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CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
3750 UNIVERSITY AVENUE
RIVERSIDE, CA 92501
(951) 826-5567
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE,
CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE PUBLIC SAFETY ELEMENT OF THE
2025 GENERAL PLAN TO CONTINUE COMPLIANCE WITH ASSEMBLY
BILL (AB) 2140.
WHEREAS, State of California Assembly Bill 2140 (“AB 2140”), allows California cities and counties to be considered for additional state cost -share on eligible public assistance projects by adopting their current, Federal Emergency Management Agency ( “FEMA”)-approved local hazard mitigation plans (“LHMPs”) into the Safety Elements of their General Plans, and was approved by the Governor on September 29, 2006; and
WHEREAS, the City of Riverside’s (“City”) 2023 LHMP, approved by FEMA on April 22, 2025, and developed in accordance with FEMA’s LHMP policy guidance and the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, was adopted by City Council through Resolution No. 24246 on March 25, 2025; and WHEREAS, the City has maintained compliance with AB 2140 and must adopt the 202 3 LHMP into the Public Safety Element of the 2025 General Plan to continue compliance; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of Riverside advertised for and held a public hearing on August 13, 2026 , to consider Planning Case Number PC -2026-00796, the proposed amendment to the Public Safety Element of the 2025 General Plan, and recommended to the City Council that the amendment be approved; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Riverside advertised for and held a public hearing on September 15, 2026, to consider Planning Case Number PC-2026-00796, the proposed amendment to the Public Safety Element of the 2025 General Plan; and WHEREAS, the City Council received and considered the reports and recommendations from the Planning Commission and all other testimony, whether written or oral, presented at the public hearing.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Riverside, California, as follows:
Section 1: It is in the public interest to amend the Public Safety Element of the 2025 General Plan as more particularly described below.
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28 CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
3750 UNIVERSITY AVENUE
RIVERSIDE, CA 92501
(951) 826-5567
Section 2: The Public Safety Element of the 2025 General Plan is hereby amended as described in Exhibit “A” attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
Section 3: The aforementioned amendment as described in Exhibit “A” will not have a significant effect on the environment.
ADOPTED by the City Council this _________ day of _____________, 2026.
___________________________
PATRICIA LOCK DAWSON
Mayor of the City of Riverside
Attest:
_____________________________
DONESIA GAUSE
City Clerk of the City of Riverside
I, Donesia Gause , City Clerk of the City of Riverside, California, hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was duly and regularly adopted at a meeting of the City Council of said City at its meeting held on the _________ day of _____________, 2026, by the following vote, to wit:
Ayes:
Noes:
Absent:
Abstain:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Riverside, California, this ________ day of ______________, 2026.
_________________________________
DONESIA GAUSE
City Clerk of the City of Riverside
314716 ALB 07/15/26
Section 2 Public Safety Policies &
Programs
City of Riverside
PUBLIC SAFETY ELEMENT
Adopted October 5, 2021 | Resolution No. 23771
Table of Contents
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Section 1: Introduction ............................................... 1 Purpose and Content .............................................. 2 Document Organization ......................................... 3 State Requirements .................................................. 4 Data Sources & Methodology ............................... 5 General Plan Consistency....................................... 5 Section 2: Public Safety Policies ............................... 6 Technical Background Report Overview ......... 11
Section 1: Introduction
Public Safety Element
2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside 1 SECTION 1:
INTRODUCTION
Section 1: Introduction
Public Safety Element
2 2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside
PURPOSE AND
CONTENT
The Public Safety Element of the General Plan
provides the City with proactive measures to
reduce the risk of hazards and adequately,
expediently, and efficiently responds to
immediate safety threats.
This Public Safety Element identifies public safety
issues and needs anticipated to be of ongoing
concern to Riverside during the planning period.
This Element describes the major hazards that
might affect the City, as well as the strategies
available to respond when an accident or
emergency occurs. Implementation of these
strategies is outlined in Section 2: Public Safety
Policies. Accompanied under a separate cover,
the Riverside Action Plan contains the actions the
City must take to establish, implement, maintain,
and enforce City plans intended to identify,
manage, control, and mitigate potential natural
and human-caused hazards.
Recognizing how essential public safety is to all
communities, the State has legislation requiring
cities to periodically revise the Public Safety
Elements (PSE) of their General Plans.
