County, and earn valuable CRS credit points when identified outreach projects are implemented.
The CRS Users Group/PPI Committee will continue its outreach efforts through FY25. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Attachments for submission to Valley Water Board, City Councils/Managers, and FEMA as part of 2023 Annual Recertification/5-year Verification Package, as required:
1. Members of the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional 2021 PPI Committee
2. Appendix A from 2021 SC County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI noting FY24 Outreach Project Accomplishments 3. Valley Water's FY24 Flood Awareness Campaign
4. March 26, 2024, Santa Clara County CRS Users Group Meeting Agenda
5. March 26, 2024, Santa Clara County CRS Users Group Meeting Attendance Sheet
6. March 26, 2024, Santa Clara County CRS Users Group Meeting Notes
7. May 29, 2024, Santa Clara County CRS Users Group Meeting Agenda
8. May 29, 2024, Santa Clara County CRS Users Group Meeting Attendance Sheet
9. May 29, 2024, Santa Clara County CRS Users Group Meeting Notes
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ATTACHMENT 1
Table 1. Original Members of the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional 2021 PPI Committee Community Local Government
Representative and Alternates External Stakeholders
County of Santa
Clara
Chris Freitas, Sr. Civil Engineer
Neville R. Pereira, PE, Development Services Manager,
Department of Planning and Development, Floodplain
Manager
Marsha Hovey, CADRE Board Chair
Cupertino Chad Mosley, Assistant Public Works Director/City Engineer, Public Works Department, Floodplain
Manager
Jennifer Chu, Senior Civil Engineer
Public Works Department
Jim Oberhofer, Emergency Coordinator
Cupertino ARES/RACES
Gilroy Gary Heap, City Engineer
Public Works Department
Jorge Duran, Senior Civil Engineer, Floodplain Manager
Public Works Department
Merna Leal, City of Gilroy resident
Los Altos Steven Golden, Senior Planner, Floodplain Manager Andrea Trese, Associate Civil Engineer
Christopher Wilson, Operations Manager,
Los Altos Suburban District, California Water
Company
Los Altos Hill Carl Cahill, City Manager, Floodplain Manager Nichol Bowersox, Public Works Director/
City Engineer
Christine Hoffmann, Assistant Engineer (DPW)
Phil Witt, General Manager Purissima Hills
Water District
Los Gatos WooJae Kim, P.E, Town Engineer
Parks and Public Works, Floodplain Manager
Annamaria Swardenski, Swardenski
Consulting
Milpitas Steven Erickson, City Engineer/Engineering Director, Floodplain Manager
Kan Xu, Principal Civil Engineer,
Engineering Land Development Section
Brian Petrovic, Associate Civil Engineer
Engineering Land Development Section
Elizabeth Koo, Administrative Analyst, Engineering Land Development Section
Warren Wettenstein, Chairman of the
Economic Development & Trade
Commission and President of the Milpitas
Chamber
Morgan Hill Maria Angeles, Senior Civil Engineer, Floodplain Manager, CFM
Charlie Ha, Supervising Civil Engineer
Engineering & Utilities Department
Swanee Edwards, City of Morgan Hill
resident
Mountain View Renee Gunn, Senior Civil Engineer, Public Works Department
Gabrielle Abdon, Assistant Engineer, CFM
Kevin Conant, PG&E
Palo Alto Rajeev Hada, Project Engineer, CFM
Public Works Department, Engineering Services Division, Floodplain Manager
Dan Melick, CERT Volunteer
City of Palo Alto resident
San Jose Arlene Lew, Principal Engineering Technician
Vivian Tom, Senior Transportation Specialist
Department of Public Works Development Services
Division
Shari Carlet, City of San Jose resident,
certified Floodplain Manager
Santa Clara Evelyn Liang, Senior Civil Engineer
Falguni Amin, Principal Engineer
Public Works – Engineering
Kevin Moore, Retired City Council member
Saratoga David Dorcich, PE, QSP/D, Associate Civil Engineer, Community Development Department, Floodplain
Manager
Rebecca Gallardo, Real Estate Agent for
Intero, a Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate,
servicing all areas of the Bay Area
Sunnyvale Tamara Davis, Senior Management Analyst Jeff Holzman, Director, Real Estate District Development Google
Agnes Veith, City of Sunnyvale resident
Valley Water Trisha Howard, Program Administrator
Paola Giles, Public Information Representative III
Sherilyn Tran, Office of Civic Engagement Unit Manager
Nikki Rowe, American Red Cross
Note: Since the development of the 2021 PPI there may have been changes to a community’s 2021 PPI Committee members (either the local government representatives and/or the external stakeholders). Those member changes are noted on the meeting attendance sheets.
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Community At Large(CAL)
- Multilingual
Communities
- Groups with
Special EvacuationNeeds
- New Residents,
Visitors andTourists
Topic 1: Know your flood hazard
Message 1A - Know your flood riskMessage 1B - Contact your floodplain manager to find out ifyour property is in a floodplainMessage 1C - Check if your home or business is in a SpecialFlood Hazard Area Topic 2: Insure your property for your flood hazard
Message 2A - Get flood insurance ahead of timeMessage 2B – Insure your propertyMessage 2C – There is a 30-day waiting period for the policy totake place Topic 3: Protect people from the flood hazard
Message 3A - Put your 3-day emergency kit togetherMessage 3B - Follow evacuation ordersMessage 3C – Learn the best route to high groundVVW cTopic 4: Protect your property from the flood hazard
Message 4A - Protect your property from the flood hazardMessage 4B - Prepare your homeMessage 4C - Sandbags can offer protection against a foot orless of floodwaterMessage 4E - Get sandbags before a flood Topic 5: Build responsibility
Message 5A - Build responsibly in floodplainsMessage 5B - Comply with development requirementsMessage 5C - Check with your local floodplain manager beforeyou build Educate our community on floodprotection and preparedness measures (VW OP #01) Multi-language Countywide Mailer(CWM) to every postal address in Santa Clara County(Topics 1-5 and 7, 8) Valley WaterCommunications
Each lateOctober orNovember
All Santa ClaraCounty CRSCommunitiesC
Valley Water’s Countywide Mailer (CWM) ‘Floodingcan happen. Anytime. Anywhere. Get Flood Ready’was mailed countywide from November 17 throughDecember 5, 2023, to 755,210 addresses. The CWMincluded an update on Valley Water's floodprotection projects, stream maintenance, and stormpreparation efforts. The mailer also included amultilingual section outlining the 9 CRS flood tips:know your flood risk, get flood insurance ahead oftime, develop an emergency plan and kit, protectyour home from flood threats, keep creeks clean andflowing, sign up for emergency alerts (AlertSCC andthe American Red Cross Disaster Emergency App),build responsibly in floodplains, and avoidfloodwaters - understanding shallow flooding: TurnAround Don’t Drown®.https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/valleywater.org.us-west-1/s3fs-public/2023%20CountywideMailer.pdfAll Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (VW OP #02) Distributes a soft copy of our FloodSafety Tips brochure for all SCC CRS communities’ use(print hard copies to distribute at events and/or postof flood preparedness webpages) (Topics 1-9) Valley WaterCommunications
Annually,November/December
All Santa ClaraCounty CRSCommunities
‘Get Flood Ready. You Live in a Flood Zone’multilingual postcards that included the nine CRStopics and supporting messages, and links to variousflood readiness/preparedness webpages, were 3 A stakeholder can be any agency, organization, or person (other than the community itself) that supports the message. Stakeholders can be: an insurance company that publishes a brochures on flood insurance, even if it is set out at City Hall; a local newspaper that publishes a flood or hurricane season supplement each year; FEMA, if, for example, a FEMA brochure is used as an informational material; schools that implement outreach activities; a local newspaper; a neighborhood or civic association that sponsors and hosts a presentation by a community employee; a utility company that includes pertinentarticles in its monthly bills; or presentations made by state or FEMA staff at a Risk Map meeting. 2 Each September, all deliverables need to be reported to Valley Water for tracking purposes.1 Message Topics: Outreach Projects (OP): Topic 1 – Know your flood hazard; Topic 2 – Insure your property for your flood hazard; Topic 3 – Protect people from the flood hazard; Topic 4 – Protect your property from the hazard; Topic 5 – Build responsibly; Topic 6 – Protect natural floodplain functions; Topic 7 – Develop a Family Emergency Plan; Topic 8 – Download disaster Apps; Topic 9 – Understand shallow flooding risks – “Don’t drive through standing water.” Flood Response Preparations (FRP): What to Do Before, During and After a Flood/Storm 1 ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Topic 6: Protect natural floodplain functions
Message 6A -Keep creeks clean and flowingMessage 6B - Keep debris and trash out of our streamsMessage 6C - Don’t pollute, dump, or drain anything in creeks Topic 7: Develop a Family Emergency Plan
Message 7A: Develop an emergency plan
Topic 8: Download disaster Apps
Message 8A - Download disaster emergency apps
Topic 9: Understand shallow flooding risks – don’t drive throughstanding water Message 9A - Understand shallow flooding risks - don’t drivethrough standing waterFEMA’s message: “Turn Around Don't Drown®.” produced and distributed to 49,806 properties in theFEMA SFHA in October 2023.Additionally, Valley Water’s floodplain mailerfeatured QR codes, a magnet with important floodsafety websites, a detachable emergency phone list,photos of our most recent flood protection projects,a slideshow of our storm management efforts, whichinclude operating an EOC, filling sandbags,monitoring stream levels, and removing blockages, AQR code led to a video showcasing our streammaintenance work to prevent flooding.https://youtu.be/XCEixz0JzFQ?si=X7llwwnCSJolLdkpA trifold ‘You Live in a Flood Zone– Get Flood Ready.Do You Know What to Do Before, During, and After aFlood?’ was mailed in January 2024.In mid-October 2023, Valley Water’s 2023-2024Flood Awareness Outreach Partner Social MediaToolkit, 'Get Flood Ready', was available fordownload to all partnering agencies, including CRScommunities. The toolkit provided digital and socialmedia banners and animations featuring thecampaign’s calls to action: Get flood ready, knowyour risk, sign up for emergency alerts, and findsandbags. The toolkit included multilingual graphicsshowcasing the 9 CRS tips and offered theopportunity to request co-branded bill inserts andbanners.The toolkit includes the following items whichcontained messages for all nine flood awareness tips(PPI CRS message topics) for all Santa Clara Countycommunities to use:
● Get Flood Ready● Know your risk● Sign up for emergency alerts● Find sandbags● Flood zone cards and banners● Multilingual Flood Ready tips 2 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Cupertino distributes copies of Valley Water’s FloodSafety Tips at various fairs/events (i.e., Earth DayFestival) and provides additional copies for the publicon display at City Hall. Cupertino also has a directlink to Valley Water’s annual mailer and Flood Readywebpage on the City’s “Floodplain Management”webpage.Los Altos distributes brochures available at City Hall,library, and community center. They are alsodistributed at community events (emergencytraining, wine stroll, etc.).Morgan Hill hosted ‘National Night Out’ onAugust 1, 2023. Flood preparedness information(Valley Water floodplain mailer, red ‘Get FloodReady’ which includes an emergency supply list, totebags, etc.) were distributed and general Flood Factswere posted for the public’s information. Morgan Hillalso held other events (Leadership Morgan Hill inFebruary 2023 and Public Works Week in May 2023)where flood prepared information was shared.Valley Water’s flood safety brochures were alsoavailable at City Hall.Mountain View promotes and distributes ValleyWater’s Flood Safety Tips and emergency kits at fairs(i.e., Earth Day Celebration, Community SummerKick-Off Event). Valley Water’s flood safety brochuresare available at city hall.Palo Alto promotes and distributes Valley Water’sFlood Safety Tip and emergency kits at fairs (i.e.,Earth Day Festival) and provides as an informationalitem on Utility Inserts sent every year. Valley Water’sflood safety brochures are available at city hall.The City of Santa Clara has hard copy brochuresavailable at city hall and central library. They aredistributed at the yearly art & wine festivals as well. 3 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (CUP OP #03) Flood notice in the local newsletter,“The Cupertino Scene” (Topics 1-9) City of Cupertino Each October
or Novemberissue
N/A Cupertino changed the frequency of the local
newsletter from monthly to quarterly. Therefore, theannual flood preparation article was published in theSeptember 2023 issue of “The Cupertino Scene”. (LA OP #04) Two (2) newspapers ads, in the Los AltosTown Crier (Topics 1-5) City of Los Altos Each fall N/A Los Altos published two newspaper ads titled “Assess Your Flood Risk and Flood Insurance Availability” on10/4/23 and on 10/11/23 in the Los Altos Town Crier. (LAH OP #05) The town’s “Our Town” quarterlynewsletter includes information on floodpreparedness. The newsletter is mailed out town-wideand is also available online on the town’s website(Topics TBD during cycle visit) Town of Los AltosHills
Each fall N/A Town of Los Altos Hills: No update available - non-CRS participating community.
(LAH OP #06) The town distributes various floodpreparedness and safety materials at events, includingValley Water’s annual floodplain mailer andpromotional item (e.g., emergency starter kits, GetFlood Ready Emergency Supply Checklist tote bags,etc.), FEMA flood insurance information, ReadySCC,and American Red Cross Flood apps, AlertSCC,sandbag guidelines, flood protection project-specificnotices, FEMA NFIP materials, and preparednessactivity/coloring books, etc.) to the public Town of Los AltosHills
Annually,spring and latesummer
N/A Town of Los Altos Hills: No update available -
non-CRS participating community.
(MIL OP #07) “Flood Public Advisory” brochure tocommunity at large (Topics 1-6) City of Milpitas Each December
to January
N/A Milpitas: Utility bill inserts was sent to every address in Milpitas in May 2024, and will be sent out withinthe fiscal year going forward. This was sent out infour languages (English, Vietnamese, Spanish, andChinese). (MH OP #08) Sends a citywMide “Flood Report”brochure (Topics 1-9) City of MorganHill
Annually, closeto or duringthe start of therainy season N/A The City of Morgan Hill will mail out the citywide
“2024 Flood Report” in July/August 2024.
(MV OP #09) Sends “The View” citywide newsletter,Winter version, includes information on flood risk,flood safety, and the importance of buying floodinsurance (Topics 1-9) City of MountainView
Fall newsletteredition
N/A Mountain View sent out “The View” for Fall/Winter
2023 with information on flood risk, flood safety, andthe importance of buying flood insurance (Topics 1-9) 4 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(MV OP #10) Mails a utility bill insert to all residentand businesses that contains information on flood risk,flood safety, and the importance of buying floodinsurance (Topics 9) City of MountainView
Between July -September
N/A Mountain View sent out Valley Water’s Get Flood
Ready flier as a utility billing insert to every Cityutility customer in Winter 2023/2024. (PA OP #11) Sends the “Are You Ready for WinterStorms?’ flier (aka utilities insert) to all residents andbusinesses in the City, along with their utility bills(Topics 1-9) City of Palo Alto Each Fall N/A Palo Alto sent “Are You Ready for Winter Storms?” fliers to all residents and businesses along with theirutility bills in September 2023. The social media adcampaign (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor) wasalso included in the utility bills that went out inSeptember 2023. (PA OP #12) Sends out utility announcement, “Anytimeit can rain, it can flood. Don’t get caught off-guard”(Topics 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 9 – will pursue adding othertopic) City of Palo Alto Each
March/April
N/A Palo Alto sent a utility announcement as an
informational announcement on utility bills went outin December 2023. Effective FY23, the City’s PublicWorks Department shifted from the March/Apriltime frame of this announcement, to December eachyear. (PA OP #13) The city distributes various floodpreparedness and safety documents, including FEMANFIP materials for public/policyholders City of Palo Alto Year Round N/A Palo Alto distributed flood preparedness documents, including the emergency starters kit, during EarthDay Event on 4/20/24, and also makesdinformational materials available in our HQ lobby. (SC OP #14) Mails out a citywide newsletter forresidents and businesses called “Inside Santa Clara”(Topics 1-9) City of Santa Clara Each fall N/A Santa Clara: For the flood 2023 season, in-lieu of the newsletter, a Flood Ready email was sent out toresidents in 12/12/23, as well as a Utility BIll Inserton flood information in Spring 2024. The nextnewsletter is projected to be in Fall 2024.
