City Manager’s Office
www.santa-ana.org/cm
Item # 7
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
July 7, 2026
TOPIC: Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026
AGENDA TITLE
Proposed City Response to Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Approve the proposed City response to the Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026.
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No
DISCUSSION
On May 19, 2026, the Orange County Grand Jury issued a report titled Wildfires Hit Home (Exhibit 1) regarding home hardening and defensible space measures to save property owners and local governments from catastrophic loss. The report includes findings and recommendations directed at local agencies (pages 31 and 32).
The Grand Jury report states “California Penal Code Section 933 requires the governing body of any public agency which the Grand Jury has reviewed, and about which it has issued a final report, to comment to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court on the findings and recommendations pertaining to matters under the control of the governing body. Such comment shall be made no later than 90 days after the Grand Jury publishes its report” (page 34). The 90-day deadline is August 18, 2026. The report requires the City of Santa Ana to respond to findings F1 through F6 and recommendations R2 through R4 (page 40).
The City of Santa Ana is an urban landscape and does not lie within a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, as designated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The City contracts with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) for fire services; and on June 25, 2026, the OCFA Board approved its own response to the Grand Jury report. City management has prepared a proposed response to the Grand Jury report in consultation with the City’s Public Work Agency, using information from the
Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026 July 7, 2026
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OCFA response. The findings and recommendations and proposed responses are detailed below.
Grand Jury Findings
Findings F1 through F6 follow.
Proposed City response:
In general, the City of Santa Ana agrees with findings F1 through F6 presented on page 31 of the Grand Jury report. The findings include statements about the insurability and cost of insurance, as noted below, which the City cannot verify and therefore cannot express an opinion.
F1 excerpt: “Among the financial costs are dramatic increases in homeowners’ insurance premiums, non-renewals, and inabilities to obtain insurance.” F4 excerpt: “Achievement of community-level and property-level wildfire risk mitigation designations…helps reduce insurance premium costs.”
Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026 July 7, 2026
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Grand Jury Recommendations
Recommendations R2 through R4 follow.
Proposed City Response:
R2: If the County of Orange moves forward with a county-wide annual wildfire prevention fair, the OCFA has committed to participating in the event. In matters of fire prevention, the OCFA represents the cities they serve, including the City of Santa Ana.
R3: The OCFA, in partnership with its member cities, is currently and actively executing the objectives in recommendation R3.
R4: As a member city, Santa Ana relies on OCFA for fire prevention expertise, including information and outreach programs. The City does not maintain a fire prevention expert on staff for residents to contact. The City maintains a link to OCFA resources on its website at https://www.santa-ana.org/departments/fire/.
The City can and will continue to provide periodic social media outreach, and direct residents to OCFA for fire prevention resources.
If City Council approves the proposed response, staff will forward it to the Orange County Grand Jury on behalf of the City before the due date of August 18, 2026.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
There is no environmental impact associated with this action.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026 July 7, 2026
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EXHIBIT(S)
1. Orange County Grand Jury Report Wildfires Hit Home
Submitted By: Kathryn Downs, Assistant City Manager
Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager