Agenda packet — Seal Beach City Council, April 24, 2023 (part 2 of 3)

13.The applicant/property owner shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the City, its officers, agents and employees (collectively “the City” hereinafter) from any and all claims and losses whatsoever occurring or resulting to any and all persons, firms, or corporations furnishing or supplying work, services, materials, or supplies in connection with the performance of the use permitted hereby or the exercise of the rights granted herein, and any and all claims, lawsuits or actions arising from the granting of or the exercise of the rights permitted by this Reasonable Accommodation and from any and all claims and losses occurring or resulting to any person, firm, corporation or property for damage, injury or death arising out of or connected with the performance of the use permitted hereby. The applicant’s/property owner’s obligation to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the City as stated herein shall include, but not be limited to, paying all fees and costs incurred by legal counsel of the City’s choice in representing the City in connection with any such claims, losses, lawsuits or actions, expert witness fees, and any award of damages, judgments, verdicts, court costs or attorneys’ fees in any such lawsuit or action
Section 10. The documents, staff reports, appendices, plans, specifications, and other materials that constitute the record of proceedings upon which this resolution is based are on file for public examination during normal business hours at the Community Development Department, City of Seal Beach City Hall, 211 8th Street, Seal Beach, CA 90740.

PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the Seal Beach City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on 24th day of April, 2023, by the following vote:

AYES: Councilmembers
NOES: Councilmembers
ABSENT: Councilmembers
ABSTAIN: Councilmembers
Thomas Moore, Mayor
ATTEST:
__________________________
Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk
Resolution 7395
1733 Catalina Avenue

Page 9 of 9 ends

STATE OF CALIFORNIA }
COUNTY OF ORANGE } SS
CITY OF SEAL BEACH }
I, Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk of the City of Seal Beach, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is the original copy of Resolution 7395 on file in the office of the City Clerk, passed, approved, and adopted by the City Council at a regular meeting held on the 24th day of April, 2023.
__________________________
Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk

Seal Beach, California Municipal Code
Title 11 ZONING
Part V LAND USE AND ZONING DECISIONS
Chapter 11.5.30 REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

11.5.30.005 Purpose.

11.5.30.010 Review Authority.

11.5.30.015 Application for a Reasonable Accommodation.

11.5.30.020 Decision.

11.5.30.025 Expiration, Time Extension, Violation, Discontinuance, and Revocation.

11.5.30.030 Amendments.

11.5.30.005 Purpose.

In accordance with federal and state fair housing laws, it is the purpose of this chapter to allow for reasonable accommodations in the city’s zoning and land use regulations, policies, and practices when needed to provide an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. (Ord. 1598)

11.5.30.010 Review Authority.

The planning commission is designated to approve, conditionally approve, or deny all applications for a reasonable accommodation. If the project for which the request for reasonable accommodation is made requires another discretionary permit or approval, then an applicant may request that the planning commission hear the request for a reasonable accommodation at the same time as the other discretionary permit or approval. If the applicant does not request a simultaneous hearing, then the request for a reasonable accommodation shall not be heard until after a final administrative decision has been made regarding the other discretionary permit or approval. (Ord. 1598)

11.5.30.015 Application for a Reasonable Accommodation.

A. Applicant. A request for reasonable accommodation may be made by any person with a disability, their representative, or a developer or provider of housing for individuals with a disability. A reasonable accommodation may be approved only for the benefit of one or more individuals with a disability.

B. Application. An application for a reasonable accommodation from a zoning regulation, policy, or practice shall be made on a form specified by the director. No fee shall be required for a request for reasonable accommodation, but if the project requires another discretionary permit, then the prescribed fee shall be paid for all other discretionary permits.

C. Other Discretionary Permits. If the project for which the request for reasonable accommodation is made requires another discretionary permit or approval, then the applicant may file the request for reasonable accommodation together with the application for the other discretionary permit or approval. The processing procedures of the discretionary permit shall govern the joint processing of both the reasonable accommodation and the discretionary permit.

D. Required Submittals. In addition to materials required under other applicable provisions of this code, an application for reasonable accommodation shall include the following:

1. Documentation that the applicant is: (a) an individual with a disability; (b) applying on behalf of one or more individuals with a disability; or (c) a developer or provider of housing for one or more individuals with a disability;

2. The specific exception or modification to the zoning code provision, policy, or practices requested by the applicant;

3. Documentation that the specific exception or modification requested by the applicant is necessary to provide one or more individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy the residence;

4. Any other information that the director reasonably concludes is necessary to determine whether the findings required by Section 11.5.30.020.B: Required Findings can be made, so long as any request for information regarding the disability of the individuals benefited complies with fair housing law protections and the privacy rights of the individuals affected. (Ord. 1598)

11.5.30.020 Decision.

A. Planning Commission to Decide. The planning commission shall issue a written determination to approve, conditionally approve, or deny a request for reasonable accommodation, and the modification or revocation thereof in compliance with subsection B of this section. The reasonable accommodation request shall be heard with, and subject to, the notice, review, approval, and appeal procedures prescribed for a conditional use permit in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapter 11.5.20: Development Permits.

B. Required Findings. The written decision to approve, conditionally approve, or deny a request for reasonable accommodation shall be based on the following findings, all of which are required for approval:

1. The requested accommodation is requested by or on the behalf of one or more individuals with a disability protected under the fair housing laws.

2. The requested accommodation is necessary to provide one or more individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

3. The requested accommodation will not impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the city as “undue financial or administrative burden” is defined in fair housing laws and interpretive case law.

4. The requested accommodation will not result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the city’s zoning program, as “fundamental alteration” is defined in fair housing laws and interpretive case law.

5. The requested accommodation will not, under the specific facts of the case, result in a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals or substantial physical damage to the property of others.

C. Alternative Reasonable Accommodations. In making these findings, the decision-maker may approve alternative reasonable accommodations which provide an equivalent level of benefit to the applicant.

D. Consideration Factors. The city may consider, but is not limited to, the following factors in determining whether the requested accommodation is necessary to provide one or more individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling:

1. Whether the requested accommodation will affirmatively enhance the quality of life of one or more individuals with a disability;

2. Whether the individual or individuals with a disability will be denied an equal opportunity to enjoy the housing type of their choice absent the accommodation;

3. In the case of a residential care facility, whether the requested accommodation is necessary to make facilities of a similar nature or operation economically viable in light of the particularities of the relevant market and market participants; and

4. In the case of a residential care facility, whether the existing supply of facilities of a similar nature and operation in the community is sufficient to provide individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to live in a residential setting.

E. Consideration Factors—Fundamental Alteration to Zoning Program. The city may consider, but is not limited to, the following factors in determining whether the requested accommodation would require a fundamental alteration in the nature of the city’s zoning program:

1. Whether the requested accommodation would fundamentally alter the character of the neighborhood;

2. Whether the requested accommodation would result in a substantial increase in traffic or insufficient parking;

3. Whether the requested accommodation would substantially undermine any express purpose of either the city’s general plan or an applicable specific plan; and

4. In the case of a residential care facility, whether the requested accommodation would create an institutionalized environment due to the number of and distance between facilities that are similar in nature or operation.

F. Coastal Zone Properties. For housing located in the coastal zone, a request for reasonable accommodation under this section may be approved by the city if it is consistent with the requisite findings set forth in Section 11.5.30.020.B: Required Findings, with Chapter 3 of the California Coastal Act of 1976, and with the Interpretative Guidelines for Coastal Planning and Permits as established by the California Coastal Commission dated February 11, 1977, and any subsequent amendments, and the city’s adopted Local Coastal Program.

G. Rules While Decision is Pending. While a request for reasonable accommodation is pending, all laws and regulations otherwise applicable to the property that is the subject of the request shall remain in full force and effect.

H. Effective Date. No reasonable accommodation shall become effective until the decision to grant such accommodation shall have become final by reason of the expiration of time to make an appeal. In the event an appeal is filed, the reasonable accommodation shall not become effective unless and until a decision is made by the city council on such appeal, pursuant to the provisions of Section 11.5.20.030: Appeals—Expiration and Extensions. (Ord. 1598)

11.5.30.025 Expiration, Time Extension, Violation, Discontinuance, and Revocation.

A. Expiration. Any reasonable accommodation approved in accordance with the terms of this chapter shall expire within 24 months from the effective date of approval or at an alternative time specified as a condition of approval unless:

1. A building permit has been issued and construction has commenced;

2. A certificate of occupancy has been issued;

3. The use is established; or

4. A time extension has been granted.

In cases where a coastal permit is required, the time period shall not begin until the effective date of approval of the coastal permit.

B. Time Extension. The planning commission may approve a single one-year time extension for a reasonable accommodation for good cause. An application for a time extension shall be made in writing to the director no less than 30 days or more than 90 days prior to the expiration date.

C. Time Extension Notice. Notice of the planning commission’s decision on a time extension shall be provided as specified in Section 11.5.10.025.A: Mailed Notices, Minor Use Permit Matters. All written decisions shall give notice of the right to appeal and to request reasonable accommodation in the appeals process as set forth in Section 11.5.30.025 of this chapter.

D. Appeal of Determination. A time extension for a reasonable accommodation shall be final unless appealed within 10 calendar days of the date of the adoption of the written determination of the approving body.

An appeal shall be made in writing and shall be noticed and heard pursuant to the procedures established in Section 11.5.10.025.A: Mailed Notices, Minor Use Permit Matters.

E. Violation of Terms. Any reasonable accommodation approved in accordance with the terms of this code may be revoked if any of the conditions or terms of such reasonable accommodation are violated, or if any law or ordinance is violated in connection therewith.

F. Discontinuance. A reasonable accommodation shall lapse if the exercise of rights granted by it is discontinued for 180 consecutive days. If the persons initially occupying a residence vacate, the reasonable accommodation shall remain in effect only if the director determines that: (1) the modification is physically integrated into the residential structure and cannot easily be removed or altered to comply with the code, and (2) the accommodation is necessary to give another disabled individual an equal opportunity to enjoy the dwelling. The director may request the applicant or his or her successor in interest to the property to provide documentation that subsequent occupants are persons with disabilities. Failure to provide such documentation within 10 days of the date of a request by the city shall constitute grounds for discontinuance by the city of a previously approved reasonable accommodation.

G. Revocation. Any revocation shall be noticed and heard pursuant to the procedures established in Section

11.5.10.060: Revocation of Permits. (Ord. 1598)

11.5.30.030 Amendments.

A request for changes in conditions of approval of a reasonable accommodation, or a change to plans that would affect a condition of approval shall be treated as a new application. The director may waive the requirement for a new application if the changes are minor, do not involve substantial alterations or addition to the plan or the conditions of approval, and are consistent with the intent of the original approval. (Ord. 1598) Contact:

City Clerk: 562-431-2527
Published by Quality Code Publishing, Seattle, WA. By using this site, you agree to the terms of use.

Page 1 of 8 ends

RESOLUTION NO. 23-01

A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF

THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH DENYING IN PART
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION 22-1 AND REJECTING

THE REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF THE
ENCROACHMENT OF A NONCONFORMING AND NONPERMITTED CARPORT INTO THE REQUIRED WESTERN

SIDE YARD SETBACK, AND APPROVING REASONABLE
ACCOMMODATION 22-1 IN PART, AS MODIFIED, WITH

CONDITIONS TO ALLOW ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE

REQUIRED REAR AND SIDE YARD SETBACKS OF

CERTAIN PREVIOUSLY CONSTRUCTED

NONCONFORMING AND NON-PERMITTED ACCESSORY

STRUCTURES/PATIO COVERS IN THE BACK YARD, ON A

CONFORMING PROPERTY IN THE RESIDENTIAL LOW
DENSITY (RLD-9) ZONE.

THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Donald Miller (“the applicant/property owner”) submitted an application to the Community Development Department for Reasonable Accommodation RA 22-1 for an existing parcel located at 1733 Catalina Avenue. The request is to allow three previously constructed accessory structures/patio covers and a carport within the required rear and side yard setbacks in the Residential Low Density (RLD-9) Zone of the property, which were constructed without permits and are therefore unlawful. The subject accessory structures include the following:

A. On the west side of the home, a carport-like structure of approximately185 square feet was built extending from the house to the side property line over the driveway, with the lattice structure, beams and roof intruding into the side setback. No City permits exist for this carport-like structure.

B. Within the backyard, at the north corner of the lot, a structure of approximately 177.5 square feet was constructed within the rear and side yard setbacks and overhangs a built-in barbeque and a dining table. No City permits exist for this structure.

C. Within the backyard, but closer to the rear center of the lot, a second gazebo-type structure of approximately 63 square feet was constructed within the rear yard setback and placed over a hot tub. No City permits exist for this structure. The hot tub has also been placed adjacent to and against the rear wall and property line.

A site plan and photographs showing these nonconforming and non-permitted accessory shade structures are set forth on Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference.

Resolution 23-01
1733 Catalina Avenue

Page 2 of 8 ends

Section 2. This project is determined to be a Class 3 (Conversion of small structures) Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301(e)1 of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq.) for the permitting of exterior accessory structures at an existing single-family residence where modifications are required for the renovation.

Section 3. A duly noticed public hearing was held before the Planning Commission on February 6, 2023 to consider Reasonable Accommodation RA 122-1. At the public hearing, the Planning Commission received into the record all evidence and testimony provided on this matter. The record of the hearing indicates the following:

A. The subject property is rectangular in shape with a lot area of approximately 6,000 square feet, measuring 60 feet in width and 100 feet in length, and is surrounded by residential uses. The subject site is consistent with the size configuration of other residential parcels in the same zoning district and residential area.

B. The subject property is currently developed with a two-story singlefamily residence and an attached two-car garage that were constructed in 1975. With exception of the unpermitted accessory structures identified in Section 1, and that encroach into the rear and side setbacks, the existing site is conforming to all City setback, height and lot coverage requirements. The nonconforming structures, as identified in Section 1, were constructed on the subject property without permits and would not have been allowed to encroach into the side or rear setbacks under applicable zoning development standards. Because no permits were obtained prior to the construction of these accessory structures, they are also unlawful.

C. The Seal Beach Municipal Code (SBMC §11.5.30) allows reasonable accommodations to the City’s zoning and land use regulations, policies, and practices when needed to provide an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling in a manner equal to residents without a disability in accordance with the requirements of federal and state fair housing laws.

D. The applicant is requesting approval of a reasonable accommodation to allow the continued encroachment of the previously constructed nonconforming and non-permitted exterior accessory structures and a carport within required rear and side yard setbacks at the existing single-family residence to provide the applicant/property owner with additional opportunities for shade on the subject site.

E. The Seal Beach Municipal Code (SBMC §11.5.30.020.B) provides that a written decision to approve, conditionally approve, or deny a request for reasonable accommodation shall be based on the following findings, all of which are required for approval:

1. The requested accommodation is requested by or on the behalf of one or more individuals with a disability protected under the fair housing laws.

2. The requested accommodation is necessary to provide one or more individuals with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

Resolution 23-01
1733 Catalina Avenue

Page 3 of 8 ends

F. The Seal Beach Municipal Code (SBMC § 11.5.30.020.C) also allows the City to approve alternative reasonable accommodations which provide an equivalent level of benefit to the applicant.

G. The Seal Beach Municipal Code (SBMC § 11.5.30.020.E) provides that the City may consider certain factors to determine whether the request for reasonable accommodation would result in a fundamental alteration of the City’s zoning program, including:

1. Whether the requested accommodation would fundamentally alter the character of the neighborhood;

2. Whether the requested accommodation would result in a substantial increase in traffic or insufficient parking; and (3) Whether the requested accommodation would substantially undermine any express purpose of either the city’s general plan or an applicable specific plan.

Section 4. Based upon the facts contained in the record, including but not limited to all written evidence and the oral testimony offered at the public hearing, and the facts stated in the preceding Section 3 of this Resolution, and pursuant to Chapter 11.5.20 of the Seal Beach Municipal Code, the Planning Commission makes the following findings:

A. Based on documentation provided to City staff, the requested accommodation to allow the existing accessory shade structures to encroach into the side yard setback and rear yard setback is requested by or on the behalf of an applicant/property owner who has a disability protected under the fair housing laws.

B. The requested accommodation is necessary to provide the applicant/property owner, as an individual with a disability, with an equal opportunity to use and enjoy his dwelling, by allowing him to use his backyard with shade. The requested accommodation for the carport-like structure over the driveway is not necessary to provide the applicant/property owner with an equal opportunity to park on a shaded area of his property.

Resolution 23-01
1733 Catalina Avenue

Page 4 of 8 ends

C. The requested accommodation, as proposed by the
applicant/property owner, will result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the City’s zoning program, as “fundamental alteration” is defined in fair housing laws and interpretive case law, and the requested accommodation will, under the specific facts of the case, result in a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals or substantial physical damage to the property of others, for the following reasons.

1. The subject site is currently developed with a two-story singlefamily residence with an attached enclosed two-car garage, and the house and garage are considered conforming as originally built. The garage provides shaded parking for the applicant/property owner on the property in a manner consistent with the other residences in the neighborhood and zoning district.

2. The existing subject accessory structures, as described in Section 1 of this Resolution, are inconsistent with the development standards in the RLD9 zone and with other surrounding properties with regard to side and rear yard setbacks, and are unlawful because they were constructed without City permits.

3. The location, size, design, and operating characteristics of the requested encroachments are not compatible with the development standards as set forth in Section 11.2.05.015 of the SBMC because the accessory structures were constructed within the required side and rear yard setbacks. The placement and location of the subject accessory structures have the potential to cause adverse effects to neighboring properties in their current location, configuration and/or characteristics, and may impair the safety of the subject property and surrounding residences. Although the requested accommodation to allow the accessory structures as they are currently constructed may allow the property owner additional opportunities for shade coverage, the placement of the accessory structures negatively affects neighboring properties as the roofs of the accessory structures overhang into neighboring yards and/or direct rainwater into neighboring yards. The requested accommodation would also alter the character of the neighborhood with respect to the carport-like structure as that carport-like structure is constructed on the exterior of the dwelling, is visible from the street, and is a feature not commonly found within the side setback of residences in the zoning district. Additionally, the subject property already maintains an attached enclosed garage, which contains two covered spaces, thereby providing the applicant with equivalent use of his property as surrounding neighbors in regards to shaded parking, and as a result, a carport is not necessary in order to provide the property owner with equivalent opportunity for parking on his lot. The construction of the accessory structures was not carried out without any City-issued permits, and the methods of construction and the building characteristics were therefore not reviewed by the City to determine their compliance with Building Codes.

D. Pursuant to the Seal Beach Municipal Code (SBMC
§ 11.5.30.020.C), the Planning Commission finds that there are alternative reasonable accommodations for the encroachments in the rear yard which provide an equivalent level of benefit to the property owner and for which the findings necessary to approve a reasonable accommodation for those rear-yard accessory shade structures only, may be made, for the following reasons.