Educate our community on floodprotection and preparedness measuresIncrease in ‘hits’ on Valley Water andcommunities Flood Protection Resourceswebpage______________________These website projects are credited underActivity 350 – Flood ProtectionInformation, element c). Flood protectionwebsite (WEB),not credited under Activity 330 (VW OP #15) Flood Ready webpage: Flood & Safety,Flood Protection Resources, includes floodplain andcountywide mailershttps://www.valleywater.org/bfloodready Valley Water Year Round All Santa Clara
County CRSCommuniohties
Valley Water’s flood protection resources landingpage includes the most current version of the annualfloodplain mailer ‘Get Flood Ready. You Live in aFlood Zone. Know your flood risk. Sign up for alerts.Get Sandbags’ (dated 9/23)https://online.flipbuilder.com/tkap/qkwt/; andCWM “‘Flooding can happen. Anytime. Anywhere.
Get Flood Ready’ (dated 10/23)
https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/valleywater.org.us-west-1/s3fs-public/2023%20CountywideMailer.pdf,; and 5 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Note: To receive any WEB credit, thecommunity’s website must meet thefollowing criteria:The community must check the website’slinks at least monthly, and fix those thatare no longer accurate. At least annually,the community must review the content toensure that it is still current and pertinent “You Live in a Flood Zone, Make Sure You Are Ready.
Do You Know What to Do Before, During, and After aFlood?”’ trifold (dated 12/23)https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/valleywater.org.us-west-1/s3fs-public/2023%20flood%20mailer.pdf; and‘Get Flood Ready. You Live in a Flood Zone’multilingual postcards (dated 09/23) DownloadpostcardCupertino’s “Floodplain Management” webpage hasa link that redirects to Valley Water’s Flood Readylanding page.Gilroy’s “Flood Management” and “EmergencyPreparedness” web pages link to Valley Water’sFlood ready landing page.Los Altos’ “Floodplain Management Information”web page links to Valley Water’s Flood Ready webpage.Morgan Hill’s “Floodplain Management” landingpage redirects to Valley Water’s Flood Ready landingpage.Mountain View’s “Flood Protection and InsuranceInformation” webpage links to Valley Water’s FloodReady web page.Palo Alto’s “Flood Information and Winter StormPreparedness” webpage redirects to Valley Water’sFlood Ready landing page.City of Santa Clara’s “Flood Protection Information”web page redirected to Valley Water’s Flood Readypage. 6 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
All Santa Clara communities flood protectionresource landing pages redirect to Valley Water’sFlood Ready landing page. (ALL OP #16) All communities’ website floodprotection resources webpage includes language thatcontains the three additional PPI priority messagesnoted below:
7. Develop an emergency plan8. Download disaster apps9. Understand shallow flooding risks––don’t drive through standing water
All Santa ClaraCountyCommunities
Year Round N/A Valley Water’s flood protection resources landing page includes the top 6 CRS priority topic messages,as well as the 3 additional messages identified in the2021 PPI (page 45). Reminders to verify requiredlanguage/links was on all communities websites wasdiscussed at both the 3/26/24 and 5/29/24 CRSUsers Group/PPI Meetings.Cupertino’s “Floodplain Management” webpage hasa link to Valley Water’s annual mailer which includesthe CRS 9 topics.Gilroy’s “Emergency Preparedness”' webpageredirects to Valley Water’s Flood Ready landing page,‘9 Essential Tips to Get Flood Ready.’ Our EmergencyPreparedness page also includes topics 7, 8, and 9.Morgan Hill’s “Flood Information, FloodplainManagement” webpage currently includes a link tothe “2023 Flood Report” that includes the CRS 9topics. The link will be updated when the “2024Flood Report” version is available in July/August2024.Mountain View’s “Flood Protection and InsuranceInformation” webpage has a link to Valley Water’sannual mailer which includes the CRS 9 topics.Palo Alto’s utility insert includes all three additionalPPI priority messages, and the Flood Information andWinter Storm Preparedness website has a link to theutility insert which shows the three additional PPI.City of Santa Clara’s “Flood Protection Information”web page includes resources for preparedness. 7 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(SCC OP #17) Hosts a “Storm and Flood Informationand Resources” webpage available for all residents inthe county, includes re-directing towww.floodsmart.govhttps://www.sccgov.org/sites/opa/Pages/storm.aspx Santa Clara CountyOffice of PublicAffairs
Year Round N/A Santa Clara County: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(SCC OP #18) Hosts a “Flood Safety Information”webpage, includes re-directing towww.valleywater.org/floodreadyhttps://cpd.sccgov.org/flood-safety-information Santa Clara CountyConsumerProtection Division
Year Round N/A Santa Clara County: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(SCC OP #19) Hosts a “Be a Prepared CommunityMember” webpage that includes emergencypreparedness informationhttps://emergencymanagement.sccgov.org/be-prepared-community-member Santa Clara CountyOffice ofEmergencyManagement
Year Round N/A Santa Clara County: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(SCC OP #20) Hosts a “People with Access andFunctional Needs (AFN)” webpagehttps://emergencymanagement.sccgov.org/people-access-and-functional-needs-afn Santa Clara CountyOffice ofEmergencyManagement
Year Round N/A Santa Clara County: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(CUP OP#21) Hosts a “Citizen Preparedness” webpagethat includes emergency preparedness information,includes re-directing to Valley Water’swww.valleywater.org/floodready webpagehttps://www.cupertino.org/residents/community-services-programs/emergency-services/citizen-preparedness City of CupertinoOffice ofEmergencyServices
Year Round N/A Cupertino has archived the “Citizen Preparedness” webpage and created a new “FloodplainManagement” webpage:https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/departments/public-works/permitting-development-services/floodplain-management (GIL OP #22) The city hosts an “EmergencyPreparedness” webpage Emergency Preparedness |Gilroy, CA - Official Website (cityofgilroy.org) (listed inAppendix B) City of GilroyFire Department
Year Round N/A Gilroy continues to maintain an “Emergency Preparedness” webpage, including a link thatredirects to Valley Water’s Flood Ready landing page,the National Weather Service webpage, Ready.gov,FloodSmart.gov, and the City’s Flood Managementwebpage. The Emergency Preparedness webpage isreviewed once a month and updated as needed. (LA OP #23) The city’s Public Works Department hostsa ‘Flood Zone Information’ webpage on its website(listed in Appendix B)https://www.losaltosca.gov/publicworks/page/flood-zone-information City of Los AltosPublic WorksDepartment
Year Round N/A Los Altos’ webpage is updated as needed. The webpage URL is:https://www.losaltosca.gov/publicworks/page/floodplain-management-information (LAH OP #24) The town hosts a “Flood Information”webpage on the town’s website. This webpage Town of Los AltosHills
Year Round N/A Town of Los Altos Hills: No update available - non-CRS participating community
8 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
includes information on the PPI nine topics, includinga supporting message. The webpage redirects to thefollowing key resource websites:www.valleywater.org/floodready,www.floodsmart.org, www.ready.gov, andwww.weather.gov(LG OP #25) The town’s website encourages residentsand businesses to purchase flood insurance andredirects visitors to www.floodsmart.gov Town of Los Gatos Year Round N/A Town of Los Gatos: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(MIL OP #26) The city’s’ website has a “FloodInformation” webpage that contains information onseveral of the PPI message topics; the webpage alsoredirects to Valley Water, FEMA, NOAA,www.floodsmart.gov, www.Ready.gov, and USGSwebpagesThe city’s website also has a “Important Flood HazardInformation” webpage that contains information onseveral of the PPI message topics; the webpage alsoredirects to Valley Water, FEMA, NOAA,www.floodsmart.gov (listed in Appendix B)https://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/milpitas/departments/engineering/flood-information/ City of MilpitasEngineeringDepartment
Year Round N/A Milpitas: On-going.
Link:https://www.milpitas.gov/280/Flood-Information
(.MH OP #27) The city’s website has a “FloodInformation, Floodplain Management” webpage thatcontains city’s flooding information which redirects totheir Floodplain Management page and includes a linkto the city’s latest annual “Flood Report.” Thewebpage redirects Valley Water’s flood ready webpageand also contains FEMA flood informationhttp://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/747/Flood-InformationFloodplain Management | City of Morgan Hill, CA -Official Website City of Morgan HillEngineering LandDevelopment
Year Round N/A Morgan Hill’s “Flood Information, Floodplain Management” webpage will be updated to include alink to the “2024 Flood Report” brochure which isestimated to be available in July/August 2024. 9 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(MH OP #28) The city’s website has an “EmergencyPreparedness’ webpage (listed in Appendix B)http://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/133/Emergency-Preparedness City of Morgan HillPolice Department
Year Round N/A Morgan Hill continues to maintain its “Emergency Preparedness” landing page.The Emergency Preparedness landing page promotes“Do 1 Thing” a 12-month program with a goal ofassisting the community to be better prepared foremergencies and disasters. This information was alsoincluded in the “Weekly 411.” (MV OP #29) Hosts a “Flood Protection and InsuranceInformation” webpage on its website (listed inAppendix B)www.mountainview.gov/depts/pw/flood_protection.asp City of MountainView Public WorksDepartment
Year Round N/A City of Mountain View’s “Flood Protection and Insurance Information” web page includes resourcesfor preparedness and links to Valley Water’sFloodplain Mailer. (PA OP #30) Hosts a “Floodplain Management”webpage (listed in Appendix B)https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/pwd/stormwater/floodzones.asp City of Palo AltoPublic WorksDepartment
Year Round N/A Palo Alto continues to host the “Floodplain Management” webpage that has all relevantinformation regarding flood plain managementtopics. (PA OP #31) Hosts a “Flood Safety Tips” webpagewww.cityofpaloalto.org/storms; flood_safe_11-16.cdr(cityofpaloalto.org) City of Palo AltoPublic WorksDepartment
Year Round N/A Palo Alto continues to host the “Flood Information and Winter Storm Preparedness Webpage” whichhas links to the “Flood Safety Tips” flier under‘Before the Storm Additional Information.’ (PA OP #32) Hosts a ‘Creek Monitor’ webpage (listed inAppendix B)https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/pwd/creek_monitor/default.asp City of Palo AltoPublic WorksDepartment
Year Round N/A Palo Alto continues to host the real time creek monitor webpage that warns residents of imminentdanger of flooding. (PA OP #33) Hosts a “Flood Information and WinterStorm Preparedness” web page which contains usefulinformation for flood readiness (listed in Appendix B)https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/services/public_safety/flood_information_winter_storms/default.asp City of Palo AltoOffice ofEmergencyServices
Year Round N/A Palo Alto continues to host the “Flood Information and Winter Storm preparedness” website has usefulinformation on flood preparedness for before storm,during storm and after storm. (SJ OP #34) The city’s webpages includes a “FloodHazard Zones” webpage which includes information offlood preparednesshttps://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments/public-works/development-services/floodplainmanagement City of San JosePublic Works,DevelopmentServices
Year Round N/A San Jose: Website includes flood zone and flood smart information. Updated link:https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/public-works/development-services/flood-hazard-zone 10 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
92 Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(SC OP #35) The city’s “Flood Protection Information”webpage contains valuable information on floodrelated topicshttps://www.santaclaraca.gov/our-city/departments-g-z/public-works/engineering/flood-protection (alsolisted in Appendix B) City of Santa Clara Year Round N/A Santa Clara: Website is updated and maintains flood topic information
(SAR OP #36) The city’s website encouragesresidents/businesses to purchase flood insurance andredirects visitors to www.floodsmart.gov City of Saratoga Year Round N/A Saratoga: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(SAR OP #37) The city has a “Staying Safe, WinterStorms” webpage. They have also linked the city’sWinter Storms webpage to Valley Water’s Flood Readywebpagehttps://www.saratoga.ca.us/218/Winter-Storms City of Saratoga Year Round N/A Saratoga: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(SUN OP #38) The city has a “Flood Protection”webpage Sunnyvale, CA - Flood Protection (listed inAppendix B) City of Sunnyvale Year Round N/A Sunnyvale: The City continues to maintain its flood protection website.
Topics 1-9 and supporting messages
Flood Awareness Media Campaign, including social media
Educate our community on floodprotection and preparedness measures (VW OP #39) Conducts a flood awareness mediacampaign, reaching the community at large, includingour multilingual community. Many of the Santa ClaraCounty CRS Communities recognize Valley Water’sFlood Awareness Campaign and link it on theircommunity’s flood information web page and redirectto Valley Water’s Flood Ready webpage (Topics 1-9) Campaign features social media videos and postingson various platforms(i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Nextdoor, etc.),digital banners, newspaper advertorials, radio ads,billboards, utility bill inserts for communities to use,communities redirect to ValleyWater.org/FloodReadyand television/mobile ads targeting residents who livein flood-prone areas and multilingual ethniccommunities Valley WaterCommunications
Annually, forthe duration ofthe rainyseason,typically fromNovember toApril All Santa ClaraCounty CRSCommunities
Valley Water's FY24 Flood Awareness Campaigntheme was "Get Flood Ready. You Live in a FloodZone.” Valley Water's outreach employed digitalgeo-targeting technologies to reach businesses andresidents in the flood zone. The campaign sought todrive awareness of flood risk, encourage residentsto sign up for emergency alerts, and know where tofind sandbags. Our materials emphasized ourefforts to reduce the risk of flooding by working oncapital improvement projects and showcasing ourcrews' work before, during, and after a stormemergency to keep the community safe fromflooding. The overarching message was that we areready and ask everyone to take steps to beflood-ready.An educational paid advertising campaignsupplemented Valley Water's community outreacheffort. Polling results from the prior wintercampaign supported the advertising campaign,helping to understand target audiences and theirawareness levels and explore what educationalmessages and images most appealed to them. 11 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
93 Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
The Flood Awareness Campaign lasted six months,from October 2023 to March 2024, and cost$336,000. Valley Water’s FY24 Annual FloodAwareness Campaign cemented the shift to a digitalgeo-targeted campaign supplemented by fourdirect multilingual mailings to approximately 49,806homes and businesses in or near a high-risk floodarea, as designated by the FEMA Special FloodHazard Area (SFHA).See Attachment 3 of the FY24 Annual EvaluationReport for flood awareness campaign and postcampaign survey details.Los Altos included an insert provided by Valley Waterto all residents and businesses via a refuse collectionbill insert in November 2022 (non-residential) andJanuary 2023 (residential).Morgan Hill’s flood preparedness outreach efforts forFY24 are listed below:● August 1, 2023 - Hosted ‘National Night Out.’ Flood preparedness information (Valley Waterfloodplain mailer, red ‘Get Flood Ready’ whichincludes an emergency supply list, tote bags,etc.) were distributed and general Flood Factswere posted for the public’s information. ● August 25, 2023 - Included Emergency
Preparedness resources and tips in its Weekly411.
