City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov City Council
EMERGENCY MEETING AGENDA – CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE §54956.5 Date: 1/5/2023
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom.us/join – ID# 879 9814 6046
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS, COVID-19, EMERGENCY ADVISORY NOTICE
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City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 menlopark.gov City Council Emergency Meeting Agenda
January 5, 2023
Special Session
A. Call To Order
B. Roll Call
C. Regular Business
C1. Adopt a resolution ratifying the Director of Emergency Service’s proclamation of local emergency, pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.5 (Attachment) D. Adjournment
At every regular meeting of the City Council, in addition to the public comment period where the public shall have the right to address the City Council on any matters of public interest not listed on the agenda, members of the public have the right to directly address the Council on any item listed on the agenda at a time designated by the chair, either before or during the City Council’s consideration of the item.
At every special meeting of the City Council, members of the public have the right to directly address the City Council on any item listed on the agenda at a time designated by the chair, either before or during consideration of the item.
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Agendas are posted in accordance with Ca. Gov. Code §54954.2(a) or §54956. Members of the public can view electronic agendas and staff reports by accessing the city website at menlopark.gov/agendas and can receive email notification of agenda postings by subscribing at menlopark.gov/subscribe. Agendas and staff reports may also be obtained by contacting City Clerk at 650-330-6620. (Posted: 1/5/2023)
RESOLUTION NO. XXXX
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MENLO PARK
PROCLAIMING THE EXISTENCE OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY AND
RATIFYING THE PROCLAMATION OF THE EXISTENCE OF A LOCAL
EMERGENCY BY THE CITY MANAGER, ACTING AS THE DIRECTOR OF
EMERGENCY SERVICES OF THE CITY OF MENLO PARK
WHEREAS, Government Code Section 8630 allows the governing body of a city or an official designated by ordinance adopted by that governing body, to proclaim a local emergency; and WHEREAS, Menlo Park Municipal Code Sections 2.44.045 and 2.44.050 empower the City Manager, acting as the Director of Emergency Services, to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when the City Council is not in session, and; WHEREAS, on January 4, 2023, the City Manager, acting as Director of Emergency Services proclaimed the existence of a local emergency finding that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons or property had arisen within the City, caused by the extreme atmospheric river rain events occurring in the final days of December 2022 and threatening to continue in the coming hours and days of January 2023, which events had caused flooding in and around San Francisquito Creek and the Atherton Channel, as well as areas that drain to these waterways; WHEREAS, the Director of Emergency Services’ January 4, 2023 proclamation is attached hereto, as Exhibit A, and incorporated herein by this reference; WHEREAS, on January 3, 2023, the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo proclaimed a local emergency based on conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within San Mateo County due to the damage and impacts resulting from the extreme and unprecedented levels of rainfall and associated severe weather over the last several days; WHEREAS, on January 4, 2023, the Governor of California proclaimed a state of emergency throughout California to support the ongoing response to recent winter storms; WHEREAS, on December 30 and 31, 2022, the San Francisco Bay area experienced a heavy rain storm, after storms had passed through the region several days prior as well; WHEREAS, on December 31, the Atherton Channel experienced flooding. Overtopping of the Atherton Channel occurred at Haven Avenue near Marsh Road twice on December 31 before rain levels diminished and flooding subsided;
WHEREAS, on December 31, the San Francisquito Creek also experienced flooding with overtopping of the top of bank occurring along Woodland Avenue at Oak Court and Euclid Avenue, at the Pope-Chaucer bridge, near Laurel Avenue and near Lexington Drive; WHEREAS, while water levels are high in the San Francisquito Creek and Atherton Channel, especially during high tides, stormwater that would otherwise drain into these waterways is impeded, resulting in water that backs up on to roadways such as Woodland Avenue at Emma Lane, Middlefield Road, Laurel Street, Alma Street and El Camino Real (State Route 82); WHEREAS, on and since December 31, saturated soils and high winds caused trees to fall resulting in power outages and blocked roads in various neighborhoods; AGENDA ITEM C-1 Page C-1.1
WHEREAS, the local emergency may require financial and other assistance from the County, State, and/or Federal governments, and may require ongoing mutual aid with other jurisdictions and regional partners;
WHEREAS, the City Council finds and declares that storm events and flooding have and continue to threaten to cause property damage, dislocation of businesses and residents, and pose extreme safety concerns to persons and property within the City; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that a local emergency now exists throughout said City and said local emergency severely impairs and threatens to severely impair public health and safety, and;
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, that the proclamation of the existence of a local emergency, adopted by the City Manager acting as the Director of Emergency Services of the City of Menlo Park, is hereby ratified, and;
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Manager is authorized to request financial and other assistance from the County, State, and Federal government on behalf of the Menlo Park community.
I, Judi A. Herren, City Clerk of Menlo Park, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing City Council Resolution was duly and regularly passed and adopted at a meeting by said City Council on the fifth day of January, 2023, by the following votes:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Official Seal of said City on this __ day of January, 2023.
Judi A. Herren, City Clerk
Exhibits:
A. Director of Emergency Services’ January 4, 2023 proclamation Resolution No. XXXX
PROCLAMATION OF THE EXISTENCE OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY BY
THE CITY MANAGER, ACTING AS THE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY
SERVICES OF THE CITY OF MENLO PARK
WHEREAS, Government Code section 8630 allows the governing body of a city or an official designated by ordinance adopted by that governing body, to proclaim a local emergency; and WHEREAS, Menlo Park Municipal Code sections 2.44.045 and 2.44.050 empower the City Manager, acting as the Director of Emergency Services, to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when the City Council is not in session, and;
WHEREAS, the City Manager, acting as Director of Emergency Services does find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons or property have arisen within the City, caused by the extreme atmospheric river rain events occurring in the final days of December 2022 and threatening to continue in the coming hours and days of January 2023, which events have caused flooding in and around San Francisquito Creek and the Atherton Channel, as well as areas that drain to these waterways; WHEREAS, on January 3, 2023, the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo proclaimed a local emergency based on conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within San Mateo County due to the damage and impacts resulting from the extreme and unprecedented levels of rainfall and associated severe weather over the last several days;
WHEREAS, the storm events and flooding have and continue to threaten to cause property damage, dislocation of businesses and residents, and pose extreme safety concerns to persons and property within the City;
WHEREAS, the City Council is not in session and cannot be immediately called into session; NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED, that that a local emergency now exists throughout said City, and;
IT IS FURTHER PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED, that during the existence of said local emergency the powers, functions and duties of the emergency organization of this City shall be those prescribed by state law, and by ordinances and resolutions of this City, and that this emergency proclamation shall expire on January 5, 2023 unless ratified and extended by the City Council of the City of Menlo Park.
Justin Murphy, City Manager
Acting as Director of Emergency Services
City of Menlo Park
January 4, 2023
Resolution No. XXXX