Santa Monica City Council
November 18, 2025

LOCAL HAZARD
MITIGATION PLAN2025 UPDATEBOARDS & COMMISSION UPDATEOCTOBER 2025  Public Safety Communications
 9-1-1 and Public Safety Call Answering Police, Fire, EMS Dispatching Alerts and Warning  Emergency Services & Preparedness
 Emergency Mitigation & Response Plans
 Disaster Cache Staff and Community Education Emergency Operations Center Operations Office of Emergency Management
 Raise awareness of local hazards and risks
 Identify hazard mitigation actions to help reduce losses  Communicate priorities Follow equitable process that ensures resources are available to those that need them the most
 Align with other community objectives as described in other planning documents
 Incorporate approved plan into Safety Element to
facilitate additional funding opportunities
Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
City Departments
 City Attorney’s Office Office of Emergency Management Building & Safety City Planning Transportation Fire Housing & Human Services Police Engineering & Street Services Office of Sustainability & Environment Airport Rent Control Resilience Planning Committee
Valued Partners City of Los Angeles, Emergency Management Department County of Los Angeles, Office of Emergency Management Santa Monica College Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
 UCLA Health Providence Saint John’s Health
Center
 American Red Cross Westside Food Bank Downtown Santa Monica  Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce
 Santa Monica Travel &
Tourism
Planning Process
Development of Resilience Planning Committee
Hazard Specific Research
Public Survey
Public Workshops
Department/CommitteeChapter Review
Public Comment Period
Commission & Council Review
Council Adoption
Cal OES Review
FEMA Review/Approval
Council Adoption of Cal OES/FEMA Revisions
 December 2022, March 2023 Atmospheric Rivers
 August 2023 Tropical Storm Hilary February 2024 Atmospheric River  December 2024 Franklin Fire January 2025 Palisades & Eaton Fires July 2025 Tsunami Advisory (Off-shore Russian earthquake) Natural Hazard Incidents
During Planning
Volume I: Action Plan
 Executive Summary Introduction Community Profile Risk Assessment Goals & Action Items Plan Maintenance Key Components
Volume II: Hazard Specific Information Earthquakes Tsunamis Floods Landslides Wildfires & Urban Fires
 Climate Change & Severe Weather Hazardous Materials
Management
 Airport Hazards
OEM’s Response-Focused Plans
 Multi-Hazard Emergency Operations Plan
 Tsunami  Pier Emergency Civil Unrest Alert & Warning Brush Fire Evacuation City Facility Emergency Action Plans Department Procedures

HAZARD ANALYSIS FINDINGS
Greatest Risk
 Earthquake Tsunami Wildland Fire Flood Inundation
due to Dam Failure
 Severe Weather Sea-Level Rise
Summary
Lower Risk Coastal Flooding Landslide Structure Fires Hazardous Materials Release
 Airport Crashes
Risk Assessment Data
 HazUS (Hazards US)
 FEMA GIS-based risk assessment software Estimate risk of earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, and floods
 Not available for wildfire, extreme heat, sea-level
rise
 HazUS analysis results presented to Resilience Planning Committee in January 2024
 Crisis Track tool used to estimate potential wildfire loss Only reviews Santa Monica’s local impacts  M 7.4 on Santa Monica fault
 M 7.2 on Newport-Inglewood
fault
 M 7.7 on the Palos Verdes
fault (tsunami scenario)
 M 7.8 on Southern San
Andreas fault (ShakeOutscenario)
Earthquake
Earthquake Risk Analysis Results
(using HazUS)
San
Andreas*
Palos
Verdes
NewportInglewood Santa Monica
Building Damage
Slight 10,543 7,557 2,881 506
Moderate 5,974 2,376 1,460 60
Extensive 1,511 364 677
4 Complete 675 60 269
0 Building Losses $3.41 B $1.01 B $1.47 B $31.09 M
Total Economic Loss $3.43 billion $1.02 billion $1.48 billion $33.13 millionInjuries Slight 279-1,002 55-167 48-186 1-3
Moderate 66-275 8-31 10-47
0 Severe 9-44 1-4 1-7
0 Fatalities 18-85 1-7 3-14
0 Residential Building Loss as a
Percentage of Residential Building Exposure
M7.4 Santa Monica EQ M7.2 Newport-Inglewood EQ
M7.7 Palos Verdes EQ M7.8 San Andreas EQ
M7.7 Palos Verdes EQ M7.8 San Andreas EQ
M7.4 Santa Monica EQ M7.2 Newport-Inglewood EQ
M7.8 San Andreas EQ
Commercial Building Loss as a Percentage of Commercial Building Exposure  Local sources
• Offshore faults• Submarine landslides
 Long distance sources (tele-tsunamis)
• Alaska• Central and South America• Other
Tsunami
Scenario: Tele-tsunami originating
in Alaska with 20-foot run-up
Statewide Tsunami Inundation Map
Component Results
Exposed Under 65 729 - 1,857Population(does not include visitors) 65 and Over 119 - 166Total 848 - 2,023
Casualties Fatalities 80 - 931
Injuries 80 - 545Total 160 - 1,476
Damaged Complete Loss 3Buildings Building Losses $18.25 - $182.6 million Casualty ranges represent community preparedness levels of “Good” and “Fair” Tsunami Risk Analysis Results
(using HazUS)
Inundation Due to
Stone Canyon Dam Failure(Genterra Consultants, 2018)
Flooding
HazUS
Estimated Residential Building Losses (in $)