● September 2023 - Announced in its Weekly 411
that September was Emergency PreparednessMonth. City’s Office of Emergency Services alsoheld an Emergency Preparedness Presentationon September 20, 2023 at the City’s CentennialRecreation Senior Center. ● October 2023 - Starting in July 2023, began
participating in the ongoing statewide agencycoordination calls that led up to California FloodPreparedness Week held during the week ofOctober 21-28, 2023. 12 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
94 Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects (VW OP #40) As part of the flood awareness campaign,a ‘Get Flood Ready, Social Media and Web ResourcesGuide’ is provided to all cities/county in Santa ClaraCounty for their use as part of their outreach efforts Valley Water Upon the
completion ofthe annualFPM
All Santa ClaraCounty CRSCommunities
Valley Water also deployed a small-scalemultilingual social media campaign with the slogan"Get Flood Ready’ on social media and webplatforms. The campaign launched in winter 2023,starting with the season's first rains, and continuedthrough March 2024.A key strategy for the paid flood awareness campaignwas incorporating the 2021 Program for PublicInformation (PPI) 6 priority topics and the threeadditional outreach topics, including messagessupporting the nine topics, in Valley Water ads. Staffcrafted messages derived from Valley Water's annualFPM to residents in the SFHA.The ‘Get Flood Ready’ Partner Toolkit(https://conta.cc/46LwBzd) includes ‘MultilingualFlood Ready Tips’ for communities to share the 9 keymultilingual flood preparedness tips on social mediaor post individually as a multilingual slideshow.Download CRS tipsSee Attachment 3 of the FY24 Annual EvaluationReport for flood awareness campaign and postcampaign survey details.Los Altos has included links to the flood awarenesscampaign web resources in electronic newslettersduring the 2022/2023 flood season and on the city’swebsite.Morgan Hill’s Public Information utilizes ValleyWater’s Get Flood Ready social media and resourcesas they deem applicable on any given period.Mountain View’s “Flood Protection and InsuranceInformation” webpage has links to Valley Water’s GetFlood Ready webpage. 13 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
95 Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Palo Alto has Valley Water’s Flood AwarenessCampaign linked on the City’s Flood Information andWinter Storm Preparedness website.Santa Clara has Valley Water’s Flood AwarenessCampaign linked on the City’s Public Works,Engineering, Flood Protection Information landingpage on their website.All Santa Clara communities flood protectionresource landing pages redirect to Valley Water’sFlood Ready landing page. (SCC OP #41) Shares Valley Water’s digital social mediaresource links during the flood season. The “FloodsFollow Fires. Are you Ready?” and “Got Sandbags”messages redirect to Valley Water’s website.Messages are used on social media, short formnewsletter, short form email, web, and Nextdoor Santa Clara CountyOffice ofEmergencyManagement
Year Round N/A Santa Clara County: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(CUP OP #42) Recognizes the robust social mediacampaign led by Valley Water and has linked the city’smain flood preparation webpage to Valley Water’sFlood Ready webpage City of Cupertino Year Round N/A Cupertino continues to maintain the “Floodplain Management” webpage, including a link thatredirects to Valley Water’s Flood Ready webpage. (GIL OP #43) The city recognizes Valley Water’s FloodAwareness Campaign and has linked the city’s mainflood webpage to Valley Water’s Flood Ready webpage City of Gilroy Year Round N/A Gilroy: The “Emergency Preparedness” and Public Works “Flood Management” webpage both link toValley Water’s Flood Ready webpage. (LAH OP #44) The town recognizes Valley Water’sFlood Awareness Campaign and has linked the town’smain flood webpage to Valley Water’s Flood Readywebpage Town of Los AltosHills
Year Round N/A Town of Los Altos Hills: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(LG OP #45) Recognizes Valley Water’s FloodAwareness Campaign and has linked the Town’s mainflood webpage to Valley Water’s Flood Ready webpage Town of Los Gatos Year Round N/A Town of Los Gatos: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(MV OP #46) The city does a social media notificationabout storm preparation for winter storms ahead oftime. The notification directs residents to their “FloodProtection and Insurance Information” webpage. Thecity has also linked the city’s webpage to ValleyWater’s Flood Ready webpage City of MountainView
Year Round N/A Mountain View shared several social media posts before, during and after the major rain events duringthe winter. Posts included information onpreparation, forecasts for rain events and real timeupdates on current flooding. 14 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
96 Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(SC FRP #47) City publishes social media posts, onFacebook, Twitter, and other platforms, focused onsafety.The city has prepared a pre-flood plan (FRP) for publicinformation projects that will be implemented before,during, and after a storm/flood, as well as identifyingwho is responsible for posting these messages, whattype of events they apply to, what social mediaplatforms to post to and how often City of Santa ClaraOffice ofEmergencyServices
During thestorm season
N/A Santa Clara: Information was posted on social media for flood awareness week led by City Streets Division
(SJ OP #48) Recognizes Valley Water’s FloodAwareness Campaign and has linked the city’s mainflood webpage to Valley Water’s Flood Readywebpage. Keeps Valley Water’s floodplain mailer staticlocation at City Hall for residents to pick-up and is alsodistributed at various events throughout the year City of San Jose Year Round N/A San Jose places Valley Water’s FPM at City Hall and their website redirects to Valley Water’s Flood Readywebpage. The City recognizes and supports ValleyWater’s Flood Awareness Campaign. (SAR OP #49) Recognizes Valley Water’s FloodAwareness Campaign and has linked the city’s mainflood webpage to Valley Water’s Flood Ready webpage City of Saratoga Year Round N/A Saratoga: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(SAR OP #50) The city does a social media notificationabout storm preparation for winter storms ahead oftime City of Saratoga Year Round N/A Saratoga: No update available - non-CRS participating community
(SUN OP #51) The city actively posts flood safety andpreparedness messaging through social mediaplatforms (i.e., Facebook and Twitter) City of SunnyvaleEnvironmentalServices
During therainy season(October –March)
N/A Sunnyvale: City staff posted information to Facebook regarding keeping the storm drain clear to preventclogging.
Topics 1-9 and supporting messages
Community Events – Distribute flood preparedness materials tothe community Educate our community on floodprotection and preparedness measuresIncrease in ‘hits’ on Valley Water and citiesFlood Protection Resources pages andimprove Valley Water’s Flood CampaignresultsResidents less stress during emergenciesand better prepared before a flood event (VW OP #52) Copies of Valley Water’s multilanguagefloodplain mailer is made available to all Santa ClaraCounty CRS Communities to disseminate at variousevents, including keeping the mailer static in lobbyareas for visitors to pick-up. Valley Water attendsvarious communities’ events/fairs throughout thecounty and disseminates flood readiness materials,including various FEMA flood-related publications andValley Water flood ready materials (Topics 1– 9) Valley Water Annually,
September -May
All Santa ClaraCounty CRSCommunities
The below table reflects the quantities
requested/sent by/to the agency. FPM estimateddelivery date December 2023, Postcard and Trifoldestimated delivery date January 2024.
Community Floodplain
Mailer
Postcard /
Trifold
City of Los Altos 50 100 / 20Town of Los Altos Hills 25 150 /20City of Los Gatos 25 25/20City of Milpitas 50 25/20City of Morgan Hill 150 150/150City of Mountain View 25 25/20City of Cupertino 50 50/20VW CRS Program 150 300/50City of Palo Alto 100 25/20City of Sunnyvale 25 25/20All other cities/county(6 ct. ) 25 25/25
15 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
97 Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
The FPM is posted on our website
https://online.flipbuilder.com/tkap/qkwt/Valley Water’s 2023-2024 Flood Awareness OutreachPartner Toolkit (https://conta.cc/46LwBzd) wasmade available for download to all partneringagencies and includes access to our FPM:In mid-October 2023, Valley Water’s 2023-2024Flood Awareness Outreach Partner Social MediaToolkit, 'Get Flood Ready', was available fordownload to all partnering agencies, including CRScommunities. The toolkit provided digital and socialmedia banners and animations featuring thecampaign’s calls to action: Get flood ready, knowyour risk, sign up for emergency alerts, and findsandbags. The toolkit included multilingual graphicsshowcasing the 9 CRS tips and offered theopportunity to request co-branded bill inserts andbanners.Cupertino distributes copies of Valley Water’sFloodplain Mailer at various fairs/events andprovides additional copies for the public on display atCity Hall.Los Altos distributes copies of the Valley Water’sFloodplain Mailer and postcards at City Hall andCommunity Center buildings.Mountain View distributes copies of Valley Water’sFloodplain Mailer and postcards at City Hall andduring tabling events such as Earth Day and SummerKick-Off.Palo Alto distributes Valley Water’s multi-languagefloodplain mailer during fairs during Earth Day eventand Palo Alto’s Open House every year.Santa Clara: Fliers and additional information arecurrently at city hall and public library. 16 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
98 Attachment
1 660
Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (CUP OP #53) Distributes flood readiness outreachmaterials at various events/ facilities City of Cupertino Year Round, as
needed
N/A Cupertino distributes copies of Valley Water’s
Floodplain Mailer and other promotional itemsprovided by Valley Water at various fairs/events andprovides additional copies of the mailer for thepublic on display at City Hall. (GIL OP #54) Participates in two fair/events: GilroyGarlic Festival (GF) and city’s Public Works WeekCommunity Open House (PWWCOH) City of Gilroy End of July (GF)
Typically, inMay(PWWCOH)
N/A Gilroy: There was no Garlic Festival (due to the
shooting at this festival in July 2019, the City haspostponed this event indefinitely), so no materialswere distributed at this event. However, on August1, 2023, the City hosted National Night Out whereflood readiness materials were distributed.Materials were also distributed during the PWWCOHon May 22, 2024. (LAH OP #55) Hosts two events - Earth Day (ED) andthe Town Picnic (TP) Town of Los AltosHills
Annually,Spring (ED) andlate Summer(TP)
N/A Town of Los Altos Hills: No update available -
non-CRS participating community
(MIL OP #56) Distributes FEMA flood-relatedpublications at various events City of Milpitas Year Round N/A Milpitas: Ongoing. Distributing flood ready kits and information on “Earth Day” which is onApril 22, 2024.
(MV OP #57) The city participates Mountain View Art& Wine Festival (MVA&WF) and Thursday Night Live(TNL) and distributes flood preparedness information City of MountainView
EachSeptember(MVA&WF)Months ofJune/July (TNL)
Valley Water Mountain View attends various events such as Earth Day, Summer Kick-Off, and Public Works Week anddistributes flood readiness fliers and handoutsduring these events. (PA OP #58) Staff hosts a flood readiness table at city’sannual Earth Day (ED) event and at the city MunicipalCorporation Open House (MCOH). Upon request, thecity also participates in other fairs and promotes floodreadiness, including Creekwise mailer/brochure City of Palo Alto Each April (ED)
and July(MCOH)
Can varydepending onrequests madeto City tosupport fairs Palo Alto hosted a flood readiness table at the EarthDay Event on 4/20/24 and will host a table at the CityMunicipal Corporation Open House which will beheld on 7/15/24 (FY25). (SJ OP #59) Staff hosts and participates in the ‘BuildingPermits and Home Safety Open House.’ The city’s alsohosts ‘Pumpkins in the Park’ event which Valley Waterstaff participates in and promotes flood preparedness City of San Jose Each May and
October
Valley Water San Jose hosts the annual Building and Home Safety Open House. This year’s open house was held on5/2/24. The City also hosted “Pumpkins in the Park”on 10/14/23. Valley Water hosted an information 17 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
99 Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
booth and distributed flood preparednessinformation on flood safety and emergencypreparedness materials, including Valley Water’sannual floodplain mailer. (SC OP #60) City hosts a flood readiness table at theArt & Wine Festival. Valley Water also sponsors a tableat the festival promoting flood preparedness anddistributes various flood readiness materials to thecommunity City of Santa Clara Each
September
N/A Santa Clara: Flood readiness table was set-up at Arts & Wine Festival September 2023. Flood promotionalpackets and fliers provided by Valley Water weredistributed to visitors.
Topic 3: Protect people from the flood hazard
Message 3A - Put your 3-day emergency kit togetherMessage 3B - Follow evacuation ordersMessage 3C – Learn the best route to high ground Topic 9: Understand shallow flooding risks – don’t drive throughstanding water Message 9A - Understand shallow flooding risks - don’t drivethrough standing waterFEMA’s message: “Turn Around Don't Drown®.” Less damage due to the floods; improvesandbag distributionFewer accidents and rescues (SUN OP #61) City has permanent “Road May Flood”street signs in areas of the City prone to flooding andpromotes the “Flood Zone Look Up” featured on thecity’s website City of Sunnyvale Year Round N/A Sunnyvale: Ongoing. City staff still promote the use of the “Flood Zone Lookup.”
Topic 4: Protect your property from the flood hazard
Message 4A - Protect your property from the flood hazardMessage 4B - Prepare your homeMessage 4C - Sandbags can offer protection against a foot orless of floodwaterMessage 4E - Get sandbags before a flood Topic 5: Build responsibility
Message 5A - Build responsibly in floodplainsMessage 5B - Comply with development requirementsMessage 5C - Check with your local floodplain manager beforeyou build Increase in inquiries on retrofittingmeasures. Decrease the number ofrepairs and elevations without permits.Increase number of repairs with permitsEnsure people who are interested inprotecting their property from floodingare getting the help they needKeep families safe (CUP OP #62) The city offers Flood ProtectionAssistance, Property Protection Advice. Staff providesin-person flood risk consultation at the front counterand/or site visits when requested City of Cupertino Year Round N/A Cupertino: Ongoing. The City maintains a log of FEMA-related requests.
(MIL OP # 63) The city offers Flood ProtectionAssistance, Property Protection Advice and providesin-person flood risk consultation at the front counter City of Milpitas Year Round N/A Milpitas: Ongoing. City maintains logs of FEMA-related requests.
(SC OP #64) The city offers Flood ProtectionAssistance, Property Protection Advice City of Santa Clara Year Round N/A Santa Clara: On-going per requests to the city Topic 6: Protect natural floodplain functions
Message 6A -Keep creeks clean and flowingMessage 6B - Keep debris and trash out of our streamsMessage 6C - Don’t pollute, dump, or drain anything in creeks Cleaner streams and fewer dumpingviolationsFewer debris blockages during high-floweventsDrainage inspectors report fewer callsand a decrease in the amount of trashremoved (VW OP #65) “Do Not Dump”/illegal dumping messageis sent each year to all Santa Clara County residents inValley Water’s CWM and FPM Valley WaterCommunications
Each lateOctober orNovember(CWM)EachNovember/December(FPM) All Santa ClaraCounty CRSCommunities
Valley Water’s FY24 FPM included the 'Do NotDump/Illegal to Dump' (Topic 7, page 5) messaging.Additionally, Valley Water’s website ‘Get Flood ReadyEssential Tips’ landing page contains ‘Keep debrisand trash out of our streams,’ and the, dump, ordrain anything in creeks’ under the ‘Flood SafetyAdvice: Before a Flood’ section., and our ‘ReportCreek Blockages and local street flooding’ promotesthe do not dump/illegal dumping message. 18 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
https://www.valleywater.org/flooding-safety/flood-readyhttps://www.valleywater.org/flooding-safety/flood-ready/flood-safety-advicehttps://www.valleywater.org/flooding-safety/flood-ready/report-creek-blockages-local-floodingValley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 53 sites; 1,209Volunteers; 61.06 distance cleaned (miles); 23,456weight of trash collected (rounded up to the nearestpound); 3,614 weight of recyclables collected(rounded up to the nearest pound); andNational River Cleanup Day (NRCD) on May 18, 2024(Preliminary Results: 43 sites; 690 Volunteers; 66.22distance cleaned (miles); 16,481 weight of trashcollected (rounded up to the nearest pound); 773weight of recyclables collected (rounded up to thenearest pound)https://cleanacreek.org/past-results-2/Several Santa Clara communities participate in theseclean-up events.Cupertino’s “Floodplain Management” webpage hasa link to Valley Water’s Floodplain Mailer. The Cityalso includes the “Do Not Dump” messaging in TheCupertino Scene’s annual flood preparedness article.Morgan Hill includes this message in their annualFlood Report. The report is posted on the City’s“Floodplain Management” landing page.Mountain View’s “Flood Protection and InsuranceInformation” webpage has a link to Valley Water’sFloodplain Mailer and notes who to call in the city toreport illegal dumping. 19 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Palo Alto has Valley Water’s CWM and FPM linked onthe City’s Flood Information and Winter StormPreparedness website.All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (VW OP #66) “Do Not Dump” signs placed bywaterways/channels Valley Water O&M Year Round N/A Valley Water’s Operations & Maintenance continues its practice of placing ‘Do Not Dump’ signs onwaterways/ channels.All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (VW OP #67) Lists Pollution Hotline number in allProject Notices Valley WaterCommunications
Year Round N/A Valley Water’s project notices lists the pollution hotline number.All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (SCC OP #68) Storm Drain Stenciling/MedallionProgram
Santa Clara CountyYear Round All Santa Clara
County CRSCommunities
Mountain View installs Stenciling/Medallion on allcatch basins and inlets in the public right of way.Palo Alto installs Storm Drain Stenciling/Medallionon all public right of way catch basin and inlets.City of Santa Clara: Medallion installed on publiccatch basins/inlets.Santa Clara County: No update available - non-CRSparticipating community. (SUN OP #69) The city’s “Horizon” newsletter, includesDo Not Dump messaging City of Sunnyvale Annually, fall N/A Sunnyvale: The City still produces the Horizon newsletter and includes a “Do Not Dump” message.It was published in fall 2023. 20 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(ALL OP #70) Developments that are modifying orconstructing new catch basins/storm drains/inlets arerequired, per the below-noted permits, to stencil the“No Dumping! Flows to Bay.” In addition, some ofthese cities require all bid documents for capitalprojects which are modifying or constructing newcatch basins, and require the contractors to install thesame stencil. The program is also highlighted on cities’websites. ▪ South County municipalities are subject to the
statewide “Phase II” NPDES Permit
▪ North County municipalities are subject to the SF
Bay Municipal Regional Stormwater NPDES Permit
AllAdd Headings(Format >Paragraph styles)and they willappear in yourtable of contents.