• Assembly Bill (AB) 747 requires revision of
the PSE upon each revision of the housing
element or local hazard mitigation plan
(LHMP), but not less than once every 8 years.
• Senate Bill (SB) 1035 requires the safety
element to be revised to identify new
information on fire hazards, flood hazards,
and climate adaptation and resiliency
strategies applicable to the city or county that
was not available during the previous revision
of the safety element.
The City of Riverside Public Safety Element is an
eight-year plan for the 2021-2029 period. The
Public Safety Element serves as an integrated part
of the larger General Plan but is updated more
frequently in accordance with State requirements
to ensure its relevancy and accuracy.
Section 1: Introduction
Public Safety Element
2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside 3 The Public Safety Element identifies policies and
actions that focus on:
1. Reducing risk from hazards related to natural
events and disasters1;
2. Minimizing risk from hazards associated with
air and ground transportation;
3. Providing high quality and responsive public
safety and health services;
4. Reducing homelessness; and
5. Identifying key potential impacts of climate
change.
DOCUMENT
ORGANIZATION
The Public Safety Element is organized into
primary pieces: The Public Safety Plan and
Technical Background Report with Public Safety
Policy Actions contained in the Riverside Action
Plan under a separate cover. The Public Safety
Plan outlines the City’s commitment to public
safety preparedness and response as one guiding
principle that reflects an overarching statement of
the public safety needs and concerns within the
City. The Technical Background Report supports
the Public Safety Plan with the following major
components.
1 Disaster is defined as a sudden event, such as
an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes
great damage or loss of life.
• Community Profile: A profile and analysis of
the natural and human-caused hazards in the
City.
• Public Safety Constraints: A review of public
safety related constraints to housing
production on identified Opportunity Sites.
APPENDICES
The following summarizes the appendices of the
Public Safety Element:
• Appendix A: Climate Adaptation and
Resiliency
Section 1: Introduction
Public Safety Element
4 2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside STATE
REQUIREMENTS
State law requires public safety elements to be
updated periodically to reflect new information
not available during the previous revision.
Assembly Bill (AB) 747 requires revision of the
safety element upon each revision of the housing
element or local hazard mitigation plan (LHMP),
but not less than once every 8 years, to identify
new information relating to flood and fire hazards
and climate adaptation and resiliency strategies
applicable to the City or county that was not
available during the previous revision of the
safety element.
Senate Bill (SB) 1035 requires the safety element
to be revised to identify new information on fire
hazards, flood hazards, and climate adaptation
and resiliency strategies applicable to the City or
county that was not available during the previous
revision of the safety element.
The City of Riverside periodically updates the
Public Safety Element in accordance with AB 747,
SB 379 (land use related to the general plan
safety element), and SB 1035 and coordinates
Public Safety Element Updates with updates to
the General Plan for the addition of
Environmental Justice Policies in accordance with
SB 1000, Land use: general plans: safety and
environmental justice (2015–2016).
The Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation
Plan (LHMP) for the City of Riverside planning
area was developed in accordance with the
Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) and
followed FEMA’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
guidance. The LHMP incorporates a process
where hazards are identified and profiled, the
people and facilities at risk are analyzed, and
mitigation actions are developed to reduce or
eliminate hazard risk. The implementation of
these mitigation actions, which include both short
and long-term strategies, involve planning, policy
changes, programs, projects, and other activities.
Consistent with AB 2140 (General Plans: Safety
Element) requirements, the link to the City’s
LHMP page is provided here:
https://riversideca.gov/fire/divisions/office-
emergency-management/lhmp (direct file link is
here:
https://riversideca.gov/fire/sites/riversideca.gov.f
ire/files/fire/pdf/Riverside%202018%20LHMP%
20County%20Revised%20APA.pdf)
https://riversideca.gov/fire/sites/riversideca.gov.f
ire/files/Riverside%202023%20LHMP%20Final%
20-%20FEMA%20Approved.pdf
Section 1: Introduction
Public Safety Element
2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside 5
DATA SOURCES &
METHODOLOGY
In preparing the Public Safety Element, various
sources of information were consulted. These
include:
• Recent data available from the City and
other governmental agencies including
departmental plans (e.g., City of Riverside
Hazard Mitigation Plan, Housing Element
Update), and departmental policies and
procedures (e.g., City of Riverside Fire
Department [RFD] and City of Riverside
Police Department [RPD] strategic plans);
• Geographic information systems (GIS) data
provided by City departments;
• Available data sources online (e.g.,
statewide policies, regulations, and
guidance);
• Interviews with City of Riverside
departmental staff; and
• The Riverside General Plan 2025 Public
Safety Element, last updated February
2018.