Resolution 23-01
1733 Catalina Avenue

Page 5 of 8 ends

1. The subject site is located within the Hill RLD-9 zone, an area where the Seal Beach Municipal Code (SBMC §11.5.30) allows reasonable accommodations to the City’s zoning and land use regulations, policies, and practices when needed to provide an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling with Planning Commission approval.

2. The General Plan permits minor alterations that do not change the existing quality or character of the neighborhood.

3. Granting of a reasonable accommodation for the rear yard accessory shade structures is necessary to provide the property owner, an individual with a disability, an equal opportunity to use and enjoy the dwelling in the same manner as other property owners in the zoning district and his neighborhood.

4. Following approval of the request for Reasonable
Accommodation, as modified in and conditioned by this Resolution, the subject site will continue to operate as a residential property, which is consistent with the uses in the surrounding neighborhood and will comply with all other applicable provisions of the Municipal Code.

5. The requested use for the accessory shade structures in the back yard of the property, as modified and conditioned below in accordance with the alternative reasonable accommodation, will be located on a site that is physically adequate for the type, density, and intensity of use being proposed, including provision of services, and the absence of physical constraints.

Section 5. Based on the foregoing, the Planning Commission hereby denies Reasonable Accommodation 23-1 with respect to the carport-like structure located along the west side of the subject property and extending from the house over the driveway to the side property line. The carport-like structure shall comply with all of the following requirements:

1. Within three months of the date of this Resolution, the carport-like structure shall either be removed in its entirety (including but not limited to, all lattice structures, beams and roof) from the subject property, or the structure shall be modified to conform with the five-foot side yard setback as required by the Zoning Code and without any encroachments into the side yard setback or any other Code violations.

2. No demolition, modifications or other construction shall take place with respect to the carport-like structure without the applicant/property owner obtaining all required City permits and carrying out all construction in compliance with the requirements of the Zoning Code and Building Codes.

3. All demolition, removal and/or modification shall be completed within such threemonth period.

Resolution 23-01
1733 Catalina Avenue

Page 6 of 8 ends

Section 6. Based on the foregoing, the Planning Commission hereby approves the alternative Reasonable Accommodation 23-1, as modified, with respect to the accessory shade structures in the rear yard of the lot subject to the following conditions:

1. Alternative Reasonable Accommodation 22-1 is approved for the placement or construction of the following two exterior accessory shade structures located in the rear yard at 1733 Catalina Avenue, (a) within the backyard, at the north corner of the lot, that overhangs a built-in barbeque and a dining table; and (b) within the backyard, but closer to the rear center of the lot, a second gazebo-type structure that has been constructed and placed over a hot tub, as modified, conditioned and defined below in Condition Nos. 3 through 13, inclusive, below, of this Section.

2. The existing accessory shade structures in the rear yard shall be reduced and otherwise modified in dimension so that their placement is solely within the subject property’s side and rear yard setbacks, and do not encroach into any neighboring property. If the property owner removes the existing accessory shade structures and constructs replacement accessory shade structures, under no circumstances shall the replacement accessory shade structures exceed the existing dimensions of the structures as modified and shall remain solely within the subject property.

3. The accessory shade structures in the rear yard, as conditioned, shall not be affixed or attached to any adjoining property walls that are not on the subject owner’s property, and shall not encroach onto or across the property line(s) that divide the subject property from any neighboring property.

4. The existing accessory shade structures eaves/overhangs, or any replacement accessory shade structure eaves/overhangs that may be constructed in place of the existing eaves/overhangs, shall not project or encroach into any neighboring property, nor shall they allow rain runoff or other drainage to be directed into any neighboring property. All construction shall be subject to review and approval by the City.

5. The hot tub shall be relocated to be a minimum of four feet away from the rear wall, in accordance with Municipal Code Section 11.4.10.030, and shall be maintained not less than four feet from the rear and side wall at all times.

6. The accessory shade structure associated with the hot tub shall be used solely to provide shade to the hot tub and shall not be relocated unless to shade the hot tub. Should the hot tub be removed, the associated shade structure must also be removed forthwith.

7. All accessory shade structures in the rear yard shall either be moved from the subject property or replaced to be in compliance with Conditions 2 through 7, above, and Conditions 9 through 14, below, within six months of the approval of this Resolution.

8. All plan check and future construction shall be in substantial compliance with the plans approved through Reasonable Accommodation 23-1 as modified and Resolution 23-01
1733 Catalina Avenue

Page 7 of 8 ends

conditioned pursuant to this Resolution. All construction shall comply with all applicable state and local building codes, including but expressly not limited to, fire code requirements. In addition to all other Municipal Code requirements, all lattice work shall be removed from the accessory shade structures; and any replacement barriers shall comply with Code requirements including but not limited to the Building and Fire Codes.

9. The applicant is required to obtain all Building and Safety permits prior to any construction or demolition.

10. All materials, color, wall finishes, and roof material of the accessory shade structures in the rear yard must be consistent with existing material and exterior finishes of the residential dwelling.

11. The Reasonable Accommodation granted by this Resolution shall be personal to the applicant/property owner for whom this Reasonable Accommodation was granted and shall not run with the land. Prior to issuance of a building permit, the applicant/property owner shall cause a covenant to be recorded with the Orange County Recorder on the subject property, in a form satisfactory to the City Attorney, that incorporates the requirements of this Resolution, and also provides that the unpermitted accessory/shade structures in the rear yard must be removed once such applicant/property owner no longer lives at the location and/or prior to the sale or other transfer of ownership of the property, whichever occurs first.

12. This Reasonable Accommodation shall not become effective for any purpose unless an “Acceptance of Conditions” form has been signed, notarized, and returned to the Community Development Department; and until the ten (10) day appeal period has elapsed.

13. The applicant/property owner shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the City, its officers, agents and employees (collectively “the City” hereinafter) from any and all claims and losses whatsoever occurring or resulting to any and all persons, firms, or corporations furnishing or supplying work, services, materials, or supplies in connection with the performance of the use permitted hereby or the exercise of the rights granted herein, and any and all claims, lawsuits or actions arising from the granting of or the exercise of the rights permitted by this Reasonable Accommodation and from any and all claims and losses occurring or resulting to any person, firm, corporation or property for damage, injury or death arising out of or connected with the performance of the use permitted hereby. The applicant’s/property owner’s obligation to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the City as stated herein shall include, but not be limited to, paying all fees and costs incurred by legal counsel of the City’s choice in representing the City in connection with any such claims, losses, lawsuits or actions, expert witness fees, and any award of damages, judgments, verdicts, court costs or attorneys’ fees in any such lawsuit or action.

Resolution 23-01
1733 Catalina Avenue

Page 8 of 8 ends

PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the Seal Beach Planning Commission at a meeting thereof held on February 6, 2023, by the following vote:

AYES: Commissioners
NOES: Commissioners
ABSENT: Commissioners
ABSTAIN: Commissioners
Steve Miller
Chairperson
ATTEST:
__________________________
Alexa Smittle
Planning Commission Secretary

Rear
60' 0" PL
Block Wall
N
S
10' 6" 33' 6"
10' 0" 6' 0"
1'
Scale
HOUSE
1733 CATALINA
AVE
3' 0''
Gate
GARAGE
Block Wall
Gate
10' 0" 21' 0" 4' 0'' 25' 0"
Driveway
60' 0" PL
Catalina
Ave
1'
Scale
HOUSE 3' 0''
Gate
GARAGE
Gate
10' 0" 21' 0" 4' 0''
Driveway
60' 0" PL
Catalina
Close up - South-West Corner of Ave
lot

PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
Chair Miller opened public communications. City Clerk Harper announced that no emailed comments were received. Speakers: None. Chair Miller closed public communications.

City Clerk Harper announced that five (5) emailed comments were received after the posting of the agenda. She noted that the comments were distributed to the Commissioners and made available to the public on the City’s website.

CONSENT CALENDAR
A. Approval of the December 5, 2022 Planning Commission Minutes

APPROVAL OF CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion by Commissioner Campbell second by Commissioner Klinger to approve the Consent Calendar.

AYES: Klinger, Massetti, Thomas, Campbell, Miller
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Motion Carried
CONTINUED ITEMS - None
NEW BUSINESS - None
SCHEDULED MATTERS - None

PUBLIC HEARING
B. VARIANCE 22-2 AND REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION 22-1

1733 Catalina Avenue

Applicant: Scott Levitt
Request: VARIANCE 22-2. Request for Variance (22-2) to allow an encroachment into the required rear and side yard setbacks enabling the placement of three previously constructed accessory structures/patio covers and a carport on a conforming property in the Residential Low Density (RLD-9) zoning area; and/or in the alternative. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION 22-1. Request for a Reasonable Accommodation (22-1) to allow for three previously constructed accessory structures/patio covers and a carport into the required rear and side yard setbacks on a single-family residential property in the Residential Low Density (RLD-9) Zone.

Recommendation:

After conducting the public hearing and receiving testimony, staff recommends that the Planning Commission take the following actions (1) Adopt the attached Resolution No. 23- 02 denying Variance (VAR 22-2) request for three accessory structures and a carport on a two-story single-family residence on a property in the Residential Low Density (RLD-9) zone on an existing property at 1733 Catalina Avenue; and, (2) Adopt the attached Resolution No. 23-01 denying in part Reasonable Accommodation (RA 22-01) rejecting the request for approval of the encroachment of a nonconforming and non-permitted carport into the required western side yard setback and approving Reasonable Accommodation 22-1 in part as modified, with conditions, to allow encroachments into the required rear and side yard setbacks of certain previously constructed nonconforming and non-permitted accessory structures/patio covers in the back yard of a two-story single-family residence on a property in the Residential Low Density (RLD-9) zone on an existing property at 1733 Catalina Avenue. California Environmental Quality Act finding: exempt pursuant to Section 15303(e).

Community Development Director Smittle introduced Associate Planner Marco Cuevas, Jr., who provided a comprehensive staff report. Commissioners questions were addressed.

Chair Miller opened the public hearing. Speakers: Scott Levitt and Michael Papadopoulos.

Chair Miller closed the public hearing.

Senior Assistant City Attorney Greyson offered the Commissioners two (2) options to be considered regarding the Public Hearing.

Motion by Chair Miller, second by Vice Chair Thomas that the Planning Commission approve the attached Resolution No. 23-02 denying Variance (VAR 22-2) request for three accessory structures and a carport on a two-story single-family residence on a property in the Residential Low Density (RLD-9) zone on an existing property at 1733 Catalina Avenue.

AYES: Massetti, Klinger, Thomas, Campbell, Miller
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Motion Carried
Motion by Commissioner Klinger, second by Vice Chair Thomas that the Planning Commission Adopt the attached Resolution No. 23-01 denying in part Reasonable Accommodation (RA 22-01) rejecting the request for approval of the encroachment of a nonconforming and non-permitted carport into the required western side yard setback and approving Reasonable Accommodation 22-1 in part as modified, with conditions, to allow encroachments into the required rear and side yard setbacks of certain previously constructed nonconforming and non-permitted accessory structures/patio covers in the back yard of a two-story single-family residence on a property in the Residential Low Density (RLD-9) zone on an existing property at 1733 Catalina Avenue. California Environmental Quality Act finding: Exempt pursuant to Section 15303(e).

AYES: Massetti, Klinger, Thomas, Miller
NOES: Campbell
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Motion Carried
Senior Assistant City Attorney Greyson noted that there is a 10-day appeal period that starts February 7, 2023.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Community Development Director Smittle noted that the time of the Planning Commission meetings can be changed if approved by the City Council and noted that at the next meeting there will be a change of Commissioners due to the installation of new Council Members.

She thanked the entire Commission for their service and a special thank you to Vice Chair Thomas and Commissioner Klinger for the service on the Commission as this may be there last meeting.

COMMISSION CONCERNS
Vice Chair Thomas offered comments to his fellow Commissioners and staff and stated that he has enjoyed working with the Commissioners over the years as this may be his last meeting due recent election of two (2) new Council Members.

Commissioner Campbell announced that the Notice of Preparation comments starts today, February 6, 2023, through March 7, 2023. She also announced that the Scoping Meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 6pm at the Environmental Quality Control Board (EQCB) meeting. Noted her concerns about the General Plan and Zoning documents related to the scoping meeting.

ADJOURNMENT
Chair Miller adjourned the Planning Commission meeting at 8:48 p.m. to a date uncertain in March 2023, at 7:00 p.m.
___________________________
Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk

Reasonable Accommodation 22-1
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 1
Description of Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 2
• 4 Sunshades
✓Side yard sunshade: 20 yrs. ago in 2003
✓Table sunshade: 15 yrs. ago 2008
✓BBQ sunshade: 20 yrs. ago in 2003
✓Portable spa sunshade: 8 yrs. ago in 2015
100' 0" PL Side
4' 0''
Block Wall
13' 0"
10' 0" 1' 10' 6" 33' 6" 13' 0" 6' 0" 25' 0"
18' 6" 10' 0" 10' 0" 28' 0"
24' 0" 44' 6" Scale Block Wall Rear 3' 0'' 1' Catalina Ave Driveway 21' 0" 60' 0" PL4' 0'' Block Wall Gate Gate 60' 0" PL N S 100' 0" PL Side
GARAGE HOUSE 1733 CATALINA AVE
Side Yard Sunshade: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 3
• Side yard sunshade
✓No encroachment over property line
–Constructed entirely on
1733 Catalina property
✓Rain gutter prevents rainfall runoff
into neighboring yard
✓One-hour fire resistant finish
✓Primary use for training dogs
Table Sunshade: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 4
• Table sunshade
✓No encroachment over property lines
–6” wide block wall is dead-center on
yard shared with 1729 Catalina &
on yard shared with 1736 Crestview
✓½” high metal dam on flat roof prevents
rainfall runoff into neighboring side &
back yards
✓One-hour fire resistant finish
BBQ Sunshade: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 5
• BBQ sunshade
✓No encroachment over property line
–6” wide block wall is dead-center on
backyard shared with 1736 Crestview
✓½” high metal dam on flat roof prevents
rainfall runoff into neighboring back yard
✓One-hour fire resistant finish
Portable Spa Sunshade: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 6
• Portable spa sunshade
✓Tip of gazebo roof is 7’ 10 ¾” high
–Does not exceed 8’ height limit for
standalone structures placed in
side or back yards
✓Portable spa sunshade has no rainfall
runoff into neighboring back yard
✓Portable spa is not less than 1 ft.
setback from the back wall
✓At deepest point, water depth of
portable spa is less than 18” deep
Tonight’s Request is for Modification
to Staff RESOLUTION 23-01:

Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 7
Application for RA 22-1: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 8
RESOLUTION NO. 23-01

A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF

THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH APPROVING
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION 22-1 AND REJECTING

THE REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF THE
ENCROACHMENT OF A NONCONFORMING AND NONPERMITTED CARPORT INTO THE REQUIRED WESTERN

SIDE YARD SETBACK, AND APPROVING REASONABLE
ACCOMMODATION 22-1 IN PART, AS MODIFIED, WITH

CONDITIONS TO ALLOW ENCROACHMENTS INTO THE

REQUIRED REAR AND SIDE YARD SETBACKS OF

CERTAIN PREVIOUSLY CONSTRUCTED

NONCONFORMING AND NON-PERMITTED ACCESSORY

STRUCTURES/PATIO COVERS IN THE YARDS, ON A

CONFORMING PROPERTY IN THE RESIDENTIAL LOW
DENSITY (RLD-9) ZONE.

Page 1 of 8 ends

Application for RA 22-1: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 9

Page 4 of 8 ends

C. The requested accommodation, as proposed by the
applicant/property owner, will NOT result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the City’s zoning program, as “fundamental alteration” is defined in fair housing laws and interpretive case law, and the requested accommodation will NOT, under the specific facts of the case, result in a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals or substantial physical damage to the property of others, for the following reasons.

Application for RA 22-1: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 10

Page 4 of 8 ends

Application for RA 22-1: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 11

Page 5 of 8 ends

Section 5. Based on the foregoing, the Planning Commission hereby APPROVES Reasonable Accommodation 23-1 with respect to the SUNSHADE located along the west side of the subject property and extending from the house over the driveway to the side property line. The SUNSHADE structure shall comply with all of the following requirements:

1. TO BE SPRAYED WITH FIRE RETARDANT.

Application for RA 22-1: Current Status Quo
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 12

Page 6 of 8 ends

otherwise modified in dimension so that their placement is solely within the subject property’s side and rear yard setbacks, and do not encroach into any neighboring property IF THE CURRENT STUCTURE DOES BREACH THE PROPERTY LINES. If the property owner removes the existing accessory shade structures and constructs replacement accessory shade structures, under no circumstances shall the replacement accessory shade structures exceed the existing dimensions of the structures as modified and shall remain solely within the subject property.

5. The hot tub shall be relocated to be a minimum of ONE FOOT away from the rear wall, in accordance with Municipal Code Section 11.4.10.030, and shall be maintained not less than ONE FOOT from the rear and side wall at all times.

7. All accessory shade structures in the rear yard shall either be moved from the subject property or replaced to be in compliance with Conditions 2 through 7, above, and Conditions 8 through 12, below, within six months of the approval of this Resolution.

Fire & Flame Retardant Paint Additive
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 13
Document Skin Cancer for Accommodation
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 14
• My client authorized release of
Protected Health Information
• 30-year long health issues with
Basel Cell carcinoma and
Squamous cell carcinoma
• May 13th, 2019, my client went to
UCI Medical Center for surgical
oncologist to treat melanoma-skin
cancer, the most severe form of
skin cancer
• Last several years, dermatologist
checkups scheduled twice a year
✓In last year, this has increased
to four times a year
➢ Minimize sun exposure
✓ Current dermatologist
provided a skin cancer
procedure summary
June 2015 – June 2022
Backup Information
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 15
BBQ Sunshade: History
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 16
• BBQ sunshade
✓First wooden sunshade built 2003
–Flat roof structure built to provide
shade for outdoor BBQ
✓No encroachment over property line
–6” wide block wall is dead-center
on backyard shared with 1736
Crestview
Side Yard Sunshade: History
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 17
• Side yard sunshade
✓Wooden sunshade built 2003
–Flat roof structure built on
small block wall that is on
1733 Catalina property
Table Sunshade: History
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 18
• Table sunshade
✓Wooden sunshade built 2008
–Flat roof structure built to provide
shade for outdoor picnic table
✓No encroachment over property line
–6” wide block wall is dead-center
on side yard shared with 1729
Catalina
–6” wide block wall is dead-center
on backyard shared with 1736
Crestview
Portable Spa Sunshade: History
04-24-23 City Council Appeal Levitt Law, APC 19
• Portable spa sunshade
✓Wooden sunshade built 2015
–Built to provide shade for above
ground, plug-in, 3-person portable spa
✓Spa sunshade is standalone, unattached
structure
–Spa sunshade structure never bolted
to the back wall
✓Portable spa has never been 0 in.
setback up against the back wall
Reasonable Accommodation 22-1
Appeal
1733 Catalina Avenue
Applicant: Scott Levitt
Owner: Donald Miller
Appeal Request
• The Municipal Code violations present on the property are as follows:
• Three unpermitted structures encroaching into the side yard and/or rear yard setbacks.
• Two of the unpermitted structures direct rain into
neighboring properties.
• Structures built without Building Division review for safety, code compliance and/or building permits; and
• Hot tub located less than four feet from the rear wall.

Site Location
Site Plan
Structure 1
STRUCTURE 1:

Interior side setback:
5’-0” min required
Front Yard
Front/Side Yard
Structure 2 & 3
Interior side
setback: 5’-0”
min required
Structure 3
Rear setback 10
feet required
Structure 2
Rear setback 10
feet required
Side/Rear Yard
Rear Yard
Rear Yard
Rear Yard

Reasonable Accommodation

1. Part of federal and state fair housing laws and is
incorporated in the City’s Municipal Code in Chapter 11.5.30

2. Intent is to provide some flexibility in zoning standards

3. Must provide documentation of disability

4. RA request must meet certain findings

5. PC designated to approve, conditionally approve, or deny request
Alternative Reasonable Accommodation
Recommendations:

1. Carport – remove the structure or bring into compliance.

2. Hot tub and Gazebo Structure – relocate

3. Shade Structures on rear and center of rear lot –
demonstrate compliance, ensure Building Code and safety review.

Recommended Action
• Adopt Resolution 7395 denying the appeal and
denying Reasonable Accommodation 22-1
Reasonable Accommodation 22-1
Appeal
1733 Catalina Avenue
Applicant: Scott Levitt
Owner: Donald Miller
1 Gloria Harper
From: Matt Thomas <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2023 1:56 PM
To: Gloria Harper
Subject: 1733 Catalina Application
Hi Gloria, my name is MaƩ Thomas. I received the public noƟce/submission for 1733 Catalina and we live down the street. My wife and I support their request and applicaƟon.

Sent from my iPhone

Agenda Item I

AGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 24, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THRU: Jill R. Ingram, City Manager
FROM: Alexa Smittle, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Short Term Rentals Program Fees
________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY OF REQUEST:

That the City Council Adopt Resolution 7396:

1. Approving Short-Term Rental Program fees; and,

2. Authorizing amendment of the City of Seal Beach Cost Recovery Fee Schedule to include the Short-Term Rental Program fees.

BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS:

On January 23, 2023 the City Council adopted Ordinance 1701 establishing regulations, standards, and a permitting process allowing for short-term rental of private residences within the Coastal Zone (“Short-Term Rental Program” or “Program”). Short-term rentals are defined as the rental of property for less than 30 days.

Implementation, monitoring, and renewal of short-term permits will be primarily performed by Community Development staff, including evaluating the eligibility of the property owner and subject property, gathering all documents and reviewing applications for completion, and conducting inspections to verify compliance with Ordinance 1701. Community Development staff will also be the primary team responsible for monitoring and responding to nuisance complaints reported for short-term rentals. Finance Department staff plays a significant role in the ShortTerm Rental Program as well, managing invoicing, fees, and financial auditing of the Program. A small amount of time for the Police Department is also expected to educate Program participants on public safety issues.

First year permits are expected to require the greatest amount of time, as staff enrolls short-term permit applicants into the Program. Furthermore, during the first year, staff anticipates a greater number of staff hours being required for inspections, potential corrections, and the education of property owners. Total estimated staff costs are as follows.

Page 2 ends

In addition to estimating direct costs to offer the Program, staff researched shortterm rental permitting fee schedules in the Cities of Huntington Beach, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and San Clemente. As shown below, the fees vary dramatically, ranging from $105 in San Clemente to over $700 per year in Dana Point and Laguna Beach.

In all cases, the fees of the other coastal Orange County jurisdictions were lower than staff’s anticipated costs. In consideration of this peer analysis, and acknowledging the Program will generate transient occupancy taxes, staff is proposing the following fee amounts be added to the City’s Fee Schedule.

Short-Term Rental Permit

1. Initial Application Submission (Year 1)…….$600

2. Annual Renewal (Years 2+)………………...$400
The above proposed fee schedule costs would be subject to consideration by the City Council as a part of routine fee analyses and updates.

Fully
Burdened
Rate
Estim. Hours Year
1 Total Cost
Year 1
Estim. Hours
Years 2+
Total Cost
Years 2+ Code Enforcement Officer $ 57.96 10 $ 579.60 4 $ 231.84 Senior Accounting Technician 65.92 2 131.84 2 131.84
Seal Beach Police Sergeant 185.41 1 185.41 - - Finance Manager 119.21 1 119.21 1 59.61 Director of Community Development 159.83 1 159.83 1 79.92 Director of Finance 135.92 1 135.92 1 67.96
$1,311.81 $ 571.16
City Initial Application Renewal
Huntington Beach $624/ 2 years $342/ Year 3 - onward
$780 (non-primary dwelling) $585
$585 (all other str dwellings) $585
Laguna Beach $2,228/ 3 years $2,228/ 3 years
$4,603 Property Requiring CUP N/A
Newport Beach $169 $89
San Clemente $105 N/A
Dana Point

Page 3 ends

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:

Adoption of the fee resolution is exempt from the State of California Environmental Quality Act (California Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq.) (CEQA) and State CEQA Guidelines because it approves fees for the purposes of meeting the operating expenses of City departments, as set forth in Public Resources Code Section 21080(b)(8)(A).

LEGAL ANALYSIS:

The City Attorney has reviewed this item as to form.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

There is no financial impact to adoption of the fee. Once the Short Term Rental Program is operational, revenues will be based upon the number of Program participants. Based on current estimates, this would result in up to $18,600 for the first year, and $12,400 for subsequent years which would be used to offset staffing costs.

STRATEGIC PLAN:

This item is not applicable to the Strategic Plan.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the City Council Adopt Resolution 7396:

1. Approving Short-Term Rental Program fees; and,

2. Authorizing amendment of the City of Seal Beach Fee Schedule to include the Short-Term Rental Program fees.

SUBMITTED BY: NOTED AND APPROVED:

Alexa Smittle Jill R. Ingram
Alexa Smittle, Community
Development Director
Jill R. Ingram, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:

A. Resolution 7396
B. Ordinance 1701
RESOLUTION 7396

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF

SEAL BEACH AMENDING THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH
COST RECOVERY SCHEDULE TO INCLUDE SHORTTERM RENTAL PERMIT FEES WHEREAS, user and regulatory fees are established by the City Council; and WHEREAS, on January 9, 2023, the City Council adopted Ordinance 1701 which established a Short Term Rental Program for the City of Seal Beach; and, WHEREAS, Ordinance 1701 allows the City Council to set fees for Short Term Rental permits by Resolution; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Seal Beach Cost Recovery Fee Schedule, last amended pursuant to City Council Resolution No. 3330, approved September 12, 2022, does not include fees for Short-Term Rental permits, and the City Council desires to add Short-Term Rental Permit Fees to the Fee Schedule; and
WHEREAS, the City recently completed a study to identify the costs of providing ShortTerm Rental permits, including an examination of the proposed fee-related services to be provided by the City, the costs reasonably borne by the City in providing those services, the beneficiaries of those services and the revenues produced by those paying fees and charges for special services; and
WHEREAS, notice of the proposed fees was made available to the public for review prior to the public hearing on the proposed Short-Term Rental permit fees in the manner set forth in California Government Code Section 66016(a) and 66019(b); and WHEREAS, on April 24, 2023, the City Council conducted a duly-noticed public hearing and received testimony from City staff and all interested parties regarding the establishment and setting of the fees for Short-Term Rental permits; and, WHEREAS, the City Council finds that providing these services is of special benefit to applicants both separate and apart from the general benefit to the public; and therefore, in the interests of fairness to the general public, the City desires to better recover the costs of providing these services from applicants who have sought or require the City's services; and
WHEREAS, based upon the cost study and data made available for this hearing, and all oral and written evidence submitted at this hearing, the City Council hereby finds that the Short Term Rental Program fees do not exceed the cost to provide the services for which the fees are charged; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires that annually the City Manager may update the fees based on the annual percentage change in the all- urban Consumer Price Index for Los Angeles- Long Beach- Anaheim, CA ( CPI). If the CPI does not change or goes down in a given year, no change shall be made to the fee schedule that year; and WHEREAS, the adopted fees shall be incorporated into the City's existing Citywide Master Fee Schedule. Incorporating these fees into the fee schedule will allow for the fees to be considered with future comprehensive user and regulatory fee updates.

NOW, THEREFORE, THE SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL DOES HEREBY RESOLVE:

Section 1. The City Council hereby finds that all of the facts set forth in the Recitals set forth above are true and correct.

Section 2. The City Council finds that the adoption of this Resolution is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et seq.) (“CEQA”), and the State CEQA Guidelines because it approves fees for the purpose of meeting the operating expenses of City departments, as set forth in Public Resources Code Section 21080(b)(8)(A).

Section 3. The City Council hereby amends the Planning Fees of the City of Seal Beach Cost Recovery Schedule to add fees for Short Term Rental Permits, as set forth below.

Short-Term Rental Permit
a. Initial Application Submission (Year 1)…… $600
b. Annual Renewal (Years 2+) ………………..$400
SECTION 4: The City Manager may annually update the fees based on the annual percentage change in the all- urban Consumer Price Index for Los AngelesLong Beach- Anaheim, CA ( CPI). If the CPI does not change or goes down in a given year, no change shall be made to the fee schedule that year.

SECTION 5. Except as otherwise expressly amended by this Resolution, the fees set forth in the City of Seal Beach Cost Recovery Schedule shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 6. This Resolution shall be effective immediately.

PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED by the Seal Beach City Council at a regular meeting held on the 24th day of April, 2023 by the following vote:

AYES: Council Members
NOES: Council Members
ABSENT: Council Members
ABSTAIN: Council Members

Thomas Moore, Mayor
ATTEST:

Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA }
COUNTY OF ORANGE } SS
CITY OF SEAL BEACH }
I, Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk of the City of Seal Beach, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is the original copy of Resolution 7396 on file in the office of the City Clerk, passed, approved, and adopted by the City Council at a regular meeting held on the 24th day of April, 2023.

Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk
ORDINANCE 1701

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH AMENDING THE SEAL BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE AMENDING SECTION 11. 4. 05. 135 ( SHORTTERM RENTAL OF RESIDENTIALLY ZONED PROPERTY) TO PERMIT

AND REGULATE SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES IN

THE CITY
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Section 11. 4. 05. 135 of the Seal Beach Municipal Code is hereby amended in its entirety to read as follows:

11. 4. 05. 135 Short-Term Rental of Residentially Zoned Property.

A. Purpose. The purpose of this Chapter is to establish regulations, standards, and a permitting process governing the renting or leasing of privately owned visitor-serving residential dwelling units on a short- term basis in order to maintain the long- term rental housing stock in the City; comply with the Coastal Act; ensure the collection and payment of Transient Occupancy Taxes (" TOT"); safeguard the residents of the City of Seal Beach by ensuring that Short-Term Rental activities do not threaten the character of residential neighborhoods; and ensure that such Short-Term Rental activities do not become a nuisance, or threaten the public health, safety, or welfare of neighboring properties.

B. Definitions.

The following definitions shall apply to this Section:

Booking Transaction" means any reservation and/ or payment service provided by a person or entity who facilitates a Short- Term Rental transaction between a prospective Guest and a Short- Term Rental Owner.

Coastal Zone" shall have the same meaning as California Public Resources Code ( PRC) Section 30103( a), as may be amended from time to time.

City" means City of Seal Beach.

Director" means the Director of Community Development or their designee.

Guest" means any person or persons renting a Short-Term Rental as a transient occupant.

Local Contact Person" means the Owner or person designated by the Owner to respond to and take remedial action regarding Short-Term Rental issues or complaints.

Owner" or "STR Owner" means a property owner who is contracting with Guests for Short- Term Rental of any structure or portion of a structure for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes, either directly or indirectly through a Hosting Platform such as VBRO or AirBnB. " Owner" may be a person, group or entity.

Platform Agreement" means a duly- executed agreement between a Hosting Platform and the City, which, among other things, provides that the Hosting Platform will collect from Short- Term Rental Tenants and pay the Transient Occupancy Tax to the City on behalf of STR Owners, and will book only those STRs that have a valid ShortTerm Rental Permit.

Primary Residence" means a person' s permanent residence or usual place of return for housing as documented by at least two ( 2) of the following current documents:
driver's license; voter registration; tax documents showing the residential unit as the person' s residence: or a utility bill.

Prohibited Buildings List" means a list maintained by the City identifying the address( es) of all buildings and/ or properties whose owner( s), including any applicable homeowners' association or board of directors, have notified the City, pursuant to City procedures, that Short-Term Rentals are not permitted to operate anywhere in such building or property including, without limitation, deed restricted affordable housing units.

Short- Term Rental" (" STR") means a single residential dwelling unit, or portion thereof, that is offered or provided to paying Guests by an STR Owner for twenty- nine 29) or fewer consecutive nights. The term " Short-Term Rental" shall not include hotels, motels. inns, or bed and breakfast inns.

Short- Term Rental Advertisement" means any method of soliciting Guests to use a dwelling unit for Short-Term Rental purposes.

Short-Term Rental Permit" or " Permit" means a Permit, with a Permit number, issued by the City to allow Short-Term Rentals.

Short- Term Rental Tenant" (" STR Tenant") means a person who has entered into an agreement to compensate an Owner for the use and occupancy of a Short- Term Rental, and who shall be responsible for compliance with the applicable terms of this Chapter and the STR Permit.

Transient Occupancy Tax" (" TOT") means local Transient Occupancy Tax as set forth in Chapter 4. 35 of the Seal Beach Municipal Code or any successor ordinance.

C. Permit Required.

1. No person or entity shall advertise, rent to a Guest, or otherwise operate a Short- Term Rental (" STR") in the City unless a Permit has been issued by the City pursuant to this Chapter. The Owner of an STR shall apply to obtain a Permit from the City and must remain in compliance with all requirements of this Chapter. The Director will provide an application form for an STR Permit which shall include all information determined by the Director to be necessary to evaluate the eligibility of the Owner and subject property, consistent with this Chapter.

2. STR must be located within the Coastal Zone.

3. The total number of STR Permits, combined with STR' s with existing Conditional Use Permits (" CUP"), shall not exceed 1% of the residential units in the Coastal Zone.

4. STR Permits shall be issued on a lottery basis to eligible applicants.

5. The STR Permit required by this Chapter shall not apply to any " vacation rental" in operation pursuant to a valid Conditional Use Permit issued by the City under Ordinance No. 1619- U prior to October 1, 2022, as long as such CUP remains valid and in effect. The STR shall comply with the conditions of its CUP and the operational requirements of this Chapter. If a CUP is terminated or revoked, the Owner shall obtain an STR permit prior to re-establishing an STR on the same property.

6. The City Council shall establish a fee for an STR Permit by resolution provided, however, the fee shall be no greater than necessary to defer the cost incurred by the City in administering the provisions of this Chapter.

7. An STR Permit is valid for one ( 1) year from the date of issuance. The STR Permit is personal and may not be transferred or assigned and does not run with the land. An STR Permit may be renewed annually by the Director if the STR Owner: ( 1) pays the renewal fee; (2) provides information concerning any changes to the previous application for, or renewal of, the STR Permit; ( 3) submits records to demonstrate compliance with this Chapter as required by the Director; and ( 4) the STR is otherwise in compliance with the requirements of this Chapter.

8. The STR Owner shall identify, to the satisfaction of the City, a Local Contact Person, who shall be available twenty- four (24) hours per day, seven ( 7) days a week for: ( 1) responding within one ( 1) hour to complaints regarding the condition, operation, or conduct of the STR or its occupants; and ( 2) taking any remedial action necessary to resolve such complaints.

9. STR Permits issued pursuant to this Chapter are subject to the following standard STR permit conditions, in addition to any other property-specific condition the Director deems necessary in order to maintain neighborhood compatibility:
a) The Owner shall, by written agreement with the STR Tenant, limit overnight occupancy of the STR to a specific number of occupants. The maximum number of Guests who may occupy the STR at one time is two persons per bedroom, plus two additional Guests ( including children). Lofts that meet California Building Code egress requirements are considered a bedroom for the purposes of the occupancy calculation. In no event may the maximum occupancy exceed twelve ( 12) persons in any STR.
b) Large- scale events ( i. e., exceeding maximum allowed occupancy) such as parties, weddings, fundraisers, and conferences, are prohibited. c) The Owner shall insure that the occupants and/ or Guests of the STR do not create unreasonable noise or disturbances, engage in disorderly conduct, or violate provisions any Federal, State, or Local law pertaining to noise, disposal of waste, disorderly conduct, the consumption of alcohol, or the use of illegal drugs. d) The Owner shall, upon notification that occupants and/ or Guests of his or her STR have created unreasonable noise or disturbances, engaged in disorderly conduct or committed violations of any Law, including those pertaining to noise, disposal of waste, disorderly conduct, the consumption of alcohol or the use of illegal drugs, promptly prevent a recurrence of such conduct by those occupants or Guests. e) The Owner of the STR unit shall post a copy of the STR Permit and the STR Permit conditions in a conspicuous place within the STR. f) Eligibility requirements. The Owner must satisfy the following requirements at the time of submitting an STR Permit application:
i) The dwelling unit shall not be a deed- restricted affordable housing unit, in a group residence as defined by Section 11. 6. 05. 010 of the Seal Beach Municipal Code, or included on the Prohibited Buildings List. ii) An Owner shall not be granted a permit for more than one ( 1) STR within the City of Seal Beach.
iii) No more than one STR permit shall be issued per property except in multi- family single lot subdivisions (i. e. condominiums or townhomes) the number of STR Permits allowed shall be as follows:

Number of units per property Number of STR
Permits
Up to 15 1
16 or more 4
iv) The dwelling unit or property used as an STR shall not be the subject of any active or pending code enforcement actions or violations pursuant to the Seal Beach Municipal Code. A code enforcement notice of violation, if issued to an STR must be addressed within fifteen ( 15) days, or the STR Permit shall be revoked. v) If the dwelling unit or property used as an STR is subject to the rules of a homeowners' or condominium association, any Short- Term Rental activity shall comply with those rules and this Chapter shall not be inferred to grant any permission that invalidates or supersedes any applicable requirements of those homeowners' or condominium associations.
vi) The Owner shall provide proof that the STR is not prohibited by a Homeowners' Association Conditions Covenants and Restrictions or any other community standards/ guidelines, applicable to the proposed STR. A letter from the Homeowners' Association would satisfy this requirement. vii) The Owner shall sign an indemnification and hold harmless agreement in a form approved by the City Attorney, agreeing to indemnify, save, protect, hold harmless, and defend the City of Seal Beach, its officers, employees and agents from any liability in any way arising out of the use of the STR including, without limitation, from the STR Guests.
viii) The Owner shall maintain in effect a policy or policies of liability insurance for the property and the STR that meet or exceed the City' s standard insurance requirements for STRs, as published on the City' s website. The Owner shall provide a copy of the applicable certificates of insurance, naming the City, its officers agents and employees, as additional named insured with the STR permit application and each renewal application, and at other times within three ( 3) business of days following request by a City representative.
ix) The STR shall be a legally permitted dwelling unit. Accessory Dwelling Units, as defined in Section 11. 4. 05. 115( B) of the Seal Beach Municipal Code shall not be used as an STR unless the unit was legally established prior to January 1, 2020.
x) A Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit as defined in Section

11. 4. 05. 115( B) shall not be advertised or used as an STR.

