Monte Sereno City Council
June 24, 2025

AGENDA
City of Monte Sereno
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Joint Special Meeting of the City Council and
Site and Architectural Commission
7:00 PM
Monte Sereno City Council Chambers - 18041 Saratoga -
Los Gatos Road, Monte Sereno, Ca 95030
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Page

CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL

NEW BUSINESS

1. Study Session of Public Review Draft Health & Safety Element of the General Plan
Receive the Public Review Draft Health & Safety Element and provide input for staff to consider for the future adoption of the Health & Safety Element.

Staff Report - SR-25-128 - Pdf
Received Public Comments
3 - 73

ADJOURN

STAFF REPORT
Meeting: Joint Special Meeting of the City Council and Site and Architectural Commission - Jun 24 2025
Agenda Heading: NEW BUSINESS
Staff Contact: Diana Perkins, City Planner/Interim City Manager Department: City Planner
Title: Study Session of Public Review Draft Health & Safety Element of the General Plan
Recommendation(s):

Receive the Public Review Draft Health & Safety Element and provide input for staff to consider for the future adoption of the Health & Safety Element.

Background Information:

General Plan Update
M-Group is working with the City of Monte Sereno to update the city’s General Plan. A General Plan is a document that serves as a road map guiding the community’s vision into actionable policies and programs over a long-time horizon, typically around 20 years. State law requires a General Plan to include nine elements:
 Land Use
 Housing
 Circulation
 Open Space
 Conservation
 Noise
 Safety
 Environmental Justice
 Air Quality
Monte Sereno’s existing 2008 General Plan combines noise and air quality into its Safety Element, referred to as the Health & Safety Element.

This project includes updating the existing elements of the General Plan to comply with state law. The project will likely maintain the element format of the 2008 General Plan, unless community input or City Council direction calls for an alternative path.

Table 1: General Plan Element Requirements

Required Element Monte Sereno 2008
General Plan
M-Group 2024
Initial Approach
Land Use Land Use Land Use
Circulation Circulation Circulation
Housing Housing Housing
(M-Group worked with the
City to develop a compliant
Housing Element in 2024)
Conservation
Open Space
Open Space and
Conservation
Open Space and
Conservation
Noise
Safety
Health & Safety Health & Safety
Environmental Justice Was not required in 2008 Environmental Justice Element requirements will be
interspersed within existing
Elements
Public Services and Facilities Public Services and Facilities The project team is prioritizing updating the Health & Safety Element in order to prioritize addressing wildfire and other safety hazards. Updates to the other General Plan elements will proceed after adoption of the revised Health & Safety Element. It is possible that additional changes may be made to the Health & Safety Element, particularly to address Environmental Justice requirements. These additional updates will be presented in early 2026.

Analysis:

Updates in State Law
The General Plan update addresses several laws that have been passed in recent years. Laws that impact the Health & Safety Element include:

SB 901 (2018): Fire Standards
SB 901 requires lands classified by the Office of the State Fire Marshal as very high fire hazard safety zones to implement minimum fire standards, requires regulations to apply to the perimeters and access all residential, commercial, and industrial building construction.

The Health & Safety Element must identify very high fire hazard safety zones as this will affect any of the land uses within the designated areas.

This is addressed in the Wildfire and Urban Fires background information section as well as in the corresponding Goals, Policies and Actions.

SB 2911 (2018): Fire Safety
SB 2911 requires the identification of existing subdivisions within the very high fire hazard severity zones specifically those without a second evacuation route. SB 2911 also requires any county and city that contains a very high hazard severity zone to submit their Safety Element to the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection for review.

This is addressed in the Emergency Response background information section.

SB 99 (2020): Two Emergency Evacuation Routes
SB 99 requires the safety element to identify residential developments in hazard areas that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes.

This is addressed in the Emergency Response background information section.

SB 747 (2020) and AB 1409 (2022): Safety Element Evacuation Route SB 747 and AB 1409, require the identification of evacuation routes and the evaluation of their capacity, safety, and viability throughout the city, if not already done so as part of a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). The identification of routes and their capacity is to increase the safety for residents and surrounding areas.

This is addressed in the Emergency Response background information section as well as in the corresponding Goals, Policies and Actions.

Community Engagement
The project team has published two online surveys: one broad survey on General Plan topics, and a second focused on the Health & Safety Element. The input received included the following insights:
 All respondents would use their automobile to evacuate Monte Sereno during an emergency event.
 Respondents are concerned about Highway 9, Winchester Road, Viewfield Road, and Grandview Avenue. They are concerned about how some are only a single lane road, or if blocked there is no secondary exit.
 Respondents would like to see improvements regarding the widening of Quito, Withey, and Winchester Roads, with corresponding sidewalks, including sidewalks on Highway

9. Respondents indicated they would like the slope of Withey Road reinforced, so the soil ceases to slide down when it rains. Respondents would like to see eucalyptus trees removed and additional trees and vegetation trimming on Highway 9, Quito Road, and Fruitvale Roads.
 Most respondents did not have or did not know about defensible space or native landscaping. Around half were interested in adding these elements to their residences.  More than half of the respondents had no knowledge of emergency evacuation protocols and the location of the nearest emergency shelter. Respondents indicated they receive their news from a variety of sources including city alerts, online and television news, friends and family, and local agencies such as the police and/or Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

The project team attended Santa Clara County Fire Department’s Wildfire Preparedness Workshop at Pavilion Redwood Estates, Los Gatos on April 22nd, 2025. M-Group provided flyers about the General Plan update and a QR code to the survey. Attendees at the event,

who were predominantly from Los Gatos, expressed concerns regarding emergency evacuation routes and overall fire safety.

This outreach was incorporated into the Public Review Draft Health & Safety Element. The project team included policies to:
 Support upkeep of emergency evacuation routes and removal of hazardous trees and vegetation, such as eucalyptus
 Focus on fire risks on Highway 9
 Collaborate with Caltrans’ State Route 17 Resiliency and Adaptation Plan.  Require fire-resistant roofing in all buildings
 Ensure effective notifications during an emergency event Proposed Changes to the Health & Safety Element
The Public Review Draft Health & Safety Element is reformatted to improve readability. The original text in the 2008 document is included in black, with redline edits for changes proposed by the project team. All maps have been updated to incorporate updated data. The previous maps have not been included, as they are out of date and do not fit the updated format.

There are two new sections of the element: Emergency response and climate risk. Several other sections are renamed to strengthen connections to State requirements and better describe new subsections (e.g., augmenting “Fires” to discuss both wildland and urban fires).

Proposed updates to the sections are as follows:

1. Wildland and Urban Fires
 Additional context on wildfire danger, including history of wildfires in the area and in the state
 Additional context on existing wildfire protection services  Updated mapping of Fire Hazard Severity Zones

2. Seismic Activity
 Additional context on specific types of seismic activity and their application to Monte Sereno
 Updated mapping of Regional Faults and Fault Rupture Zones

3. Slope Instability Leading to Mudslides and Landslides  Additional context on specific types of slope instability and its application to Monte Sereno
 Updated mapping of Landslide Hazard Zones

4. Subsidence, Liquefaction, and other Seismic Hazards
 Additional context on types of subsidence and their application to Monte Sereno  Updated mapping on Liquefaction Susceptibility

5. Flooding, Including Tsunami, Seiche, and Dam Failure  Additional context on federal definitions of flooding (as well as other issues) and their application to Monte Sereno
 Updated mapping of Flood Hazard Zones

6. Hazardous Materials and Hazardous Waste
 Updated definitions of hazardous material

7. Emergency Response
 A new subsection on Evacuation Analysis, including:
o Identification of residential developments in any hazard area that do not have at least two emergency evacuation routes
o Evacuation Route identification, capacity analysis, safety and viability o A discussion of beach traffic and Caltrans’ ongoing work on a State Route 17 Resiliency and Adaptation Plan
o Evacuation location analysis

8. Air Quality
 Updated air quality data. 2017 to 2019 is the most up-to-date data provided by the Bay Area Air District (BAAD)

9. Noise
 Updated mapping on Future Noise Levels

10. Climate Risk
 This is a new section that includes a vulnerability assessment, analyzing Monte Sereno’s vulnerability to:
o Drought
o Extreme Heat
o Flood
o Landslides
o Wildfire
o Air Quality
Goals, Policies, and Actions
Goals and policies were revised as part of the Safety Element Policy Framework, published last month (see Attachment 2: Safety Element Policy Framework). These updated goals and policies are included as Section B of the Health & Safety Element, along with actions designed to implement the element’s goals and policies.

Next Steps
The project team will incorporate input from this study session into a revised draft, which will be sent to and reviewed by the following agencies in accordance with State law.

 California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection  California Geological Survey
 California Office of Emergency Services
 Native American Heritage Commission
An Adoption Draft will then be prepared for adoption in the fall of 2025.

California Environmental Quality Act:

The Project proposes to update the existing General Plan that was adopted by City Council in 2008. The Project includes confirming a community vision and augmenting background and policy in the Land Use, Circulation, Open Space and Conservation, Public Services and Facilities, and the Health & Safety Elements to be consistent with updates to State law.

