Public Safety Committee
July 11, 2023
AGENDA REPORT
TO:Jestin Johnson FROM:Joe DeVries
City Administrator Deputy City Administrator
SUBJECT: Amendment to The Oakland Firesafe
Council Agreement
DATE:June 26, 2023
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt Resolution Amending Resolution No. 89376 CMS, Which Awarded A Grant To The Oakland Firesafe Council To Fund Coordination On Emergency Preparedness And Response, By: (1) Increasing The Total Grant Amount By Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000) From One Hundred And Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($125,000) To One Hundred And Thirty-One Thousand Dollars ($131,000) To Support Regional Intergovernmental Wildfire Prevention Efforts; And (2) Correct The Name Of The Grant Recipient From “Firesafe Council” to “The Oakland Firesafe Council”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Oakland is considering participating in a regional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for vegetation management to better coordinate wildfire prevention efforts across the East Bay. This work originally contemplated formation of a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) but the member agencies agreed to a less restrictive approach of creating an MOU. This resolution recommends adding six thousand dollars ($6,000) to the existing grant agreement with The Oakland Firesafe Council and extending the grant agreement six (6) months to pay for coordinating work to draft the MOU.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The series of historic wildfires throughout California and the Western United States in recent years demonstrates that the impacts of global climate change will continue to have potentially devastating local effects throughout the region; including habitat destruction, loss of life, economic impacts, infrastructural damage, and public health hazards associated with air quality.
Reactive approaches to fire management and containment are deployed during times of crisis and overextend local and state resources.
The spread of wildfire does not respect political or jurisdictional boundaries; burn areas and air quality impacts from smoke extend throughout the region. A large portion of the East Bay region, including the East Bay Hills from Hercules to Fremont are a CalFire designated high-risk danger zone. A more coordinated approach and investment in wildfire prevention and Jestin Johnson(Jun 30,2023 10:24 PDT) Jun 30, 2023
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Amendment to The Oakland Firesafe Council Agreement Date: June 26, 2023 Page 2
Public Safety Committee
July 11, 2023
vegetation management will help to mitigate the number and severity of wildfire events.
Regional coordination may prove both more effective and more efficient in developing and implementing best practices, as well as sharing expertise and other resources.
The East Bay Region contains more than twenty (20) municipalities, counties, and fire districts, including the City of Oakland, that may all benefit from a coordinated fire management approach. Several local jurisdictions, including the City of Oakland, University of California at Berkeley, East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD), the City of Berkeley, Contra Costa County, East Bay Municipal Utilities District, and the City of Orinda, have been involved in the interagency fire prevention work for over three years coordinated by the Oakland City Administration, in particular around Grizzly Peak which winds through these jurisdictions. The cities of Berkeley, El Cerrito, Pinole, Kensington and Richmond, as well as Alameda County have passed similar resolutions in support of an MOU.
In 2019 Oakland City Council adopted Resolution #87940 which prioritized wildfire prevention in Oakland. Similarly, City Council created the Wildfire Prevention Working Group (WPWG) in 2020 in response with the same goal in mind. The WPWG coordinates city departments and connects with neighboring jurisdictions on prevention efforts.
In 2021 City Council adopted Resolution #88838 encouraging the city to participate in discussions to create a regional Joint Powers Authority (JPA) regarding vegetation management.
The budget amendment adopted by the City Council in June 2022, included funding to be used to issue grants and contracts to community-based organizations to provide urgently needed activities to help protect community health and safety, and increase equity, reduce vulnerabilities and negative impacts on our community, among other goals. It was this legislation during the midcycle budget which allowed for the $125,000 investment in The Oakland Firesafe Council.
Oakland has been participating in the conversation and the regional body decided not to pursue a JPA yet as some partners were not interested and many also felt that it would be too cumbersome at this time. Instead, the regional entities decided to consider a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The group organizing this effort (The Oakland Firesafe Council) has hired a consulting team and an attorney to draft the MOU and they have asked that each participating entity contribute to the cost of managing the creation of this MOU. Oakland’s proposed share is six thousand dollars ($6,000) and the Oakland Fire Department has agreed to provide that funding.