GENERAL PLAN
CONSISTENCY
The Public Safety Element is one of the State-
required Elements of the General Plan and must
be consistent with the other elements. The
principles, policies, and actions within the Public
Safety Element relate directly to, and are
consistent with, other elements of the general
plan. The modification of the applicable policies in
the Public Safety Element is done as part of the
adoption of the Housing Element to ensure
consistency.
Section 2: Public Safety Policies
Public Safety Element
6 2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside SECTION 2:
PUBLIC SAFETY
POLICIES
Section 2: Public Safety Policies
Public Safety Element
2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside 7 The Public Safety Element (PSE) of the City of
Riverside General Plan provides the City with
proactive measures to reduce the risk of hazards
and adequately, expediently, and efficiently
responds to immediate safety threats. The Public
Safety Element (PSE) establishes a Guiding
Principle, Policies and Programs, Action Items and
Key Performance Indicators for Public Safety in
the City of Riverside.
Assembly Bill (AB) 747 requires revision of the
Public Safety Element of General Plans upon each
revision of the Housing Element or Local Hazard
Mitigation Plan (LHMP) to identify new
information relating to flood and fire hazards and
climate adaptation and resiliency strategies
applicable to the City or county that was not
available during the previous revision of the
safety element. The Public Safety Element
provides a reference and a link to the LHMP, in
accordance with AB 2140 requirements.
Senate Bill (SB) 1035 requires the Public Safety
Element of General Plans to be revised to identify
new information on fire hazards, flood hazards,
and climate adaptation and resiliency strategies
applicable to the city or county that was not
available during the previous revision of the
Public Safety Element. The updated PSE includes
updated information on natural hazards and risks
and also includes policies and action items related
to climate adaptation and resiliency.
The PSE is based on information sources
including data from City and other governmental
agencies including City Departmental Plans (e.g.,
Hazard Mitigation Plan) and Departmental policies
and procedures (e.g., Riverside Fire Department
(RFD) and Riverside Police Department (RPD)
Strategic plans); Geographic Information Systems
data provided by City Departments, and
interviews with City Departmental staff.
The PSE references a stand-alone Action Plan
under separate cover that identifies the Actions
that the City will implement to meet each Policy
identified in the PSE. Each Public Safety
Policy/Program is associated with specific Action
Items that City Departments would implement to
implement the Policy/Program. Action Items are
categorized with respect to the expected timeline
for implementation. These categories are Ongoing
(meaning the City Department activity identified
in the Action Item is already occurring and will
continue); Short-term (implementation within 6-
12 months); Medium-term (within 12-36 months);
and Long-term (greater than 36 months). Each
Policy is associated with a City Department that is
the City Lead for implementing the Policy, and
identifies associated City Programs and
Departments that will interact with the City Lead
Department to implement the Policy.
Section 2: Public Safety Policies
Public Safety Element
8 2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside
NATURAL HAZARDS
SEISMIC HAZARD
Programs and Action Items address City
participation in federal, state, and local
earthquake preparedness programs,
establishment of an outreach and training
program for earthquake preparedness, and
implementation of a Seismic Safety Program to
inventory seismic-vulnerable buildings and
provide mitigation of seismic risks.
FLOOD HAZARD
Programs and Action Items address City
coordination with Riverside County for
maintenance, monitoring and evaluation of the
effectiveness of flood control facilities;
establishing a Flood Hazard Plan to inventory
flood-vulnerable buildings and provide mitigation
of flood risks; and implementation of a project
review and permitting processes to certify that
new development will not contribute to flood
hazards.
WILDLAND FIRE RISK
Programs and Action Items address periodic
update of the RFD Strategic Plan and maintain
the City’s Class I ISO rating; establishing a
Wildfire Hazard Plan to inventory facilities in
high-fire risk areas and provide mitigation; and
development of educational materials regarding
fire safety. Programs and Action Items also
address specific requirements for development
and land use management in Very High Fire
Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) and State
Responsibility Areas (SRA) within the City,
including conformance to Municipal, California,
and International fire codes, and conformance to
requirements of CCR 14. VHFHSZ and SRA areas
within the City are identified in maps included in
the stand-alone Technical Background Report
(TBR) for the Public Safety Element.