The City of Monte Sereno is fully developed, consisting of single-family residential land uses (ranging from one to five dwelling units per acre), multi-family residential land uses (three to eight dwelling units per acre), public land uses and open space land uses. Any future development will occur within already urbanized areas of the city. There are no physical changes envisioned by this project, which does not include any circulation or non-exempt land use changes. The only land use change is the designation of two parcels to be eligible for SB 10 development of up to 10 units. This designation is statutorily exempt from CEQA (Gov’t Code 65913.5(c)(1)).

Fiscal Impact:

No fiscal impact is anticipated with the review of the Draft Health and Safety Element.

Public Noticing:

The City Council's agenda was posted at City Hall and this agenda and this report appear on the City's website.

Attachments:

1. Public Review Draft Health & Safety Element Update

2. Safety Element Policy Framework

PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT

HEALTH & SAFETY ELEMENT

CITY OF MONTE SERENO
Prepared by M-Group
June 10, 2025

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 1 Table of Contents
A. Background Information ............................................................... 2

1. Wildland and Urban Fires......................................................... 3

2. Seismic Activity........................................................................... 5

3. Stope Instability Leading to Mudslides and Landslides........ 7

4. Subsidence, Liquefaction, and other Seismic Hazards ......... 8

5. Flooding, Including Tsunami, Seiche, and Dam Failure...... 10 a. Dam Failure........................................................................... 11 b. Levee Protection .................................................................. 11 c. Seiche..................................................................................... 11 d. Tsunami................................................................................. 11

6. Hazardous Materials and Hazardous Waste......................... 11

7. Emergency Response.............................................................. 12 a. Evacuation Analysis.............................................................. 12

8. Air Quality................................................................................. 16

9. Noise......................................................................................... 19 a. Land Use Compatibility........................................................ 19 b. Existing and Future Noise.................................................... 21

10. Climate Risk ........................................................................... 22 a. Community Profile ............................................................... 22 b. Climate Hazards ................................................................... 23 B. Goals, Policies, and Actions ........................................................ 28

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 2 The Health and Safety Element provides information about risks in Monte Sereno due to natural and manhuman-made
hazards. The Element contains goals, policies and actions designed to protect the community and its property from fire, seismic activity, flooding, and toxic material hazards, and climate change. This Element also addresses noise
within the community and general emergency and disaster preparedness including emergency evacuation analysis.

As required by State law, the Health and Safety Element addresses the protection of the community from any
unreasonable risks associated with the impacts offollowing:

1. Wildland and urban fires

2. Seismic activity, including seismically induced
surface rupture, ground shaking, and ground
failure

3. Slope instability leading to mudslides and landslides

4. Subsidence, liquefaction, and other seismic hazards

5. Flooding, including tsunami, seiche, and dam failure

6. Hazardous Materials and hazardous waste1
1 This is not a State requirement, but is supported by the State for inclusion into a Safety Element.
2 As of general plan adoption, Monte Sereno is not party to the 2024 Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). However, information and data related to the city are included throughout the plan as appropriate and

7. Emergency response2

8. Air quality3

9. Noise3

10. Climate Risk
 Fires.
 Geologic and seismic hazards, including
earthquake faults and ground shaking hazards.
 Flood hazards, including localized flooding, 100
year flooding and dam failure.
 Hazardous materials.
 Air Quality.
 General emergency and disaster preparedness.

State law also mandates that a City’s General Plan address current and foreseeable noise impacts. As noted above,
noise is not contained in a stand-alone element but is
addressed in this Health and Safety Element.

A. Background Information
relevant. Action HS-5.D directs the City to participate in the next update of the LHMP. The current LHMP expires in February 2029. 3 State law mandates that a City’s General Plan address air quality as well as current and foreseeable noise impacts. Air quality and noise are not contained in a stand-alone element but are instead

addressed in this Health and Safety Element.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 3 This section contains information on current risks due to natural and manhuman-made hazards. Existing noise
sources and their projected levels are also addressed in the background information section.

1. FiresWildland and Urban Fires
Open space areas and residential areas that are heavily vegetated and grassy are especially vulnerable to fire
hazards. The risk of fire is highest in the steep, heavily vegetated hillside areas south of Highway 9. The risk of fire is also highest during the summer and fall dry seasons. The risk of fires has also increased due to increased frequency of heatwaves and drought. Because most wildfires are
caused by people, increased accessibility to fire hazard areas further increases the risk of fire. Figure HS-1 identifies the wildfire hazard areas in Monte Sereno.

Figure HS-1: Fire Hazard Severity Zones
Source: California Office of the State Fire Mashal
A significant portion of Monte Sereno is prone to wildfires and is located in the Wildland-Urban Interface, or WUI, where houses and other development meet or mix with

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 4 undeveloped natural areas. As of February 24, 2025,
identified by the State Fire Marshal, 16 percent of Monte Sereno is within a Fire Hazard Zone Area. The majority of the south end of the City is within a High Fire Severity Zone, either designated as Moderate Severity, High Severity, or Very High Severity.

Proximity to wildfire danger must also be understood to include the risk from windblown embers. Fire embers,
which are pieces of burning vegetation or other flammable material, can often travel several miles, before landing and potentially igniting new fires. The distance they travel depends on factors like wind strength, the size of the
embers, and the intensity of the fire.

Due to the recent wildfires in California including the following:4
• Tubbs fire in Santa Rosa; Oct. 2017 – 5,643 structures destroyed, 22 dead
• Camp fire in Paradise fire; Nov. 2018 – 18,804
structures destroyed, 85 dead
• North Complex fire in Butte, Yuba & Plumas Counties;
Aug. 2020 – 2,352 structures destroyed, 15 dead
• Eaton fire in Altadena; Jan. 2025 – 9,413 structures
destroyed, 18 dead
• Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades; Jan. 2025 – 6,833 structures destroyed, 12 dead
4 See: “20 Most Destructive California Wildfires (Cal Fire: 2025), available at https://www.fire.ca.gov/our-impact/statistics.

It is now known beyond a reasonable doubt that the wildfire danger zone can extend several miles beyond the mapped
high fire zones. Therefore, all of Monte Sereno should be considered for fire protective measures, precautions and planning.

The residences as well as private roads and City-maintained roads are at risk in these areas. Utilities that provide water or electricity to these homes and businesses are also at risk.

No critical facilities in Monte Sereno are at risk, but the Quito Fire Station is very close to a Moderate Severity danger area.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, there have been no historical wildfires within the city boundaries of Monte Sereno. The closest historical wildfire to Monte Sereno was the Lexington Fire near Los Gatos, which burned from June 26, 1985, to August 19, 1985.

This federal wildfire disaster included six counties. In Santa Clara County, the worst of the fires affected the Santa Cruz Mountains south of the City of San José, threatening at least 2,000 homes and forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.

Monte Sereno is part of Santa Clara County’s Community
Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). Monte Sereno was first annexed to the plan in 2016, and the data has been
subsequently updated in 2025. The Community Wildfire
Protection Plan outlines a mitigation and preparedness plan

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 5 to work toward reducing wildfire risk, establishes
collaborative relationships with federal and state agencies as well as local stakeholders before an event occurs., The Plan includes pre-attack plans or tactical maps for
suppression personnel to improve firefighter readiness and safety, and documents planning and projects for garnering grant success.

Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District serves the City of Monte Sereno for fire protection services. There is one fire station, Quito Station, located at 18870 SaratogaLos Gatos Road in the City’s Sphere of Influence. The next closest fire station is the Los Gatos Fire Station at 306 University Avenue.

To reduce fire hazards, Monte Sereno adopted a weed and brush abatement ordi- nance in 2007. This ordinance,
codified as Municipal Code Section NS-154Chapter 8.02,
broad- ly defines fire hazards as dry or dead shrubs, dead trees, combustible refuse and waste, and any vegetation that could pose dangers. Monte Sereno residents are
required by this ordinance to remove and properly dispose of fire hazards from their property.

2. Seismic Activity
Seismic activity includes activity such as seismically induced surface rupture, ground shaking, and ground failure. Monte Sereno is located within the seismically- active San Francisco Bay region, one of the most seismically- active zones in the United States. The faults in the San Francisco Bay region are capable of generating earthquakes of at least 8.0 in
magnitude on the Richter Scale, producing very strong
ground shaking in Monte Sereno.

A fault is a fracture or zone of closely associated fractures along which rocks on one side have been displaced with
respect to those on the other side. A fault zone is a zone of related faults which commonly are braided, but which may be branching. The closest major fault is the San Andreas Fault, which passes through Monte Sereno’s SOI southwest of Lyndon Canyon and is shown on Figure HS-2. Figure HS3 displays fault rupture zones within Monte Sereno and the vicinity. A portion of Monte Sereno also is near the
potentially active Shannon Fault, just north of Monte Sereno in Los Gatos. As a potentially active fault, the Shannon Fault is not shown on Figure HS-2.
• Ground Failure means mudslide, landslide.
liquefaction, or soil compaction caused by a seismic
event. Monte Sereno is a risk of these occurrences
due to being near the San Andreas fault.
• Ground Shaking a term used to describe the
vibration of the ground during an earthquake.

