CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 7 Section Name: {{section.name}} Account Number: 10-1311 File ID: {{item.tracking_number}} TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: City Manager's Office
MEETING DATE: March 3, 2025
SUBJECT:
Emergency Services Council Joint Powers Agreement Amendments – Approval RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a Resolution approving the Second Revised and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement – San Mateo County Operational Area Emergency Services Organization and authorize the City Manager to sign the Agreement.
BACKGROUND:
The San Mateo Operational Area Emergency Services Council (ESC) brings together local governments, special districts, and other entities to coordinate emergency planning and response, including for hazardous materials. This council engages in planning with respect to all phases of the emergency management cycle: prevention, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts, while also maintaining key public information systems like SMC (San Mateo County) Alert. The ESC last revised and restated the Joint Exercise of the Powers Agreement (“Agreement”) on October 17, 2014. Since the Agreement is updated only as needed, it has become outdated following significant changes within the Department of Emergency Management (DEM), which now operates as a standalone agency separate from the Sheriff’s Office. To accurately reflect the current responsibilities of the DEM and the ESC, the ESC unanimously approved recent changes to the JPA. The City of San Mateo partners with ESC and DEM to receive services such as Hazmat Responses, Emergency Alert and Warning, and Training and Exercises for the whole Operational Area. Key changes to the Agreement mainly include:
• Standardizing nomenclature;
• Updating agreement language for clarity; and
• Clarifying and defining the roles of the ESC, the ESC Finance Committee, and the DEM.
San Mateo Consolidated Fire was the primary reviewer for this effort and did have one comment on the initial edits to the MOU, which were addressed by DEM. Specifically, the following section was updated as shown below:
Old Language Section 1.04
The DEM will establish standards for emergency
management practices within the SMC OA,
which Member Agencies in the Organization will
follow.
New Language Section 1.04
The DEM will establish standards for emergency management practices within the SMC OA. Member Agencies will take those standards into consideration and implement them as they see fit within their respective jurisdictions.
As for the remaining changes, the original version from 2014 is included at Attachment 2 and the final revised version from 2024 is included as Attachment 3. No redlined version tracking the changes was provided by DEM. However, they did provide a version that highlights portions of the document where edits were made, and this version is included as Attachment 4. As of the drafting of this report, all jurisdictions in the County have ratified the MOU with the exceptions of the City of San Mateo and Portola Valley, which are both scheduled for ratification within the next week.
CITY OF SAN MATEO
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BUDGET IMPACT:
There are no budget impacts associated with this action.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This agreement amendment is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Proposed Resolution
Att 2 – Original 2014 JPA MOU
Att 3 – Final 2024 JPA MOU
Att 4 – JPA MOU (Amended Sections Highlighted)
STAFF CONTACT
Christina Horrisberger, Assistant City Manager
[email protected]
(650) 522-7210