Year Round N/A Valley Water mark’s each inlet with a “No Dumping! Flows to Bay” message on Valley Water properties.Cupertino requires all storm drain inlets to include amedallion with “NO DUMPING - FLOWS TOCREEK/BAY” for development projects.Gilroy requires all new storm inlets and catch basinsto include a stencil or medallion with no dumping,flows to creek/waterway language for developmentprojects.Morgan Hill requires all storm drain inlets and catchbasins within the project area of developmentapplications to be stenciled with prohibitive language(such as: “NO DUMPING – DRAINS TO CREEK”)and/or graphical icons to discourage illegal dumping.Mountain View requires all storm drain inlets toinclude a medallion with “NO DUMPING - FLOWS TOCREEK/BAY” for development projects.Palo Alto requires all storm drain inlets to include amedallion with “NO DUMPING-FLOWS TOCREEK/BAY” for development projects.City of Santa Clara provides and installs “No DumpingFlows to Bay” medallions near each catch basin forany new storm drain inlets constructed as part of aproject per the City specifications (CUP OP #71) The city’s annual flood notice in the localnewsletter, ‘The Cupertino Scene,’ contains dumping isillegal messaging and how to report City of Cupertino Annually,
October-November
N/A Cupertino includes the “Do Not Dump” messaging in
The Cupertino Scene’s annual flood preparednessarticle. (CUP OP #72) Participates in clean-up events: theannual National River Clean-up Day (NRCD) andCoastal Clean-Up Day (CCD). They coordinate withValley Water on both these clean-up efforts. The cityalso participates in Valley Water’s Adopt-a-CreekProgram City of Cupertino Each May
(NRCD) andSeptember(CCD)
VolunteersValley WaterStreamStewardship
Cupertino participated in Coastal Clean-Up Day on9/23/23 and National River Clean-Up Day on5/18/24.The City no longer participates in Valley Water’sAdopt-a-Creek Program. 21 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
103
Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(LAH OP #73) The town participates in annual clean-upevents: National River Clean-up Day (each May) andCoastal Clean-up Day (each September) andcoordinates volunteers. They coordinate with ValleyWater on both these clean-up efforts. The town alsoparticipates in Valley Water’s Adopt-a-Creek Program Town of Los AltosHills
Each May(NRCD) andSeptember(CCD)
VolunteersValley WaterStreamStewardship
Town of Los Altos Hills: No update available -non-CRS participating community. (MIL OP #74) “Flood Public Advisory” brochurecontains dumping is illegal messaging and how toreport City of Milpitas Annually from
December toJanuary
N/A Milpitas: Utility bill inserts was sent to every address in Milpitas in May 2024, and will be sent out withinthe fiscal year going forward. This was sent out infour languages (English, Vietnamese, Spanish, andChinese). (MIL OP #75) Participates in annual clean-up events:National River Clean-up Day (NRCD) and CoastalClean-Up Day (CCD). They coordinate with ValleyWater on both these clean-up efforts. The city alsoparticipates in Valley Water’s Adopt-a-Creek Program City of Milpitas Each May
(NRCD) andSeptember(CCD)
VolunteersValley WaterStreamStewardship
Milpitas: CCD held as an in-person event onSeptember 22, 2023. NRCD was held orMay 18, 2024 with one cleanup location. (MH OP #76) “Flood Report” contains message onkeeping debris and trash out of streams – Do NotDump messaging City of Morgan Hill Annually, close
to or duringthe start of therainy season
N/A Morgan Hill’s “2024 Flood Report” brochure will
contain the message “It’s illegal to dump debris andtrash into our creeks.” (PA OP #77) “Are You Ready for Winter Storms?”utilities insert contains the Do Not Dump and reportillegal dumping messages City of Palo Alto Each fall N/A Palo Alto includes Do Not Dump and Report Illegal Messages on City’s utility insert that was sent out inOctober 2023. (PA OP #78) Utility bill insert includes a ‘UtilityAnnouncement on Flood Safety Tips,’ including Protectnatural floodplains - keep rain gutters and drainagechannels free of debris City of Palo Alto Annually,
March-April
N/A Palo Alto includes Protect Natural Floodplains-keep rain gutters and creeks free of debris messages onflood safety tips sent as Utility Announcement andthe flier sent as an attachment on utility bills everyyear. (PA OP #79) Participates in annual clean-up events:National River Clean-up Day (NRCD) and CoastalClean-Up Day (CCD). They coordinate with ValleyWater on both these clean-up efforts. Additionally, thecity participates in Valley Water’s Adopt-a-CreekProgram City of Palo Alto Each May
(NRCD) andSeptember(CCD)
VolunteersValley WaterStreamStewardship
Palo Alto participates every year during NationalRiver Clean-up Day on Matadero and Adobe Creek.Palo Alto also participates in the multi-jurisdictionaleffort on creek clean-up of San Francisquito Creek. (PA OP #80) Clean-ups of trash booms located inMatadero Creek and Adobe Creek are done annuallyon an as-needed basis. The city also assesses its hotspots and cleans up the local drainage system on anongoing basis and part of its operations andmaintenance City of Palo Alto Annually,
as needed
N/A Palo Alto City staff continue clean-ups of trash
booms on Matadero Creek and Adobe Creek, assesshot spots and clean ups on an ongoing basis on theentire City’s storm drain network system. 22 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
104
Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(SUN OP #81) “Horizon” newsletter includes a “KnowHow to Be FloodSafe” article that promotes the DoNot Dump message City of Sunnyvale Each October,
Fall Edition
N/A Sunnyvale: The City still includes a “flood Safe”
message in the fall Horizon. It was published in fall2023.
Residents andBusinesses in theSpecial Flood HazardArea (SFHA) - Low Lying Areas,
Along Rivers andCreeks
- Coastal Communities
at Risk for Sea LevelRise/Tsunamis
- Repetitive Loss (RL)
Areas
Topic 1: Know your flood hazard
Message 1A - Know your flood riskMessage 1B - Contact your floodplain manager to find out ifyour property is in a floodplainMessage 1C - Check if your home or business is in a SpecialFlood Hazard Area Topic 2: Insure your property for your flood hazard
Message 2A - Get flood insurance ahead of timeMessage 2B – Insure your propertyMessage 2C – There is a 30-day waiting period for the policy totake place Topic 3: Protect people from the flood hazard
Message 3A - Put your 3-day emergency kit togetherMessage 3B - Follow evacuation ordersMessage 3C – Learn the best route to high ground Topic 4: Protect your property from the flood hazard
Message 4A - Protect your property from the flood hazardMessage 4B - Prepare your homeMessage 4C - Sandbags can offer protection against a foot orless of floodwaterMessage 4E - Get sandbags before a flood Topic 5: Build responsibility
Message 5A - Build responsibly in floodplainsMessage 5B - Comply with development requirementsMessage 5C - Check with your local floodplain manager beforeyou build Topic 6: Protect natural floodplain functions
Message 6A -Keep creeks clean and flowingMessage 6B - Keep debris and trash out of our streamsMessage 6C - Don’t pollute, dump, or drain anything in creeks Topic 7: Develop a Family Emergency Plan
Message 7A: Develop an emergency plan
Residents/businesses in the SFHA areaware they’re in the SFHA and preparebefore floodsIncrease in number of flood insurancepolicies in the SFHAs and RLAs in thecounty in generalProspective buyers understand flood risksIncrease number of elevation certificateson file, and structures repaired withpermits; decrease the number ofrepetitive loss increase homesIncrease in the number of flood insurancepolicies with contents coverage (VW OP #82) Multi-language floodplain mailer (FPM)to all residents and businesses within the SFHA inSanta Clara County (Topics 1– 9) Valley Water Each
November/December
All Annual Floodplain Mailer (FPM) - Valley Water’s
multi-language (English, Spanish, Chinese, andVietnamese) annual FPM “Get Flood Ready. You LiveIn A Flood Zone” (dated 09/23) mailed on December2023 to approximately 49,806 homes and businessesin or near a high-risk flood area, as designated by theFEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)..https://online.flipbuilder.com/tkap/qkwt/The FPM featured QR codes, a magnet withimportant flood safety websites, a detachableemergency phone list, photos of our most recentflood protection projects, a slideshow of our stormmanagement efforts, which include operating anEOC, filling sandbags, monitoring stream levels, andremoving blockages, A QR code led to a videoshowcasing our stream maintenance work to preventflooding.https://youtu.be/XCEixz0JzFQ?si=X7llwwnCSJolLdkpHard copies of the FPM’s (quantities noted below, asrequested by the communities), postcards andtrifolds were also mailed to each city/County inapproximately January 2024 and the FPM was mailedin approximately November/December 2023 Community Floodplain
Mailer
Postcard /
Trifold
City of LosAltos
50 100 / 20
Town of LosAltos Hills
25 150 /20
City of LosGatos
25 25/20
City of Milpitas 50 25/20City of MorganHill
150 150/150
City ofMountain View
25 25/20
City ofCupertino
50 50/20
VW CRSProgram
150 300/50
23 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
105
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Topic 8: Download disaster Apps
Message 8A - Download disaster emergency apps
Topic 9: Understand shallow flooding risks – don’t drive throughstanding water Message 9A - Understand shallow flooding risks - don’t drivethrough standing waterFEMA’s message: “Turn Around Don't Drown®.” City of PaloAlto
100 25/20
City ofSunnyvale
25 25/20
All othercities/county(6 ct. )
25 25/25
The FPM, postcards, and trifolds posted on Valley
Water’s website ‘Flood Ready’ landing page:https://www.valleywater.org/flooding-safety/flood-readyValley Water’s FPM was distributed throughout thecounty various events through the flood season, andwe kept copies in our HQ lobby area.The City of Los Also posted Valley Water’s FPM onour flood protection website and we kept copies inthe city hall lobby.The City of Cupertino posted Valley Water’s FPM onour flood protection website and we kept copies inthe City Hall lobby.All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (CUP OP #83) Flood notice in the local newsletter, TheCupertino Scene, which reaches residents andbusinesses in the SFHA (Topics 1-9) City of Cupertino Each October
or Novemberissue
N/A Cupertino published the annual flood preparation
article in the September 2023 issue of “TheCupertino Scene”. (LA OP #84) Letter, along with a “Are You Prepared fora Flood in Your Neighborhood?” brochure to propertyowners in the SFHA (Topics 1-8) City of Los Altos Annually, each
fall
N/A Los Altos mailed letters to all SFHA property owners in October 2023.
(LAH OP #85) The town’s “Our Town” quarterlynewsletter includes information on floodpreparedness. The newsletter is mailed out town-wideand is also available online on the town’s website(Topics TBD during cycle visit) Town of Los AltosHills
Each fall N/A Town of Los Altos Hills: No update available - non-CRS participating community.
(MIL OP #86) “Flood Public Advisory” brochure toresidents and businesses within SFHA (Topics 1-6) City of Milpitas Each December
or January
N/A Milpitas: Utility bill inserts was sent to every address in Milpitas in May 2024, and will be sent out withinthe fiscal year going forward. This was sent out in 24 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
106
Attachment
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
four languages (English, Vietnamese, Spanish, andChinese). (MH OP #87) Sends a citywide “Flood Report”brochure, including to those in the SFHA (Topics 1-9) City of Morgan Hill Annually, close
to or duringthe start of therainy season
N/A Morgan Hill’s “2024 Flood Report” brochure is
anticipated to be mailed out in July/August 2024.
(MV OP #88) Sends “The View” citywide newsletter,Winter version, includes information on flood risk,flood safety, and the importance of buying floodinsurance (Topics 1-9) City of MountainView
Fall newsletteredition
N/A Mountain View sent out “The View” for Fall/Winter
2023 with information on flood risk, flood safety, andthe importance of buying flood insurance (Topics1-9) (MV OP #89) Mails a utility bill insert to all residentand businesses that contains information on flood risk,flood safety, and the importance of buying floodinsurance (Topics 9) City of MountainView
Between July -September
N/A Mountain View sent out Valley Water’s Get Flood
Ready flier as a utility billing insert to every Cityutility customer in December 2022. (PA OP #90) Sends the “Are You Ready for WinterStorms?’ flier (aka utilities mailer) to all residents andbusinesses in the city, including to those in the SFHA,along with their utility bills (Topics 1-9) City of Palo Alto Each fall N/A Palo Alto sent “Are you Ready for Winter Storms?” flier as utility inserts was sent out inSeptember 2023. (PA OP #91) Sends out utility announcement, “Anytimeit can rain, it can flood. Don’t get caught off-guard”(Topics 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 9 – will pursue adding othertopic) City of Palo Alto Each
March/April
N/A Palo Alto sent flood safety tips as a utility
announcement in December 2023.
(SC OP #92) Mails out a citywide, including alladdresses in the SFHA, newsletter for residents andbusinesses called “Inside Santa Clara” (Topics 1-9) City of Santa Clara Each fall N/A Santa Clara: An additional Flood Preparedness email was sent out 12/13/23, with a utility bill insertmailed to residents in Spring of 2024. (SUN OP #93) Sends two (2) mailers and one (1)“Horizon” newsletter article “Know How to Be FloodSafe” that promotes flood safety and floodpreparedness messaging targeted to all residents andbusinesses within the SFHA (Topics 2 and 4) City of Sunnyvale Each fall
aroundOctober
N/A Sunnyvale: The City still sends out mailers to targeted residents and a flood safe newsletter article. Themailers were sent October 2023. (SUN OP #94) Sends mailer to all those in the SFHA(Topics 1-4, and 7) City of Sunnyvale Each October N/A Sunnyvale: The City still sends out these mailers. The mailers were sent October 2023.
Topic 2: Insure your property for your flood hazard
Message 2A - Get flood insurance ahead of timeMessage 2B – Insure your property Increase in number of flood insurancepolicies in the SFHAs, RLAs, and in thecounty in generalProspective buyers understand flood risks (SCC OP #95) Sends letters to the properties in theunincorporated section in the areas of the county’smapped repetitive loss areas Santa Clara CountyAnnually, each
fall
N/A Santa Clara County: No update available - non-CRS
participating community.
25 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Message 2C – There is a 30-day waiting period for the policy totake place Increase in the number of flood insurance policies with contents coverage
(CUP OP #96) Continues to send a letter to formerrepetitive loss properties City of Cupertino Annually,
mid-year
N/A Cupertino continues to send out an annual letter to former repetitive loss properties.
(MH OP #97) Sends a notice to repetitive loss (RL)areas as required by FEMA City of Morgan Hill Annually, each
summer
N/A Morgan Hill will send letters to properties in the
City’s mapped repetitive loss areas in June 2024.
(PA OP #98) Sends letters to the properties in the city’smapped repetitive loss areas, highlighting flood safetytips City of Palo Alto Annually,
typicallyAugust -September
N/A Palo Alto sent letters to properties in the City’s
mapped repetitive loss areas, highlighting floodsafety tips in August 2023. (SJ OP #99) Sends letters to the properties in the city’smapped repetitive loss areas City of San Jose Annually, each
typicallybetweenSeptember -December
N/A San Jose sent letters to general repetitive loss
property areas in March 2024.