Ground shaking is caused by body waves originating
from deep within the earth, and surface waves. As a
generalization, the severity of ground shaking
increases as magnitude increases and decreases as
distance from the causative fault increases.
• Seismically Induced Surface Rupture means a
break in the ground’s surface and associated

deformation resulting from the movement of a fault.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 6 Figure HS-2: Earthquake Regional Faults
Source: California Geological Survey
Figure HS-3: Fault Rupture Zones
Source: United States Geological Survey
According to the 2024 Santa Clara County MultiJurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), Monte Sereno has 1,078 buildings at risk of earthquake exposure.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 7 To address these seismic hazards the City requires new
construction to be built using the most recent building codes, which to minimizes potential damage to structures as a result of an earthquake. Development or substantial renovations in Monte Sereno must comply with the Uniform California Building/Residential Code (BUBC/CRC), which
outlines standards for seismic design, foundations and
drainage and requires that geotechnical engineering
studies be undertaken for all major new buildings or earth works.

3. Steep Slopes and LandslidesStope Instability Leading to Mudslides and Landslides
Landslides resulting from earthquakes are the greatest
earthquake hazard concern for residents of Monte Sereno.

According to the County of Santa Clara, approximately 75 percent of Monte Sereno is located in an area with a high potential for earthquake induced landslides. Despite this potential, few no historic landslides have been mapped in the City of Monte Sereno. Two have been mapped outside
the city’s borders. In 2005, a historic debris slide occurred in the hills above Wood Acres Road. Figure HS-3 identifies incidence of mapped land- slides in and around Monte
Sereno as well as land susceptible to landslides.

A landslide is the movement of masses of loosened rock and soil down a hillside or slope. Slope failures occur when the strength of the soils forming the slope is exceeded by the pressure, such as weight or saturation, acting upon them. • Landslide Creep is a slow-moving landslide often
only noticed through crooked leaning trees and
disturbed structures.. Monte Sereno residents within
the hillside areas could be impacted by landslide
creep.
• Mudslides (or debris flows) are rivers of rock, earth, organic matter, and other soil materials saturated
with water.

According to the County of Santa Clara, approximately 90 percent of Monte Sereno is located in an area with some potential for earthquake-induced landslides. However, no landslides have been mapped in the City of Monte Sereno.

Four have been mapped near the city’s borders.

Figure HS-4 identifies incidences of mapped landslides in and around Monte Sereno as well as land susceptible to
landslides.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 8 HS-4: Landslide Hazard Zones
Source: United States Geological Survey
5 Government Code 65302(g)

4. Subsidence, Liquefaction, and other Seismic Hazards
State law requires protection from unreasonable risks from subsidence, liquefaction, and other seismic hazards
identified pursuant to Chapter 7.8 (commencing with
Section 2690) of Division 2 of the Public Resources Code, and other geologic hazards known to the legislative body. 5 • Subsidence is the gradual, local settling or sinking of the earth’s surface with little or no horizontal motion (subsidence is usually the result of gas, oil, or water extraction, hydro compaction, or peat oxidation, and
not the result of a landslide or slope failure. As
droughts become more intense and frequent, Monte
Sereno is at higher risk for subsidence.
• Liquefaction is a phenomenon primarily associated
with saturated, cohesionless soil layers located close
to the ground surface. During liquefaction, soils lose
strength and ground failure may occur. Since soils
must be saturated to be at risk of liquefaction, areas
with high groundwater levels are most susceptible to
liquefaction. Figure HS-4 shows that the majority of
the city has a very low potential for liquefaction.

Areas with high liquefaction potential are located
along the west border of the city limit.
• Creep is the imperceptibly slow, steady, downward
movement of slope-forming soil or rock. Movement
is caused by shear stress sufficient to produce
permanent deformation, but too small to produce

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 9 shear failure. Creep is indicated by curved tree
trunks, bent fences or retaining walls, tilted poles or fences, and small soil ripples or ridges. Monte Sereno
residents within the hillside areas could potentially
be impacted by creep.

Earthquakes and droughts can cause earth to move or sink, affecting water sources. Although Monte Sereno currently does not have a groundwater management plan, it has a
relatively low risk of subsidence, liquefaction, and hazards such as creep due to its foothill location (see Figures HS-43 and HS-54). There is some liquefaction risk along Quito Road and Los Gatos Creek.

HS-5: Liquefaction Susceptibility
Source: United States Geological Survey

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 10

5. Flooding, Including Tsunami, Seiche, and Dam Failure Hazards
Large-scale flooding is not a significant hazard in Monte Sereno. Most of the properties in Monte Sereno are built above the base flood elevation. There are no critical facilities susceptible to flooding in Monte Sereno. However, both
surface and subsurface local drainage problems do exist in some parts of Monte Sereno, and there is currently no
drainage plan for Monte Sereno. Due to its minimal danger of flooding, Monte Sereno is part of the National Flood Insurance Program. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) has withdrawn the City of Monte Sereno
from the emergency program list of the National Flood
Insurance Program.
• A floodplain is the land area along the sides of a river that becomes inundated with water during a flood.
• The 1-Percent-Annual-Chance (100-Year)
Floodplain is the area flooded by the flood that has
a 1 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in a
given year..
• The 0.2-Percent-Annual-Chance (500-Year)
Floodplain is the area flooded by the flood that has
a 0.2 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in
a given year.

There has been no historical flooding in Monte Sereno.

There is a small area of the city to the northwest that is subject to a 1% annual chance of flood hazard. Land uses in this area include Single Family Residential.

HS-6: Flood Hazard Zones
Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency
There are 5 parcels on Monte Sereno’s western boundary in the 100-year flood plain. The land uses subject to this 100- year flooding are Single Family Residential (1 DU/ac), and

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 11 only two of them are buildable. The others are either rightsof-way or consist of San Tomas Aquinas Creek.

Agencies responsible for flooding include Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Jose Water Company, Valley Water and California Office of Emergency Services. Monte Sereno
partners with the Town of Los Gatos with a combined police force for public safety and emergency response services. a. Dam Failure
Monte Sereno does not have any dams within its borders.

The Town of Los Gatos has Vasona Percolating to the east of Monte Sereno and Rinconada Reservoir to the north of Monte Sereno. Vasona Percolating is within the Extremely High category for inundation or dam failure resulting in significant flooding. However, the flooding would likely occur north of Monte Sereno, not within city boundaries. b. Levee Protection
There are no levees within Monte Sereno. There are three levees near Monte Sereno including Los Gatos Creek, Santa Clara County Levee 82, and Santa Clara County Levee 90.

Impacts on any of these levees are unlikely to affect Monte Sereno.
c. Seiche
Seich is an earthquake-induced wave in a lake, reservoir, or harbor. Monte Sereno is not at risk for seiche as there are no significant bodies of water within the city.
d. Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of high-energy waves that radiate outward like pond ripples from an area where a generating event occurs, arriving at shorelines over an extended
period. Monte Sereno is not at risk for a tsunami as the city is not located near any large body of water.

6. Hazardous Materials and Hazardous Waste
Hazardous material usage and hazardous waste are
primarily associated with resi- dential uses in Monte Sereno.

Household hazardous materials including pesticides,
herbicides, fertilizers and oil are the most commonly
occurring hazardous material in the city. Other household hazardous waste can include flammable, corrosive, toxic and oxidizer materials. The California Environmental
Protection Agency, Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is authorized by the Federal Environmental
Protection Agency to enforce and implement federal
hazardous materials laws and regulations, including
disposal and transportation of hazardous materials.

Santa Clara County operates a Household Hazardous Waste disposal program for incorporated and unincorporated
residents and small businesses. Household haz- ardous
waste includes flammable, corrosive, toxic and oxidizer material and can be dropped off at facilities located in Sunnyvale, San Jose and San Martin.

As stated in section 8.02.020 of the Monte Sereno Municipal Code section 8.02.020 prohibits the, accumulation of
hazardous material is prohibited., stating As contained in the document, that “No owner, agent, lessee or other
person occupying or having charge or control of any
building, lot or premises within the City of Monte Sereno shall permit weeds, dirt, rubbish, rank growths and other

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 12 hazardous material to remain upon said premises, or public sidewalks, or streets, or alleys between said premises and the centerline of any pub- lic street or alley.”
There are no hazardous waste producing land uses in the City of Monte Sereno, which contains only residential and institutional land uses as well as open space.

7. Emergency Response
As required by law, Monte Sereno has established
emergency preparedness procedures to respond to a
variety of natural and man-made disasters that could occur within the area. The City participates in the Santa Clara County Operational Emergency Plan (EOP or Plan) and the City has representatives on the Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) Steering Committee.

The Plan is an all- hazards document describing the County’s Emergency Operations organization, compliance with
relevant legal statutes, other guidelines, and critical components of the Emergency Response System. This
system is activated during extraordinary emergency
situations associated with large-scale disasters affecting Santa Clara County and/or the Santa Clara County
Operational Area. By definition of the State of California, the Santa Clara County Operational Area consists of the cities, special districts, and the unincorporated areas of the
county. This plan is not intended to address specific
emergency responses for specific events.

The Plan continues the County’s compliance with the
California Standardized Emergency Management System
(SEMS) and establishes compliance with the National
Incident Management System (NIMS), the National
Response Framework (NRF), and the National Preparedness Guidelines (NPG).