D. STR Regulations.

1. All marketing and advertising of an STR, including any listing on a Hosting Platform, shall clearly list the City- issued STR Permit number.

2. STRs are prohibited in any part of the property not approved, permitted, and constructed for residential use including, but not limited to, vehicle( s) parked on the property, storage sheds, trailer( s), garage( s), boat( s) or similar watercraft, tree house( s), or any temporary structure( s), including, but not limited to, tent( s).

3. Each STR shall have a notice posted within the unit in a location clearly marked and accessible to the Guest (e. g., posted on the refrigerator, included within a binder with additional information on the unit, etc.), containing the following information:
a) The maximum number of occupants permitted in the unit; b) Location of parking spaces;
c) Name and contact information for the Owner and/ or Local Contact Person; d) Trash and recycling pickup information;
e) Emergency contact information for police, fire, or emergency medical services;
f) Evacuation plan for the unit showing emergency exit routes, exits, and fire extinguisher locations; and
g) Tsunami evacuation routes, if the STR is located in a tsunami zone.

4. No sign shall be posted on the exterior of the STR to advertise the availability of the unit.

5. It is unlawful for any STR Owner, occupant, renter, lessee, person present upon, or person having charge or possession of the STR premises, to make or continue to cause to be made or continued any loud, unnecessary, or unusual noise which disturbs the peace and quiet of any neighborhood, or which causes discomfort or annoyance to any reasonable person of normal sensitivities residing in the area, or which violates any provision of Chapter 7. 15 (" Noise") of the Seal Beach Municipal Code.

6. The minimum age of the STR Tenant shall be 25 years old.

7. The City will post STR contact information on the City website for the public to access.

8. An STR may not be operated as any other commercial home- based business.

9. The Owner shall, upon reasonable request from the City, permit the City' s Building Official or their designee to inspect the STR for compliance with this Chapter and the Permit.

E. STR Owner Requirements.
1 . The Owner shall provide information on the maximum allowed number of occupants, parking capacity and location of parking spaces, noise regulations and quiet hours, and trash and recycling disposal requirements in writing to prospective Guests, prior to their occupancy.

2. The Owner shall provide and maintain working fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors, in compliance with applicable health, building, fire, and safety codes; and information related to emergency exit routes on the property, local contact, and emergency contact information.

3. Transient Occupancy Taxes shall be collected on all STRs pursuant to Seal Beach Municipal Code Chapter 4. 35 and paid to the City as required by that Chapter. If a Hosting Platform does not collect payment for the rental, Hosts or Operators are solely responsible for the collection of all applicable TOT and remittance of the collected tax to the City in accordance with Chapter 4. 35 of this Code ( Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax).

4. The Owner and the Guest shall be responsible and liable for any activity which may create a nuisance or other tortious or criminal violations at an STR.

5. The Owner shall authorize any Hosting Platform on which his or her STR(s) is listed to provide to the City the operator listing and other information to demonstrate compliance with all provisions of this Chapter.

F. Hosting Platform Responsibilities.

1. Hosting platforms shall not process or complete any Booking Transaction for any STR, unless the STR has a valid current STR Permit issued by the City. Hosting platforms are required to list the STR Permit number and expiration date.

2. Within forty-five ( 45) days of the effective date of this Ordinance, Hosting Platforms with listings located in the City shall provide to the City contact information of the Hosting Platform.

3. A Hosting Platform with listings located in the City shall provide to the City on a monthly basis, in a format specified by the City, the STR Permit number of each listing, the name of the person responsible for each listing, the address of each such listing, and, for each Booking Transaction that occurs within the reporting period, the number of days booked, and the total price paid for each rental.

4. Hosting Platforms shall remove any listings for STRs, including those on the City' s Prohibited Buildings List, from the platform upon notification by the City.

5. Hosting Platforms shall be responsible for collecting all applicable TOT and remitting the same to the City. The Owner shall remain responsible for collection and remittance of the TOT in the event that a Hosting Platform fails to fulfill its responsibilities under this Section to collect and/ or remit to the City or the Hosting Platform and the Owner enter into an agreement regarding the fulfillment of this subsection.

6. All Hosting Platforms operating in the City must comply with all Federal, State, or Local ( including the Huntington Beach Municipal Code) laws.

G. Enforcement.
1 . Violations of this Section shall be enforced as provided in Chapter 1. 15 of this Code.

2. Each separate calendar day in which a violation exists may be considered a separate violation. However, a thirty ( 30) day-warning period from the effective date of this Ordinance shall be provided prior to issuing fines for advertising an STR without a valid STR Permit number.

3. If the City issues three ( 3) citations for separate violations of this Ordinance against an STR within any twelve ( 12) month period and those violations are confirmed or enforced in an administrative or criminal court proceeding, the STR Permit shall be revoked, or suspended, or additional conditions may be imposed by the Director by providing written notice to the STR Owner setting forth the basis of the intended action and giving the STR Owner an opportunity, within fourteen ( 14) calendar days, to appeal the revocation, suspension, or amendment of the Permit in writing to the City Manager or their designee. If such an appeal is timely filed, the City Manager or designee shall hold a hearing and may determine to grant the appeal, revoke the STR Permit, suspend the STR Permit, or impose additional conditions upon the STR Permit and thereafter give written notice of the decision to the STR Owner. If an STR Permit is revoked, the STR may not be re- registered with the City, and the property may not be used as an STR, for a period of twelve ( 12) months from the date of revocation. The action of the City Manager or designee on such an appeal shall be final and not subject to further administrative appeal.

4. The City hereby finds and declares that repeated violations of this Chapter constitute a public nuisance which may be enjoined under all applicable laws including Code of Civil Procedure Section 731.

5. An STR Owner convicted of violating any provision of this Chapter in a criminal case or found to be in violation of this Chapter in a civil or administrative proceeding brought by the City may be ordered to reimburse the City its full investigative and enforcement costs and pay all unpaid TOT if applicable, in addition to any other remedy at law or equity.

6. The remedies provided in this Section are cumulative and not exclusive, and nothing in this Section shall preclude the use or application of any other remedies, penalties, or procedures established by law.

7. The Director, or their designee, shall have the authority to establish administrative rules and regulations consistent with the provisions of this Chapter for interpreting, clarifying, carrying out, furthering, and enforcing the requirements and the provisions of this Chapter.

8. If any provision of this Section conflicts with any provision of Title 11 Zoning) as to STRs, the terms of this Section shall control." H. Program Review

1. The City Council shall review and evaluate this Ordinance within eighteen 18) months of adoption, and annually thereafter. The review shall, at a minimum, include an analysis of demand for STR Permits based on applications received, complaints and calls for service associated with the operation of new STRs, and summary of new revenues associated with STRs.

Section 2. Environmental Review.

The adoption of this Ordinance is not a " project" under CEQA because it can be seen with certainty that the new regulation of short- term rentals in fully built- out residential areas will lead to no direct or indirect physical change in the environment. The Zone Text Amendment consists only of minor revisions and clarifications to existing regulations and specification of procedures related thereto in certain residentially zoned property to ensure consistency and eliminate internal conflict between existing provisions. The amendment, therefore, is not subject to the requirements of CEQA and the State CEQA Guidelines. Further, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.

Section 3. Severability.

If any provision or clause of this Ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held to be unconstitutional or to be otherwise invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect other section provisions, or clauses, or applications, and to this end the provisions, sections, and clauses of this ordinance are declared to be severable.

Section 4. Effective Date.

This Ordinance shall take effect thirty ( 30) days following its adoption by the City Council.

Section 5. Certification.

The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Ordinance, and the City Clerk shall cause this Ordinance or a summary thereof to be published as required by law. The City Manager is directed to widely publicize the adoption of this Ordinance.

INTRODUCED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Seal Beach held on the 9th day of January, 2023.

PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED by the Seal Beach City Council at a regular meeting held on the 23rd day of January, 2023.

AYES: Council Members: Kalmick, Massa- Lavitt, Moore, Sustarsic, Varipapa NOES: Council Members: None
ABSENT: Council Members: None
ABSTAIN: Council Members: None
4 SEAY l '
dl` Joealmick Mayor
A S
it-VD/Ur" Y
Gloria D. H rper, ity Clerk G'F R 7
4V
CDUNT` Ga
APPROV- !> A • • F. " M
Craig A. Steele, City Attorney
Short-Term Rental Fee
City Council Meeting
April 24, 2023
Short-Term Rental Program
• Governed by Ordinance 1701, adopted in January 2023
• Allows up to 1% of units in Coastal Zone to be STR
 Rental less than 30 days
• Implements operational regulations for STRs
STR Program Rules Recap
• Annual permit that does not run
with land
• 1 rental per owner
• 24-hour local contact person
• Adequate insurance
• No large events
• Posting of rules in unit
• Owners pay transient
occupancy tax
• Units may not be incomerestricted, junior ADUs, or
ADUs built after January 1,
2020
• Initial lottery to determine first
permit holders
• Council to review program in
early 2024
Status of Program
• Info posted on webpage including FAQs and “Good Neighbor Guidelines”
• Interest lottery is open
• Lottery draw May 10th
Tonight’s Item
• Establishes the initial and annual permit fee for STR Fully
Burdened
Rate
Estim.

Hours Year
1 Total Cost
Year 1
Estim.

Hours
Years 2+
Total Cost
Years 2+
Code Enforcement Officer $ 57.96 10 $ 579.60 4 $ 231.84 Senior Accounting Technician 65.92 2 131.84 2 131.84
Seal Beach Police Sergeant 185.41 1 185.41 - -
Finance Manager 119.21 1 119.21 1 59.61
Director of Community Development 159.83 1 159.83 1 79.92 Director of Finance 135.92 1 135.92 1 67.96
$1,311.81 $ 571.16
Anticipated Staffing Cost
City Initial Application Renewal
Huntington Beach $624/ 2 years $342/ Year 3 - onward
$780 (non-primary dwelling) $585
$585 (all other str dwellings) $585
Laguna Beach $2,228/ 3 years $2,228/ 3 years
$4,603 Property Requiring CUP N/A
Newport Beach $169 $89
San Clemente $105 N/A
Dana Point
Comparative Fees
Recommended Fee
• Recommended Fee Year 1 $600
• Recommended Annual Fee Year 2+ $400
Questions?
Agenda Item J

AGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 24, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THRU: Jill R. Ingram, City Manager
FROM: Michael Henderson, Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Adoption of City of Seal Beach Emergency Operations Plan 2023 Revision (EOP)
________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY OF REQUEST:

That the City Council adopt Resolution 7397:

1. Approving the March 2023 City of Seal Beach Emergency Operations Plan (EOP); and,

2. Authorizing the City Manager to submit the EOP to the California Office of Emergency Services.

BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS:

This Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) addresses the City’s planned response to emergency/disaster situations associated with natural disasters, technological incidents, and national security emergencies. The operational concepts reflected in this plan focus on large-scale events. The EOP also addresses the Continuity of Government and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The City of Seal Beach Emergency Operations Plan was last updated in 2017.

The EOP is a preparedness document – designed to be read, understood, and exercised prior to an emergency/disaster. The plan incorporates the concepts and principles of the California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), and Incident Command System (ICS) into the emergency operations of the City of Seal Beach. This plan is flexible enough to use in all emergencies and will facilitate response and shortterm recovery activities.

The City of Seal Beach EOP describes the method of requesting mutual aid resources from the County, State, and Federal Government when needed.

Page 2 ends

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:

There is no environmental impact related to this item.

LEGAL ANALYSIS:

The City Attorney has reviewed and approved as to form.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

No funds are being requested as part of this action. Upon adoption, there will be a cost associated with printing copies of the EOP, which will be expensed from Budget Account 101-210-0021-52200.

STRATEGIC PLAN:

This item is not applicable to the Strategic Plan.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the City Council adopt Resolution 7397:

1. Approving the March 2023 City of Seal Beach Emergency Operations Plan (EOP); and,

2. Authorizing the City Manager to submit the EOP to the California Office of Emergency Services.

SUBMITTED BY: NOTED AND APPROVED:

Michael Henderson Jill R. Ingram
Michael Henderson, Chief of Police Jill R. Ingram, City Manager Prepared by: Sgt. Brian Gray, Emergency Services Coordinator ATTACHMENTS:

A. Resolution 7397
B. 2023 City of Seal Beach Emergency Operations Plan
RESOLUTION 7397

A RESOLUTION OF THE SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL
ADOPTING THE 2023 REVISED CITY OF SEAL BEACH EMERGENCY

OPERATIONS PLAN (EOP) AND APPROVING SUBMITTAL OF THE SEAL

BEACH EOP TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, OFFICE OF EMERGENCY

SERVICES
WHEREAS, the City of Seal Beach EOP meets all federal and state criteria as described in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) developed by the State Office of Emergency Services (OES); and WHEREAS, the City of Seal Beach EOP describes how the City of Seal Beach will manage and respond to major emergency incidents, including a system of organization consisting of clear designations of distinct functions which must be conducted during a disaster; assignment of each distinct function, which must be conducted during a disaster; assignment of each distinct function to City departments; and guidelines for performance of the distinct functions by the departments; and
WHEREAS, the City of Seal Beach EOP describes the method of requesting mutual aid resources from the County, State, and Federal Governments when needed and one of the eligibility requirements for Federal funding of Emergency Services staff positions is submittal of the City of Seal Beach EOP to the State of California; and

WHEREAS, the original City of Seal Beach EOP was written by City representatives from each department and the Police Department and coordinated by the Assistant City Manager. It has been reviewed and approved by all City department heads.

WHEREAS, the 2023 revision to the City of Seal Beach EOP, attached to the staff report accompanying this Resolution as Exhibit “B”, has also been reviewed by City departments, including the Police Department, to ensure that it meets current standards, practices, and policies.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Seal Beach does hereby approve and adopt the Seal Beach EOP dated April 24, 2023. Three or more copies of the Seal Beach EOP shall remain on file in the office of the City Clerk. The Chief of Police is hereby directed to forward a copy of the Seal Beach EOP to the State of California’s Office of Emergency Management.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED by the Seal Beach City Council at a regular meeting held on the 24th day of April, 2023 by the following vote:

AYES: Council Members
NOES: Council Members
ABSENT: Council Members
ABSTAIN: Council Members

Thomas Moore, Mayor
ATTEST:

Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________________
Nicholas Ghirelli, City Attorney
STATE OF CALIFORNIA }
COUNTY OF ORANGE } SS
CITY OF SEAL BEACH }
I, Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk of the City of Seal Beach, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is the original copy of Resolution 7397 on file in the office of the City Clerk, passed, approved, and adopted by the City Council at a regular meeting held on the 24th day of April, 2023.

Gloria D. Harper, City Clerk

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN
2023
City of Seal Beach
Emergency Operations Plan
February 2023
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY A-1

FOREWORD
This Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) addresses the City of Seal Beach, CA, planned response to emergency/disaster situations associated with natural disasters, technological incidents, and national security emergencies. The operational concepts reflected in this plan focus on large-scale events.

This plan is a preparedness document – designed to be read, understood, and exercised before an emergency/disaster. The plan incorporates the concepts and principles of the California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), and Incident Command System (ICS) into the emergency operations of the City of Seal Beach. This plan is flexible enough to use in all emergencies and will facilitate response and short-term recovery activities.

This plan provides basic planning information. City departments must prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) and, in most cases, more detailed checklists describing their internal operations under emergency/disaster conditions.

This Plan is flexible enough to use in all emergencies and will facilitate response and short-term recovery activities (NIMS EOP Element).

City of Seal Beach
Emergency Operations Plan
February 2023
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY A-2

PLAN CONCURRENCE
Department/Agency Title Name Signature of
Representative Date
Police Department
City Manager
Community
Development
Community
Services/Recreation
Finance
Orange County Fire
Authority
Human Resources/Risk
Management
Public Works
Marine Safety &
Lifeguard
City Clerk
City of Seal Beach
Emergency Operations Plan
February 2023
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY A-3

LETTER OF PROMULGATION
City Council Resolution
RESOLUTION NO: XXXX

RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH

ADOPTING THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN (EOP) AND

APPROVING SUBMITTAL OF THE SEAL BEACH EOP TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA OFFICE

OF EMERGENCY SERVICES BY ADD DATE
WHEREAS, the City of Seal Beach EOP meets all federal and state criteria as described in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) developed by the State Office of Emergency Services (OES): and
Whereas the City of Seal Beach EOP describes how the City of Seal Beach will manage and respond to significant emergency incidents, including a system of organization consisting of clear designations of distinct functions which must be conducted during a disaster: assignment of each specific function, which must be performed during a disaster; assignment of each function to City departments; and guidelines for performance of the distinct functions by the departments; and
The City of Seal Beach EOP describes the method of requesting mutual aid resources from the County, State, and Federal Governments when needed, and one of the eligibility requirements for Federal funding of Emergency Services staff positions is the submittal of the City of Seal Beach EOP to the State of California OES by
ADD DATE; and
Whereas the original City of Seal Beach EOP was written by City representatives from each department and the Police Department and coordinated by the Assistant City Manager. It has been reviewed and approved by all City department heads.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Seal Beach does hereby approve and adopt the Seal Beach EOP dated ADD DATE, three or more copies of which are on file in the office of the City Clerk as if the same were fully set forth herein.

Approved and Adopted on the ADD DATE
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City Council following a roll call vote:

ADD SIGNATURE
City of Seal Beach
Emergency Operations Plan
February 2023
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY A-4

PLAN DISTRIBUTION
Agency / Department Copies
Police Department 3
City Manager 1
Community Development 1
Community Services/Recreation 1
Finance 1
Orange County Fire Authority 1
Human Resources/Risk Management 1
Public Works 1
Marine Safety & Lifeguard 1
City Clerk 1
City of Seal Beach
Emergency Operations Plan
February 2023
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY A-5

PLAN REVISIONS
Date Section Description
Nov-Dec 2015
Addressed all comments from Sergeant Michael
Henderson within the basic plan and annexes
Nov-Dec 2015
A-1-A-5
Added Cal EMA EOP Crosswalk elements that included
Foreword Section, Plan Concurrence, Letter of
Promulgation, Plan Distribution, Plan and Revision Table Nov-Dec 2015 M-26 Prepared and added EOC Director Checklist Nov-Dec 2015 Footers Added “For Official Use Only” in footers Nov-Dec 2015 Cross-referenced annexes back to the basic plan as applicable
Nov-Dec 2015 Annex

M O, P, L, F
Reviewed/updated Management, Operations, Planning,
Logistics, and Finance Section Annexes
Nov-Dec 2015 Added Cover
Nov-Dec 2015 Performed final QA for format and consistency April 2017 Performed final QA review for typos and grammar.