The City of Oakland already has a grant agreement with The Oakland Firesafe Council, and this resolution recommends adding six thousand dollars ($6,000) to that agreement and extending the grant agreement twelve (12) months to pay for this coordinating work.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The creation of this MOU acts as an alternative for partners within the Wildfire Prevention Working Group that wish to not be a part of the Joint Powers Authority Resolution #88838 to still Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Amendment to The Oakland Firesafe Council Agreement Date: June 26, 2023 Page 3
Public Safety Committee
July 11, 2023
participate in wildfire prevention and vegetation management in the East Bay. These partners felt that a JPA surrounding this topic at this time would be unmanageable.
The creation of the MOU allows for a more coordinated approach and investment in wildfire prevention and vegetation management, which in turn will help to mitigate the number and severity of wildfire events. Regional coordination may prove both more effective and more efficient in developing and implementing best practices, as well as sharing expertise and other resources.
The East Bay Hills have lost more than 3,542 homes to major wildfires which is almost as many as all the high-risk Southern California Counties combined at the turn of this century, three years before the catastrophic fires that occurred in Southern California in 2003. Additionally, the Los Angeles basin was second with 21% and Santa Barbara County was third with 11%. The $1.7 billion Oakland/Berkeley wildfire in 1991 was this nation's fifth most costly catastrophe.
Table 1 below demonstrates that California ranks number one in states with the most wildfires and number of acres burned in 2021 and Table 2 shows that California ranks number one in states with the most homes at risk for extreme wildfire.
Table 1:
Table 2:
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Amendment to The Oakland Firesafe Council Agreement Date: June 26, 2023 Page 4
Public Safety Committee
July 11, 2023
The policy recommendation in this report advances the Citywide goals of Holistic Safe Community.
FISCAL IMPACT
In amending this agreement, the City Council agrees to increase its existing grant agreement with The Oakland Firesafe Council from One Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($125,000) To One Hundred and Thirty-One Thousand Dollars ($131,000) from the Oakland Fire Department’s budget.
Additional funding of six thousand dollars ($6,000) will be withdrawn from the General-Purpose Fund (1010), Emergency Services Organization (20711), Administrative Project (1000009), and Office of Emergency Services Program (PS21).
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
The City of Oakland is working with The Oakland Firesafe Council, a grassroots community- based organization dedicated to mobilizing the people of Oakland and Alameda County to reduce the risks of wildfire danger to people and property.
COORDINATION
The City Administrator’s Office collaborated with the Oakland Fire Department in preparation of this report and resolution.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: In adopting this resolution, Oakland will participate in helping to mitigate the number and severity of wildfire events, which will reduce the potential disaster costs and economic impacts of these events.
Environmental:Mitigating the number and severity of wildfire events will protect Oakland’s physical environment and infrastructure from damage.
Race & Equity:This resolution will help ensure the safety of Oakland residents living in or near high wildfire risk zones. Additionally, in mitigating wildfires, frontline residents that are disproportionally affected by climate change will not be impacted by wildfire smoke as frequently or severely.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Amendment to The Oakland Firesafe Council Agreement Date: June 26, 2023 Page 5
Public Safety Committee
July 11, 2023
Joe DeVries,Chief Resilience Officer
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Amending Resolution No. 89376 CMS, Which Awarded A Grant To The Oakland Firesafe Council To Fund Coordination On Emergency Preparedness And Response, By: (1) Increasing The Total Grant Amount By Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000) From One Hundred And Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($125,000) To One Hundred And Thirty-One Thousand Dollars ($131,000) To Support Regional Intergovernmental Wildfire Prevention Efforts; And (2) Correct The Name Of The Grant Recipient From “Firesafe Council” to “The Oakland Firesafe Council”
For questions regarding this report, please contact Joe DeVries, Deputy City Administrator, at (510) 238-3083.
Respectfully submitted,
City Administrator’s Office
Prepared by:
Alyssa Moore, California Climate Action Fellow
Sydney Tamplin, California Climate Action
Fellow
Emerson Zamensky, California Climate Action
Fellow
Sustainability and Resilience Division, City
Administrator’s Office