0.00 ‒ 233,000.00233,000.01 ‒ 916,000.00916,000.01 ‒ 2,573,000.002,573,000.01 ‒ 5,135,000.005,135,000.01 ‒ 10,509,000.00 Flooding Boundaries• Centinela Ave from Colorado
Ave to Ocean Park Blvd
• 30th Street & Pearl St• Yorkshire Ave & Urban Ave • Stewart St & Kansas Ave• Cloverfield Blvd & 26th St • 26th St & Colorado Ave HazUS
Estimated Commercial Building Losses (in $)

0.00 ‒ 9,000.009,000.01 ‒ 69,000.0069,000.01 ‒ 378,000.00378,000.01 ‒ 1,155,000.001,155,000.01 ‒ 3,590,000.00 Stone Canyon Dam Risk Analysis Results
(using HazUS)
 Moderate Damage: 214 buildings
 205 residential
• 7 commercial• 2 industrial
 Destroyed:
 23 residential buildings
 No essential facilities impacted Displaced: 464 households (1,393 people)  59 people require public shelter
 Building losses: $56M – $120 million Total building-related economic losses: $227 million Area impacted has higher social vulnerability ranking Pre-Palisades Fire
California Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ)Very High Hazard in a Local Responsibility AreaAdditional Wildfire Impacts:TransportationHealth (smoke, ashes, stress) Pre-2025 Wildland Fire Hazard
Palisades Fire Impact
Property DamageDestroyed: +6,800Major: 72Minor: 171Affected: 732No Damage: +4,300 ArcGIS - Palisades Fire Structure Status Map
Post-Palisades Fire
2025 California Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ)
• Crisis Track Data
• If all properties were uniformly impacted,
property damage to 1,715 structures would range from $60 Million - $660 Million • Northeastern section of the city has higher
density of persons with disabilities and over 65 years old Very High Hazard
High Hazard
Moderate Hazard
Source: R. Ehlers, 2022, Climate Change Impacts Across California: Cross Cutting Issues:

The Legislatives Analyst’s Office, April.

Impacts ofClimate Change Difficult to measure but
potentially in the billions of $
 Dependent on our
ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Climate Change Hazards
Impacts of Sea-Level Rise
 Infrastructure, beaches, homes and
businesses at risk
 Costs of sea-level rise by 2100 if not
abated:
• Public damage: $8.4 million• Private damage: $22.7 million• Non-market losses: $816.4 million• Total: $847.5 million

MITIGATION ACTION ITEMS
Five-Year Mitigation Action Plan
Mitigation Actions • Measures, projects, plans or activities proposed to reduce identified vulnerabilities
• Developed and prioritized by Resilience Planning
Committee
• After Palisades Fire and new state fire hazard maps, city leaders identified additional wildfire mitigation strategies • Progress monitored by OEM• Status update provided in next LHMP Constraints to Implementation
• Funding
• Reduced capital improvement budget• Grant instability and competition • Staff capacity to implement• Competing public interests• Regulatory hurdles• Unforeseen events Planning
Assessment
& Regulation
Natural
Systems
City
Readiness
Education &
Awareness
Structure &
Infrastructur
e
• Post-Disaster Water
Prioritization
• Evacuation Plan• Airport Design
• Bluffs & I-10
Slope Mitigation
• Red Flag Warning
Restrictions
• Resilient City Facility
Design Standards
• Natural Dune
Expansion
• Community
Gardening Food Resilience
• Expanding Emergency
Management Technologies
• Inclusive Emergency
Communications
• Wildfire Safety
Education
• Water Infrastructure
Seismic Assessment
• Renewable Back-Up
Utilities
• Tsunami Alerting
System
2025 Mitigation
Action Items
Local Planning
Department(s) Responsible
Recommended Action Summarized DescriptionItem
Identify strategies for immediate and long-term local Public Workspotable water services during disaster events, such as seismic events, wildfire or drought. Identify water deconfliction strategy to prioritize water usage during emergencies (i.e. recreational pools vs. firefighting needs) Water Deconfliction Planning
Office of Emergency ManagementTransportationPolice
Evaluate multi-modal citywide evacuation routes identified by the City’s revised Safety Element and create a citywide evacuation plan for emergency events, such as tsunami, dam inundation, or wildfire. Plan to include evacuation considerations for persons with access and functional needs, including those without access to private transportation, and persons living in assisted living and highrise buildings. Publicize to the community.