Jan 2022 Began reviewing and revising for 5-year renewal draft Sept-Jan 2023 Performed final QA for format and consistency Feb 2023 Draft finalized and submitted to Department Heads for review March 2023 Submitted to City Council for adoption
City of Seal Beach
Emergency Operations Plan
February 2023
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY A-6
Table of Contents
PART I

1. Introduction....................................................................................................................................1

2. Community Profile .........................................................................................................................2

3. Hazards Analysis ............................................................................................................................4

4. Concept of Operations..................................................................................................................26

5. Recovery.......................................................................................................................................93

PART II - FUNCTIONAL ANNEXES
Management

1. Introduction and Purpose ...........................................................................................................M-1

2. Concept of Operations ...............................................................................................................M-3

3. Emergency Declarations and Assistance ...................................................................................M-11

4. Management Section Organization ..........................................................................................M-14

5. Director of Emergency Services ................................................................................................M-15

6. EOC Director ............................................................................................................................M-16

7. Policy Unit ................................................................................................................................M-17

8. EOC Executive Officer ..............................................................................................................M-19

9. Public Information Officer ........................................................................................................M-19

10. Safety Officer..........................................................................................................................M-22

11. Liaison Unit .............................................................................................................................M-23

12. Legal Officer ...........................................................................................................................M-24

13. EOC Director Checklist ............................................................................................................M-26 Operations

1. Introduction and Purpose ...........................................................................................................O-1

2. Concept of Operations................................................................................................................O-3

3. Operations Section Organization..............................................................................................O-10

4. Operations Section Coordinator................................................................................................O-11

5. Shelter Services Branch ............................................................................................................O-12

6. Fire Services Branch ..................................................................................................................O-17

7. Law Enforcement Branch ..........................................................................................................O-17

8. Public Works Branch .................................................................................................................O-23

9. Building Safety Branch .............................................................................................................O-28

10. Marine Safety Branch ..............................................................................................................O-32 Planning

1. Introduction and Purpose ............................................................................................................P-1

2. Concept of Operations ................................................................................................................P-3

3. Planning Section Organization ..................................................................................................P-10

4. Planning Section Coordinator ....................................................................................................P-11

5. Situation and Documentation Unit ............................................................................................P-12

6. Resources Status Unit................................................................................................................P-15

7. Technical Specialists Unit ..........................................................................................................P-16 Logistics

1. Introduction and Purpose ............................................................................................................L-1

2. Concept of Operations ................................................................................................................L-3

3. Logistics Section Organization ..................................................................................................L-10 City of Seal Beach
Emergency Operations Plan
February 2023
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY A-7

4. Logistics Section Coordinator ....................................................................................................L-11

5. Facilities and Transportation Unit ..............................................................................................L-12

6. Human Resources Unit ..............................................................................................................L-13

7. Communications Unit ................................................................................................................L-17

8. Supply Unit................................................................................................................................L-21

9. Staging Unit ..............................................................................................................................L-25 Finance

1. Introduction and Purpose ............................................................................................................F-1

2. Concept of Operations.................................................................................................................F-3

3. Finance Organization.................................................................................................................F-10

4. Finance Section Coordinator......................................................................................................F-11

5. Accounting and Cost Unit ..........................................................................................................F-12

6. Payroll and Time Keeping Unit...................................................................................................F-12

7. Disbursement Unit.....................................................................................................................F-13

8. Contracts and Proclamations Unit..............................................................................................F-13

9. Purchasing Unit .........................................................................................................................F-13 Tables
Table 1. 2020 Seal Beach Demographics ..........................................................................................2 Table 2. Seal Beach Land Uses..........................................................................................................4 Table 3. 2017 and 2019 EOP Hazards ................................................................................................5 Table 4. LHMP Hazards by Threat Level ...........................................................................................5 Table 5. Comparison of Mercalli Intensity and Moment Magnitude Scales........................................8 Table 6. Enhanced Fujita Scale........................................................................................................13 Table 7. Beaufort Scale ...................................................................................................................14 Table 8. Critical Facilities in Seal Beach...........................................................................................24 Table 9. Comparison of Field-Level and Local-Level Section Responsibilities..................................42 Table 10. Alternative City EOC Locations .........................................................................................44 Table 11. Counties Within 150 Miles of Seal Beach............................................................................52 Table 12. Alternative Seal Beach City Hall Locations ........................................................................54 Table 13. EOC XO Assignment .........................................................................................................60 Table 14. SEMS vs. NIMS Activation Levels.......................................................................................73 Table 15. Seal Beach Designated Shelter Sites .................................................................................80 Table 16. Alternative Seal Beach Shelter Sites ..................................................................................81 Table 17. Languages Spoken by Seal Beach Residents......................................................................87 City of Seal Beach
Emergency Operations Plan
February 2023
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY 1

1. Introduction

1.1. Purpose and Scope
This Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is intended to provide a comprehensive plan to the City of Seal Beach for managing any emergency situations, including natural disasters, homeland security emergencies, and technical fault incidents. It is an update to the City’s previous EOP, last revised in 2017. This EOP contains a hazard analysis and a description of preparedness measures intended to protect the health and lives of community members and minimize damage. It describes procedures for activating the City of Seal Beach’s emergency response organization (ERO), responding to emergency situations, and conducting recovery operations to restore the community after a disaster. This EOP provides an overview of concepts that are integral to the City’s emergency response, including the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), and the Incident Command System (ICS). This plan also includes a discussion of the responsibilities of federal, state, regional, and county-level government agencies.

While no plan can provide a complete set of actions for every conceivable emergency, the policies in this EOP are intended to be flexible enough to account for a wide variety of scenarios with varying responsibilities for emergency response personnel. Officials within the City of Seal Beach’s ERO have the authority to modify the policies established in this EOP during an emergency to improve the City’s response, as needed. This EOP does not precisely describe the field-level response for emergencies, which are otherwise included in the Standard Operating Procedures for individual departments. This EOP is intended to be read, understood, and exercised prior to an emergency. It is the result of a joint planning effort between multiple City departments and reflects input and information from numerous committees, state and federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Future updates to the plan will be the responsibility of the City’s Emergency Services Coordinator.

1.2. Authorities and References
The following provides emergency authorities for conducting and/or supporting emergency operations:

Federal
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
• Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986, also known as the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Title III (42 U.S.C. §§ 11001-11050). • Homeland Security Presidential Directive #8, December 17, 2005 • Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988, Public Law 93-288, as amended.

State
• California Emergency Services Act, Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code. • California Government Code, Title 19, Public Safety, Div. 1, Cal OES, Chapter 2, Emergency and Major Disasters, Subchapter 3, Disaster Services Worker Volunteer Program I City of Seal Beach
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• California Natural Disaster Assistance Act, Chapter 7.5 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
• Executive Order S-2-05, National Incident Management System Integration into the State of California.
• Orders and Regulations which may be Selectively Promulgated by the Governor during a State of Emergency.
• Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Guidelines. • Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Regulations, Chapter 1 of Division 2 of Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations and Government Code Section 8607(a).

2. Community Profile

2.1. Setting
The City of Seal Beach is in northwestern Orange County. It is situated along the coast of the Pacific Ocean between the cities of Huntington Beach and Long Beach; other neighboring communities include the cities of Los Alamitos, Garden Grove, and Westminster, and the unincorporated community of Rossmoor. Seal Beach covers approximately 11.15 square miles, over 8 of which (approximately 73% of the city) is occupied by the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, which includes the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The climate in Seal Beach is a Mediterranean climate typical of many communities along the California coast, with average annual temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees, and approximately 14 inches of rain annually.

Seal Beach extends a maximum of approximately 5 miles inland and is quite flat. The San Gabriel River flows into the ocean along the city’s western border with Long Beach, forming an outlet commonly known as Stingray Bay. Flood control channels define much of the city’s western and southern border before draining into the Anaheim Bay estuary near the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The coastal areas of Seal Beach are served by California State Highway 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway), while the northern part of the community is served by Interstate 405 (the San Diego Freeway).

2.2. Demographics
The 2020 US Census reports that there are 25,242 residents in Seal Beach. A summary of demographic information from the 2020 US Census is given in Table 1.

Table 1. 2020 Seal Beach Demographics
Total Population 25,242
Males 11,364 (45%)
Females 13,888 (55%)
Median Age 59.3
Median Household Income $72,596
Average Household Size 1.91
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2.3. Economy
The largest employer in Seal Beach is the Boeing Company, an aerospace corporation that provides approximately 25% of all jobs in the community and has a second facility in nearby Huntington Beach.

Security technology company MagTek, which is headquartered in the Apollo industrial complex off Westminster Avenue is the second largest employer in Seal Beach. According to the 2020 US Census, Seal Beach’s median household income of $72,596 is substantially below the median household income of $94,441 for all of Orange County. It is worth noting that roughly one-third of the population lives within Leisure World, a senior community, where incomes are traditionally low as many residents have retired. The US Census estimates that, as of 2020, as many people commute into Seal Beach for work as they commute out to other communities. Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and Los Angeles are home to the largest numbers of people who commute into Seal Beach, while Seal Beach residents who commute to other communities are most likely to go to Long Beach, Los Angeles, or Irvine for work.

2.4. Land Use
Communities can address several environmental challenges, including transportation and air quality, growth management, conservation of natural resources, and preservation of open space, through land use planning. Locating uses to avoid or reduce exposure to natural and anthropogenic hazards can contribute to a safer community. Similarly, understanding where land uses, such as residential areas are in relation to hazard risks is a key component to developing and implementing emergency planning and response strategies. According to the Land Use Element of the Seal Beach General Plan (last updated in 2003), there are 16 land use designations within the community, which are provided in Table 2.

According to the Land Use Element, approximately 75% of the community’s land area is designated as Military, which includes the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach and the adjacent Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. Excluding these areas, Residential Medium Density land takes up the largest portion of the community (approximately 7%), followed by Low Residential Density (approximately 5%), Residential High Density (approximately 2%), and Open Space – Golf (also approximately 2%). The various commercial, industrial, and public land use occupy the remaining 9% of Seal Beach.

2.5. History
Seal Beach was originally founded as Anaheim Landing in the mid-1800s as a port for the communities of the Santa Ana Valley and eventually became known as Bay City. The community was incorporated in 1915 as Seal Beach and became a popular location for beachside recreation. The Naval Weapons Station was established in 1944, and the National Wildlife Refuge in 1953. Leisure World, a gated senior citizen community, was established in 1961 and became part of Seal Beach in 1964.

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Table 2. Seal Beach Land Uses
Land Use Designation Example Land Uses
Residential Low Density Single-family homes, up to 15 dwelling units per acre Residential Medium
Density
Duplexes, townhomes, and multifamily units up to 18 dwelling units per acre
Residential High Density Multifamily units up to 46 dwelling units per acre Mixed Use Single-family and multifamily units, and limited commercial activities Specific Plan (5) Varies by plan and may include residential, retail, service, recreation, and office use
Professional Office Office, medical, and similar uses
Service Commercial Neighborhood-scale retail and service uses General Commercial Sub-regional and regional commercial centers Light Manufacturing Manufacturing and industrial uses of low-to-moderate intensity Oil Extraction Oil drilling operations and related facilities Community Facility and
School
Schools, community centers, government offices, and other public facilities
Open Space – Golf Golf courses and accessory uses
Military Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach
Beach Beach
Open Space Publicly owned parklands and environmentally sensitive areas Park Public recreation facilities

3. Hazards Analysis
The EOP serves as a guide for hazards that may require emergency response activities that exceed the normal, day-to-day operations of local emergency response personnel. The hazards discussed in this EOP may be of major or catastrophic proportions, requiring a significant degree of coordination across City departments. Such emergencies may also involve other jurisdictions, including countywide, regional, and state agencies.

The Seal Beach 2019 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan identified hazard types that may happen in or near Seal Beach, and to which the City ERO may have to respond. Using the Seal Beach Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and hazard mitigation planning guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), City personnel have revised this list. Table 3 compares the hazards in the 2017 EOP to the 2019 LHMP. Changes are due to extensive community engagement during the creation of the Local Hazard Mitigation planning process as well as environmental changes reflected by recent incidents both locally and globally.

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Table 3. 2017 and 2019 hazards
2017 EOP Hazards 2019 LHMP Hazards
Fire, Explosion, and Gas Pipeline Hazards Coastal Flooding and Storms Hazardous Chemical Spills Drought
Flooding and Coastline Disturbances Flood (Dam/Levee Failure) Riots and Civil Disturbances Seismic Hazards
Tornadoes, Waterspouts, and Wind
Events Extreme Weather
Aircraft Accidents Hazardous Materials Release
Marine Oil Spills Erosion
Earthquakes and Liquefaction Severe Weather
Tsunamis Sea Level Rise
War, Nuclear Accidents, and Terrorism Tsunami
Cyber Attacks Fire
Tree Mortality

3.1. Hazard Prioritization
Through the hazard identification and refinement process, the city has identified Coastal Flooding and Storms as the hazard that may pose the greatest risk to Seal Beach, particularly if a powerful storm occurs in conjunction with high tides. The risks posed in the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan are shown in Table 4.

Table 4. LHMP Hazards by Threat Level
High Threat Medium Threat
Coastal Flooding and
Storms Hazardous Materials Release
Drought Erosion
Flood (Dam/Levee
Failure) Sea Level Rise
Seismic Hazards Tsunami
Severe Weather: Wind,
Heat/Tornado/Water
Spout
Fire
Tree Mortality

3.2. Hazard Descriptions

3.2.1. Flooding and Coastline Disturbances
Flood events occur whenever water covers what is usually considered dry land. They are among the most common types of disasters in California; the state Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan observes that 55% of the federally declared major disasters in the state between 1950 and 2018 were flood events.

Floods are generally referred to in terms of years—e.g., a 100-year flood event. This does not mean that a flood of such magnitude will only occur once every 100 years, but rather that there is a 1% chance of it occurring in any given year. It is possible for there to be multiple 100-year flood events within the span of a few years. There are five potential sources of flooding in Seal Beach: heavy localized rain, regional City of Seal Beach
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floods, storm channel overflow, infrastructure failure, and high tides in combination with high swells and erosion.

Seal Beach, on average, receives approximately 14 inches of rain each year (although the amount can vary widely in any given year), over 90% of which falls between October and April. On occasion, the community can be hit by significant storms, which cause heavy rainfall. El Niño events, which occur when the surface of the eastern tropical Pacific is warmer than normal, often cause increased precipitation in California. Some of the biggest floods in Seal Beach history, including the 1995 flood that caused significant damage to the Leisure World senior citizen community, occurred during El Niño events. Other meteorological phenomena can also result in heavy rainfall with a risk of flooding, including the “atmospheric rivers,” narrow bands of very moist air that are strongly associated with intense winter storms in California. These storm events can cause intense but short-term localized rainfall, resulting in small-scale flooding. Low-lying areas, especially those with inadequate drainage, can be particularly vulnerable to these types of incidents. Regional floods, such as the 1995 El Niño event, can impact large sections of Seal Beach, and may also impact surrounding communities.

Even if precipitation events do not directly cause flooding in Seal Beach, the city may still be vulnerable to overflow from the storm channels that drain large sections of northern Orange County. Heavy rainfall in the areas drained by these channels can create a large surge of water that may overtop the channels, causing localized flooding. Intense storms can also erode these channels, making them more vulnerable to overtopping. Overflow from flood control channels caused flooding in southern Orange County during storms in the winter of 1997–1998. The failure of other types of infrastructure can also result in flooding, often in combination with heavy rainfall events. Pumping stations operated by the city or by the Orange County Flood Control District may be unable to allow for adequate drainage, causing water to build up and create localized flooding. Similar types of flooding can occur when storm drains are overwhelmed and are unable to drain water away fast enough, causing standing water to build in low-lying areas. A partial or complete collapse of a dam or reservoir can release a large volume of water, creating a flash flood in downstream areas. Seal Beach lies within the inundation zone for the Prado Dam, a 162-foot-high flood control dam on the Santa Ana River located approximately 25 miles from the community.

As a coastal community, Seal Beach is also at risk from coastal flooding (coastline disturbances). This occurs when water levels rise or are pushed high enough to inundate normally dry areas. The coastal areas of Seal Beach may be inundated immediately before or during a large storm due to storm surge (large waves pushed ashore by strong winds). Storm surges are often associated with hurricanes, although any storm event can generate them. Coastal flood events have happened in Seal Beach’s recent history, such as coastal street flooding in 2008 and minor damage to a building in 2014.

In late December 2022 concluding in January 2023, a series of atmospheric rivers causing heavy rain across the state and flooding affected parts of Southern California, the California Central Coast, Northern California, and Nevada. The flooding resulted in property damage and approximately 22 deaths. As a result, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency on January 4, 2023. President Joe Biden then declared a state of emergency in 17 California counties on January 9, 2023. President Biden City of Seal Beach
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approved a major disaster declaration for Santa Cruz, Sacramento, and Merced counties on January 14.

Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties were added a few days later to the declaration.

Preliminary estimates of damage across the state are more than 30 billion dollars.

During these storms, Seal Beach experienced periods of heavy rainfall causing flooding in and around the Old Town area, College Park East, and Surfside as large swells caused breaches to the sand berms and inundated the alleys and residential streets with excess water. During a high surf event coupled with King Tides, on the evening of January 5th, 2023, the Seal Beach Pier was found to be damaged.

The strong current ripped the mechanical boat ramp from the south side of the pier and damaged additional pilings and support beams. The pier was closed until structural engineers and contractors were able to deem it safe for public use. The area where the boat ramp was remains inaccessible until further repairs can be made.

FEMA flood maps indicate that the areas in Seal Beach most vulnerable to 100-year floods are areas adjacent to the San Gabriel River and flood control channels, the main beach, the southeastern end of Electric Avenue, and parts of the Old Ranch Golf Course. The City of Seal Beach identifies several potential flooding areas in the community:
• Several parts of downtown/Old Town Seal Beach, including Pacific Coast Highway near Seal Beach Boulevard, the Pacific Coast Highway near 5th Street, 1st Street, Ocean Avenue, Seal Way, Main Street, and Marina Drive.
• The area around Leisure World, including Westminster Avenue and Seal Beach Boulevard.
• The Pacific Coast Highway near the San Gabriel River. • The College Park East neighborhood in northern Seal Beach, adjacent to the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, including Interstate 405 and the northern parts of Seal Beach Boulevard.
• The College Park West neighborhood near the San Gabriel River and Interstate 405. • The Bridgeport area.
• Seal Beach Mobile Home Park at First Street and Welcome Lane • Surfside, on the sand in front of the houses on A row as well as the street between A and B row

3.2.2. Earthquakes and Liquefaction
An earthquake is the shaking of the ground, frequently caused by stresses and strains in the earth’s crust. They are most connected with faults, which are areas where large sections of the crust, known as tectonic plates, are moving against each other. Friction causes the plates to get stuck and build up stress until the stress is strong enough to overcome the friction, causing the plates to slip and move rapidly. The release of energy from this sudden plate movement is what we perceive as an earthquake.