Monte Sereno residents also have an important role in
responding to emergencies. Many neighborhoods in Monte
Sereno and Los Gatos have organized to plan and prepare for disasters through the Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT) program. The CERT program educates people
about disaster preparedness and trains them in basic
disaster response skills. In the event of an emergency, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood before
professional responders are able to arrive. The Town of Los Gatos currently offers CERT training courses that are
available to Monte Sereno residents.
a. Evacuation Analysis
Updated State law requires additional evacuation analysis requirements:
• SB 99 (2019) requires identification of residential
developments in any hazard area identified in the
Safety Element that do not have at least two
emergency evacuation routes.
• AB 747 (2019) requires identification of evacuation
routes and their capacity, safety, and viability and
evacuation locations under a range of emergency
scenarios.

The SB 99 residential development identification map is

Figure HS-7.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 13 Figure HS-7: Residential Developments with One
Evacuation Route
Source: M-Group
The primary evacuation routes out of Monte Sereno include Highway 9 (Saratoga-Los Gatos Road), crossing the city eastwest, and Quito Road, at the city’s northwest corner and Winchester Boulevard to the east. Additional evacuation routes include Highway 17, on the eastern side of Monte Sereno.

Of these roads, Highway 9 is a divided highway for much of its path through Monte Sereno, with two lanes in each
direction. Quito Road and Winchester Boulevard are both one lane in each direction. Highway 17 is a divided freeway, with the interchange at Highway 9 located .60 mile from the Monte Sereno border
i. Evacuation Route Capacity
Highway 9 through Monte Sereno has annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 12,631 in a 2010 count, with an estimated

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 14 growth rate of 1.3% per year.6 Peak AM/PM volumes are
described in Table HS-1:

Table HS-1: 2010 Peak Hour Volumes on Highway 9
Highway 9 Peak Hour
Volumes
Passenger Vehicles/Hour
Eastbound
Peak Hour Volume AM 552
Peak Hour Volume PM 994
Westbound
Peak Hour Volume AM 1,049
Peak Hour Volume PM 782
“Eastbound” means towards Highway 17 and Los Gatos,
while “Westbound” means towards Saratoga Avenue and
Saratoga.

These volumes are all well under the typical maximum
capacity rate of 1,800 passenger vehicles an hour –
especially considering that lanes may be reversed in times of emergency (i.e., if there is a wildfire to the west of Monte Sereno, one or more westbound lanes may be temporarily
converted to eastbound to ease emergency traffic).
6 https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/district-4/documents/d4- transportation-planning-local-assistance/system-regionalplanning/tcrs/f0020323_sr9-tcr-final-a11y.pdf ii. Evacuation Route Safety and Viability
Monte Sereno is uniquely situated between Quito Road and Highway 17, giving residents and workers two
complementary routes away in case of emergency. In
addition, Daves Avenue and Winchester Boulevard can
provide alternate connections to these main routes. All of these roads are in good repair and well maintained by the appropriate authorities.

There primary hazards facing Monte Sereno is wildfire, in the south of the city. There are additional hazard risks to a lesser extend:
• Flooding (along western boundary)
• Liquefaction (along western boundary)
• Landslides (northern, western, and southern
portions of the city)
Compared to the large capacity of the city’s evacuation routes, there are relatively few parcels in the hazard areas.

All of these parcels are single-family residential or open space, with a relatively low density of occupants compared to commercial or high-density residential uses. Table HS-2 quantifies the parcels that could be potentially affected:

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 15 Table HS-2: Parcels Affected by Potential Hazards*
Hazard
# of Parcels (including in
Sphere of Influence)
Wildfire 234
Moderate 80
High 85
Very High 69
Flood (100-Year Flood) 5
Liquefaction 55
Moderate 24
High 31
Landslides 153
* All parcels in Table HS-2 are zoned for single-family residential uses or open space
Beach Traffic
In outreach performed conducted for the 2026 General Plan Update, many community members expressed concern
over a wildfire hazard event occurring during a summer
afternoon (PM), when Highway 17 is particularly congested with beach-goers above and beyond a “typical” peak hour volume. The traffic is often exacerbated by individuals 7 “State Route 17 Resiliency and Adaptation Plan” (Caltrans), available at https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5/district5-current-projects/sr-17-ra-plan attempting to bypass Highway 17 traffic using local Monte Sereno roads.

This concern is well-understood by Caltrans, the State
transportation agency. At the time of General Plan Update development, Caltrans is working on a State Route 17
Resiliency and Adaptation Plan.7 This plan will prioritize project opportunities that align with assessing physical climate risk and safety improvements, along with other plan priorities. Monte Sereno will review the plan and support implementation, as appropriate (see Action HS-5.E).

In any case, Monte Sereno community members can
potentially also evacuate via Quito Road or, in case of a dual wildfire and other hazard, Winchester Boulevard. Due to Monte Sereno’s relatively small and low-density
development pattern, community members have alternate
evacuation routes should Highway 17 be temporarily not
viable. Analysis conducted in other communities indicate that a policy of encouraging residents to evacuate with only one vehicle rather than multiple vehicles per household should be considered. Traffic models confirm that this
policy can significantly improve evacuation times,
potentially saving lives during a severe wildfire event.8 8 Damien Pierce and John Anderson, “Improving traffic
evacuations: A case study” (Google Research: 2023), available at https://research.google/blog/improving-traffic-evacuations-acase-study/.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 16 iii. Evacuation Locations
Monte Sereno is a small community, both in terms of
population and geography. Although Daves Avenue
Elementary School could prove to be a viable evacuation location in case of small-scale hazards, in case of largerscale hazards Monte Sereno community members will likely seek evacuation further towards Campbell, or evenand San Jose.

For safe and efficient evacuation to these jurisdictions north of Monte Sereno, it is crucial that community members are aware of emergency messaging systems, such as those
administered by the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police
Departmentt (who contract services for Monte Sereno) and the Santa Clara County Fire Department, as well as the
Monte Sereno – Los Gatos CERT.

8. Air Quality
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD,
formerly Bay Area Air Quality Management District, or
BAAQMD) regulates air quality in Santa Clara County. The county, including Monte Sereno, is part of a region-wide non-attainment area in which ambient levels exceed State or federal air quality standard for ground-level ozone and airborne particulates (PM2.5, and PM10.) Additionally, ozone precursors generated in Santa Clara County often move to other communities, where smog is formed several hours
later. Thus, the BAAQMD tries to minimize local emissions that will contribute to an existing violation of State and federal standards in any part of the Bay Area.

The BAAQMD monitors air quality at numerous sites within the nine-county Dis- trict, although not within Monte
Sereno. The closest air monitoring station is in Los Gatos, but the closest air monitoring station with complete annual data is in central San Jose.

Local air pollutant levels measured over the past most
recent three years (201704 to 201906) at the Central San Jose stations are reported in Table HS-13. The air pollutants of greatest concern are ground-level ozone, PM10, and PM2.5, because health standards for these compounds are
exceeded in the Bay Area. CO, lead, and NO2 standards have been achieved, primarily thoughthrough cleaner fuels,
more efficient motor vehicles, and evolving regulations.

As shown in Table HS-13, measurements of ozone in Central San Jose exceeded air quality standards during the 201705 -and 201906 monitoring peri- od. Carbon monoxide
measurements met federal and State standards during the 201704-201906 monitoring period. Measurements of PM10
exceeded California air qual- ity standards on one day
during the 201704-201906 monitoring period.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 17 Table HS-31: Measured Air Pollutant Concentrations in Central San Jose (2004-2006) (2017-2019)9 Pollutant Average
Time
National Ambient
Air Quality Standard
California Ambient Air
Quality Standard 2017 2018 2019
Ozone 1 hour n/a 0.09 ppm 0.121 ppb 0.078 ppb 0.095 ppb Ozone 8 hour 0.070 ppm 0.070 ppm 0.098 ppb 0.061 ppb 0.081 ppb Carbon Monoxide 1 hour 35 ppm 20 ppm 2.1 ppm 2.5 ppm 1.7 ppm Carbon Monoxide 8 hour 9 ppm 9.0 ppm 1.8 ppm 2.1 ppm 1.3 ppm Respirable Particulate
Matter (PM10)
24 hour 150 ug/m3 50 ug/m3 70 ug/m3 122 ug/m3 77 ug/m3
9 Source: Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD)

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 18 Respirable Particulate
Matter (PM10)
Annual n/a 20 ug/m3 21.6 ug/m3 23.1 ug/m3 19.2 ug/m3

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 19

9. Noise
For the purpose of the General Plan, noise is defined as a sound or series of sounds that are considered invasive, irritating, objectionable or disruptive to the quality of life.

Noise varies in its range, source and volume and can derive from individual incidents such as a lawnmower, to sporadic disturbances such as a car horn, to more constant irritants such as traffic along major arterials.

State Law requires that all City and County General Plans address noise to limit the exposure of the community to excessive noise levels. To this end local governments are required to “analyze and quantify noise levels and the
extent of noise exposure” through field measurements or noise modeling, and “implement measures and possible
solutions to existing and foreseeable noise problems.”
Noise contours for current and projected conditions within the community are required to be prepared in terms of
either the Community Noise Equivalent Level(CNEL) or the Day-Night Average Level (Ldn), which are descriptors of total noise exposure at a given location for an annual average day. CNEL and Ldn are generally considered to be equivalent descriptors of the community noise environment within
plus or minus 1.0 dBA. Table HS-42 provides definitions of the acoustical terminology used in this document.
a. Land Use Compatibility
Land uses deemed noise sensitive by the State of California include schools, hospi- tals, rest homes, long-term care and mental care facilities. Many jurisdictions also consider residential uses noise sensitive since families and
individuals expect to use time in the home for rest and relaxation, and excess noise can interfere with those
activities. Monte Sereno considers residential uses as noise sensitive since the quiet community character is one of attractions to living in the city.