DROUGHT
Programs and Action Items address updating the
Urban Water Management Plan and establishing
a Drought Contingency Plan for anticipation and
response to upcoming drought conditions.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Programs and Action Items address establishing a
Hazardous Materials Plan including safety
protocols and enforcement mechanisms for
hazardous materials use; establishing safe ground
transport routes for hazardous materials; and
establishing a training and emergency
preparedness program for rail-related transport of
hazardous materials.
Section 2: Public Safety Policies
Public Safety Element
2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside 9
TRANSPORTATION
AIRCRAFT HAZARD
Program and Action Item addresses City
participation in the Riverside County Airport Land
Use Commission Joint Land Use Study and
incorporation of City issues and concerns into the
Land Use Compatibility Plan update.
RAIL HAZARD
Programs and Action Items address coordination
with rail operators and continued implementation
of railroad Quiet Zone improvements and grade-
separations at rail crossings.
PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST SAFETY
Programs and Action Items address
implementation of the City Pedestrian Target
Safeguarding Plan, Active Transportation Plan,
Complete Streets Ordinance and Trail Master
Plan (PACT); and implementation of infrastructure
improvements and the Citywide Community
Engagement Policy to enhance safety.
VEHICLE SAFETY
Program and Action Item addresses development
of a Local Roadway Safety Plan to identify high-
hazard roadway intersections and road segments
and prioritize safety measures.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
POLICE SERVICES
Programs and Action Items address period update
to the RPD Strategic Plan; coordination with
Riverside County and local universities
concerning law enforcement; and siting of a new
police headquarters facility.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Program and Action Item addresses continued
engagement of residents and businesses in the
Crime-Free Multi-Housing Program.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Programs and Action Items address identification
of actions to address natural and human-caused
hazards in coordination with the Hazard
Mitigation Plan; periodic conduct of City
Department emergency operations exercises;
periodic reviews of City emergency procedures
and inspection of equipment; providing
educational materials concerning emergency
preparedness; and updating the City’s information
sharing infrastructure.
Programs and Action Items also address
identification and planning of evacuation routes,
development of evacuation and shelter-in-place
plans in coordination with CalFire and other local
and regional jurisdictions, and verification of
compliance of private/public road emergency
access routes to requirements of CCR Sections
1273 and 1274 (SRA/VHFHSZ Fire Safe
Regulations).
Section 2: Public Safety Policies
Public Safety Element
10 2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Program and Action Item addresses
implementation of periodic reviews and
monitoring of City participation in mutual and
automatic aid agreements to ensure resource
keep pace with planned or proposed
developments.
PANDEMIC
PANDEMIC
Programs and Action Items address continued
implementation and maintenance of the City’s
Recovery Framework Plan and Pandemic Plan,
and providing educational materials concerning
pandemic and public health resources and
services.
HOMELESSNESS
HOMELESSNESS
Programs and Action Items include continued
implementation of the Public Safety and
Engagement Team Program; continued
coordination with non-profit organizations; and
continued implementation of the Multidisciplinary
Regional Santa Ana River Bottom Encampment
Response Plan in coordination with adjacent
jurisdictions.
CLIMATE ADAPTATION
AND RESILIENCY
CLIMATE ADAPTATION
Programs and Action Items address conduct of a
comprehensive vulnerability assessment to
identify climate risks and adaptation needs; and
implementation of a Climate Action Plan including
climate adaptation strategies, including strategies
for disproportionately affected and environmental
justice communities.
CLIMATE RESILIENCY
Program and Action Item addresses establishment
of processes to incorporate climate resilience into
City Department planning practices and
procedures, following California Adaptation and
Resiliency Program guidance and other relevant
guidance.
Section 2: Public Safety Policies
Public Safety Element
2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside 11
TECHNICAL
BACKGROUND
REPORT
OVERVIEW
The PSE includes a stand-alone Technical
Background Report that provides regulatory
requirements for the Public Safety Element.