Deformation and accumulated stress can cause faults and earthquakes to occur over a much broader area than the precise boundary between the plates.

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In California, the Pacific and North American plates are sliding horizontally past each other along the boundary line known as the San Andreas Fault, creating what is known as a “strike-slip” fault. Most of the state lies on the North American plate, although the coastal areas of Central and Southern California, including Seal Beach, are on the Pacific Plate. The stress along the San Andreas Fault has created thousands of recognized faults throughout the state.

Earthquakes are measured using two scales: the Mercalli intensity scale and the modified moment magnitude scale (commonly known as the Richter scale). An approximate comparison of the two scales is given in Table 5.

Table 5. Comparison of Mercalli Intensity and Moment Magnitude Scales Mercalli
rating Description Richter comparison
I
Instrumental: Not felt by people, except by a very few under especially favorable circumstances.
1 to 2
II Weak: Felt only by a few persons at rest, especially on the upper floors of buildings. Delicately suspended objects may swing. 2 to 3
III
Slight: Felt quite noticeably indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings, but many people do not recognize it as an earthquake.

Vibration like a passing truck. Duration estimated.
3 to 4
IV
Moderate: During the day felt indoors by many, outdoors by a few. At night some awakened. Dishes, windows, doors disturbed; walls make cracking sound. Sensation like heavy truck striking building. Standing vehicles rocked noticeably.
4 V
Rather Strong: Felt by nearly everyone, many awakened. Some dishes, windows, etc. broken. A few instances of cracked plaster, unstable objects overturned. Disturbances of trees, poles, and other tall objects sometimes noticed. Pendulum clocks may stop. 4 to 5
VI
Strong: Felt by all, many frightened and run outdoors. Some heavy furniture moved; a few instances of fallen plaster or damaged chimneys. Damage slight.
5 to 6
VII
Very Strong: Everybody runs outdoors. Damage negligible in building of good design and construction; slight to moderate in well-built ordinary structures; considerable in poorly built or badly designed structures; some chimneys broken. Noticed by persons driving vehicles.
6 VIII
Destructive: Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable in ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse; great in poorly built structures. Panel walls thrown out of frame structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stacks, columns, monuments, walls. Heavy furniture overturned. Sand and mud ejected in small amounts. Changes in well water. Persons driving vehicles disturbed. 6 to 7
IX
Violent: Damage considerable in specially designed structures; welldesigned frame structures thrown out of plumb; great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations.

Ground cracked conspicuously. Underground pipes broken. 7 City of Seal Beach
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Mercalli
rating Description Richter comparison
X
Intense: Some well-built wooden structures destroyed; most masonry and frame structures destroyed with foundation; ground badly cracked. Rails bent. Landslides considerable from riverbanks and steep slopes. Shifted sand and mud. Water splashed (slopped) over banks.
7 to 8
XI
Extreme: Few, if any, masonry structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Broad fissures in ground. Underground pipes completely out of service. Earth slumps and land slips in soft ground. Rails bent greatly.
8 XII
Catastrophic: Damage total. Practically all works of construction are damaged or destroyed. Waves seen on ground surface. Lines of sight and level are distorted. Objects are thrown upwards into the air. 8 or greater
Source: Seal Beach General Plan
Seal Beach has been struck by two major earthquakes in relatively recent memory: the 1933 Long Beach earthquake (6.3 on the Richter scale) and the 1994 Northridge earthquake (6.8 on the Richter scale). There are three faults within 60 miles of Seal Beach that can produce significant earthquakes:
the Newport-Inglewood Fault zone, the Whittier-Elsinore Fault zone, and the Palos Verdes Fault zone. • The Newport-Inglewood Fault zone, the second-most active fault in California, is made up of three distinct segments and several faults and fractures. It extends from the Santa Monica Mountains to Newport Beach; one segment of the fault zone, the Seal Beach Fault, runs through the southern portion of Seal Beach. The largest known earthquake along this fault was the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. Several smaller earthquakes, measuring approximately 3 to 5 on the Richter scale, have occurred in more recent years. The Southern California Earthquake Center estimates a major rupture along the Newport-Inglewood Fault would produce an earthquake with a probable magnitude of 6.0 to 7.4 on the Richter scale. • The Whittier-Elsinore Fault zone runs near the California-Mexico border to the Chino Hills region. The Whittier Fault is the closest segment to Seal Beach, approximately 16 miles from the community, although the branches most likely to affect Seal Beach are the Glen Ivy North and Glen Ivy South Faults, approximately 20 to 25 miles away. The last major earthquake along this fault occurred in 1910 and measured 6.0 on the Richter scale, although the fault has largely been quiet in recorded history. The Elsinore Fault zone is estimated to experience a major rupture every 250 years, capable of producing events measuring 6.5 to 7.5 on the Richter scale according to the Southern California Earthquake Center. • The Palos Verdes Fault zone extends from San Pedro to the Coronado Banks area off the coast of San Diego, passing approximately 15 miles offshore from Seal Beach. The Southern California Earthquake Center estimates that a major rupture along the fault zone may produce an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 to 7.0 or potentially greater on the Richter scale, although the geometries of the fault zone may only allow a partial rupture at any given time.

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A handful of other faults are located a greater distance away but can produce a major earthquake that could affect Seal Beach.
• The San Andreas Fault, the largest and most well-known of California’s faults, runs from Cape Mendocino in Northern California to the Salton Sea in Riverside and Imperial Counties. It lies approximately 65 miles east of Seal Beach at its closest point. The San Andreas Fault was responsible for several earthquakes, including the 1906 San Francisco earthquake which sparked fires that destroyed much of the city, and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake which killed 63 people in Northern California. The time between significant ruptures varies significantly on different parts of the fault, from under 20 years to over 300 years. The Southern California Earthquake Center estimates that a major rupture would likely result in an earthquake between 6.8 and 8.0 on the Richter scale.
• The San Jacinto Fault zone extends from San Bernardino southward to the Superstition Hills below the Salton Sea, approximately 50 miles northeast of Seal Beach at its closest point. The last major event caused by this fault was the 1968 Borrego Mountain earthquake, which registered 6.5 on the Richter scale, although damage was limited due to the remote location.

The Southern California Earthquake Center estimates that the various segments of the San Jacinto Fault zone experience a rupture every 100 to 300 years, with probable magnitudes of 6.5 to 7.5 on the Richter scale.

Major earthquakes along any of these faults could cause significant damage to Seal Beach. This is not a complete list of the faults capable of producing an earthquake that may affect the community. There is also a risk from faults that have not yet been discovered; the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which killed approximately 60 people and resulted in more than $20 billion in estimated damage, happened along a previously undiscovered fault. The City has also identified an ocean fault or ridge directly off the shore of Seal Beach that could cause an earthquake.

In addition to the direct damage caused by the shaking of the ground, earthquakes can contribute to a hazard called liquefaction, which occurs when the force of the earthquake causes groundwater to mix with the soil. The soil temporarily becomes fluid, which can cause buildings and other structures built on or in it (e.g., water pipes or natural gas lines) to tilt or collapse. Liquefaction can also occur independent of an earthquake if another sudden and significant stress is applied to the soil. Seal Beach sits above a high groundwater table, making liquefaction an issue of concern, particularly as most of the buildings in the community are in areas of elevated liquefaction potential and were built prior to 1970, increasing the risk that they are structurally unsound. The Safety Element of the Seal Beach General Plan identifies the Naval Weapons Station and the northern parts of the community as being at a heightened risk of liquefaction.

Earthquakes can also result in landslides, either directly because of ground shaking or indirectly when the soil acquires a more fluid consistency because of liquefaction. Although the topography of Seal Beach makes landslides unlikely throughout much of the community, it is an issue of concern in the steep slope areas adjacent to Gum Grove Park and the “Hill” Residential Tract. The shaking from an earthquake or the indirect damage caused by one (e.g., liquefaction or landslides) can rupture power City of Seal Beach
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and natural gas lines, sparking fires. They can result in hazardous materials spills if containers are broken, and flooding can result from breaks in water pipes, reservoirs, or flood control infrastructure.

3.2.3. Tsunami
A tsunami is a wave caused by water displacement along the shore or bottom of a large body of water.

Earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides are among the possible causes of a tsunami. They can travel at speeds of up to 500 to 600 miles but may be barely perceptible in the open ocean. When the wave approaches shallow water, it compresses and grows in height, sometimes to over 50 feet. Tsunamis resemble a wall of water or a rapidly rising tide more than a typical wave and can cause significant damage to coastal areas. Many tsunami events feature multiple waves, and a single tsunami incident may last for hours. In some instances, the initial tsunami wave is not the largest or most destructive.

The risk posed by a tsunami may be exacerbated if one occurs during other coastal flooding events, such as an abnormally high tide or a powerful storm surge.

Approximately 80% of the world’s tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean, making them a potential threat to coastal California communities. Tsunamis do lose energy as they travel, but they are nevertheless capable of affecting communities thousands of miles away from the event that triggered the tsunami.

The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake in Japan, which occurred approximately 5,000 miles from California, triggered a tsunami that sunk several boats in Santa Cruz and Crescent City and damaged the harbor infrastructure in these communities. The state Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan estimated that the tsunami caused $48 million in damages in the state. Local earthquakes, as well as those in Alaska, Japan, and South America, may cause tsunamis that affect Seal Beach. A 1964 earthquake measuring

9.2 on the Richter scale in Alaska’s Prince William Sound caused a tsunami that damaged boats as far south as Los Angeles and created a surge of water up to 4-5 feet high in Orange County harbors. Lowlying coastal areas face the greatest threat from a tsunami. An analysis by the California Office of Emergency Services found that the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge and the parts of the community below the Pacific Coast Highway are at risk of inundation from tsunamis, including the downtown/Old Town area.

Although tsunamis do travel very fast, advance warning of one is likely unless the event triggering the tsunami occurs extremely close to Seal Beach. If the tsunami is triggered by a local source, the city’s Tsunami Evacuation Playbook anticipates a 10- to 30-minute travel time and identifies a wave height of 2 to 8 feet above sea level for various tsunami scenarios. A tsunami triggered by a distant source could reach Seal Beach in as little as two hours and as much as 13 hours and could generate waves of up to 14 feet.

3.2.4. Fire, Explosion, and Gas Pipeline Hazards
The California Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan observes that California is one of the most fire-prone areas in the world. Several major fires have affected Orange County in recent years, including the 1993 Laguna Beach fire, the 2007 Santiago Fire near Irvine and Orange, the 2008 Freeway Complex Fire near Yorba Linda, the 2017 Canyon 2 Fire in Anaheim Hills, and 2020 Silverado and Bond Fires in Santiago Canyon and unincorporated Orange County. The risk of fires can be exacerbated by several conditions.

Droughts can cause plants to die and dry up, making them a potential fuel source. The Santa Ana winds City of Seal Beach
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(hot and dry winds originating in the high desert), can cause flames to spread rapidly. Complex topography can also cause fires to spread more rapidly than on the flat ground and can make access to the fire site difficult.

Fires may also be associated with explosions, wherein the intense heat and pressure from the explosion ignite material and scatters it over a wide area, potentially setting other flammable materials ablaze.

Such explosions may occur deliberately as an act of terrorism or may result from the accidental failure of storage tanks or pipelines containing flammable and/or explosive material. In 2010, a large natural gas pipeline under the San Francisco Bay Area community of San Bruno ruptured and exploded, releasing a large volume of natural gas that subsequently ignited. The accident killed eight people and injured 66, destroyed 38 homes, damaged an additional 70, and created a large crater.

Seal Beach is a largely urbanized community and is not adjacent to any wildland areas other than Gum Grove Park and Los Cerritos Wetlands, a vast salt marsh of approximately 800 acres. As result, the risk of wildfires in Seal Beach is very low. Fires that do occur are very likely to be structural blazes. These fires can be caused by electrical faults, unattended cooking appliances, and combustible or flammable materials left too close to a heat source, among others. Building proximity and density, road network design, industrial activity or other large sources of flammable materials can all affect how quickly a fire spreads and how quickly emergency responders can reach the area.

According to the California Energy Commission and the Orange County Fire Authority, a natural gas transmission pipeline owned by the Southern California Gas Company extends along most of Interstate 405 in Seal Beach and connects to the large natural gas compression and metering facility located near the San Gabriel River north of 2nd Street, just outside the city limits. A second major natural gas pipeline runs south from Interstate 405 along Seal Beach Boulevard, Bolsa Avenue, and the Pacific Coast Highway. The Orange County Fire Authority also reports two crude oil pipelines in Seal Beach: one owned by Plains All American that runs the length of the community underneath Seal Beach Boulevard, and a second owned by DCOR that runs from the Pacific Coast Highway near the western border of the city to an offshore terminus. While these lines are at risk from seismic activity or other structural damage, the greatest danger to them is being accidentally broken by construction activity.

3.2.5. Tornadoes, Waterspouts, and Wind Events
Tornadoes are columns of air reaching from the surface of the earth to clouds, usually cumulonimbus clouds (thunder clouds), that rotate at high speeds. They occur when rapidly descending air drags a rotating area of a thunderstorm downward from the clouds. This process can create an intensely rotating funnel of strong winds, which is officially classified as a tornado when it reaches the ground.

California is occasionally affected by tornadoes, although significantly less in magnitude and frequency than the Midwest and southern United States. The intensity of tornadoes is measured on the Enhanced Fujita scale, shown in Table 6.

The California State Hazard Mitigation Plan observed that 354 tornadoes struck the state between 1950 and 2018: 236 (66%) were classified as F0, 93 (26%) were classified as F1, 23 (6%) were classified as F2, City of Seal Beach
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and 2 (less than 1%) were classified as F3. One of the F3 tornadoes affected Orange County in February of 1978, injuring six people. In California, the primary risk of tornadoes is light to moderate structural damage, destruction of mobile homes, and injuries caused by light airborne objects.

A related phenomenon, known as a waterspout, is a rapidly spinning column of air that occurs over water. Although some waterspouts are “tornadic,” forming because of the same process that creates tornadoes and are therefore essentially a tornado that forms over water, most are “non-tornadic” and are created by a different meteorological process. These non-tornadic waterspouts are usually shortlived and relatively weak compared to a tornado, often rating no higher than F0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. However, they can pose a threat to boats and swimmers. Waterspout sightings occur occasionally off the coast of Seal Beach and surrounding communities.

Table 6. Enhanced Fujita Scale
Rating Wind speeds
(mph)1 Description
F0 65 – 85
Light damage: Some damage to chimneys. Branches broken
off trees. Shallow-rooted trees pushed over. Sign boards damaged.

F1 86 – 110
Moderate damage: Peels surface off roofs. Mobile homes
pushed off foundations or overturned. Moving vehicles blown off roads.

F2 111 – 135
Considerable damage: Roofs torn off frame houses. Mobile homes demolished. Boxcars overturned. Large trees snapped or uprooted. Light-object missiles generated. Cars lifted off ground.

F3 136 – 165
Severe damage: Roofs and some walls torn off wellconstructed houses. Trains overturned. Most trees in forest uprooted. Heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown.

F4 166 – 200
Devastating damage: Well-constructed houses leveled.

Structures with weak foundations blown away some distance.

Cars thrown and large missiles generated.

F5 Over 200
Incredible damage: Strong frame houses leveled off
foundations and swept away. Automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters. Trees debarked.

Incredible phenomena will occur.
1: As measured in a three-second gust. These speeds are estimates based on the type of damage, not observed measurements.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, http://www.spc.noaa.gov/efscale/ Beyond tornadoes and waterspouts, high winds can also pose a threat to communities. While wind events can directly damage property (e.g., blowing the roof off a building), damage from wind events is more commonly indirect, such as spreading or intensifying wildfires, creating airborne debris, knocking over trees, or contributing to other situations that may pose a risk to safety and property. Severe winds may occur as part of a storm system, where the differences in pressure and temperature within the storm system can create strong gusts, or as an independent event. From 1950 to 2012, California made three emergency declarations related to wind (not including disasters for storms or tornadoes). Wind intensity is measured in the Beaufort scale, shown in Table 7.

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In the coastal areas of Southern California, severe winds called the Santa Ana winds are a frequent occurrence. These winds are created by areas of high atmospheric pressure east of California, in the Great Basin area and northern Mojave Desert, both of which sit at a higher elevation. The high pressure forces the air out of this region toward the California coast. As the air descends from the high desert to sea level, it heats up and dries out. Santa Ana winds can achieve very high wind speeds; gusts of 70-80 mph or higher can occur. There are other winds caused by different but similar mechanisms, including the Diablo winds in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sundowner winds in the Santa Barbara region.

The Santa Ana winds and similar phenomena can increase the risk of fires due to their dryness and high speeds, and they are often a factor in California’s major wildfires.

Table 7. Beaufort Scale
Beaufort
number mph Description
0 Up to 0.7 Calm: Smoke rises vertically.
1 0.7-3.4 Light air: Smoke drifts. Leaves and wind vanes are still. 2 3.4-7.4 Light breeze: Leaves rustle and wind vanes move. 3 7.4-12.2 Gentle breeze: Leaves and small twigs constantly move. Light flags are extended.
4 12.2-17.9 Moderate breeze: Dust and loose paper are airborne. Small branches move.
5 17.9-24.1 Fresh breeze: Moderate-size branches move. Small trees sway. 6 24.1-31 Strong breeze: Large branches move.
7 31-38.4 High wind, moderate gale, or near gale: Whole trees are in motion. Walking against the wind requires effort.
8 38.4-46.3 Gale or fresh gale: Some twigs broken off trees. Cars swerve on roads.
9 46.3-54.8 Strong gale: Branches break off trees and small trees are blown over.
10 54.8-63.6 Storm or whole gale: Trees are uprooted. Structural damage likely. 11 63.6-72.9 Violent storm: Widespread vegetation and structural damage. 12 Above 72.9 Hurricane: Severe and widespread damage to vegetation and structures. Debris and unsecured objects become airborne.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale

3.2.6. Aircraft Accidents
Accidents involving aircraft can cause considerable injuries and property damage, particularly if one occurs in or over a densely populated or busy area. Such accidents may occur because of an aircraft landing or departing an airfield, a mid-air accident, or a collision between multiple aircraft. In addition to the force of an impact from a crash or falling debris, an aircraft accident may ignite aircraft fuel or other flammable materials, sparking fires.

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There are no active commercial airfields in Seal Beach, and operations at the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach facility do not currently involve aircraft use. However, Seal Beach does receive regular aircraft flyovers due to its proximity to Long Beach Airport (approximately 4 miles away), the Orange County Airport in Santa Ana (approximately 10 miles away), and the military Joint Forces Training Base adjacent to Seal Beach in the City of Los Alamitos. In 2004, a small plane crashed between two homes in the College Park West neighborhood after taking off from the Torrance Municipal Airport (approximately 14 miles away), killing the pilot. In December 2015, a small plane occupied by a man and a woman flying from San Diego County to Long Beach airport was forced to land due to engine trouble in a field on the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, just south of Westminster Avenue. Most recently in January 2022 a, Cessna 152 experiencing engine trouble landed on the beach near the waterline north of the pier. No injuries were sustained in either of the most recent incidents.