26 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Messengers to OtherTarget Audiences(Organizations &Businesses Servingthe Community) Topic 1: Know your flood hazard
Message 1A - Know your flood riskMessage 1B - Contact your floodplain manager to find out ifyour property is in a floodplainMessage 1C - Check if your home or business is in a SpecialFlood Hazard Area Topic 2: Insure your property for your flood hazard
Message 2A - Get flood insurance ahead of timeMessage 2B – Insure your propertyMessage 2C – There is a 30-day waiting period for the policy totake place Topic 3: Protect people from the flood hazard
Message 3A - Put your 3-day emergency kit togetherMessage 3B - Follow evacuation ordersMessage 3C – Learn the best route to high ground Topic 4: Protect your property from the flood hazard
Message 4A - Protect your property from the flood hazardMessage 4B - Prepare your homeMessage 4C - Sandbags can offer protection against a foot orless of floodwaterMessage 4E - Get sandbags before a flood Topic 5: Build responsibility
Message 5A - Build responsibly in floodplainsMessage 5B - Comply with development requirementsMessage 5C - Check with your local floodplain manager beforeyou build Topic 6: Protect natural floodplain functions
Message 6A -Keep creeks clean and flowingMessage 6B - Keep debris and trash out of our streamsMessage 6C - Don’t pollute, dump, or drain anything in creeks Topic 7: Develop a Family Emergency Plan
Message 7A: Develop an emergency plan
Topic 8: Download disaster Apps
Message 8A - Download disaster emergency apps
Educate our community on floodprotection and preparedness measures byworking and coordinating with groupswho serve as messengers, to people whoare at risk of flooding, as they providetheir respective business service (VW OP #100) Administers a “Let’s Talk Water”Speakers Bureau Program that customizespresentations to update groups on specific issues,provide updates on Valley Water projects, includingflood protection projects and to educate residents onexisting flood risks as well as provide resources andtips to be flood ready.https://www.valleywater.org/learning-center/lets-talkwater-speakers-bureau Valley WaterCommunicationsUnit
On aproject-specificbasis or asrequested
Could vary fromyear-to-yearKiwanisRotary ClubsHomeownersandNeighborhoodAssociationsForum GroupsAssociation ofRealtors In FY24, Valley Water's ‘Let’s Talk Water SpeakersBureau Program’ reached the 22 organizations listedbelow. All general presentations mention floodprotection and the need to ‘Get Flood Ready’regardless of the county’s drought status. They alsoinclude links to Valley Water’s ‘Flood Ready’information and resources webpage(ValleyWater.org/floodready), the hotline to call toreport obstructions in creeks, and floodpreparedness collateral available for all in-personevents.Valley Water’s Speakers Bureau Program cancustomize presentations to update communitygroups on water-specific issues and provide updateson projects in their area. The FY24 presentations thatincluded flood preparedness information are listedbelow
1. June 2, 2023 – Rotary Club of Saratoga
luncheon (FY23)
2. June 12, 2023 – Almaden Valley
Community Association meeting (FY23)
3. June 22, 2023 – Gilroy Sons in
Retirement meeting (FY23)
4. July 11, 2023 – Morgan Hill Kiwanis
Club meeting
5. July 19, 2023 – Rotary Club of Morgan
Hill meeting
6. July 25, 2023 – After Hours Rotary Club
of Gilroy meeting
7. August 3, 2023 – Evergreen Community
Roundtable
8. October 4, 2023 – Almaden Senior
Association meeting
9. November 16, 2023 – San Jose Sons in
Retirement meeting
10. November 29, 2023 – Rocketship
School Parents meeting
27 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Topic 9: Understand shallow flooding risks – don’t drive throughstanding water Message 9A - Understand shallow flooding risks - don’t drivethrough standing waterFEMA’s message: “Turn Around Don't Drown®.”
11. December 1, 2023 – Leadership
Sunnyvale meeting
12. December 7, 2023 – Palo Alto Kiwanis
Club meeting
13. anuary 8, 2024 – Berryessa Citizen
Advisory Committee
14. January 26, 2024 – Valley Water Next
Gen Career Pathways
15. February 4, 2024 – Unitarian Fellowship
of Los Gatos
16. February 9, 2024 – The Forum17. February 28, 2024 – Lions Club of Willow Glenn meeting
18. March 4, 2024 – Leadership Morgan
Hill meeting
19. March 12, 2024 – Oak Grove
Neighborhood Association meeting
20. March 19, 2024 – Santa Clara City
Libraries
21. April 4, 2024 – Valley Water 101
Academy
22. April 18, 2024 – Kaiser Permanente
Physicians
All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (VW OP #101) Participates in booth duty support atvarious events and fairs throughout the county,including Valley Water Capital project meetings orother events, as requested by various organizations Valley WaterOffice ofGovernmentRelations
Annually.During theflood season(starting inSeptember –May) All Santa ClaraCounty CRSCommunities
Valley Water staff made a concerted effort toactively participate in community events, includingcommunity festivals and emergency preparednessaffairs, particularly in communities andneighborhoods in or near flood zones. In FY24(from September 2023 – May 2024), Valley Waterand the communities’ staff hosted 25 booths anddistributed flood preparedness information onflood safety and emergency preparednessmaterials, including Valley Water’s annual FPM.Those events are listed below:
28 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
110
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
1) 2023 Santos Family 17th Annual Car Show,
Alviso, CA – 9/2/23
2) Silicon Valley Fall Festival (Day n Night
Festival), Cupertino, CA – 9/9/23
3) Mountain View Art & Wine Festival – 9/9 –
9/10/23
4) Viva Calle, San Jose, CA – 9/10/235) Picnic by the Lake Multicultural Festival and Resource Fair, San Jose, CA – 9/20/23
6) County Parks La Fuente Celebration, San
Jose, CA – 9/23/23
7) Children’s Moon Festival. San Jose, CA –
9/30/23
8) Assembly Member Ash Kalra’s Veggie Fest,
San Jose, CA – 10/7/23
9) Supervisor Lee’s Day on the Bay, Alviso, CA –
10/14/23
10) Bay Area Diwali Festival of Lights, Cupertino,
CA – 10/14/23
11) Pumpkins in the Park, San Jose, CA – 10/14/312) Shoreline 40th Anniversary Event, Mountain View, CA – 10/15/23
13) Teatro Vision Dia de Los Muertos Matinee,
San Jose, CA – 10/20/23
14) South Asian Cultural Association of
Sunnyvale’s Diwali Festival – 10/21/23
15) Morgan Hill Kidz Fest and Safe Trick or Treat –
10/28/23
16) City of Morgan Hill Fourth Saturday
Downtown Event – 10/28/23
17) D8 Family Fall Festival, San Jose, CA –
10/28/23
18) Santa Visits Alviso – 12/9/2319) Vietnamese American Roundtable Lunar New Year, San Jose, CA – 2/3/24
20) VMC Foundation Women’s Leadership &
Policy Summit, San Jose, CA – 3/23/24
21) AAUW Wildflower Run, Morgan Hill, CA –
3/24/24
22) Cupertino Earth and Arbor Day Festival –
4/20/24
29 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
111
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
23) Emergency Preparedness Workshop, San
Jose, CA – 4/27/24
24) Tech Interactive Tech Challenge, San Jose, CA
– 4/28/24
25) Berryessa Art Festival, San Jose, CA – 5/11/24
Morgan Hill hosted ‘National Night Out’ onAugust 1, 2023. Flood preparedness information(Valley Water floodplain mailer, red ‘Get FloodReady’ which includes an emergency supply list, totebags, etc.) were distributed and general Flood Factswere posted for the public’s information.All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (VW OP #102) Partner with local Second Harvest FoodBank with distributing FEMA and Valley Water floodpreparedness materials, including promotional item(s)as available Valley Water CRSProgram
In October(during CFPW)
Second HarvestFood Bank ofSilicon Valley
In February 2024, Valley Water partnered withSacred Heart Community Service to provide freeemergency starter kits and multilingual educationalmaterials to distribute at events to help residents“Get Flood Ready!” In addition, Valley Water hosteda booth with “Get Flood Ready!” materials at theSilicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s King Tide RideEvent 2024 held on February 10, 2024, at RiverwalkPark in San Jose.In April 2024, Valley Water participated in twoemergency preparedness events to share the “GetFlood Ready” message. Staff hosted a booth at theEggstravaganza Family Event organized by theStrong Neighborhood Initiative Program MayfairNeighborhood Advisory Council in San Jose, whichhad more than 350 attendees. Valley Water alsoparticipated in an educational workshop with 40attendees at The Links, Incorporated “EmergencyPreparedness: Safety Now, Peace Later” event atthe African American Community Service Agency inSan Jose.In December 2023, the Organization for LatinoAffairs (OLA) provided Valley Water’s emergencystarter kits, English and Spanish flood preparednessinformation, and giveaways to approximately 500 30 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
attendees at the Santa Visits Alviso Foundationevent in San José. (ALL OP #103) Other New Initiatives (as noted in thePPI document)1. Continue and expand the standardized flood message prepared for each community to includeflood messages in utility bills each year, includingPG&E.
2. Expand on partnerships with local chambers of
commerce to disseminate and share floodpreparedness information.
3. Expand on outreach to the Asian and Latino
communities who live in flood prone areas.
4. Expand on outreach to “hot spot” flood prone
areas by hosting on-site or virtual events.
5. Expand on reaching local homeowners
associations (HOA)s and apartment associations(i.e. Executive Council of Homeowners [ECHO])
6. Expand on reaching residents in marginal and
low-income communities through partnering withorganizations that reach these communities. (i.e.Second Harvest Food Bank and others)
7. Communities could pursue FEMA Matching Funds
Grants for severe Repetitive Loss Areas.
8. Review and expand other public information
activities, such as Flood Protection Assistance(Activity 360) and Flood Insurance Promotion(Activity 370).
9. Develop a region-wide Flood Response
Preparations (FRP) messaging plan.
All TBD TBD The Santa Clara County CRS Group/PPI Committee, included the ‘Other New Initiatives’ topic fordiscussion at both the March 26, 2024 and May 29,2024 meetings. See Section V. SC County CRS UsersGroup/PPIM Committee Meetings - Monitoring andEvaluating the 2021 PPI in the FY24 AnnualEvaluation Report for details regarding thereview/discussion of the nine other new initiatives.3/26/24 Meeting, Item #6: Review 2021 PPI “OtherNew Initiatives” discussion was as follows:Focus on two PPI New Initiatives:Initiative #2: Expand partnerships with the localchamber of commerce to disseminate and shareflood preparedness information. ■ Approach the Silicon Valley Chamber of
Commerce and identify opportunities forpartnerships. We need to be able to reachresidents and businesses. ■ Morgan Hill—Chamber of
Commerce/Downtown Association. EconomicDevelopment staff can support thedistribution of information.· Outreach timing – End of Summer 2024.
Action Item:
Identify each city's chamber of commerce orequivalent and find ways to share information viawebsites, blogs, and newsletters.Who in each organization can help establish aconnection with the chamber of commerce anddowntown associations? 31 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
Initiative #4: Expand on outreach to "hot spot"flood-prone areas by hosting on-site or virtualevents.■ Valley Water has hotspot data; cities may maintain different hotspot data depending onneed (e.g., trash hot spots).■ Valley Water has floodplain flood data; it’s been provided to cities.
■ Identify high-risk areas (e.g., libraries,
parks, stores, etc.) to provide floodpreparedness information. ■ Valley Water maintains GIS layers with
hotspot information.
We have flexibility with this initiative; we can getcreative on addressing it.
Questions:
● What do we mean by "hot spot"? Is it a
real event or a modeling hotspot?
● Valley Water has modeling results for
design flows with hot spot GIS layers. TheGIS layer is based on historicalobservations of repeated flooding. ● Valley Water has recently installed
cameras to assist with flood monitoring.
○ https://alert.valleywater.org/ma
p?p=map
● Valley Water and cities might have
different hot spot information based onwhat they manage (e.g., storm drains) 5/29/24 Meeting, Item #2: Review of the MeetingGoals and Agenda discussion was as follows:Review pending “Action Items” from the committee’smeeting on March 26, 2024.Agenda Item #6: Review 2021 PPI “Other NewInitiatives”Based on targeted outreach efforts utilizing hotspotinformation, initiative #4 (expand on outreach to 32 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
"hot spot" flood-prone areas by hosting on-site orvirtual events) is complete.Initiative #2I: Identify the Chamber of Commerce orequivalent in each city and find ways to shareinformation via websites, blogs, and newsletters.This initiative will be re-evaluated next fiscal year.All Santa Clara communities support and promoteValley Water’s outreach projects. (CUP OP #104) The city provides a WinterPreparedness notification informing contractors thatduring the winter season, they need to winterize theirproject(s) site as certain soil disturbance activities arenot allowed during the rainy season City of Cupertino On a
project-specificbasis
Variouscontractors
Cupertino continues to prepare and mail the rainyseason letters every year to applicable projects.These letters were mailed in mid-August 2023. (MIL OP#105) On a project-specific basis, the cityprovides contractors a Winter Preparednessnotification that informs them that during the winterseason, they need to winterize their project(s) site.Certain soil disturbance activities are not allowedduring the rainy season City of Milpitas On a
project-specificbasis
Variouscontractors
Milpitas: On-going. The City of Milpitas sent outwinterization notices to larger development projectsin October 2023.
Topic 2: Insure your property for your flood hazard
Message 2A - Get flood insurance ahead of timeMessage 2B – Insure your property Message 2C – There is a 30-day waiting period for the policy to takeplace Increase in number of flood insurancepolicies in the SFHAs and in the county ingeneralProspective buyers understand flood risksThese projects are credited under Activity340 (DFH and REB) – Additional credit isprovided if the PPI states that real estateagents should (or have agreed to) advisehouse hunters about the flood hazard andthat real estate agents give house huntersa REB brochure (MH OP #106) The city mails out a newsletter, “AskBefore You Buy: Know Your Flood Risk!” to local realestate agents which are provided to homebuyers tohelp determine the flood risk of the property beingpurchased (listed in Appendix B) City of Morgan Hill During or prior
to the rainyseason
Real EstateAgencies/Agent
Morgan Hill will be sending the brochure to realestate agents in June 2024. (PA OP #107) Sends out letters to real estate agenciesinforming them of their responsibility to identify floodhazard areas and to take advantage of the Flood ZoneLookup on the city’s website City of Palo Alto Annually,
beginning offlood season(September/October)
Real EstateAgencies/Agent
Palo Alto sent letters to real estate agenciesinforming of their responsibility to identify floodhazard areas in August 2023. (SJ OP #108) Sends out letters to real estate andinsurance agencies and lenders, informing them oftheir responsibility to identify flood hazard areas andto take advantage of the Flood Zone Lookup on thecity’s website on the “Flood Hazard Zones webpageand advises to contact the city for map readingservices and elevation certificates on file City of San Jose At the
beginning ofthe floodseason(September –December)
Real EstateAgencies/Agent
San Jose emailed letters to real estate, insuranceagencies and lenders in March 2024. 33 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Agenda Item # 5.
Appendix A
CRS Creditable Outreach and Flood Response Projects by CRS Community Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI 2021
FY 2024 (Year 3) Outreach Projects Accomplishments by CRS Communities Audience 1 Message Outcome
Project(s) Proposed to
Support the Messages
(XX denotes Community acronym,
and Outreach Project #)
Assignment 2 Schedule 3 Stakeholder
FY 2024 (Year 3 of the 2021 PPI)
Outreach Projects Accomplishments
INPUT HERE ONLY
(SUN OP #109) Sends mailer/postcard targeted to realestate agents informing them of the client’sresponsibility for identification and purchase of floodinsurance and the availability of the automatic 15%discount City of Sunnyvale Each October Real Estate
Agencies/Agents
Sunnyvale: The City sent the mailers to real estateagents October 2023. 34 Valley Water hosted Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD) onSeptember 23, 2023 (Results: 52 organized clean-up sites; 1,100 volunteers;24,076 pounds of garbage on roadsides, along water channels and other public properties; 3,584 pounds of recyclable material that had been improperly discarded was collected)https://morganhilltimes.com/volunteers-pick-up-tons-of-garbage-on-coastal-cleanup-day/; ATTACHMENT 2
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Santa Clara Valley Water District
FY24 Flood Awareness Campaign
Valley Water's FY24 Flood Awareness Campaign theme was "Get Flood Ready. You Live in a Flood Zone.” Valley Water's outreach employed digital geo-targeting technologies to reach businesses and residents in the flood zone. The campaign sought to drive awareness of flood risk, encourage residents to sign up for emergency alerts, and know where to find sandbags. Our materials emphasized our efforts to reduce the risk of flooding by working on capital improvement projects and showcasing our crews' work before, during, and after a storm emergency to keep the community safe from flooding. The overarching message was that we are ready and ask everyone to take steps to be flood-ready.
An educational paid advertising campaign supplemented Valley Water's community outreach effort. Polling results from the prior winter campaign supported the advertising campaign, helping to understand target audiences and their awareness levels and explore what educational messages and images most appealed to them.
