City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: September 15, 2026 FROM: COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WARD: ALL
DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: PLANNING CASE PC-2026-00796: GENERAL PLAN TEXT AMENDMENT TO MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE WITH ASSEMBLY BILL (AB) 2140 (2006).
ISSUE:
Consider an amendment to the Public Safety Element of the City’s 2025 General Plan. This amendment would update a reference to the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) to maintain compliance with AB 2140.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Determine that Planning Case PC-2026-00796 (General Plan Text Amendment) is exempt from further California Environmental Quality Review pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (General Rule), as it can be seen with certainty that approval of the project will not have an effect on the environment; Approve Planning Case PC-2026-00408 (General Plan Text Amendment) based on the Planning Commission Staff Report; and Introduce and subsequently adopt the attached resolution amending the Public Safety Element of the 2025 General Plan.
COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS:
City Planning Commission
On August 13, 2026, staff presented the amendment to the Planning Commission, where it was unanimously recommended for City Council approval (Attachment 1).
Riverside County Airport Land Use Commission
Legislative actions (including General Plan Amendments) affecting areas within the jurisdiction of the Riverside County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) require ALUC review to determine consistency with the 2014 Riverside County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (LUCP). On July 27, 2026, ALUC found the proposed amendment consistent with the LUCP (Attachment 2).
BACKGROUND
AB 2140 (Attachment 3) allows local jurisdictions to qualify for additional state funding on eligible post-disaster FEMA public assistance projects. Typically, federal funding covers about 75 percent of the cost of these projects while municipalities cover the remaining 25 percent (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – Without California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) FundingFigure 1: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – Without California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) Funding Figure 1: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – Without California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) Funding Figure 1: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – Without California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) Funding When the California legislature passes a bill allowing it, state funding can cover 18.75 percent of that local cost-share through the California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – With CDAA State Funding (But Without AB 2140 Additional Assistance)Figure 2: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – With CDAA State Funding (But Without AB 2140 Additional Assistance) Figure 2: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – With CDAA State Funding (But Without AB 2140 Additional Assistance) Figure 2: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – With CDAA State Funding (But Without AB 2140 Additional Assistance) Municipalities would then cover the remaining 6.25 percent of the cost. If in compliance with AB 2140, however, they can receive state funding for their entire remaining cost-share (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – With CDAA State Funding and AB 2140 Additional Assistance Figure 3: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – With CDAA State Funding and AB 2140 Additional Assistance Figure 3: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – With CDAA State Funding and AB 2140 Additional Assistance Figure 3: Funding of Public Assistance Projects – With CDAA State Funding and AB 2140 Additional Assistance By covering that funding gap, AB 2140 can greatly help municipalities with disaster recovery.
Municipalities can comply with and become eligible for AB 2140’s financial assistance by adopting their federally mandated local hazard mitigation plans (LHMPs), which are annexes to their counties’ hazard mitigation plans that outline their disaster preparedness measures, into the public safety elements of their general plans via resolution. They must also re-adopt their LHMPs when their LHMPs are revised or expire after their five-year lifespans. Within the element text, municipalities must clearly state that they comply with AB 2140.
DISCUSSION
The City of Riverside has maintained compliance with AB 2140 through an embedded hyperlink to its 2018 LHMP in its 2025 General Plan Public Safety Element; however, the 2018 LHMP has been superseded by the current 2023 LHMP (Attachment 4). To continue compliance with AB 2140, the 2023 LHMP must be adopted into the Public Safety Element.
The proposed amendment will adopt the 2023 LHMP into the Public Safety Element by replacing the 2018 LHMP hyperlink with the 2023 LHMP hyperlink. The new text is emphasized in blue:
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.fire/files/Riverside%202023%20LHMP%20Final%20-%20FEMA%20Approved.pdf.
Following City Council approval of this amendment, Staff will submit the revised Public Safety Element and amendment resolution (Attachments 5 and 6) to the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) for final review and approval of AB 2140 compliance.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no immediate fiscal impacts with the report. However, this action may help the City continue to reduce its cost share of disaster related expenditures in the future.
Prepared by: Clarissa Manges, Assistant Planner
Reviewed by: Miranda Evans, Community & Economic Development Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Julia Nemes, Finance Director
Approved by: Thomas R. Hatch, Interim City Manager
Approved as to form: James Johnson, City Attorney
Attachments:
City Planning Commission Staff Report – August 13, 2026 ALUC Determination of Consistency Letter – July 27, 2026 AB 2140 Factsheet
2023 City of Riverside Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) Draft Resolution (Redline)
Draft Resolution (Clean)
Presentation
PC-2026-00796 (GPA) – General Plan Text Amendment