3.2.7. Marine Oil Spills
A marine oil spill involves the release of crude oil or derivative products (such as gasoline) into the ocean because of human activities; it does not include natural oil seeps. These spills can be released from oceanic sources such as offshore drilling rigs. Alternatively, a spill on land from a pipeline, tanker truck, storage container, or another source may enter a river or flood control channel, transporting the oil into the ocean. Regardless of the source, marine oil spills can have significant impacts on human health and biological resources. Such events can also cause substantial economic hardship for communities dependent on industries that may be affected by an oil spill, such as fishing or tourism.

Despite extensive cleanup operations, spilled oil can persist in the environment for years; a 2014 report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observed that 25 years after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, pockets of minimally degraded oil were still being discovered.

Oil and derivative products are produced and distributed throughout California, making much of the state vulnerable to an oil spill. The California Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies several major marine oil spills in the state’s history, including a 1969 blowout that occurred at Union Oil’s Platform A off the coast of Santa Barbara, causing oil to escape from multiple cracks in the ocean floor.

Approximately 3 million gallons of oil leaked into the ocean before it was eventually capped, and small traces of oil continue to seep from the site to this day. The oil spill contaminated 35 miles of coastline and was a catalyst for the modern environmental movement.

There are approximately 1,000 active oil wells in Orange County producing over 2 million barrels of oil annually, according to California’s Department of Conservation. Oil production occurs within the limits of Seal Beach, including a pad of 10 oil wells in the middle of the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge.

Oil drilling is also carried out in the neighboring cities of Long Beach and Huntington Beach, and offshore in both state and federal waters. The high concentration of oil production and transportation activities in and around Seal Beach contributes to the risk of an oil spill. In 1990, the American Trader oil tanker spilled over 400,000 gallons of oil off the coast of Seal Beach and washed ashore along the Huntington Beach and Newport Beach coastline. On May 19, 2015, a 24-inch subterranean pipeline owned and operated by Plains All America Pipeline ruptured on the Gaviota Coast, west of Refugio City of Seal Beach
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State Park. Much of the crude oil spilled ran down a storm drain and into a ravine under the freeway and entered the ocean. The size of the spill ranged from 100,000 to 140,000 gallons, covering the Santa Barbara County coastline and extending nearly 9 miles out into the ocean. Various agencies, including local, county, state, and federal partners, were involved in response and recovery efforts, with the participation of approximately 1,300 field and 325 incident command post personnel.

On October 1, 2021, an oil spill deposited crude oil onto Orange County coastal beaches. While residents reported smelling fumes, a ship noticed an oil slick that evening and reported it to federal authorities. When oil from an underwater pipeline in the waters of coastal Orange County began washing ashore, officials in Huntington Beach closed the crowded beach on the evening of October 2nd. The U.S. Coast Guard estimated the spill covered over 8,000 acres of the ocean's surface as they monitored it several times daily from the air. Investigations found that a 17.7-mile pipeline connecting offshore oil platforms with the shore had been displaced, possibly by being dragged by a ship's anchor.

Commercial divers found the pipeline had been moved about 105 feet with a 13-inch split along the length of the pipe. Investigators suspect a container ship dragged its anchor in the area during heavy winds on Jan. 25, 2021. Platform Elly pumps oil and gas to shore at the Port of Long Beach through this pipeline. The pipeline is operated by Beta Offshore, a Long Beach unit of Houston-based Amplify Energy.

In August 2022, Amplify announced it would plead guilty to one count of misdemeanor negligent discharge of oil related to the leak in federal court. Amplify said it would pay a fine of about $7 million over three years and reimburse almost $6 million to government agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard. As part of the proposed agreement, the company will also install a new leak detection system.

Amplify Energy, and two of its subsidiaries agreed to enter no-contest pleas to killing birds and water pollution in a settlement with the county and state officials in September 2022. A proposed claim settlement of $956,352 by Amplify was accepted by the Orange County Board of Supervisors over the costs of dealing with the oil spill. The city of Huntington Beach filed a separate claim. The company announced it had reached an agreement in principle to resolve all civil claims with more than a dozen businesses and residents that brought a class-action suit with payment through their insurance company. The $50 million settlement included $34 million for those in the fishing industry, $9 million for homeowners, and $7 million for tourism-related companies. Seal Beach was minimally affected by the initial response and coordination of cleanup efforts for tar balls several months after the initial incident.

3.2.8. War, Nuclear Accidents, and Terrorism
A war emergency could occur if armed conflict breaks out between the United States and one or more other nations. Wars may be formally declared by Congress, or Congress may instead authorize the use of military force without an official declaration. Additionally, some presidents have deployed military forces for use in armed conflict without congressional authorization. In a war emergency, US territory would face a military attack by another nation. The last official act of war on US soil by a warring country occurred during World War II, when Japanese forces conducted a handful of isolated attacks against Pacific Coast communities. Although acts of terror may be sponsored directly or indirectly by City of Seal Beach
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other nations, they are generally not considered acts of war. Any act of war may involve firearms, explosives, or other “conventional” tactics. There is a remote possibility that such acts may involve the use of nuclear/radiological, chemical, biological, or high-yield explosive weapons (collectively known as weapons of mass destruction, or WMDs).

The likelihood of future wars occurring is extremely difficult to predict, as it depends on complex geopolitical situations and chains of events that cannot usually be forecasted well in advance. However, in general, the US has been relatively safe from war-related emergencies; beyond the attacks by Japan during World War II, the only other war incidents on US soil have been attacks by British forces during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, the American Civil War, and an attack by the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa in 1916. During a period of conflict between the US and another nation, Seal Beach and surrounding areas may potentially be the target of a foreign attack, but the risk is unknown and unknowable.

Nuclear accidents, as the name suggests, is the accidental release of radioactive material. While such accidents are rare, they are generally the result of the rupturing of a structure or vessel containing radioactive material. In theory, a nuclear accident may also include the accidental detonation of a nuclear weapon (such an accident would be called a “nuclear event,” as opposed to a “radiological event,” in which radiation is released but there is no nuclear explosion), but there are no known instances of such an accident happening.

One potential source of radioactive material is nuclear-generating stations. The nearest nucleargenerating facility is the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), located approximately 45 miles south of Seal Beach. SONGS was retired in 2013 and has not produced any electricity since 2012, although spent nuclear waste is stored on-site. Seal Beach lies outside of the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone and 20-mile Public Education Zone around SONGS, meaning that people in the community are not expected to be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation in the event of an accidental release of material from the facility itself. Seal Beach does lie within the 50-mile Ingestion Pathway Zone, meaning that the release of any radioactive material at SONGS could contaminate any food or drink grown, raised, manufactured, or collected within Seal Beach. Other potential sources of radioactive material include medical/research and industrial equipment. Accidents involving vehicles or trains carrying radioactive material in or near the community may also result in radiation exposure.

Terrorism is the use or threat of force against persons and/or property to intimidate the population and government to achieve a particular political or social objective. In the US, acts of terror are frequently perceived as being conducted by foreign individuals and groups, although most terrorist attacks in the US are carried out by American citizens. The line between an act of terror and an act of war can be murky, although acts of war are typically carried out by government authorities (e.g., members of a national military), whereas terrorists are not often official government agents (although they may be sponsored by a national government). Terrorist acts in the US and globally are usually carried out with conventional tactics. The use of WMDs in a terrorist act is not unprecedented but is extremely rare.

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Given the variety of potential targets and the objectives of the terrorists, there is no location that is completely safe from terrorism. Terrorist attacks can be conducted against prominent buildings such as government offices or corporate headquarters but can also be carried out against lower-profile facilities such as private homes and houses of worship. The California Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies several key statewide pieces of infrastructure that are considered vulnerable to terrorism:
• Water storage and transportation facilities, including dams, canals, and levees • Transportation infrastructure (roads, airports, railways, bridges, etc.) • Agricultural operations
• Oil and natural gas facilities, including refineries, shipping terminals, and pipelines • Electricity generation and transmission/distribution infrastructure • Seaports
• Chemical manufacturing and storage locations
Recent examples of terrorism in the Southern California area include a shooting at the El Al ticket counter in Los Angeles International Airport in 2002 and the detonation of pipe bombs in the lobby of a federal courthouse in San Diego in 2008, and a shooting at governmental offices in the City of San Bernardino in 2015. Further, military bases are vulnerable to “lone wolf” terrorist attacks. As such, the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station conducts regular training to address this potential threat.

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has likely resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II, with an estimated 8 million people being displaced within the country by late May as well as 7.8 million Ukrainians fleeing the country as of November 8th, 2022. The invasion has received widespread international condemnation. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the invasion and demanding a full withdrawal of Russian forces. The International Court of Justice ordered Russia to suspend military operations and the Council of Europe expelled Russia. Many countries imposed sanctions on Russia, as well as on its ally Belarus, which have affected the economies of Russia and the world, and provided humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, totaling over $100B from 40 countries as of January 2023. Protests occurred around the world; those in Russia were met with mass arrests and increased media censorship, including a ban on the words "war" and "invasion". Over 1,000 companies have pulled out of Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion. The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into crimes against humanity in Ukraine since 2013, including war crimes in the 2022 invasion.

3.2.9. Cyber Attacks
A cyber-attack is any act to disrupt or destroy a computer network. It may include a virtual attack against the network’s software (e.g., introducing a computer virus), or it may be a physical attack against the network’s infrastructure. Cyber-attacks may be carried out by government forces, various non-state groups (including terrorist organizations), and unaffiliated individuals. These acts may also involve attempts to alter, steal, or delete data stored on a computer network. Many high-profile cyberattacks involve the theft of personal information, such as financial accounts or Social Security numbers, City of Seal Beach
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from major retailers and financial institutions. A cyber-attack may be meant to accomplish a political, social, or economic objective, or it may be a simple malicious act without any specific intent.

Cyber-attacks are still an emerging threat but are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Cyber-attacks are usually carried out against national government agencies and large companies, but they may also target state or local governments, smaller companies, nonprofit organizations, and individuals. The most likely targets in Seal Beach of a cyber-attack are major agencies and companies with a presence in the community, such as the US Navy and Boeing. Individuals and smaller businesses in Seal Beach may be the indirect victims of cyber-attacks that involve the theft of personal information.

On December 24th, 2019, the City of Seal Beach was the victim of a ransomware attack. During this attack, hundreds of private businesses and government entities were also targeted. The City of Seal Beach and the Police Department reacted swiftly to the attack. The preliminary investigation into this incident revealed that the City’s information technology (IT) service provider, Synoptek was the initial target. The attackers were then able to encrypt the City of Seal Beach’s computers with malware. The City’s IT service provider was able to restore some files and actively worked to return the City’s computer systems to normal. The incident garnered national attention.

At no time was public safety compromised as a result of this attack. The City’s ability to respond to emergencies and routine calls for service was not impacted. The 9-1-1 telephone, dispatch, and critical police systems continued to function as normal throughout the duration of the attack. However, City email and voicemails were affected. Emails and voicemails sent to City employees from around December 18th to December 30th were likely undelivered. Residents were advised if they contacted a city employee during that time and did not receive a response, to resend the email or call again.

During the downtime, City employees resorted to using non-company email addresses for communication including clients such as Gmail, Yahoo, and AOL. Several encrypted Apricorn brand drives were purchased and used. Apricorn is one of the most reputable names in the secure storage and encryption industry. If they had been in place prior to the attack, it is possible it may have lessened the impact. The Seal Beach Police Department worked closely with federal and state partners to investigate this incident. The city computer systems ultimately returned online and regained most functionality, including e-mail on January 6th, 2020. Approximately two weeks later system function was fully restored. As a direct result, the City of Seal Beach Cyber Security Incident Response Plan was created in a partnership between Seal Beach Police Department, City Hall, and IT service provider, Synoptek.

3.2.10. Hazardous Chemical Spills
The City of Seal Beach General Plan refers to the California Health and Safety Code to define hazardous materials as a “material that, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical or chemical characteristics, poses a significant present or potential hazard to human health and safety or to the environment if released into the workplace or the environment.” This includes flammable or corrosive materials, toxins, and unstable or dangerously reactive materials. Natural gas, radioactive materials, and petroleum are discussed separately.

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Hazardous chemicals and other dangerous materials can be accidentally released in any number of ways. They may be released indirectly in other emergency situations when pipes or containment vessels carrying the materials are damaged or destroyed by disasters such as an earthquake or floods.

The California Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan notes that the 1994 Northridge earthquake led to over 15,000 natural gas leaks and 60 hazardous materials releases requiring an off-site response. Evidence from the earthquake suggests that hazardous materials can be released even if the building they are contained in suffers minimal damage.

Transportation accidents involving vehicles carrying hazardous materials can be another opportunity for accidental release. Such accidents can occur with all modes of transportation, including road vehicles, trains, aircraft, and ships. One of the most prominent state examples of a transportation accident occurred in 1973 near Sacramento when a freight train entered the rail yard in the City of Roseville. A brake accident caused a wooden boxcar carrying 250-pound bombs to ignite, setting off a series of explosions that destroyed the railyard
The risk of hazardous materials release can also result from accidents at stationary facilities, such as a factory or refinery. Such accidents can occur from human error, malfunctioning or broken equipment, or a combination of both. In 2012, a series of explosions and fires at a refinery in the Bay Area community of Richmond caused thousands of area residents to seek shelter. In 2015, an explosion at a refinery in Torrance injured two workers and spread debris and ash throughout the community.

In Seal Beach, the greatest risk of exposure to hazardous materials is likely to come from household cleaning products and chemicals used in commercial operations such as dry cleaning and vehicle servicing. Releases of these materials are likely to be relatively small, although significant releases are possible, and the relative ubiquity of these materials increases the risk of an accident. Further, the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station houses military ordinance which may contain hazardous materials.

Hazardous materials are frequently transported on freeways that pass through or near Seal Beach, including Interstate 405, Interstate 605, and State Route 22. Some materials are also transported along the Pacific Coast Highway and on Seal Beach Boulevard. The only rail lines in Seal Beach in recent history were located on the Naval Weapons Station, but they did not pass through the community and were removed in 2008. Given the proximity to commercial and military airfields, there is a risk of hazardous materials being released from an aircraft accident. Ships carrying hazardous materials also pass off the coast of Seal Beach and may dock at the Naval Weapons Station.

3.2.11. Riots and Civil Disturbances
A civil disturbance is the significant and spontaneous disruption of orderly conduct or activities, which may include rioting (a form of civil disturbance in which violence is directed against individuals and/or property). It can be triggered by events, such as the outcome of a trial, the results of a sports game, or may result from long-term dissatisfaction with authority figures. Financial system collapse may also bring about civil disturbances. Civil unrest is generally distinguished from other disruptive events by the fact that normal public safety authorities cannot address the situation on their own but are often compelled to bring in additional resources. During times of civil unrest, properties in the community City of Seal Beach
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may be at risk of fire, looting, or other damage. The unstable and sometimes violent nature of civil unrest events can create a risk of personal injury to participants, police officers and other safety officials, and members of the public who are not involved.

Civil unrest events have occurred before in the area. Riots in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles during August 1965 killed over 30 people and damaged or destroyed close to 1,000 buildings. In 1992, riots following the acquittal of police officers accused of beating Rodney King killed 53 people and caused an estimated over $1 billion in property damage, mostly in South Central Los Angeles. Smallerscale riots have occurred more recently, including an event in July 2013 in Huntington Beach.

The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, sparked widespread protests and riots across the United States and in several other countries. The protests were primarily peaceful and were organized to bring attention to the systemic issues of racial inequality and police brutality. However, in some instances, the demonstrations turned violent, with looting and arson reported in cities like Minneapolis, Atlanta, New York, and many others. The Minneapolis police officers were criticized for excessive force, and the National Guard was deployed in several cities. The unrest continued for several weeks and sparked a national conversation about racial justice and police reform.

Following the killing of George Floyd, there were widespread calls for police reform across the United States. Many activists and community leaders demanded changes in policing practices and called for an end to systemic racism in law enforcement. Some of the key reforms proposed and enacted include:

1. Defunding the police: The idea behind this is to redirect funds away from police departments and towards community services such as housing, education, and healthcare.

2. Banning chokeholds and neck restraints: Several cities and states banned the use of these controversial tactics, which have been criticized for causing harm and even death in some cases.

3. Body cameras: An increased emphasis was placed on the use of body cameras by police officers to provide accountability and transparency in their interactions with the public.

4. Use-of-force policies: Many cities and states reviewed and revised their use-of-force policies to ensure that officers use force only as a last resort and in a manner that is proportional to the situation.

5. Training: Some cities and states increased their training programs for police officers, particularly in areas such as de-escalation and crisis intervention.

In August 2021, Seal Beach Police Department became aware via social media of a planned protest scheduled to occur on August 29th, 2021. The group responsible for planning the protest was identified as “caravan4justice” and the size and potential for violence were very much unknown leading up to the event. Attempts to contact organizers and gain intelligence were met with negative results. To make Seal Beach a safe place for citizens, protesters, and merchants alike, the Police Department adjusted staffing to assist with any issues. Some of the extra staffing came from officers working overtime, using reserve officers, and mutual aid requests.

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No arrests were made on the day of the event however, in the weeks following, investigations into allegations of assault and the brandishing of a firearm were conducted. Two victims and a suspect were identified in reference to the assault, and a case was filed by the Orange County D.A.’s office on one female suspect currently in custody for attempted murder in Yorba Linda.

1.9.12 Disease and Pandemic
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 was first reported in China in December 2019. In response to this global public health threat, emergency proclamations were made by the State of California and Orange County. The City of Seal Beach proclaimed a local emergency on March 13, 2020, to provide for the health and safety of employees and citizens, to protect critical infrastructure, and to support response operations.

After over two years of supporting response and recovery operations, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) continues to be activated at a minimal level as of February 2023, and both Federal and State proclamations remain in effect until later this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on California, causing widespread illness and death, as well as disrupting many aspects of daily life including businesses, schools, and social gatherings. Despite initial efforts to slow the spread of the virus, cases continued to rise in the state leading to widespread lockdowns, mask mandates, and other restrictions aimed at reducing transmission. Over time, the state has implemented various phased reopening plans and increased access to vaccines, leading to a gradual decline in cases. However, new variants of the virus and fluctuations in compliance with safety measures have caused fluctuations in the number of cases and hospitalizations, making it a constantly evolving situation in California.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had several impacts on law enforcement. Some of these include:

1. Increased workload: The pandemic resulted in increased calls for service, such as reports of domestic violence and drug overdoses, as well as a rise in property crimes, leading to an increased workload for law enforcement agencies.

2. Protective gear shortages: In the early stages of the pandemic, there was a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for law enforcement officers, which put their health at risk.

3. Illness and quarantine: Some law enforcement officers have fallen ill with COVID-19, leading to absences from work and difficulties maintaining staffing levels.

4. Changes in operations: Law enforcement agencies have had to adapt their operations to reduce the spread of the virus, such as conducting virtual or remote interviews and trials and limiting in-person arrests and detainments.