Evacuation Plan & Routes Plan
In the planning of the Santa Monica Airport space, ensure City Manager’s Officethat emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response features are included, such as the storage of disaster cache supplies and space for emergency operations (owned/operated and available for use by public safety departments).

Santa Monica Airport (SMO) Design
Local Assessment & Regulations
Department(s) Responsible
Recommended Action Summarized DescriptionItem
Public WorksFire
Continue to inspect and monitor Santa Monica coastal bluffs and I-10 Freeway slope stability and brush overgrowth. Where necessary, implement actions needed to mitigation land instability, especially during rain and seismic events, and clear brush and other debris to mitigate brush fires.

Santa Monica Bluffs and I-10 Freeway Slope & Brush Fire Mitigation Fire Office of Emergency Management
Implement policy that during any Red Flag Warning, restrictive measures will be implemented to reduce fire ignition opportunities and facilitate rapid first responder response activities. Restrictions to be considered include, but are not limited to, parking restrictions in Very High hazard zones and evacuate routes and construction/landscaping activity bans.

Red Flag Warning Restrictions
Implement and enhance a set of design standards for City- Public Works owned and/or City/tenant-operated facilities, both to ensure their operability post-disaster and to protect occupants. Prioritize seismic retrofits of public infrastructure and facilities to minimize potential damage, ensure protection of vulnerable populations, and continuity of government operations.

Resilient City Facility Design Standards
Structure & Infrastructure
Department(s)Responsible
Recommended Action Summarized DescriptionItem
Examine water system resistance to local seismic hazards, Public Worksespecially water infrastructure that crosses potential liquefaction zones and areas where traces or projections of the Santa Monica fault have been mapped. Consider retrofitting older water pipelines and other strategies to address identified seismic vulnerability.

Water Infrastructure Seismic Assessment
Public WorksCity Manager’s Office, OSE
Identify and create program to implement critical, utility back-up systems at City facilities and essential/emergency community facilities, including but not limited to microgrids, solar + storage, and other back-up sustainable utility resources.

Back-Up Utilities
Office of Emergency ManagementPoliceCity Manager's Office, Pier Management Implement overhead paging at Santa Monica Pier with
ability to provide tsunami alerts and evacuation directions. Complete assessment of other communications tools, such as, but not limited to digital kiosks and siren systems, to widely distribute tsunami education and imminent threat alerts and warnings along Santa Monica’s coastal areas. Regularly test communications systems during earthquake/tsunami preparedness events.

Tsunami Alerting System
Natural Systems Improvement
Department(s) Responsible
Recommended Action Summarized DescriptionItem
City Manager’s Office, OSE
To protect beaches and beach-front properties from erosion, sea level rise, and coastal flooding, continue to expand and maintain Natural Dune Beach Restoration projects. By the end of 2029, the goal would be to have at least 50 acres of established beach dunes.

Natural Dune Restoration Expansion
City Manager’s Office, OSE
Increase production of food grown and donated from Cityowned community gardens to local organizations to increase food resilience of vulnerable Santa Monica residents through the expansion of additional community garden space.

Food Resilience through Community Gardening
Education & Awareness
Department(s) Responsible
Recommended Action Summarized DescriptionItem
Office of Emergency ManagementCity Manager’s Office
Conduct emergency response, mitigation, and preparedness outreach in multiple languages to better reach diverse Santa Monica communities, including international tourists and persons with access and functional needs. Create standards for emergency response messaging to ensure it meets standards in the City’s Language Access Administrative Instruction.

Inclusive Emergency Communications
Develop education campaign on mandatory wildfire safety Firepractices, such as defensible space standards and wildland urban interface building codes, required for areas of Santa Monica within the 2025 State-identified Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

Local Wildfire Safety Education
City Readiness
Department(s) Responsible
Recommended Action Summarized DescriptionItem
Information ServicesOffice of Emergency ManagementFirePolicePublic Works Expand City GIS mapping, staffing, training, and tools to better facilitate emergency planning and response activities, including use of public education/ communications. Expand on cloud infrastructure, data servers, and staffing to support the implementation, execution, and maintenance of critical technologies to support first responders. Continue adopting evacuation mapping technology to improve awareness of city evacuation zones, hazard areas, and assist with prompt implementation of evacuation and shelter-in-place directions during emergencies.

Expand Critical Emergency Management Technologies
Approval Timeline
Task Approximate TimelinePublic Comment August – September 2025Building & Fire-Life Safety Commission October 8, 2025 Planning Commission October 15, 2025Environment & Sustainability October 20, 2025CommissionCity Council Review & Adoption November 18, 2025Submit Plan to Cal OES & FEMA for December – January 2025ApprovalCity Council Adoption of Any Edits February – April 2026Initiate Accessible Plan Design Upon FEMA Approval Feedback &
Questions
[email protected]
SantaMonica.gov/Safety-Element-Update