The Flood Awareness Campaign lasted six months, from October 2023 to March 2024, and cost $336,000. Valley Water’s FY24 Annual Flood Awareness Campaign cemented the shift to a digital geo-targeted campaign supplemented by four direct multilingual mailings to approximately 49,806 homes and businesses in or near a high-risk flood area, as designated by the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
Targeted Mailings
1. FLOOD CAMPAIGN ANNUAL FLOODPLAIN MAILER
Annual Floodplain Mailer (FPM) - Valley Water’s multi-language (English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese) annual FPM ‘Get Flood Ready. You Live in a Flood Zone. Know your flood risk. Sign up for alerts. Get Sandbags’ was mailed in December 2023.
https://online.flipbuilder.com/tkap/qkwt/
The FPM featured QR codes, a magnet with important flood safety websites, a detachable emergency phone list, photos of our most recent flood protection projects, a slideshow of our storm management efforts, which include operating an EOC, filling sandbags, monitoring stream levels, and removing blockages, A QR code led to a video showcasing our stream maintenance work to prevent flooding. https://youtu.be/XCEixz0JzFQ?si=X7llwwnCSJolLdkp
ATTACHMENT 3
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2. FLOOD CAMPAIGN POSTCARD MAILER
‘Get Flood Ready. You Live in a Flood Zone’ multilingual postcards that included the nine CRS topics and supporting messages, and links to various flood readiness/preparedness webpages, were produced and distributed to 49,806 properties in the FEMA SFHA in October 2023.
Download postcard
3. FLOOD CAMPAIGN TRI-FOLD BROCHURE
Trifold ‘You Live in a Flood Zone– Get Flood Ready. Do You Know What to Do Before, During, and After a Flood?’ was mailed in January 2024.
https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/valleywater.org.us-west-1/s3fs-public/2023%20flood%20mailer.pdf
4. COUNTYWIDE MAILER
Valley Water’s Countywide Mailer (CWM) ‘Flooding can happen. Anytime. Anywhere. Get Flood Ready’ was mailed countywide from November 17 through December 5, 2023, to 755,210 addresses. The CWM included an ATTACHMENT 3
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update on Valley Water's flood protection projects, stream maintenance, and storm preparation efforts. The mailer also included a multilingual section outlining the 9 CRS flood tips: know your flood risk, get flood insurance ahead of time, develop an emergency plan and kit, protect your home from flood threats, keep creeks clean and flowing, sign up for emergency alerts (AlertSCC and the American Red Cross Disaster Emergency App), build responsibly in floodplains, and avoid floodwaters - understanding shallow flooding: Turn Around Don’t Drown®. https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/valleywater.org.us-west-1/s3fs-public/2023%20CountywideMailer.pdf CRS Community Resources
Santa Clara County cities and County Public Works and Planning Departments received requested copies of Valley Water’s FPM, postcards, and trifold mailers for their outreach efforts.
Public Agency
Annual Floodplain
Mailer (FPM) Postcard Trifold
(Estimated Mail Date
January 2024) (Estimated mail dates Nov/Dec 2023
and January 2024)
City of Los Altos 50 100 20
Town of Los Altos Hills 25 150 20
City of Los Gatos 25 25 20
City of Milpitas 50 25 20
City of Morgan Hill 150 150 150
City of Mountain View 25 25 20
City of Cupertino 50 50 20
City of Palo Alto 100 25 20
City of Sunnyvale 25 25 20
VW CRS Program 150 300 50
All other cities & County
(6 count)
25 count each 25 count each 25 count each
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All cities and the County were requested to add a link redirecting site visitors from their respective flood protection resource pages and homepage to ValleyWater.org/floodready, Floodsmart.gov, and Ready.gov.
Partner Toolkit
In mid-October 2023, Valley Water’s 2023-2024 Flood Awareness Outreach Partner Social Media Toolkit, 'Get Flood Ready', was available for download to all partnering agencies, including CRS communities. The toolkit provided digital and social media banners and animations featuring the campaign’s calls to action: Get flood ready, know your risk, sign up for emergency alerts, and find sandbags. The toolkit included multilingual graphics showcasing the 9 CRS tips and offered the opportunity to request co-branded bill inserts and banners. https://conta.cc/46LwBzd
Partnerships and Media
On October 26, 2023, Valley Water, the County of Santa Clara, and the City of San Jose held a news conference at a recently completed stream maintenance site to inform the community about preparedness for the possibility of extreme winter storms. The news conference included an update from the National Weather Service and an interactive display on proper sandbagging techniques. https://youtu.be/g5CbaVSWIuw?si=XH54H-Fg8fgUBemn ATTACHMENT 3
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On November 14, 2023, a joint news conference involving Valley Water leaders and the City of San Jose was held at the Coyote Creek Flood Protection Measurements Project site. Valley Water CEO Rick Callender attended the event and was joined by Valley Water Board Director Richard Santos, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and Assistant City Manager Lee Wilcox to brief the public and the media on winter storm preparations.
New Technologies and Animations
In November 2023, Valley Water created an animation explaining the use of our stream gauge portal. The animation outlines how users can see live updates on the stream levels in the County. Our newsletter shared the animation and sent it to 61,000 email addresses and social media channels. https://youtu.be/XCEixz0JzFQ?si=X7llwwnCSJolLdkp
The FY23-24 campaign also featured geotargeted digital alerts sent to the IP addresses of homes in areas prone to flooding (hot spots). The alerts were deployed with National Weather Service alerts, and residents were encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts.
Leveraging Community Channels
Valley Water also used its monthly newsletter, news blog, and social media profiles to enhance flood awareness efforts before and during forecasted storms starting as early as September 2023. During the length of the campaign and leading up to anticipated storm events, Valley Water posted flash flood warnings, shared posts with critical messages about flood safety, and promoted the Flood Watch Tool throughout the winter.
Additionally, the Valley Water Board of Directors shared posts on Nextdoor highlighting the ‘Get Flood Ready’ messaging and the nine CRS topics throughout winter 2023-24. Valley Water also posted a flood preparedness blog, a digital copy of the FPM, and a guide on what to do before, during, and after a flood.
Valley Water’s flood protection resources page at ValleyWater.org/floodready acted as a hub of flood safety information, with icons leading to a series of related web pages. The page includes information on flood zone maps, signing up for emergency alerts, sandbags, reporting local flooding, and safety tips.
Organic Social Media
Valley Water also deployed a small-scale multilingual social media campaign with the slogan "Get Flood Ready’ on social media and web platforms. The campaign launched in winter 2023, starting with the season's first rains, and continued through March 2024.
A key strategy for the paid flood awareness campaign was incorporating the 2021 Program for Public Information (PPI) 6 priority topics and the three additional outreach topics, including messages supporting the nine topics, in Valley Water ads. Staff crafted messages derived from Valley Water's annual FPM to residents in the SFHA.
The campaign achieved the following social media metrics with a modest spend:
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Public space banners and lobby display
Valley Water also hung ‘Get Flood Ready’ banners in 10 areas identified as flooding hot spots. The banners included our calls to action and a QR code leading to our ValleyWater.org/floodready page. A display featuring the contents of an emergency kit was placed at a prominent location in Valley Water’s headquarters. Readiness materials were made available.
Get Flood Ready banners placed throughout the County in Valley Water hotspot areas.
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Valley Water HQ Lobby Displaying FY24 Flood Readiness Materials Valley Water HQ Lobby Displaying FY24 Flood Readiness Materials Valley Water 2023-24 Flood Media Campaign
The main objective of the 2023-24 Flood Awareness Campaign was to alert the public in Santa Clara County of FY 24 Floodplain Mailer
FY 24 Postcard
FY 24 Countywide Mailer
FY 24 Trifold Mailer
Emergency
Contact Cards
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the area's ongoing flood risks. Valley Water used geo-mapping data to target residents in areas at high risk of flooding, demographically targeting ads in the four most prominent languages in Santa Clara County (English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese).
The digital outreach campaign featured three engaging multilingual animations encouraging residents to get floodready by knowing their risk, signing up for emergency alerts, and finding sandbags. Platforms used included Google and Meta and digital banners on multilingual community newspaper sites. Our website and social media platforms were also branded with the Get Flood Ready theme for the campaign's duration.
The campaign spent $107,778 overall. The campaign served over 20 million impressions and sent over 2.9 million people to the landing pages to learn more about their flood risks and options to prevent danger in their neighborhood.
The Media Buy:
The Ads
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2023-24 Flood Awareness Campaign Results
Probolsky Research conducted A post-Flood Awareness Campaign survey of 400 residents in the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area between March 7 and 14, 2024. Results indicated a 15.3% increase in outreach mailing recollection versus 2023 and a 21% increase in flood preparation. The number of residents who think Valley Water is doing an excellent or good job of informing Valley Water on what to do when flooding occurs increased by 10% versus 2023 and now sits at 54%.
The post-2024 Flood Awareness Campaign survey found:
x 54% remember receiving mail with information about flood safety in the past year (39% in 2022-23). x 82% are confident they have taken all necessary measures to protect themselves from flooding impacts (64% in 2022-23).
x 54% say Valley Water does an excellent/good job keeping residents informed about what to do when flooding occurs (43% in 2022-23).
o Among those who said excellent/good
o 76% said good, 24% said excellent.
x 53% say their home is located in a flood zone or at risk of flooding area (48% in 2022-23). x 45% of respondents have flood insurance (39% in 2022-23). o 24% of renters polled have flood insurance (15% in 2022-23) x 64% do not have flood insurance because they don’t think they need it. x 72% say their home is prepared for a flood.
o Among those who said they are confident, 57% are very confident. x 85% have never experienced flooding in their home.
x 47% are most likely to notice and remember social media ads.
Based on the findings, we will continue with targeted mailings to the FEMA SFHA as our outreach strategy for the flood awareness campaign and targeted advertising.
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Agenda Meeting
Santa Clara County CRS Users Group & Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee Meeting March 26, 2024 _ 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://valleywater.zoom.us/j/86013495419
Meeting ID: 860 1349 5419 _ +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) Purpose: PPI Stakeholder Committee Annual Evaluation Meeting per Activity 330, Outreach Project, Element 332.c. Program for Public Information, Step 7 requirement (page 2) Outcome: Complete development of the 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information (PPI) Annual Report for FY24 (Year 3: July 2023 to June 2024) Item Meeting Topic Presenter Time
1. Introductions Amy Fonseca 10 min
2. Review of the meeting goals and agenda Amy Fonseca 2 min
3. Annual review of CRS Communities Roster (Google Link) Amy Fonseca 2 min
4. Valley Water CRS Program updates Amy Fonseca 5 min
5. Floodplain Management Plan (FMP) update
Amy Fonseca
Melissa Mitchell
Tetra Tech
15 min
6. Review 2021 PPI ‘Other New Initiatives’ Amy Fonseca 20 min
7. 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information (PPI) Annual Evaluation Report
Complete development of the Annual Evaluation Report for FY24 (Year 3:
July 2023 to June 2024)
x Reference the Activity 330 Outreach Project sheets located here https://fta.valleywater.org/fl/1a2Jh3wyoO as a starting point to update Appendix A from 2021 SC County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI x Update the FY24 Project Accomplishments column for your community Google Link NOTE: Update Input Here Only column; Do Not edit anything else x Communities’ updates are due by next CRS Users Group/PPI Meeting or no later than May 31, 2024
Amy Fonseca 45 min
8. Activity 350 – Flood Protection Information, c. flood protection website (WEB) (page 350-7)
The community must:
1) The community must check the website’s links at least monthly, and fix those that are no longer accurate.
2) At least annually, the community must review the content to ensure that it is still current and pertinent (e.g., make sure names, addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information are still correct; update any ordinance changes; etc.).
Amy Fonseca 2 min
9. Next meeting – Joint CRS Users Group/Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee meeting x Complete the development of the 2021 PPI Annual Report Year 3 (FY 2024)
Amy Fonseca 2 min
10. Adjourn
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Excerpt from 2017 CRS Coordinator’s Manual:
“Step 7: Implement, monitor, and evaluate the program. The Program for Public Information committee meets at least annually to monitor the implementation of the outreach projects. The committee assesses whether the desired outcomes were achieved and what, if anything, should be changed. This work is described in an evaluation report that is prepared each year, sent to the governing body, and included in the annual recertification.
The community must update its Program for Public Information at least every five years. This can be a new document or an addendum to the existing document that updates the needs assessment and all sections that should be changed based on evaluations of the projects.
The Program for Public Information update will be reviewed for CRS credit according to the Coordinator’s Manual currently in effect, not the version used when the community originally requested this credit.
The update can qualify as the annual evaluation report for the year it was prepared. The updated Program for Public Information must be adopted following the same process as adoption of the original document.”
AGENDA ITEM NO. 6 [Excerpt from page 66 from 2021 PPI]
For questions, please contact Amy Fonseca at (408) 630-3005 (office) or (408) 691-8889 (cell) or [email protected]
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Name Agency
Robb Lampa California Department of Water Resources
Jenn Chu City of Cupertino
Susana Ramirez City of Gilroy
Vency Woo City of Los Altos
Chris Wilson City of Los Altos External Stakeholder
Arthur Valderrama City of Milpitas
Brian Petrovic City of Milpitas
Roberto Alonzo City of Milpitas
Maria Angeles City of Morgan Hill
Renee Gunn City of Mountain View
Rajeev Hada City of Palo Alto
Vicki Thai City of Palo Alto
Arlene Lew City of San Jose
Vivian Tom City of San Jose
Brandon Coco City of Santa Clara
Christian Tran City of Santa Clara
Lea Velasco City of Sunnyvale
Tamara Davis City of Sunnyvale
Darrell Wong County of Santa Clara
Emma Kilkelly Tetra Tech, Consultant
Amy Fonseca Valley Water
Diana Padilla Valley Water
Emily Zedler Valley Water
Jessica Vasquez Valley Water
Kristen Yasukawa Valley Water
Merna Leal Valley Water
Rene Moreno Valley Water
Santa Clara County CRS Users Group / PPI Committee Meeting Attendance Sheet
March 26, 2024 | 2:30 - 4:30pm | Zoom
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Agenda Meeting
Santa Clara County CRS Users Group & Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee Meeting Notes
March 26, 2024 | 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Item #1: Introductions/Attendance
Item #2: Review of Meeting Goals and Agenda / Agenda Item #3: Annual Review of CRS Communities Roster:
x The main objectives of the meeting are as follows:
o Fulfill the requirements for CRS PPI credit as per the CRS Coordinator’s Manual. o Initiate the Annual PPI Reporting process for the 2021 PPI, year 3, which will conclude at the end of May 2024.
o Review the status of the outreach initiatives listed in the 2021 PPI. o Discuss the Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. o Provide updates on the Regionalization Project and other Valley Water updates. x Action Items:
o Review the CRS community roster within the next 2 weeks and ensure accurate information.
Item #4: Valley Water CRS Program Updates
x Transition the Hazard Mitigation Plan to the watersheds division for better alignment, with Emily Zedler (Valley Water) being the new contact.
x Amy Fonseca has taken a new leadership role at Valley Water. Amy and Merna Leal will continue to support certain aspects of the plan during the transition to the watershed division. x Valley Water is collaborating with Emma Kilkelly from Tera Tech, who will assist with the Hazard Mitigation Plan.
x Valley Water has been receiving several event tabling requests from different communities. We will share relevant events with the group and invite you to participate. This could be a great opportunity to use the flood event kits provided last year. Valley Water will try to attend the event, but if you cannot, we would encourage you or someone else from your office to attend. o Valley Water wants to coordinate with cities to prevent duplicating efforts and attend the same events (and distribute the same materials).
o Valley Water receives calls/emails from residents and will forward calls/emails to respective cities' contacts as listed in the CRS roster.
