October 6, 2026
City Council
DATE: October 6, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Councilmember Soheila Bana (sponsor)
Councilmember Claudia Jimenez (co-sponsor)
Subject: Establishing a Disaster Preparedness Commission for the City of Richmond
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Staff time to support Commission meetings, prepare agendas, and coordinate with member organizations.
Additional fiscal impacts, if any (e.g., stipends, materials, training costs), would be identified in the staff report required under this resolution.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Given Richmond's compounded hazard profile —
seismic, industrial, wildfire, and coastal — the City would benefit from a permanent, formalized structure for
interagency and community coordination, rather than
relying on ad hoc collaboration. A standing commission
would improve information-sharing among first
responders, volunteer organizations, and residents;
strengthen the City's eligibility and readiness for state and federal disaster preparedness grants; and provide
the City Council with a consistent advisory body on an
issue directly affecting public safety.
Currently, disaster preparedness coordination in
Richmond is distributed across multiple entities, including the City's Office of Emergency Services (OES),
AGENDA
REPORT
October 6, 2026
Richmond Police and Fire Departments, Community
Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers,
Emergency Communications (EmComm) amateur radio
operators, and local Fire Safe Councils, among others.
While each of these groups performs valuable work, no
standing body currently exists to formally coordinate
across them, ensure consistent communication with the
City Council, or provide ongoing public accountability and strategic oversight of citywide disaster preparedness
efforts.
A Disaster Preparedness Commission would fill this gap
by creating a formal, standing body charged with
coordinating across these groups, identifying
preparedness gaps, and advising the City Council on
policy and resource needs
RECOMMENDED ACTION: DIRECT the city attorney and city manager to draft an ordinance (or resolution) to establish a Disaster
Preparedness Commission for the City and to return with proposed bylaws, membership structure, and any
necessary municipal code amendments within 90 days -
Councilmember Soheila Bana (510-672-
3490)/Councilmember Claudia Jimenez (510-620-6565).
DISCUSSION:
The City of Richmond faces a uniquely concentrated set of hazards that few California cities face simultaneously:
Seismic risk: Richmond sits near the Hayward Fault, one of the most urbanized and closely monitored active faults in the United States, with a high probability of a major earthquake in coming decades.
Industrial/hazmat risk: The City is home to a major petroleum refinery and an extensive underground network of gas and hazardous materials pipelines running beneath residential and commercial areas.
Wildfire risk: Portions of the City and adjacent unincorporated areas fall within Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) zones with documented wildfire hazard, as reflected in the City's ongoing vegetation management and evacuation route concerns.
Coastal/tsunami risk: Richmond's extensive shoreline along San Francisco Bay carries exposure to tsunami and sea-level-related hazards.
Currently, disaster preparedness coordination in Richmond is distributed across multiple entities, including the City's Office of Emergency Services (OES), Richmond Police and
October 6, 2026
Fire Departments, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers, Emergency Communications (EmComm) amateur radio operators, and local Fire Safe Councils, among others. While each of these groups performs valuable work, no standing body currently exists to formally coordinate across them, ensure consistent communication with the City Council, or provide ongoing public accountability and strategic oversight of citywide disaster preparedness efforts.
Directing staff to draft an ordinance (or resolution) to establish a Disaster Preparedness Commission for the City and to return with proposed bylaws, membership structure, and any necessary municipal code amendments within 90 days, would assist in filling this gap, by creating a formal, standing body charged with coordinating across these groups, identifying preparedness gaps, and advising the City Council on policy and resource needs.
PROPOSED COMMISSION STRUCTURE
Staff should consider the following elements in developing final bylaws and structure:
1. Membership: Representation from OES, Richmond Police Department, Richmond Fire Department, CERT, EmComm, local Fire Safe Councils, and atlarge community members, potentially including representatives from Contra Costa County agencies given the cross-jurisdictional nature of these hazards.
2. Duties: Advise the City Council on disaster preparedness policy, raising public awareness, and strengthening neighbor-to-neighbor collaboration; coordinate joint training and exercises among member organizations; review and recommend updates to the City's emergency operations plans; identify and advise the community about funding and grant opportunities for preparedness and disaster recovery projects; and serve as a public forum for disaster preparedness issues.
3. Meeting cadence: Regular public meetings (e.g., quarterly or bimonthly), consistent with the Ralph M. Brown Act.
4. Reporting: Semi-annual report to City Council on citywide preparedness status and recommendations.
Given Richmond's compounded hazard profile — seismic, industrial, wildfire, and coastal — the City would benefit from a permanent, formalized structure for interagency and community coordination, rather than relying on ad hoc collaboration. A standing commission would improve information-sharing among first responders, volunteer organizations, and residents; strengthen the City's eligibility and readiness for state and federal disaster preparedness grants; and provide the City Council with a consistent advisory body on an issue directly affecting public safety.
October 6, 2026
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
None.