Monte Sereno is generally a quiet, residential community.

The primary noise gen- erator that impacts Monte Sereno residents is vehicular noise from major roadways. To ensure that future development is not adversely impacted by noise generators, or is itself a negative noise source, the City will utilize land use compatibility guidelines as part of planning and development decisions. Figure HS-85 summarizes
which areas of Monte Sereno are affected by the land uses are compatible with different noise levels from highways and throughfares.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 20 Table HS-24: Definitions of Acoustical Terms
Term Definition
Decibel, dB A unit describing the amplitude of sound, equal to 20 times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of the pressure of the sound measured to the reference pressure, which is 20 micropascals (20 micronewtons per square meter).

A-Weighted Sound
Level, dBA
The sound pressure level in decibels as measured on a sound level meter using the A-weighting filter network. The A- weighting filter de-emphasizes the very low and very high frequency components of the sound in a manner similar to the frequency response of the human ear and correlates well with subjective reactions to noise. All sound levels in this report are A-weighted, unless reported otherwise
Community Noise
Equivalent Level, CNEL
The average A-weighted noise level during a 24-hour day, obtained after addition of 5 decibels in the evening from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm and after addition of 10 decibels to sound levels measured in the night between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am
Day/Night Noise Level,
Ldn
The average A-weighted noise level during a 24-hour day, obtained after addition of 10 decibels to levels measured in the night between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am Ambient Noise Level The composite of noise from all sources near and far. The normal or existing level of environmental noise at a given location.

Intrusive That noise which intrudes over and above the existing ambient noise at a given location. The relative intrusiveness of a sound depends upon its amplitude, duration, frequency, and time of occurrence and tonal or informational content as well as the prevailing ambient noise level.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 21 HS-8: Noise Levels
Sources: Los Gatos General Plan (2022); Saratoga General Plan (2024) b. Existing and Future Noise
Automobiles are the most common noise source in Monte
Sereno. As shown on Figure HS-85, automobile noise is
greatest on Highway 9 and Winchester Boulevard. Local and regional growth is not anticipated to create a large increase in traffic noise during the next 20 years. Figure HS-5 depicts projected future noise levels for sample roadways based on future traffic levels in 2030. These contours are very similar to existing noise conditions, with a slight increase of noise levels occurring during the next 20 years along the major regional roadways.

The majority of traffic increases will result from regional growth, over which the City has no control. Noise levels are only shown for those roadways that were studied as part of the neighboring General Plan traffic analysis, published

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 22 from 2020-2024 or where traffic counts were available.
10 Roadways that were not modeled for noise contours also experience traffic noise, with noise levels along local streets anticipated to be similar or quieter than those modeled streets.

Noise impacts also result from construction and
landscaping activities. To limit noise from these sources, Chapter 9.07 of the Monte Sereno Municipal Code establishes permitted hours for construction and mechanical blowers. Construction requiring a building permit is
permitted from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and prohibited on Sundays and holidays. Construction not requiring a permit can occur at any time. The use of mechanical blowers is limited to 98:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through
FridaySaturday, 9:00a.m. to 5:00 pm Saturday and
permitted from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays and
holidays. only if operated by a homeowner or tenant. The maximum volume for mechanical blowers is 65 decibels as measured 50 feet from the fully operating mechanical
blower for backpack-mounted blowers, and 70 decibels as measured 50 feet from the blower for handheld blowers.
10 https://losgatos2040.com/images/docs/LGGPU_08_ENV.pdf; https://www.saratoga.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/5403/Genera l-Plan-Noise-Element-PDF

10. Climate Risk
California is experiencing increased frequency and severity of heatwaves, wildfires, precipitation, and droughts.

Temperature increases will cause longer droughts and
overall water supply problems, and the Bay Area’s electrical grid will be venerable to power outages during high winds and wildfires. Climate change will also increase the effects of socioeconomic inequity as the diverging abilities of individuals to prepare for and recover from heat waves, floods, and wildfires become more apparent.
a. Community Profile
Monte Sereno is a community of 3,582 people nestled
within the hills of Santa Clara County, just west of Los Gatos.

Demographically in Monte Sereno, in 2020 decennial
census, White residents make up the majority at 75.3
percent, 7.3 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino, 17.7 percent of persons identified as Asian, 1.3 percent of
persons identified as Black or African American, 2.1 percent of persons identified as two or more races. The average household size is 2.90 individuals and the average family size is 3.27 individuals. The 2020 American Community
Survey (ACS) has the median household income of Monte
Sereno to be $250,000+, the highest category they have
estimates for. The median age of Monte Sereno residents

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 23 according to American Community Survey 2023 Census
Data is 55.1.

Monte Sereno does not have any disadvantaged
communities according to California Office of
Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)’s
CalEnviroScreen 4.0. defined as a census tract meeting
certain income levels and/or public health indicators.

Monte Sereno is primarily made up of single-family
residential land uses of one unit per acre, consisting of 692 acres within the city (74 percent of land in the city). Areas for single-family residential homes of two dwelling units per acre consist of 56 acres. Areas for single-family residential homes of 3-5 dwelling units per acre consist of 134 acres.

Land uses allowing for multi-family residential homes of 3- 8 dwelling units per acre consist of 4.5 acres. Public land use consists of 9 acres. Open Space land use consists of 38 acres.

Critical Facilities in Monte Sereno include Quito Fire Station (in the Sphere of Influence), Daves Avenue Elementary
School, and City Hall.
b. Climate Hazards
Climate Change is projected to affect Monte Sereno through risk of wildfires, droughts, landslides, and air quality. These impacts will cause a secondary impact to emergency service groups and plans supporting Monte Sereno residents.

Areas not expected to increase their current effect on Monte Sereno include, sea level rise and flooding.
i. Drought
A drought is where conditions are drier than normal for an extended period, making less water available for people and ecosystems. While drought is a normal occurrence in California, prolonged drought conditions can harm
ecosystems and the regional economy. Droughts do not
typically cause direct loss of life or structural damage, but they can lead to critical environmental and economic harm, including agricultural losses, increased water costs, habitat degradation, and heightened wildfire risks.

Historical droughts in Santa Clara County in the extreme to exceptional range include an exceptional drought from the years of January 2014 to March 2016, according to U.S.

Drought Monitor. The extreme drought continued until
November 2016. Another extreme drought started in April 2021 and extended to December of 2021 with an
exceptional drought also occurring in this timeframe.

Monte Sereno receives its water from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Jose Water Company and Valley Water.

San Jose Water receives its water supply from three sources of potable water supply: purchased, or imported, treated surface water from Valley Water, groundwater from the
Santa Clara Subbasin, and surface water from local
watersheds. A fourth and growing source of supply is nonpotable recycled water. Drought poses significant challenges to the continued operations from these water supply systems. All of Monte Sereno residents will be
affected by drought conditions.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 24 According to Valley Water’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan, Valley Water will have sufficient supplies to meet San Jose Waters’s, and other retailers’ demands through 2045 under average year, single dry year, and five consecutive dry year conditions. San Jose Water indicated by use of current and implementation of new water sources, such as recycle water, and conservation efforts and programs in conjunction with Valley Water, Monte Sereno’s water supply demands will be met.

As temperatures increase, precipitation will occur more frequently as rain than snow affecting the availability of water supplies. Identified by Cal Adapt, the City of Monte Sereno is projected to have an increase in annual
precipitation from (1961 to 1990) of an average of 31 inches, to an average of 33.7 inches by mid-century (2035 to 2064) and an average of 38.0 inches by late-century (2070 to
2099).

A decrease in water supply could slightly affect emergency response availability to protect the city in a wildfire event. ii. Extreme Heat
As climate change poses greater impacts to the City of
Monte Sereno, extreme heat will pose a threat and can
result in loss of power and high energy bills and will
significantly increase the risk of wildfires. This change will affect all residents in the City of Monte Sereno, from those in high fire hazard severity zones and those at high risk of heat related illnesses. Identified by Cal-Adapt, climate change is expected to increase extreme heat days in the city from a historic annual average (1961 to 1990) of 4 days per year, to an average of 14 days per year by mid-century (2035 to 2064) and an average of 17 days per year by late-century (2070 to 2099).

A loss of power could effect critical facilities in Monte Sereno including the Quito Fire Station, Daves Avenue Elementary School, and City Hall. A loss of power could also affect Monte Sereno’s police force services. The Town of Los Gatos could provide cooling centers for those most in need.

The harm of extreme heat is often compounded when
nighttime temperatures do not cool off to more normal
levels, which means that the community gets little or no relief for the duration of the heat wave. Identified by CalAdapt, a warm night in Monte Sereno is when temperatures remain above 58.7 degrees. Warm nights are projected to increase from a historic 5 nights per year to 34 nights per year by midcentury and 43 nights per year by late century. iii. Flood
As there are more extended years of drought, heavy bursts of rainfall are expected to cause an increase in flooding.

Monte Sereno is not near a large body of water and even with higher potential for heavy rainfall events, the city is not at risk of flooding in the next 100 to 200 years. There have been no historical flooding events in Monte Sereno.