Item #5: Floodplain Management Plan (FMP) Update:
x Valley Water/Tetra Tech will coordinate a meeting to discuss the mitigation plan. x Emma Kilkelly (Lead Planner, Tetra Tech) presented an overview of the Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan.
o The purpose of this plan is to reduce the adverse impacts of flooding by assessing existing measures and conducting hazard and risk assessments. Emma outlined the 10- step planning process, following the Community Rating System (CRS) guidelines. x Action Items:
o Provide Tetra Tech presentation to the group.
o Merna to meet with Emily Zedler to continue the conversation on hotspots. x Questions:
o When will the plan be valid? Is it a five-year plan, and if so, what are the active dates? This information is important for people who plan their schedules around their cycle. For instance, we just passed our cycle for Santa Clara in 2023. Will the new plan be active from 2024 until 2029, and will it be valid during our next cycle? x The validity of the document will start from the time it is adopted or approved by CRS, and it will last for 5 years. The document will still be valid during ATTACHMENT 6
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Santa Clara’s next cycle. If, for any reason, it increases your points, you can always request a modification of your score.
o In the past, we had an appendix for the mitigation plan when we used it for our floodplain management credits, and the county prepared the documents for this. Will there be an appendix for each of our agencies so that we can provide specific details and data for you to fill in? Or will it be just one comprehensive document that's standard for all agencies? It's important to have an appendix for each agency as the issues we face are different and specific to each of us.
x All agencies will be covered under the general floodplain plan, but the specifics regarding the appendices are currently uncertain. We need to address specific requirements for each jurisdiction. Our goal is to include all agencies within the general plan.
o Could we get a copy of the presentation provided by Tetra Tech? x Yes, the presentation will be shared with the group.
o The all-hazard mitigation plan is typically developed by the county with input from representatives of the Office of Emergency Services (OES) rather than Floodplain managers or CRS coordinators. Will we be working with or mentioning the plan to the county OES to stay informed on its progress? Will there be regional coordination to ensure that everyone is aware of what is happening with the plan? x We intend to create a flood hazard mediation plan, which will be rolled into the counties either as an appendix or at the time of their next update. We hope they will be able to add the CRS requirements in a way that is similar to what they did in 2017. However, that is still a long way away, and we all need to be thinking about it. It may not affect you, but sometime in 2028 or 2029, we need to ensure everyone is on board with the CRS requirements, as they could impact your credit rating.
o Is the plan to assess and evaluate the known flood hotspots part of the new initiative? Could this be done to align with other efforts?
x It depends on the hotspot definition; there's no formal definition. But Valley Water and cities could align. As we start the planning process, there is an opportunity for credits when evaluating hotspot information.
Item #6: Review 2021 PPI “Other New Initiatives”
x Focus on two PPI New Initiatives:
o Initiative #2: Expand partnerships with the local chamber of commerce to disseminate and share flood preparedness information.
x Approach the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce and identify opportunities for partnerships. We need to be able to reach residents and businesses. x Morgan Hill—Chamber of Commerce/Downtown Association. Economic Development staff can support the distribution of information. x Outreach timing – End of Summer 2024.
o Action Item:
x Identify each city's chamber of commerce or equivalent and find ways to share information via websites, blogs, and newsletters. Who in each organization can help establish a connection with the chamber of commerce and downtown associations?
o Initiative #4: Expand on outreach to "hot spot" flood-prone areas by hosting on-site or virtual events.
x Valley Water has hotspot data; cities may maintain different hotspot data depending on need (e.g., trash hot spots).
Valley Water has floodplain flood data; it’s been provided to cities. Identify high-risk areas (e.g., libraries, parks, stores, etc.) to provide flood preparedness information.
Valley Water maintains GIS layers with hotspot information. x We have flexibility with this initiative; we can get creative on addressing it.
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The meeting notes correspond with the discussion of the meeting agenda items. x Questions:
What do we mean by "hot spot"? Is it a real event or a modeling hotspot? x Valley Water has modeling results for design flows with hot spot GIS layers. The GIS layer is based on historical observations of repeated flooding.
x Valley Water has recently installed cameras to assist with flood monitoring.
x https://alert.valleywater.org/map?p=map
x Valley Water and cities might have different hot spot information based on what they manage (e.g., storm drains)
Agenda Item #7: 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information (PPI) Annual Evaluation Report
x 330 Outreach Project (OP) Worksheet (on Egnyte):
o Each city has a worksheet available. Sections include 1) All OP projects – each city can receive credits, 2) City-specific and 3) Valley Water-specific credits. x Appendix A
o Review and update information in the “FY 2024 (Year 2 of the 2021 PPI)” column. Focus only on each respective community and two OP #All. Double-check information to ensure relevance. If there are any changes, provide a brief explanation.
Do not update or change any information in the other columns. x If changes to other columns are needed, please note any changes in the “FY 2024 (Year 2 of the 2021 PPI)” column.
Reminder—Appendix A is due August 1, 2024. However, it must be approved by the governing body as part of the annual recertification package. Check if the governing body takes a summer recess to ensure it's approved by 8/1/24 (annual recertification due date), and/or when you are cycled by ISO. o When the PPI report is unavailable, cities are given a draft report by Valley Water, which is submitted along with an explanation regarding the governing body approving PPI. This is an information item. The report describes how each city takes it to its governing body.
o Action Item:
Review and update information in the “FY 2024 (Year 2 of the 2021 PPI)” column by the end of May 2024.
Agenda Item# 8: Activity 350 – Flood Protection, c. flood protection website x Action Item:
o Check flood protection resource web page links monthly to ensure active links; update the entire content annually.
x Make sure to redirect to 1) valleywater.org/floodready, 2) floodsmart.gov, and 3) ready.gov.
Agenda Item#9: Next meeting – Joint CRS Users Group/Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee meeting
x Upcoming meeting in May 2024. A Doodle Poll will be sent. o Upcoming Agenda Items:
Valley Water’s Communications Unit will provide an update on their flood preparedness campaign.
Solicit ideas for next year’s campaign.
Discuss promotional materials for future flood readiness campaigns.
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General Updates/Announcements:
o CRS regionalization Feasibility Study:
x Thank you for your feedback. Your input has been used to readjust the study recommendations. Along with the baseline model suggested by Tetra Tech, Valley Water is currently exploring ways to simplify the program. The study is still ongoing, and Valley Water is evaluating various models. We will keep you informed as we move forward.
o Upcoming State CRS Users Group meeting – April 17, 2024. o Reflections on recent ISO evaluations and efforts to improve documentation for ISO certification. Participants discuss their experiences with ISO specialists, challenges faced during ISO evaluations, and strategies for improving their scores, particularly in areas like floodplain management and hazard mitigation plans.
o Reminder to upload post-cycle documentation to Egnyte to ensure information is available for future use.
o Questions:
Can ISO revisit the evaluation if sufficient points are obtained from Valley Water's hazard mitigation plan? ISO may agree to a revision if points from the hazard mitigation plan can elevate the city's rating, but this depends on meeting or surpassing the threshold for the next class.
What documentation does ISO require from Valley Water for water drainage within Milpitas? ISO requirements for documentation from Valley Water may have changed over time. Previously, a comprehensive cost and accomplishment report sufficed, but confirming current requirements is essential. If documentation is needed, submit a request to Valley Water with enough time to pull reports/documentation. It is up to each community to conduct the impact adjustment analysis.
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Agenda Item # 5.
Agenda Meeting
Santa Clara County CRS Users Group & Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee Meeting May 29, 2024 _ 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://valleywater.zoom.us/j/81019341372?pwd=MmpVU1RJK1RsU0pNcXkvanBFcU53UT09 Meeting ID: 810 1934 1372 _ Passcode: 653912 _ +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) Purpose: PPI Stakeholder Committee Annual Evaluation Meeting to monitor the Implementation of the 2021 Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information per Activity 330, Outreach Project, Element 332.c. Program for Public Information (PPI), Step 7 requirement
Outcome: 2021 PPI Annual Evaluation Report, FY24 Year 3 of 5 Item Meeting Topic Presenter Time
1. Introductions
Roll Call / Roster Updates
Amy Fonseca 10 min
2. Review of the Meeting Goals and Agenda
Review pending Action Items from this committee’s 3/26/24 meeting (see attached list)
Amy Fonseca 10 min
3. Flood Awareness Survey 2024 Results Presentation
FY23-24 Flood Awareness Campaign Results
Launch of Valley Water’s Annual Flood Awareness Campaign kicks-off October 2024.
Adam
Probolsky
Paola Reyes
15 min
10 min
4. Valley Water update of the Feasibility Study for Regionalizing CRS in Santa Clara County and the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Floodplain Management Plan (FMP) (flood-focused)
Amy Fonseca 10 min
5. CRS 2024 Cycle Group (San Jose and Valley Water) and Annual Recertification Amy Fonseca 5 min
6. California Flood Preparedness Week (October 2024)
1. The committee roster is shared w/CA DWR to include all communities to the CFPW meetings.
2. Please attend for good ideas, networking, and sharing resources (DWR has a lot of samples and other items).
3. Invite your Communications and OES staff to help promote flood-readiness.
4. Opportunity for DWR to report on your work and participation and vis-versa.
Amy Fonseca 5 min
7. Complete Development of the 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information (PPI) Annual Report, FY 24 (Year 3: July 2023 to June 2024) Reference the Activity 330 Outreach Project sheets located here https://fta.valleywater.org/fl/1a2Jh3wyoO as a starting 0oint to update Appendix A from 2021 SC County Multi-Jurisdictional PPI Update the FY24 Project Accomplishments column for your community Google Link NOTE: Update Input Here Only column; Do Not edit anything else
Communities’ updates are due by next CRS Users Group/PPI Meeting or by the DEADLINE no later than May 31, 2024 (Friday)
Amy Fonseca 20 min
8. Other Items Amy Fonseca 5 min
9. Adjourn
For questions, please contact Amy Fonseca at (408) 630-3005 (office) or (408) 691-8889 (cell) or [email protected]
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Agenda Item # 5.
Pending Action Items from the
3/26/24 CRS Users Group / PPI Committee Meeting
AGENDA ITEM #2: Review of Meeting Goals and Agenda / Agenda Item #3: Annual Review of CRS Communities Roster:
Action Item:
Review the CRS community roster within the next 2 weeks and ensure accurate information. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ttp_t7c6-XXCfQ5urxqRJ-GxZDZ0jG6g/edit#gid=1135493871 AGENDA ITEM #5: Floodplain Management Plan (FMP) Update Action Items:
Merna will meet with Emily Zedler to continue the conversation on hotspots.
Amy & Merna briefly met with Emily. It was determined that VW hotspots most likely differ from a community-identified hotspot/problem area. VW conducted hotspot outreach in FY24; we sent a community toolkit, materials, and signs to organizations in hotspot areas on 11/23 and 2/24. This will be reflected in the FY24 Annual Evaluation Report, and Paola Reyes will share details at the 5/29/24 PPI Committee Meeting.
You could build on VW's Field Information Team (FIT) hotspot GIS layer for communities wanting to do their own outreach to hotspot areas. https://tinyurl.com/scvwdfit.
AGENDA ITEM #6: Review 2021 PPI “Other New Initiatives” Action Items:
Initiative #2: Identify the Chamber of Commerce or equivalent in each city and find ways to share information via websites, blogs, and newsletters. This initiative will be re-evaluated next fiscal year.
Who in each organization can help establish a connection with the Chamber of Commerce and downtown associations? Initiative #4: Expand on outreach to "hot spot" flood-prone areas by hosting on-site or virtual events.
Valley Water has hotspot data; cities may maintain different hotspot data depending on need (e.g., trash hot spots). Valley Water has floodplain flood data; it’s been provided to cities. Identify high-risk areas (e.g., libraries, parks, stores, etc.) to provide flood preparedness information. Valley Water maintains GIS layers with hotspot information. https://data-valleywater.opendata.arcgis.com/ We have flexibility with this initiative; we can get creative on how to address it. See notes on Action Item #5 mentioned above.
AGENDA ITEM #7: 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information (PPI) Annual Evaluation Report Action Item:
Review and update information in the “FY 2024 (Year 2 of the 2021 PPI)” column by the end of May 2024. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zYW25x_MB3lNnmTBV8CrlfgTE7zoEZKJ/edit AGENDA ITEM # 8: Activity 350 – Flood Protection, c. flood protection website Action Item:
Check flood protection resource web page links monthly to ensure active links; update the entire content annually.
Make sure to redirect to 1) valleywater.org/floodready, 2) floodsmart.gov, and 3) ready.gov.
AGENDA ITEM #9: Next meeting – Joint CRS Users Group/Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee meeting Upcoming meeting in May 2024. A Doodle poll will be sent.
Upcoming Agenda Items:
Valley Water’s Communications Unit will provide an update on their flood preparedness campaign. Solicit ideas for next year’s campaign.
Discuss promotional materials for future flood readiness campaigns. Due to budget constraints, Valley Water's approach to giveaway items for community use will change starting in the October 2024 flood season.
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Agenda Item # 5.
Name Agency
Robb Lampa CA Department of Water Resources
Jenn Chu City of Cupertino
Susana Ramirez City of Gilroy
Brian Petrovic City of Milpitas
Charlie Ha City of Morgan Hill
Maria Angeles City of Morgan Hill
Lauren Cody City of Mountain View
Renee Gunn City of Mountain View
Rajeev Hada City of Palo Alto
Vivian Tom City of San Jose
Brandon Coco City of Santa Clara
Christian Tran City of Santa Clara
Darrell Wong County of Santa Clara
Lea Velasco City of Sunnyvale
Amy Fonseca Valley Water
Kristen Yasukawa Valley Water
Merna Leal Valley Water
Paola Reyes Valley Water
Rene Moreno Valley Water
Adam Probolsky Valley Water Consultant, Probolsky Research Santa Clara County CRS Users Group / PPI Committee Meeting Attendance Sheet
May 29, 2024 | 2:30 - 4:30pm | Zoom
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Agenda Item # 5.
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The meeting notes correspond with the discussion of the meeting agenda items.
Agenda Meeting
Santa Clara County CRS Users Group & Program for Public Information (PPI) Committee Meeting Notes
May 29, 2024 | 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Item #1: Introductions/ Roll Call/ Roster Updates
Item #2: Review of the Meeting Goals and Agenda
x Review pending “Action Items” from the committee’s meeting on March 26, 2024. o Agenda Item #2: Review of Meeting Goals and Agenda / Agenda Item #3 – Annual Review of CRS Communities Roster – Reminder to update the CRS community roster. o Agenda Item #5: Floodplain Management Plan (FMP) Update – Valley Water met with Emily Zedler to discuss hotspots. Based on the conversation, there was no specific outreach to hotspots because they differ based on agency. A GIS layer is available for agencies to use to conduct targeted outreach. o Agenda Item #6: Review 2021 PPI “Other New Initiatives” – Based on targeted outreach efforts utilizing hotspot information, initiative #4 (expand on outreach to "hot spot" flood-prone areas by hosting on-site or virtual events) is complete.
Initiative #2: Identify the Chamber of Commerce or equivalent in each city and find ways to share information via websites, blogs, and newsletters. This initiative will be re-evaluated next fiscal year.
o Agenda Item # 8: Activity 350 – Flood Protection, c. flood protection website – Check links and ensure links direct to 1) valleywater.org/floodready, 2) floodsmart.gov, and 3) ready.gov. to ensure agencies receive CRS WEB credit. o Giveaway Items: Starting in FY25, Valley Water will be limited on giveaway items due to budget constraints. For the October 2024 flood season, Valley Water has purchased first aid pocket kits that will be provided to all SC County agencies for their use. Valley Water will also order emergency starter kits that we will distribute throughout the county; emergency starter kits shared previously will no longer be available to communities.
Action Items:
o Review and update the CRS community roster, including additional staff positions outside the CRS coordinator (if needed).
x CRS community roster link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ttp_t7c6- XXCfQ5urxqRJ-GxZDZ0jG6g/edit#gid=1135493871
o Review and check links to ensure they direct to Valley Water's website.
Item #3: Flood Awareness Survey 2024 Results Presentation ATTACHMENT 9
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The meeting notes correspond with the discussion of the meeting agenda items. x Paola Reyes from Valley Water’s Communications Unit shared a presentation providing an overview of the launch of Valley Water’s Annual Flood Awareness Campaign (FY24). x Adam Probolsky from Probolsky Research shared a presentation providing an overview of the 2024 Flood Awareness Survey Results.
Item #4: Valley Water update of the Feasibility Study for Regionalizing CRS in Santa Clara County and the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Floodplain Management Plan (FMP) (flood-focused)
x A draft of the Feasibility Study for regionalizing CRS was shared with the CRS Users Group and Valley Water management. Valley Water Management is still considering the ideas proposed in the plan and has requested ways to streamline the program's administration. Tetra Tech, Valley Water’s consultant, continues to work on the study, and there have been no major changes since it was shared with the CRS Users Group. x Valley Water is working on the flood-centric Multi-Jurisdictional Floodplain Management Plan and aims to provide an update soon. Tetra Tech is assisting in developing the floodplain management plan; they will reach out to Marlene Jacobs, ISO CRS Specialist, to review the 510 FMP checklists for both Valley Water and the City of San Jose (communities scheduled to be cycled in 2024) using the 2023/2024 (?) SC County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. The goal is to avoid duplicating efforts as the flood-centric FPM is developed.
