April 28, 2026
City Council
DATE: April 28, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Councilmember Soheila Bana
Subject:
Presentation by UC Berkeley Scientists and Community
Partners on Earthquake Preparedness
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no direct fiscal impact to receiving this presentation. Any future policy recommendations that
require funding will be brought back to the full City
Council for a separate, thorough fiscal evaluation in the fall of 2026.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The City of Richmond sits atop a "tectonic time bomb."
The Hayward Fault has a high probability of producing a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake within the coming
decades. Because our city features high-consequence
industrial zones situated alongside residential
neighborhoods directly on the fault line, a major rupture threatens overlapping crises: structural collapses, fires, and severed evacuation routes.
Preparing for this catastrophic event requires moving
from simply learning about threats to acting on them. We have access to cutting-edge data (like the MyShake Early Warning App), the scientific models to simulate exactly how an earthquake will impact our infrastructure, and
dedicated grassroots community groups, but we currently lack a focused legislative strategy to tie these resources together. This agenda item bridges that gap.
AGENDA
REPORT
April 28, 2026
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE a presentation from leading experts—the UC
Berkeley Seismology Lab, Berkeley Center for Smart
Infrastructure, Community Emergency Response Team
(CERT), Emergency Communication (Em Comm), and
West Contra Costa Fire Safe Council (WCCFSC)—
regarding local earthquake probabilities, regional
vulnerabilities - Councilmember Soheila Bana (510-672-
3490).
DISCUSSION:
The City of Richmond sits atop a "tectonic time bomb." The Hayward Fault has a high probability of producing a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake within the coming decades. Because our City features high-consequence industrial zones situated alongside residential neighborhoods directly on the fault line, a major rupture threatens overlapping crises: structural collapses, fires, and severed evacuation routes.
Preparing for this catastrophic event requires moving from simply learning about threats to acting on them. We have access to cutting-edge data (like the MyShake Early Warning App), the scientific models to simulate exactly how an earthquake will impact our infrastructure, and dedicated grassroots community groups, but we currently lack a focused legislative strategy to tie these resources together. This agenda item bridges that gap.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 –Combined Collaborative Presentation Slides provided by:
1. UC Berkeley Seismology Lab
2. Berkeley Center for Smart Infrastructure
3. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
4. Emergency Communication (Em Comm)
5. West Contra Costa Fire Safe Council (WCCFSC)