Monte Sereno is not at risk for climate change sea level rise impacts or tsunami’s as the city is not near a large body of

water.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 25 iv. Landslides
Monte Sereno is at risk for landslides. No historic landslides have been mapped in the City of Monte Sereno. Four have been mapped outside the city’s borders. In 2005, a historic debris slide occurred in the hills above Wood Acres Road.

Three are located on the edge of the southern border of the city.

Climate change is expected to exacerbate landslide hazards by increasing frequency of wildfires that can elevate the risk of fast moving debris landslides. Landslides can displace residents, block transportation routes such as private roads within the hills and can damage critical infrastructure such as electricity, water, and sewer pipelines. Such impacts can disrupt daily life in Monte Sereno and deprive community members of key services and access, even for those not
near the landslide hazard zones. 90% of Monte Sereno is susceptible to a landslide.

Climate change may increase risk of earthquakes and
Monte Sereno is at high risk for earthquakes as the city is located near the San Andreas Fault, which passes through the city’s Sphere of Influence (SOI) southwest of Lyndon Canyon and Shannon Fault, in Los Gatos, just north of the city. An earthquake along one of these faults can cause ground failure, defined as mudslides, landslides,
liquefaction, or soil compaction. Higher earthquake
potential increases the risk of the whole of Monte Sereno being susceptible to landslide events.
v. Wildfire
Climate change is expected to significantly increase Monte Sereno wildfire risk, as raising temperatures and severe drought events cause vegetation to dry out. Wildfire
frequency, severity, and impacts are difficult to predict as they rely on various situational factors such as development patterns, vegetation, increase in temperatures, wind
patterns, and change in precipitation.

The southern portion of Monte Sereno (Insert percentage) is within a high fire hazard severity zone. The risk of fire is highest in the steep, heavily vegetated hillside area south of Highway 9, in open space and residential areas that are heavily vegetated and grassy and during the summer and
fall dry seasons. Fires in this area can spread to the
remainder of the city by strong winds pushing fire embers into attics, crawlspaces and flammable landscaping near homes and other structures as seen in the recent wildfire disasters in other communities.

Human activity also increases the risk of wildfire occurring.

To reduce the risk Monte Sereno adopted a weed and brush abatement ordinance in 2007. This ordinance requires
Monte Sereno residents to remove and properly dispose of fire hazards from their property.

Monte Sereno’s land uses Single-family residential home (1 DU/acre), and Single-family residential home (2 DU/acre), especially in the sphere of influence area, in the southern end of Monte Sereno are at wildfire risk. Private and City maintained roads and collector roads are at risk in these areas. Utilities that provide water or electricity to these

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 26 homes and businesses are also at risk. Wildfires are not projected to reach any of Monte Sereno’s critical facilities.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection there have been no historical wildfires within the city boundaries of Monte Sereno. The closest historical wildfire to Monte Sereno was the Lexington Fire towards Los Gatos burned from June 26, 1985, to August 19, 1985.

This federal wildfire disaster included six counties. In Santa Clara County, the worst of the fires affected the Santa Cruz Mountains south of the City of San José, threatening at least 2,000 homes and forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
vi. Air Quality
Air pollutants come from mobile sources such as cars and trucks, dust from construction sites, and smoke from
wildfires. Monte Sereno is at high risk for poor air quality due to a wildfire occurrence. Climate change directly
impacts and exacerbates air quality through increased
temperatures, wildfires, and changes in precipitation
patterns. Warmer temperatures lengthen the growing
seasons of plants and trees, increasing allergen production.

Poor air quality leads to more health issues in Monte Sereno residents. Air quality is a risk when a fire impacts the residents of Monte Sereno.
vii. Emergency Event
Monte Sereno partners with the Town of Los Gatos to
provide emergency services including police forces. The Town of Los Gatos also serves as the emergency evacuation zone for the city. Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District serves the City of Monte Sereno for fire protection services. Monte Sereno also has a Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT) program. In the event of an
emergency, CERT members can assist others in their
neighborhood before professional responders are able to arrive.

The transportation infrastructure in Monte Sereno is made up of local city maintained or local private roads, connector roads, throughfares, and Highway 9 that connect different parts of the city with neighboring communities. Roadways can be blocked or damaged by wildfires, flooding, or
earthquakes, cutting off major routes and isolating the community. Damage or improper maintenance to these
roads could limit evacuation options and delay healthcare and emergency services. People who live in homes on
single-access roads are particularly vulnerable to
transportation disruptions, as it can be challenging for them to leave their home or for emergency responders to provide assistance if the only roadway access is blocked.

Monte Sereno is a city that receives beach traffic going to Santa Cruz as a popular road Santa Cruz Avenue in Los
Gatos is impacted. Highway 9 and local roads are impacted as travelers try to avoid traffic. During an emergency event, emergency responses could be impacted by predicted
human behaviors on Monte Sereno streets and other
frequently used roads including Santa Cruz Avenue.

As climate change events become more frequent and
intense, Monte Sereno is committed to reducing climate

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 27 risks and increasing the resilience of the city and its residents.

Policies related to climate change adaptation are in the Goals, Policies, and Actions, below

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 28 B. Goals, Policies, and Actions
HS-1. Prevent and reduce risks to property and protect
residents from urban and wildfire hazards.

HS-1.1. Cooperate Collaborate with Santa Clara
County Central Fire District in providing
fire protection facilities needed to
maintain or improve existing fire
protection standards.

HS-1.2. Cooperate Collaborate with Santa Clara
County Central Fire District, Santa Clara
County Office of Emergency Services, and
the Town of Los Gatos in developing a
quarterly summary and yearly report
summarizing types of emergency
requests and response times.

HS-1.3. Conduct a periodic review of the City’s
emergency response plan in conjunction
with Emergency Responses Santa Clara
County Office of Emergency Services to
ensure that escape routes are adequate,
existing programs can be carried out, and
new programs added.

HS-1.4. Ensure areas of high fire hazard should
have low density development and gated
emergency access roads where needed to
maintain appropriate level of service, and
encourage appropriate defensible space.

HS-1.5. Work with the San Jose Water District
Company to ensure that infrastructure is
and water pressure are sufficient for fire
protection in all areas of Monte Sereno
including high risk areas such as the
hillside and Foothill neighborhoods.

HS-1.6. Require that new development provide all
necessary water service, fire hydrants,
and access consistent with the City’s
standards of San Jose Water District and
the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

HS-1.7. Require fire-safe roofing materials in high
fire hazard areas all buildings throughout
the city.

HS-1.8. Require all new development to be
constructed according to fire safety
conformance standards and with all
related regulations in all areas of the city.

HS-1.9. Require Encourage that new development
includes the use of fire-resistant
landscaping, and building materials,
defensible space and fuel modification

around the perimeter of structures,
Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 29 especially in moderate, high and very high
fire hazard areas. Provide informational
handouts to applicants or residents who
may want to voluntarily design and build
fire protective measures, where otherwise
not required to do so.

HS-1.10. Require property owners to remove fire
hazards, including vegetation, hazardous
structures and materials, and debris to
current State and/or local fire standards
for vegetation clearance in moderate,
high and very high fire hazard areas.

HS-1.11. Request that Pacific Gas & Electric
inventory the existing old gas mains in the
vicinity of the Planning Area, review their
condition and upgrade them as
necessary.

HS-1.12. Prohibit the accumulation of weeds, dirt,
rubbish, rank growths as well as
hazardous material in any building, lot or
premises within the city. (Originally HS-4.2,
but moved due to fire concerns identified in
policy)
HS-1.13. Work with the State, County, Saratoga,
and Los Gatos to coordinate efforts to
reduce fire hazard risks on Highway 9.

HS-1.14. Develop a fire-safe landscaping policy for
all areas of Monte Sereno, especially areas
in moderate, high or very high fire hazard
severity zones.

HS-1.15. Conduct regular maintenance of
evacuation routes through vegetation
maintenance of roadways and critical
facilities and verify private and public road
emergency access routes.

HS-1.16. Consider requiring existing buildings to
incorporate fire-resistant materials and
home-hardening requirements when
alterations which affect such materials are
done. Proactively notify residents of
voluntary actions that can be taken to
reduce fire risk to their properties.

HS-1.17. Ensure that utility providers, including
Pacific Gas & Electric, have the ability to
monitor, inspect, replace, and move
equipment that may pose a fire hazard.

HS-1.18. Require all new development to be built
within safe perimeters of fire buffer zones
as designated in coordination with the
Santa Clara County Fire Department.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 30 HS-1.19. Require all new uses of land to meet fire
code regulations setbacks.

HS-1.20. Collaborate with Santa Clara County and
other jurisdictions and agencies on efforts
to update the Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Action:

Action HS-1.A: Update the City’s Tree Removal Process to incentivize the removal and replacement of trees that especially contribute to fire events, such as eucalyptus.

HS-2. Prevent loss of life, injury, and property damage due to geologic and seismic hazards.

HS-2.1. Evaluate seismic risks and require
earthquake protection measures as part
of the Development development Review
review process.

HS-2.2. Development project applicants shall
perform conduct geologic hazard
investigations for all projects proposed in
hillside areas to insure ensure mitigation
of potential landslide hazards due to
development are mitigated.

HS-2.3. Require new building plans in high risk
areas to meet current seismic building
codes and use methods of construction to
withstand stress caused by an
earthquake.