Item #5: CRS 2024 Cycle Group (San Jose and Valley Water) and Annual Recertification x If you completed the cycle last year, please upload the information to Egnyte. This will enable Valley Water to support future efforts in potential transition and provide examples for other cycling agencies.
x San Jose and Valley Water are scheduled to be cycled in November 2024. There have been no updates regarding the upcoming cycle. Valley Water can schedule a meeting with San Jose if they need our assistance/Valley Water documentation. x Letters from ISO/FEMA for the annual recertifications should arrive soon. Valley Water will start gathering information for Activity 540; agencies requiring this and other Valley Water documentation for other activities should contact us. x Final PPI Annual Evaluation Report should be ready to submit to ISO for recertification due on August 1, 2024 (see Agenda Item #7).
x Action Item:
o If you do not receive a recertification letter or email from ISO by mid-June 2024, please contact Bradley Arkens @ [email protected] for further information.
x Question:
o Where can agencies upload their recertification files to Egnyte? Is there a specific folder? All recertification documents should be uploaded to respective community folders. If there are any access or questions, please contact Valley Water.
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Agenda Item # 5.
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The meeting notes correspond with the discussion of the meeting agenda items.
Item #6: California Flood Preparedness Week (October 2024) x In preparation for California Flood Preparedness Week, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will begin planning the upcoming campaign. Partner meetings will start soon. Please ensure that the contact information in the CRS community roster is current, as it will be shared with DWR to send out meeting invitations. x Valley Water will have its separate kickoff event, including a flood preparedness week resolution and outreach, in October 2024.
Item #7: Complete Development of the 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Program for Public Information (PPI) Annual Evaluation Report, FY 24 (Year 3: July 2023 to June 2024) x All agencies should review and update FY24 Project Accomplishments column as soon as possible. Valley Water is preparing the non-agenda item for the Valley Water Board (June 21, 2024) submitting the Annual Evaluation Report. x Each community should specify how the PPI Annual Evaluation Report will be shared with its governing board. At the meeting, each community confirmed the method of sharing the annual report with its governing body, and the present communities noted no changes.
o Note that the PPI Annual Evaluation Report only needs to be sent (does not need to be adopted – only the PPI itself has to be adopted) to their respective governing body before submitting the report as part of the recertification documentation submittal that’s due on August 1, 2024.
o Valley Water will provide the committee with the final PPI Annual Evaluation Report and our Board non-agenda item cover memo by June 21, 2024 (after 5:00 pm PST). x If communities do not update the PPI Annual Evaluation Report, Valley Water will proceed with the report without community information.
Action Item:
o Deadline – May 31, 2024: Update the FY24 Project Accomplishments column for your community Google Link NOTE: Update Input Here Only column; Do Not edit anything else
x Question:
o It was mentioned that Valley Water plans to take the report to the Valley Water Board on June 21, 2024. Will the report be available after that? Cupertino plans to present to the council in July and will need the report in late June. The PPI Annual Report will be posted and sent to the CRS community group on June 21 (after 5:00 pm PST). If content is required before June 21, contact Valley Water for draft content.
Agenda Item #8: Other Items
x Rob Lampa from DWR is preparing to send an invite to an upcoming webinar series.
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Agenda Item # 5.
City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: August 27, 2024
Prepared By: Nick Zornes
Approved By: Gabriel Engeland
Subject: Resolution of the City Council Declaring Certain Property Surplus Land
COUNCIL PRIORITY AREA
☒Business Communities
☐Circulation Safety and Efficiency
☐Environmental Sustainability
☒Housing
☒Neighborhood Safety Infrastructure
☒General Government
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Los Altos declaring certain property surplus land located within city limits and finding that such declaration is exempt from environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact is directly related to the declaration of surplus land. Subsequent could have direct fiscal impact(s) to the City of Los Altos, and as such will be separately analyzed at that time.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed Resolution was assessed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the State CEQA Guidelines. It has been determined that the adoption of this Resolution will not have a significant environmental impact and is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3). It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the declaration of property as surplus may have a significant effect on the environment, as no development is authorized by this Resolution, and any future disposition will require separate environmental analysis when the details of such disposition are known.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
January 2023 – Adopted 6th Cycle Housing Element – Program 1.H
BACKGROUND
The City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element was adopted in January 2023. Contained within the adopted and certified housing element is Program 1.H – Facilitate housing on City-owned sites.
Specifically, Program 1.H commits the City to make available Parking Plaza 7 & 8 located in 703
Agenda Item # 6.
Downtown Los Altos to accommodate new developments, including affordable housing. Parking Plaza 7 & 8 were first identified in the City’s Adopted Downtown Vision Plan, as opportunities sites for the redevelopment and inclusion of Affordable Housing.
The subject sites of the Surplus Land included within this action are commonly known as Parking Plaza 7 & 8, located within the Downtown Los Altos “triangle”.
Parking Plaza 7, is a rectangular-shaped parcel, currently utilized for surface level parking, approximately
1.07 acres in size, commonly referred to as “Plaza 7” in Downtown Los Altos, Accessor Parcel Number (APN): 167-39-032.
Parking Plaza 8, is a rectangular-shaped parcel, currently utilized for surface level parking, approximately
1.07 acres in size, commonly referred to as “Plaza 8” in Downtown Los Altos, Accessor Parcel Number (APN): 167-39-007.
The following exert is from the Adopted 6th Cycle Housing Element:
Program 1.H: Facilitate housing on City-owned sites.
The City will facilitate development of housing on City-owned sites through public-private partnerships during the planning period. City-owned Downtown Parking Plazas 7 and 8 were identified as opportunity sites that could accommodate new development, including affordable housing. The first RFP issued by the City for housing on either Parking Plaza 7 or 8 will be affordable housing and the City will commit to selecting the development proposal that maximizes public benefit in creating additional affordable housing in Downtown Los Altos. Prior to the RFP issuance, the City shall hire a third-party to analyze what the minimum financially feasible affordable housing production could be, based upon a minimum of 20 years of a zero-cost land lease and a commitment to provide a minimum 55-year lease. In the event the development is 100 percent affordable as defined by law, the City shall waive all applicable development impact fees per Program 2.C. The City will comply with all Surplus Land Act requirements. The City will provide a dedicated project planner to facilitate an expedited project review process.
Responsible Body: Development Services Department, Planning Commission, City Council.
Funding Source: General Fund, State or federal grant funds (if available).
Time Frame: Financial analysis for Parking Plaza 7 and 8 by independent third-party consultant by the end of 2023; release request for proposals by December 2023; complete entitlements within one (1) year of application if not sooner (by December 2026).
Objective: The City will enter into a public-private partnership for development of housing on at least one of the City’s Downtown parking plazas.
Geographic Targeting: Facilitate housing development in the Downtown, a highest resource area with commercial and transit (bus line along San Antonio Road). Target housing for low-income residents, persons with disabilities, and/or seniors.
ANALYSIS
The Surplus Land Act (Gov. Code, §§ 54220-54234) aims to make local public land that is no longer needed for government purposes available for building affordable homes. 704
Agenda Item # 6.
Local agencies (cities, counties, special districts, and certain other entities) must send notices about available, surplus local public land to all of the following:
HCD
Any local public entity within the jurisdiction where the surplus local land is located Developers who have notified HCD of their interest in developing affordable housing on surplus local public land
Prior to agreeing to terms to dispose of surplus property, local agencies (cities, counties, and special districts) must send a description of notices of availability sent, and negotiations conducted, in addition to a copy of any restrictions to be recorded against the property, to HCD for review using HCD forms.
Surplus Land is Defined as follows:
“Surplus land” means land owned in fee simple for which a local agency’s governing body takes formal action at a regular public meeting declaring land to be surplus and not necessary for a local agency’s use. Land must be declared either “surplus” or “exempt surplus” as supported by written findings before a local agency may take any action to dispose of it consistent with an agency's policies or procedures. A local agency, on an annual basis, may declare multiple parcels as “surplus” or “exempt surplus.”
Agency’s Use is Defined as follows:
“Agency’s use”. Except as provided below, “agency’s use” shall include, but not be limited to, land that is being used, or is planned to be used pursuant to a written plan adopted by the local agency’s governing board for agency work or operations, including, but not limited to, utility sites, watershed property, land being used for conservation purposes, land for demonstration, exhibition, or educational purposes related to greenhouse gas emissions, and buffer sites near sensitive governmental uses, including, but not limited to, wastewater treatment plants as described in Government Code Section 54221(c)(1).
DISCUSSION
The City of Los Altos Development Services Department has consulted with the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) regarding Parking Plaza 7 & 8 and has confirmed that the two plazas are Surplus Land as defined by the Government Code.
Upon confirmation of the two plazas being surplus land the City’s Housing Manager prepared a Notice of Availability based upon the Sample Notice provided by HCD. Once drafted the Notice of Availability was reviewed and approved by HCD staff which allowed the City of Los Altos to release the Notice of Availability to developers that are maintained on an Interest List of HCD.
The Notice of Availability was released July 2024 and remains open for 60-days (concluding in mid-September).
Upon Receipt of Notice of Interest. If a local agency disposing of surplus land receives a timely notice of interest from a proper entity, then a good faith negotiation period of at least 90 days begins on the first day after the end of the 60-day period in Government Code section 54222(e). If the price or terms cannot be agreed upon after the full 90-day good faith negotiation period, then the local agency may dispose of the surplus land without further regard to the SLA but must still comply with Government Code section 54233 or 54233.5, as applicable. 705
Agenda Item # 6.
For purposes of the 90-day good faith negotiation period, residential use of the surplus land by the prospective transferee shall be deemed an acceptable use. Nothing shall restrict a local jurisdiction’s authority or discretion to approve land use, zoning, or entitlement decisions in connection with the surplus land, except that terms agreed to as part of the 90-day good faith negotiation period must comply with the following:
A local agency cannot prohibit residential use of the surplus land as a condition of a sale or lease.
A local agency cannot reduce the authorized number of residential units or the maximum lot coverage of the surplus land below what is allowed by zoning or general plan requirements. (There is no maximum density threshold in the Zoning Designation or Land Use Designation of the subject sites)
A local agency may not require, as a condition of sale or lease, any design standards or architectural requirements that would have a substantial negative effect on the viability or affordability of a housing development for very low-, low- or moderate-income households, other than the minimum standards required by general plan, zoning, and subdivision standards and criteria.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Resolution
2. Notice of Availability (NOA) – July 16, 2024
3. HCD – Surplus Land
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Agenda Item # 6.
1 RESOLUTION NO. 2024-XX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LOS ALTOS
DECLARING CERTAIN PROPERTY SURPLUS LAND LOCATED WITHIN CITY
LIMITS AND FINDING THAT SUCH DECLARATION IS EXEMPT FROM
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PURSUANT TO THE CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT GUIDELINES SECTION 15061(B)(3) WHEREAS, on January 24, 2023, the City Council approved the City’s Sixth Cycle Housing Element Update; and
WHEREAS, Program 1.H of the Housing Element Update calls for the facilitation of housing on city-owned sites known as Downtown Parking Plazas 7 & 8; and WHEREAS, Program 1.H of the Housing Element Update requires the City of Los Altos to comply with all provisions of the Surplus Land Act; and WHEREAS, the City of Los Altos owns a rectangular-shaped parcel, currently utilized for surface level parking, approximately 1.07 acres in size, commonly referred to as “Plaza 7” in Downtown Los Altos, Accessor Parcel Number (APN): 167-39-032; WHEREAS, the City of Los Altos owns a rectangular-shaped parcel, currently utilized for surface level parking, approximately 1.07 acres in size, commonly referred to as “Plaza 8” in Downtown Los Altos, Accessor Parcel Number (APN): 167-39-007; WHEREAS, under the Surplus Land Act (SLA), Government Code Sections 54220-54233, surplus land is land owned in fee simple for which a local agency’s governing body takes formal action at a regular public meeting declaring land to be surplus and not necessary for a local agency’s use; and
WHEREAS, under the Surplus Land Act (SLA), “agency’s use” shall include, but not be limited to, land that is being used for agency work or operations, land that a local agency plans to use for agency work or operations pursuant to a written plan adopted by the local agency’s governing board, or land that is disposed of for agency work or operations; and WHEREAS, under the Surplus Land Act (SLA), “Agency work or operations” includes, but is not limited to, utility sites; watershed property; land being used for conservation purposes; land for demonstration, exhibition, or educational purposes related to greenhouse gas emissions, property owned by a port that is used to support logistics uses, sites for broadband equipment or wireless facilities, buffer sites located near sensitive governmental uses, including, but not limited to, wastewater treatment plants, and waste disposal sites; and WHEREAS, under the Surplus Land Act (SLA), Agency’s use shall not include commercial or industrial uses or activities, including nongovernmental retail, entertainment, or office development. Property disposed of for the purpose of investment or generation of revenue shall not be considered necessary for agency’s use; and WHEREAS, the City of Los Altos has consulted with the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and confirmed that the identified parcels are determined to be Surplus Land; and
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Agenda Item # 6.
2 WHEREAS, the City of Los Altos desires to declare that the identified parcels are surplus and not necessary for the City’s “Agency Use”; and
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Los Altos does hereby ordain as follows:
SECTION 1. The above recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein.
SECTION 2. The City Council hereby declares that the Properties identified are surplus property and not necessary for the City’s agency use.
SECTION 3. This Resolution has been reviewed with respect to the applicability of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the State CEQA Guidelines. It has been determined that the adoption of this Resolution will not have a significant environmental impact and is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3). It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the declaration of property as surplus may have a significant effect on the environment, as no development is authorized by this resolution, and any future disposition will require separate environmental analysis if and when the details of such disposition are known.
SECTION 4. The officers and staff of the City are hereby authorized, jointly and severally, to do all things which they may deem necessary or proper to effectuate the purposes of this Resolution, and any such actions previously taken are hereby ratified and confirmed. Such actions include negotiating in good faith in accordance with the requirements of the Act with any of the designated entities that submit a written notice of interest to purchase or lease the Property in compliance with the Act.
SECTION 5. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a Resolution passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Los Altos at a meeting thereof on the 27 th day of August
2024 by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
___________________________
Jonathan D. Weinberg, MAYOR
Attest:
_____________________________
Melissa Thurman MMC, CITY CLERK
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Agenda Item # 6.
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Agenda Item # 6.
1 North San Antonio Road
Los Altos, California 94022-3087
July 16, 2024
To All Interested Parties:
RE: Notice of Availability/Offer to Sell Surplus Property in Los Altos, CA As required by Government Code Section 54220 of the State of California, City of Los Altos (“City”) is providing notification that the City intends to sell/lease the surplus property listed in the accompanying table.
In accordance with Government Code Section 54222, you have sixty (60) days from the date this offer was sent via certified mail or electronic mail to notify the City of your interest in acquiring the property. However, this offer shall not obligate the City to sell the property to you. Instead, the City would enter into at least ninety (90) days of negotiations with you pursuant to Government Code Section 54223. If no agreement is reached on sales price and terms, or lease terms, the City may market the property to the general public.
As required by Government Code Section 54227, if the City receives more than one letter of interest during this 60-day period, it will give first priority to entities proposing to develop housing where at least 25 percent of the units will be affordable to lower income households. If more than one such proposal is received, priority will be given to the proposal with the greatest number of affordable units. If more than one proposal specifies the same number of affordable units, priority will be given to the proposal that has the lowest average affordability level.
In addition to developing affordable housing or mixed-use development on the surplus property, the City seeks an innovative approach to connect the two (2) surplus properties with underground parking below the public right-of-way between the sites to maximize the potential for critically needed affordable housing and public parking. The City required parking criteria for the two (2) surplus properties is as follows:
• Replacement of existing parking spaces up to approximately 226 parking stalls among the two (2) surplus properties identified in this Notice of Availability for potential development. • Adequate parking to serve the residential and any other uses included in the proposal. 710
Agenda Item # 6.
Notice of Availability/Offer to Sell Surplus Land in Los Altos, CA July 16, 2024