These include specific regulatory requirements
for providing updated data on natural hazard risk
and information concerning climate adaptation
and resiliency. Technical Background Report
provides information concerning City Department
activities, policies, programs, and strategic plans
related to public safety, including police and fire
services, emergency operations, emergency
preparedness and emergency response public
health services, planning, public works, public
utilities, drought preparation and response, and
homelessness solutions. This information
supports the development of Policies and Action
Items that are included in the PSE and stand-
alone Action Plan.
The Technical Background Report identifies and
maps areas of the City that are subject to natural
hazard risks and human-caused hazard risks,
including seismic hazard areas; soil shrink-swell
and soil liquefaction areas; flooding and dam
inundation risk areas; Very-High Fire Hazard
Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) areas; State
Responsibility Areas (SRA); areas of historic fires
within VHFHSZ areas; and airport land use
compatibility zones, and maps housing
opportunity zones that overlay with mapped
hazard areas. Developments may or may not be
planned for any specific opportunity zone
identified, and areas of the City that are subject
to natural hazard risks and/or human-caused
hazard risks are not completely avoidable in
identification of housing opportunity zones.
Section 2: Public Safety Policies
Public Safety Element
12 2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside Developments proposed in Opportunity Site
areas within or adjacent to identified hazard
zones would be subject to City processes and
procedures for project-specific development
review; Action Items identified in the stand-alone
Action Plan include implementation of review
processes for project-specific developments and
assessment and mitigation of hazards. The City’s
development review process would further
identify and characterize site-specific hazards,
and mitigation measures would be applied to
reduce the potential impacts of identified hazards
in accordance with applicable standards. These
include requirements for proposed developments
to conform to design and construction standards
for proposed projects in seismic hazard, flood
hazard, and fire zone areas; conform with land
uses identified in airport land use plans; and
conform with other applicable design and
construction requirements.
The Public Safety Policies represent the policy
program the city of Riverside will implement
during the 6th Cycle 2021-2029 Planning Period.
The Public Safety Program includes a Guiding
Principle and Policies. The Guiding Principle
serves as the overarching vision and core value
that will guide each policy and action in the Public
Safety Element. While the Guiding Principle is the
vision of the communities’ values and aspirations
for the future of their City, the policies serve as
the lens that is focused on addressing the needs.
The actions, included in the Action Plan under a
separate cover, are the steps the City must takes
to realize their vision.
The Guiding Principle encompasses what the City
has heard throughout the Public Safety Element
Planning Process and reflects the sentiments and
values expressed by the community. The policies
address specific needs of the community, a
description of each policy is provided that
explains the program, how it works, and who it
benefits. Implementation Details are provided
that summarize how the city currently
implements or should implement each program.
The Actions are the steps the City must take to
implement each Policy. The Actions are provided
in the Riverside Action Plan under separate cover.
The Riverside Action Plan will serve as the
implementation plan for the Public Safety
Element as well as for all future elements of the
General Plan.
Section 2: Public Safety Policies
Public Safety Element
2021-2029 DRAFT Public Safety Element City of Riverside 13 POLICY PSE-1 – NATURAL
HAZARDS
Reduce the risk to the community from
hazards related to geologic conditions,
seismic activity, flooding, drought, and
structural and wildland fires.
POLICY PSE-2 –
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Minimize the risk of potential hazards
associated with management and transport
of hazardous materials.
POLICY PSE-3 –
TRANSPORTATION
Minimize the risk of potential hazards
associated with air and ground
transportation.
POLICY PSE-4 –
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Provide high-quality and responsive police,
fire, and emergency services to all residents
and businesses in Riverside.
POLICY PSE-5 – PANDEMIC
Provide high-quality and responsive public
health services to all residents of Riverside.
POLICY PSE-6 –
HOMELESSNESS
Reduce homelessness in Riverside through
coordinated implementation of and
equitable accessibility to public safety,
economic, and social programs.
POLICY PSE-7 – CLIMATE
ADAPTATION AND
RESILIENCY
Identify key potential impacts of climate
change on City organizations,
infrastructure, natural resources, and
residents and develop adaptation pathways
and resiliency pathways to address them.
Guiding
Principle
Comprehensively address
the public safety needs
and concerns of its
residents, businesses,
institutions, and visitors in
a proactive and
coordinated way to
ensure protection from
foreseeable natural and
human-caused hazards.