HS-2.4. Design new roads and utility lines to
minimize damage and allow quick
restoration of service following
earthquake damage. Consider emergency
evacuation and safety when designing
and/or maintaining roads and utility lines.

HS-2.5. Prepare for a major earthquake and other
natural disasters through the measures
identified in the Emergency Response
Plan.

HS-2.6. Require that buildings and structures
needed for emergency services and other
essential services exceed the California
Building Code for seismic strengthening
to withstand a major earthquake.

HS-3. Minimize the risk to lives, property and public
liability due to landslides, soil erosion, and flood.

HS-3.1. Engineer all roads, including Citymaintained public roads in hillside areas, to standards that prevent excessive
maintenance and repair costs in case of
flood, earthquake, landslide, and
emergency evacuation.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 31 HS-3.2. Require the preparation of soils reports
prior to the approval of new structures or
significant additions to existing structures.

Based on the findings of these reports, the
City shall require that any identified soil
problems are mitigated in the design and
construction of new structures.

HS-3.3. Require that new development is
constructed in such a manner as to
protect life and property from soil erosion
and slope failure.

HS-3.4. Require re-vegetation where feasible and
safe to mitigate the appearance of
engineered slopes and to control erosion
contour grading.

HS-3.5. Cooperate with Santa Clara Valley Water
County Flood Control to maintain a
natural creek settings to the extent
possible while providing for adequate
drainage capacity.

HS-3.6. Require, as appropriate, construction of
storm drainage improvements and
impervious coverage regulations to
prevent flooding during periods of heavy
rainfall.

HS-3.7. Cooperate with Santa Clara Valley Water
District, San Jose Water Company, Santa
Clara Emergency Operations, and the
Town of Los Gatos, for flood protection
and during emergency flooding events.

HS-4. Protect the community from man-made hazards
such as air pollution, hazardous materials and
criminal activity.

HS-4.1. Provide information to residents about
household use and disposal of hazardous
materials.

Prohibit the accumulation of weeds, dirt,
rubbish, rank growths and other
hazardous material in any building, lot or
premises within the city.

HS-4.2. Continue to wWork with the pPolice
Department department to maintain a
high level of visible police patrol services
for response times and community
events. within the city.

HS-4.3. Support the Police police Department’s
department’s efforts to use modern
technology and provide adequate training
to maximize job performance.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 32 HS-4.4. Encourage service and education
programs which respond to community
concerns such as elderly people living
alone, drug and alcohol abuse, and crime.

Actions:

Action HS-4.A: Conduct an annual review of the of the
performance of the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department to ensure that existing programs are carried out and new programs considered.

HS-5. Ensure the City’s ability to respond effectively to natural and human-caused emergencies.

HS-5.1. Maintain the Emergency Operations
Center in the Town of Los Gatos as the
Emergency Operation Center to
coordinate relief efforts during natural
disasters. Monte Sereno City Hall will
remain a potential emergency backup
location and recommended disaster
supplies should be kept on hand.

HS-5.2. The City shall maintain mutual aid
agreements and communications links
with surrounding jurisdictions for
assistance during times of emergency.

HS-5.3. Maintain and Update the Emergency
Operations Plan which coordinates with
neighboring cities (such as Los Gatos,
Saratoga) and the County of Santa Clara
providing emergency services.

HS-5.4. Support the Monte Sereno-Los Gatos
CERT (Community Emergency Response
Team) program.

Actions:

Action HS-5.A: Conduct emergency response exercises by the City in cooperation with other appropriate agencies. Exercises should be designed to test and upgrade various disaster response plans.

Action HS-5.B: Conduct on a regular basis a public education workshop to familiarize residents of Monte Sereno’s emergency procedures, evacuation routes, and other related information.

Action HS-5.C: Conduct a periodic review of the City’s emergency response plan in conjunction with Emergency Response to ensure that escape routes are adequate, existing programs can be carried out, and to identify needed new programs.

Action HS-5.D: Participate in upcoming Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan preparation.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 33 When future plans are adopted, update the Health and Safety Element to incorporate the plan by reference.

Action HS-5.E: Collaborate with Caltrans in implementing the Sate Route 17 Resiliency and Adaptation Plan, as appropriate.

HS-6. Reduce noise levels within neighborhoods
resulting from vehicular traffic and construction
activity.

HS-6.1. The City shall restrict truck traffic to
designated truck routes and monitor the
speed of local traffic in order to reduce
noise levels in residential areas. Reduced
noise levels in residential areas shall
restricting truck traffic to designated
routes and monitoring speed of local
traffic.

HS-6.2. Encourage the use of the latest noise
control technology to minimize noise in
residential neighborhoods.

HS-6.3. Continue to enforce local and State noise
regulations to minimize noise impacts
associated with construction and public
and private activities.

HS-6.4. Encourage new development in noise
impacted areas to provide effective noise
attenuation insulation measures.

HS-6.5. Cooperate with Santa Clara County, State
and federal agencies, private businesses
and individuals to control and maintain an
acceptable noise environment in Monte
Sereno.

HS-6.6. Provide input on regional decisions which
will affect noise levels in Monte Sereno.

HS-6.7. Minimize potential transportation-related
noise through street circulation design,
coordination of routing and other traffic
control measures, and consider use of
noise-absorbing “quiet” pavements when
resurfacing roadways.

Actions:

Action HS-6.A: Require construction techniques for noise buffering, barriers or setbacks in development subject to high noise levels, to reduce noise to a level within the noise/land use compatibility standards.

HS-7. Ensure the City’s ability to be resilient to climate change.

HS-7.1. Collaborate with local, regional, State,
and/or federal jurisdictions and agencies
on climate resiliency and adaptation
strategies.

HS-7.2. Encourage the use of green infrastructure
(green roofs, rainwater boxes, permeable
pavements etc.) and natural landscaping

in all city and public buildings.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: 8. Health and Safety Element – Public Review Draft | Page 34 HS-7.3. Promote green infrastructure in private
construction.

HS-7.4. Ensure effective notification of current
and ongoing events during disasters
through proper information channels.

HS-7.5. Provide educational materials and
programs to support water conservation
efforts that consider extended drought
conditions associated with climate
change.

HS-7.6. Evaluate and incorporate appropriate new
technology to support water efficiency
and conservation.

HS-7.7. Encourage water conservation and
support reducing carbon emissions.

SAFETY ELEMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK

CITY OF MONTE SERENO
Prepared by M-Group
May 14, 2025

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 1 Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................. 2 Policy Framework Format....................................................... 2 Goals and Policies.................................................................... 3

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 2 Introduction
The Health and Safety Element Policy Framework details the layout of the goals and policies of the Health and Safety Element of the General Plan Update. These goals and
policies include updates to the existing 2008 General Plan that are necessary to meet new requirements in State law.

In light of the spate of wildfires occurring throughout California, the project team has decided to prioritize the Health and Safety Element for adoption. The policy
framework documents for the other elements of the
general plan will follow in early 2026.

When the Policy Framework documents are incorporated
into the General Plan Update itself, the goals and policies will be accompanied by actions that implement the goals and policies documented here. The General Plan elements will consist of these goals, policies, and actions as well as introductions and background details that provide critical context for the goals, policies, and actions themselves.

Policy Framework Format
This document is built off the Existing Conditions and State Law Report.1 This report describes relevant updates to state laws, existing conditions of Monte Sereno including land use, circulation, health, safety, air quality, public
1 Existing Conditions and State Law Report (March 6, 2025):
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/672d32bffa6fac788ddc13ca/t/67 service/facilities, the background of Monte Sereno and the Bay Area region housing and climate crises, and the General Plan audit.

The General Plan audit provides an overview of goals and policies in the 2008 General Plan, including which are still suitable for an updated general plan and which may require modifications or removal due to changes in State law.

The Health and Safety Element Policy Framework outlines goals and policies that are color-coded into three
categories:
1) Green: Items recommended to remain in the
General Plan as currently written. Upon further
review, some of these items were slightly
modified due to phrasing or the need to meet
new State requirements
2) Yellow: Items recommended to be modified to
meet requirements of state law
3) Blue: Items recommended to be added to meet
state law requirements
The modifications and additions are recommended in order to comply with updated State laws regarding fire safety, especially evacuation routes, flooding, earthquakes, soil erosion and resiliency to climate change. The Policy
Framework also incorporates community feedback from the two surveys administered so far in the update process,
db18b061e46132239dcde8/1742411959642/Final+Existing+Conditions+ Report.pdf

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 3 gathering information on community concerns and vision
for the future. Some recommendations were discovered
from policies implemented in other cities or from other City planning documents.

Goals and Policies
The existing General Plan goals (HS-#) and policies (HS-#.#) are listed in this section, as well as one newly-added goal and several new policies:
• Green items were recommended in the General Plan
Audit to remain in the General Plan as currently
written. Upon further review, some of these items
were slightly modified due to phrasing or the need
to meet new State requirements.
• Yellow items are recommended in the General Plan
Audit for modification due to the need to meet new
State requirements.
• Blue items are newly added goals and policies due to
the need to meet new State requirements.

New text and modifications are provided as underlined red text in the Policy Framework.

The current Health and Safety Element includes a few
actions, and additional actions will be developed as part of the General Plan Update. The existing actions are not in the Policy Framework, so they may be reviewed once the policy language is confirmed. All of the actions, including the existing ones, will be available as part of the Draft Health and Safety Element.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 4 HS-1. Prevent and reduce risks to property and protect
residents from urban and wildfire hazards.

HS-1.1. Cooperate Collaborate with Santa Clara
County Central Fire District in providing
fire protection facilities needed to
maintain or improve existing fire
protection standards.

HS-1.2. Cooperate Collaborate with Santa Clara
County Central Fire District, Santa Clara
County Office of Emergency Services, and
the Town of Los Gatos in developing a
quarterly summary and yearly report
summarizing types of emergency
requests and response times.

HS-1.3. Conduct a periodic review of the City’s
emergency response plan in conjunction
with Emergency Responses Santa Clara
County Office of Emergency Services to
ensure that escape routes are adequate,
existing programs can be carried out, and
new programs added.

HS-1.4. Ensure areas of high fire hazard should
have low density development and gated
emergency access roads where needed to
maintain appropriate level of service, and
encourage appropriate defensible space.

HS-1.5. Work with the San Jose Water District
Company to ensure that infrastructure is
and water pressure are sufficient for fire
protection in all areas of Monte Sereno
including high risk areas such as the
hillside and Foothill neighborhoods.

HS-1.6. Require that new development provide all
necessary water service, fire hydrants,
and access consistent with the City’s
standards of San Jose Water District and
the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

HS-1.7. Require fire-safe roofing materials in high
fire hazard areas all buildings throughout
the city.

HS-1.8. Require all new development to be
constructed according to fire safety
conformance standards and with all
related regulations in all areas of the city.

HS-1.9. Require Encourage that new development
includes the use of fire-resistant
landscaping, and building materials,
defensible space and fuel modification
around the perimeter of structures,
especially in high and very high fire hazard
areas.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 5 HS-1.10. Require property owners to remove fire
hazards, including vegetation, hazardous
structures and materials, and debris to
current State and/or local fire standards
for vegetation clearance in high and very
high fire hazard areas.

HS-1.11. Request that Pacific Gas & Electric
inventory the existing old gas mains in the
vicinity of the Planning Area, review their
condition and upgrade them as
necessary.

HS-1.12. Prohibit the accumulation of weeds, dirt,
rubbish, rank growths as well as
hazardous material in any building, lot or
premises within the city. (Originally HS-4.2,
but moved due to fire concerns identified in
policy)
HS-1.13. Work with the State, County, Saratoga,
and Los Gatos to coordinate efforts to
reduce fire hazard risks on Highway 9.

HS-1.14. Develop a fire-safe landscaping policy for
all areas of Monte Sereno, especially areas
in high or very high fire hazard severity
zones.

HS-1.15. Conduct regular maintenance of
evacuation routes through vegetation
maintenance of roadways and critical
facilities and verify private and public road
emergency access routes.

HS-1.16. Consider requiring existing buildings to
incorporate fire-resistant materials and
home-hardening requirements when
alterations which affect such materials are
done.

HS-1.17. Ensure that utility providers, including
Pacific Gas & Electric, have the ability to
monitor, inspect, replace, and move
equipment that may pose a fire hazard.

HS-1.18. Require all new development to be built
within safe perimeters of fire buffer zones
as designated in coordination with the
Santa Clara County Fire Department.

HS-1.19. Require all new uses of land to meet fire
code regulations setbacks.

HS-1.20. Collaborate with Santa Clara County and
other jurisdictions and agencies on efforts
to update the Santa Clara County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 6 HS-2. Prevent loss of life, injury, and property damage due to geologic and seismic hazards.

HS-2.1. Evaluate seismic risks and require
earthquake protection measures as part
of the Development development Review
review process.

HS-2.2. Development project applicants shall
perform conduct geologic hazard
investigations for all projects proposed in
hillside areas to insure ensure mitigation
of potential landslide hazards due to
development are mitigated.

HS-2.3. Require new building plans in high risk
areas to meet current seismic building
codes and use methods of construction to
withstand stress caused by an
earthquake.

HS-2.4. Design new roads and utility lines to
minimize damage and allow quick
restoration of service following
earthquake damage. Consider emergency
evacuation and safety when designing
and/or maintaining roads and utility lines.

HS-2.5. Prepare for a major earthquake and other
natural disasters through the measures
identified in the Emergency Response
Plan.

HS-2.6. Require that buildings and structures
needed for emergency services and other
essential services exceed the California
Building Code for seismic strengthening
to withstand a major earthquake.

HS-3. Minimize the risk to lives, property and public
liability due to landslides, soil erosion, and flood.

HS-3.1. Engineer all roads, including Citymaintained public roads in hillside areas, to standards that prevent excessive
maintenance and repair costs in case of
flood, earthquake, landslide, and
emergency evacuation.

HS-3.2. Require the preparation of soils reports
prior to the approval of new structures or
significant additions to existing
structures. Based on the findings of these
reports, the City shall require that any
identified soil problems are mitigated in
the design and construction of new
structures. (This was yellow in the General
Plan Audit, but upon review of State law, the
project team does not believe the policy
requires updating).

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 7 HS-3.3. Require that new development is
constructed in such a manner as to
protect life and property from soil erosion
and slope failure.

HS-3.4. Require re-vegetation where feasible and
safe to mitigate the appearance of
engineered slopes and to control erosion
contour grading.

HS-3.5. Cooperate with Santa Clara Valley Water
County Flood Control to maintain a
natural creek settings to the extent
possible while providing for adequate
drainage capacity.

HS-3.6. Require, as appropriate, construction of
storm drainage improvements and
impervious coverage regulations to
prevent flooding during periods of heavy
rainfall.

HS-3.7. Cooperate with Santa Clara Valley Water
District, San Jose Water Company, Santa
Clara Emergency Operations, and the
Town of Los Gatos, for flood protection
and during emergency flooding events.

HS-4. Protect the community from man-made hazards
such as air pollution, hazardous materials and
criminal activity.

HS-4.1. Provide information to residents about
household use and disposal of hazardous
materials.

Prohibit the accumulation of weeds, dirt,
rubbish, rank growths and other
hazardous material in any building, lot or
premises within the city. (Original Policy 4.2
was moved to Goal HS-1, focusing on fire
safety. All other policies will be moved “up”
one number).

HS-4.2. Continue to wWork with the pPolice
Department department to maintain a
high level of visible police patrol services
for response times and community
events. within the city.

HS-4.3. Support the Police police Department’s
department’s efforts to use modern
technology and provide adequate training
to maximize job performance.

HS-4.4. Encourage service and education
programs which respond to community
concerns such as elderly people living
alone, drug and alcohol abuse, and crime.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 8 HS-5. Ensure the City’s ability to respond effectively to natural and human-caused emergencies.

HS-5.1. Maintain the Emergency Operations
Center in the Town of Los Gatos as the
Emergency Operation Center to
coordinate relief efforts during natural
disasters. Monte Sereno City Hall will
remain a potential emergency backup
location and recommended disaster
supplies should be kept on hand.

HS-5.2. The City shall maintain mutual aid
agreements and communications links
with surrounding jurisdictions for
assistance during times of emergency.

HS-5.3. Maintain and Update the Emergency
Operations Plan which coordinates with
neighboring cities (such as Los Gatos,
Saratoga) and the County of Santa Clara
providing emergency services.

HS-5.4. Support the Monte Sereno-Los Gatos
CERT (Community Emergency Response
Team) program.

HS-6. Reduce noise levels within neighborhoods resulting from vehicular traffic and construction activity.

HS-6.1. The City shall restrict truck traffic to
designated truck routes and monitor the
speed of local traffic in order to reduce
noise levels in residential areas. Reduced
noise levels in residential areas shall
restricting truck traffic to designated
routes and monitoring speed of local
traffic.

HS-6.2. Encourage the use of the latest noise
control technology to minimize noise in
residential neighborhoods.

HS-6.3. Continue to enforce local and State noise
regulations to minimize noise impacts
associated with construction and public
and private activities.

HS-6.4. Encourage new development in noise
impacted areas to provide effective noise
attenuation insulation measures.

HS-6.5. Cooperate with Santa Clara County, State
and federal agencies, private businesses
and individuals to control and maintain an
acceptable noise environment in Monte
Sereno.

Monte Sereno General Plan Update: Safety Element Policy Framework | Page 9 HS-6.6. Provide input on regional decisions which
will affect noise levels in Monte Sereno.

HS-6.7. Minimize potential transportation-related
noise through street circulation design,
coordination of routing and other traffic
control measures, and consider use of
noise-absorbing “quiet” pavements when
resurfacing roadways.

HS-7. Ensure the City’s ability to be resilient to climate change.

HS-7.1. Collaborate with local, regional, State,
and/or federal jurisdictions and agencies
on climate resiliency and adaptation
strategies.

HS-7.2. Encourage the use of green infrastructure
(green roofs, rainwater boxes, permeable
pavements etc.) and natural landscaping
in all city and public buildings.

HS-7.3. Promote green infrastructure in private
construction.

HS-7.4. Ensure effective notification of current
and ongoing events during disasters
through proper information channels.

HS-7.5. Provide educational materials and
programs to support water conservation
efforts that consider extended drought
conditions associated with climate
change.

HS-7.6. Evaluate and incorporate appropriate new
technology to support water efficiency
and conservation.

HS-7.7. Encourage water conservation and
support reducing carbon emissions.