5. Community relations: The pandemic has led to increased tensions and mistrust between law enforcement and some communities, particularly in light of protests against racial injustice and police brutality.

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Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges for law enforcement, highlighting the need for agencies to be flexible, innovative, and prepared to respond to changing circumstances.

There were many significant lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic response. In City Hall, teamwork, team building, and co-worker support were critical to maintaining morale due to general trauma that may have impacted employees personally (e.g., illness, loss of life, kids at home, isolation, etc.) on top of workload impacts resulting from rapid and ongoing changes in processes and tools. It was essential that staff understood that tasks, procedures, and customer service would take longer due to new safety procedures and requests volume; and to communicate this effectively to customers. Best practices were identified as: expanded online access to services wherever possible, developing new communication tools with customers/residents, limiting the number of participants in an indoor venue at one time (Community Centers), and requiring masks to be worn by City Employees in City vehicles when more than one occupant was inside. Some improvements in the future were identified as greater online access for customers/residents and greater communication on procedures requiring interdepartmental task completion.

The Police Department used telecommuting and zoom meetings extensively during the pandemic. The pros of telecommuting were found to be less time commuting back and forth from work, better focus without workplace distraction, a better balance of work and personal pursuits, more productivity for many employees, and people can work at their own pace without pressure. The cons of telecommuting are that the employee has less personal contact with managers and co-workers which can hinder communication, it can be more difficult for managers to supervise someone working from home, the worker may have more disruptions at home which may result in reduced productivity, missing the social aspect of working with peers, having a remote workplace could jeopardize security for the company, and an initial lack of laptops with enough security measures to VPN from home.

There were initially significant personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages. All patrol personnel had been issued gloves and eye protection. There were N95 masks available in the Watch Commander’s office and Captain’s offices. The department only had a limited supply, so officers were instructed not to take any more than they needed, and they were one-time use. The Social Media found several ways to continue to connect and communicate with the community, including virtual ride-alongs and live streaming of Coffee with a Cop. These events were largely successful and were praised by residents, staff, and other police agencies.

Patrol shifts/schedules changed as the result of a countywide request for Team Policing. In this change, the department was asked to have patrol officers switch to a "TEAM A" and "TEAM B" Team Policing Model, with paybacks on Wednesdays. This request was made in the event an entire team (4-5 police officers) became exposed to COVID-19; the department could supplement the entire team with a new team, and would only have 1/4th of the patrol force out at any one time to quarantine. The Detective Division was instructed to telecommute as a mitigation measure (backup if a team got sick). This was only temporary, and the POA and PMA presidents were made aware of the request and understood that this was in the best interest of the county and the department.

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In March 2022 the Support Services Division including the Emergency Services Coordinator completed the City of Seal Beach Covid-19 After Action Report.

3.3. Critical Facilities
A critical facility is a building or site that is important to meet community needs and provide government services. These facilities can include local government buildings and sites, private facilities, and key pieces of infrastructure. Critical facilities help provide basic needs and ensure the continuity of government functions following an emergency. A list of the critical facilities in Seal Beach is shown in Table 8.

Table 8. Critical Facilities in Seal Beach
Name Address Function
1 st Street Station 10 B Ocean Avenue Sewage pump station 8 th Street Parking Lot 8th Street and Ocean Avenue
Sewage pump station and
generator station for lifeguard
headquarters
Almond Park 4600 Almond Avenue Public Park – care, shelter, and reception area
Arbor Park 4665 Lampson Avenue Public Park – care, shelter, and reception area
Aster Park Aster Street and Candleberry
Avenue
Public Park – care, shelter,
and reception area
Bluebell Park Almond Avenue and Bluebell
Street
Public Park – care, shelter,
and reception area
Boeing Station 2710 Seal Beach Boulevard Sewage pump station Bolsa Chica Well 3333 Bolsa Chica Road Water well
City Hall 211 8th Street Government building
Corsair Park Corsair Way Public Park – care, shelter,
and reception area
Edison Park 99 College Park Drive Public Park – care, shelter, and reception area
Eisenhower Park Ocean Avenue and Main
Street
Public Park – care, shelter,
and reception area
Fire Station 44 718 Central Avenue Fire station
Fire Station 48 3131 North Gate Road
Fire station and backup
emergency operations
center
Gum Grove Park Crestview Drive and Avalon
Avenue
Public Park – care, shelter,
and reception area
Heather Park Heather Street and Lampson
Avenue
Public Park – care, shelter,
and reception area
Lampson Well 4307 Lampson Avenue Water well
Leisure World Clubhouse 1 1880 Golden Rain Road Community building Leisure World Clubhouse 2 13681 El Dorado Drive Community building Leisure World Clubhouse 3 1421 Northwood Road Community building Leisure World Clubhouse 4 1419 Northwood Road Community building Leisure World Clubhouse 5 1661 C Golden Rain Road Community building City of Seal Beach
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Name Address Function
Leisure World Clubhouse 6 1661 E Golden Rain Road Community building Leisure World Healthcare
Center 1661 Golden Rain Road Health care facility
Leisure World Well 2700 North Gate Road Water well
Lifeguard Headquarters 888 Ocean Avenue Marine safety building Marina Park and Community
Center 151 Marina Drive
Community building and
public park – care, shelter,
and reception area
Mary Wilson Library 707 Electric Avenue Library, senior center, and community building
McGaugh School 1698 Bolsa Avenue Elementary school
Naval Weapons Station Seal
Beach 800 Seal Beach Boulevard Military installation
North Seal Beach Community
Center 3333 St. Cloud Drive Community building
Police sub-station 820 Ocean Avenue Police Department facility Public Works Station Electric Avenue and Seal
Beach Boulevard Sewage pump station
Public Works Yard 1776 Adolfo Lopez Drive Equipment storage and sewage pump station
River’s End Park 15 First Street Public Park – care, shelter, and reception area
Schooner Park Schooner Way and Dory Way Public Park – care, shelter, and reception area
Seal Beach Ocean Pier 800 Ocean Avenue Public fishing pier Seal Beach Police
Department 911 Seal Beach Boulevard
Police Department
headquarters and primary
emergency operations
center
Seal Beach Tennis &
Pickleball Center 3900 Lampson Avenue Community building and sheltering area Station 35 200 Seal Beach Boulevard Sewage pump station Sunset Aquatic 2901 Edinger Avenue Sewage pump station
Water reservoir 3101 North Gate Road Well, booster station, and reservoir
Water reservoir Naval Weapons Station Seal
Beach Water storage, Navy reservoir
West End Pump 43 ½ Riversea Road Storm drain pump
Zoeter Field 12th Street and Landing
Avenue
Public Park – care, shelter,
and reception area
Like any other building or structure, critical facilities can be damaged in an emergency. Because of their importance to the community, these facilities should be repaired to full functionality as soon as possible. In 2014, high winds destroyed a cover on one of the city’s water reservoirs, resulting in a full renovation of the facility. During the winter storms of 2022-2023 strong tides and surf damaged the City of Seal Beach
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Seal Beach pier resulting in a preliminary estimated cost of $1.5 million. The ramp serviced oil platform workers that worked offshore.

In the Spring of 2020 Orange County Sanitation District began a project to replace and construct nearly three miles of two regional pressurized sewer pipelines (force mains) on Westminster Avenue between Seal Beach Boulevard and Rancho Road/Hammon Place in the cities of Seal Beach and Westminster.

All of the underground sewer construction work was completed in late 2022. Landscape and street restoration is scheduled to be completed in early 2023.

4. Concept of Operations
This EOP is intended to address a broad spectrum of events, from relatively minor incidents to full-scale disasters. Some emergencies, such as flooding or tornadoes, can be forecasted in advance or with enough notice to allow City staff and members of the public to take steps to reduce injury and death, property damage, and environmental effects. Other emergencies, such as earthquakes or aircraft crashes, can occur with little or no warning; in these instances, the activation of the EOP and mobilization and deployment of emergency response personnel and resources must occur immediately. All municipal departments and staff must be available to respond quickly and effectively to manage the emergency and accomplish three key goals:
• Provide effective measures to reduce injury and death, property damage, and environmental impacts.
• Provide for a rapid and complete recovery for affected businesses and local services. • Provide documentation and records as necessary for cost recovery efforts.

4.1. Emergency Management Cycle
There are four phases to emergency response: mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. The cycle is continuous; mitigation and preparation occur even where there are no emergency response and recovery efforts. Some phases can occur concurrently; for example, a community can begin recovery efforts while response operations are ongoing.

4.1.1. Mitigation
Mitigation, also known as prevention, occurs before emergencies occur and can be part of the postdisaster recovery efforts. In this phase, the community seeks to reduce the risk of an emergency occurring or to reduce the impacts of a disaster if one does occur. The goal is to reduce long-term vulnerability to hazards, and by extension, to decrease the need for emergency response. Examples of mitigation efforts include retrofitting older buildings to improve earthquake resistance and replacing old storage tanks for hazardous materials.

4.1.2. Preparation
Preparation for emergencies involves working to ensure that, when disasters do occur, the city and community members are able to respond effectively. These actions include planning, organizing, equipping, and training to enhance response capabilities. This EOP details how the City of Seal Beach City of Seal Beach
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will prepare for emergencies, including outlining the types of actions that should be taken, how training will be conducted, and which staff positions are responsible.

4.1.3. Response
Response is the mobilization and deployment of emergency services and first responders once a disaster hits or when a potential disaster is imminent. The City is responsible for helping to ensure that response staff has the appropriate information and equipment to minimize injuries, deaths, and damage to property and the environment. The disaster response will be coordinated through activation and operation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), as specified in this EOP.

4.1.4. Recovery
Recovery efforts involve restoring the community to its pre-disaster state (or beyond). It includes repairing and rebuilding any damaged or destroyed structures, returning key services such as utilities and City functions to full operation, and continuing to provide support such as temporary housing and financial assistance to residents and businesses affected by the disaster. Recovery efforts can be short or can take several years, depending on the scope of the incident. These efforts often require collaboration between federal, state, and local officials, as well as private businesses and nonprofit organizations.

4.2. Mitigation
After a disaster event, repair and reconstruction activities commonly return the community to predisaster conditions. While this is usually the easier approach and may help signify a return to normality by restoring the area in a manner that people are used to, it does nothing to make the community less vulnerable to future disaster events. As a result, simply returning the community to pre-disaster conditions often creates a cycle of damage and reconstruction. To break this cycle, communities can adopt hazard mitigation efforts, which work to ensure that post-disaster repairs and reconstruction activities improve resiliency to future disasters rather than perpetuating status quo conditions.

Disasters can never be entirely prevented, but their effects can be reduced through preparedness activities, mitigation projects, and public education and awareness campaigns. Mitigation efforts also reduce the demand on the City’s disaster response and recovery capabilities.

4.3. Emergency Preparedness
Preparedness is a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluation and improvement activities to ensure effective coordination and the enhancement of capabilities. The overarching goal for emergency preparedness in the City of Seal Beach is aligned with the National Preparedness Goal which states succinctly: “A secure and resilient nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.” These risks include events such as natural disasters, disease pandemics, chemical spills and other manmade hazards, terrorist attacks and cyber-attacks.

4.3.1. Community Preparedness
Seal Beach has made community disaster preparedness a key priority to help improve emergency response activities and increase resiliency. The city participates in several state and national initiatives City of Seal Beach
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intended to raise awareness and provide the public with information about what to do in emergency situations. Seal Beach is actively involved in the Great California Shakeout, a statewide earthquake event held annually in October. City employees participate in the earthquake drill held during this event, as do many schools and businesses. As a coastal community, Seal Beach participates in National Tsunami Awareness Week, an annual event in March, which includes public education and outreach events, along with tsunami evacuation activities. The city also promotes public education efforts by participating in National Preparedness Month, held annually in September.

The Seal Beach Police Department actively promotes an initiative called Neighbor-4-Neighbor (N4N), which encourages neighborhoods to build communication networks and informal support systems that can help aid during a disaster. Additionally, all officers are trained in the use of Narcan. Narcan, also known as naloxone, is a medication that can quickly reverse opioid overdose. It is often used by law enforcement agencies, such as police officers and paramedics, as a first response in emergency situations where someone is suspected of having an opioid overdose. The medication is typically administered through a nasal spray or injection, and it works by binding to the same receptors in the brain that opioids bind to, effectively reversing the effects of the opioids and restoring normal breathing. By having Narcan readily available, law enforcement officers can help save lives and prevent opioid overdoses from becoming fatal. The City’s Marine Safety and Lifeguard Department hosts several safety classes that are available only to the public, including CPR, first aid, and the use of automatic external defibrillators.

4.3.2. Municipal Preparedness and Training
City staff members are active in many of the community preparedness activities in Seal Beach, including participating in drills such as the Great California Shakeout and National Tsunami Awareness Week. City staff members are also able to participate in the safety classes offered by the Marine Safety and Lifeguard Department. Additionally, as City staff may be required to participate in emergency response operations, it is critical that staff receive training in the framework that governs how response activities are conducted. This framework is established in three related systems: the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), and the Incident Command System (ICS).

City of Seal Beach staff who may participate in emergency response activities, either in the EOC or in the field, are required to have training in these activities in accordance with SEMS. All City employees, including members of the Police Department, must take introductory-level NIMS/SEMS training courses. Staff members in supervisory and management positions must take more advanced NIMS/SEMS courses.

All Seal Beach Police employees are required to complete online courses in ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800 (NIMS). Supervisors and management personnel may take additional courses in ICS 300, and 400.This training is scheduled as needed, and to accommodate any changes in City personnel or staff roles. City departments and agencies must document any training and provide evidence of training to the Emergency Services Coordinator (ESC), who is a designated police sergeant in the Seal Beach Police Department. Records of the training should be kept individually for each staff member and should City of Seal Beach
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include the name of the course, the name of the instructor, and the location and date of the course.

Such records should also include supporting documents when at all possible, including a syllabus, lesson plans, notebook, exercises, and tests as appropriate. These records should be maintained if the staff member is employed in a position that may require them to participate in an emergency response operation. For individuals who have participated in a disaster response, these records should be kept for a minimum of five years after the disaster ends even if the staff member has left the city.

Training is administered by the ESC, which is responsible for setting the NIMS/SEMS curriculum and ensuring that the Police Department complies with training requirements. The heads of other City departments are responsible for ensuring that their personnel comply with the training standards.

Training records from all City agencies, including the Seal Beach Police Department, are reported to the ESC.

4.3.3. The City of Seal Beach promotes the “Neighbor-4-Neighbor” (N4N) program.

N4N is managed through the Police Department by the Emergency Services Coordinator as part of their community outreach and volunteer programs. The purpose of N4N is to improve disaster preparation, response, and resiliency by encouraging citizens to form mutual support networks.

4.3.4. Preparedness Exercises
In addition to training, City employees participate in several different exercises intended to help practice their emergency response skills and improve their effectiveness. A variety of possible exercise types, including seminars and orientations, workshops, tabletop exercises, drills, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises, are discussed below:

Seminars or orientations are used to introduce participants to applicable authorities, plans, policies and protocols, resources, or ideas and concepts. They provide a high-level overview of these topics and are often a good starting point for jurisdictions that are developing or making major changes to their plans and procedures. Seminars generally offer a low-stress environment and rely on several instruction techniques including lectures and presentations, panel discussions, and case studies. They are often more informal programs that are effective for both small and large groups and are usually not constrained by a real-time portrayal of events.

Workshops are used to help develop a specific product or outcome, such as a plan. Attendees are usually organized into functional groups with the assistance of workshop facilitators, and breakout sessions are common. Results of the workshop are usually presented toward the end of the event and may be approved or discussed in a plenary session.

Tabletop exercises (TTXs) involve senior staff, elected or appointed officials or other key staff in an informal setting to discuss a simulated situation and the associated issues. A TTX can be used to assess plans, policies, and procedures; to assess the types of systems needed to guide the prevention, response, and recovery associated with a particular disaster; or to solve a specific problem. These types of exercises are aimed at helping participants to understand the concepts involved, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and bring about a change in attitude. In an effective TTX, the participants City of Seal Beach
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are energetic participants and produce a list of recommended revisions to existing policies, procedures, and plans.

A drill is a coordinated, supervised activity, usually employed to test a single specific operation or function in an individual agency. Drills are often used to provide training on new equipment, to develop or test new policies or procedures, or to practice and maintain current skills. Drills are typically narrowly focused, intended to provide a realistic environment to gauge participant performance in isolation, measured against established standards. Drills also offer the opportunity for immediate feedback.

Functional exercises (FXs) test and evaluate individual capabilities, multiple functions or activities within a function, or interdependent groups of functions. These activities are intended to execute specific plans and procedures and apply established policies, plans, and procedures, in simulated crisis conditions within or by a particular team. FXs are guided by an exercise scenario with event updates that drive activity at the management level, complete with the simulated movement of personnel and equipment. An FX simulates the reality of operations in a functional area by presenting complex and realistic problems that require rapid and effective responses by trained staff in a highly stressful environment. They are useful for reinforcing established policies and procedures, measuring the adequacy of resources, examining inter-jurisdictional relationships, and evaluating functions, staff, and the EOC.

A full-scale exercise (FSX) requires response staff and equipment to mobilize and deploy to a designated site or location in response to a simulated incident, usually for an extended period, to demonstrate coordination and response capability. FSXs are the largest, most costly, and most complex of exercise types, typically requiring the activation of EOCs and Field Command Posts and involving participants from the local, regional, state, and federal levels. Although pre-scripted events are sometimes used, the exercise is primarily driven by participant actions and decisions. FSXs test a major portion of operation plans and organizations under field conditions and are used to evaluate the operational capabilities of systems, functional interfaces, and interactions during an extended period.

FSXs can assess organizational and individual performance, equipment capabilities, inter-jurisdictional and interagency cooperation, allocation and deployment of staff and resources, and the effectiveness of communication and public information systems, as well as plans, procedures, policies, and memoranda of understanding.

As noted above, City staff participates in various emergency preparation and evacuation drills, including those carried out as part of activities such as the Great California Shakeout and National Tsunami Awareness Week. On occasion, Seal Beach will conduct more involved activities, including fullscale exercises, which often involve coordination between multiple jurisdictions.

On February 27th, 2018, Seal Beach Police Department hosted an Emergency Operations Center tabletop exercise. A tabletop exercise is an activity in which key personnel assigned emergency management roles and responsibilities are gathered to discuss, in a non-threatening environment, various types of simulated emergency situations. For this exercise, the scenario was an active shooter incident at J. H. McGaugh Elementary School in Seal Beach.

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In January 2019 another tabletop exercise was hosted at Seal Beach Police Department running parallel with other cities in the County called “Orange Crush” in which a large-scale earthquake was simulated.

With the assistance of a portable earthquake trailer to simulate participants in an 8.0 earthquake in the back parking lot Department heads were able to “experience” an actual earthquake. In 2022 the Seal Beach Police Department held a full-scale exercise of an active shooter emergency at McGaugh Elementary School, which tested the response protocols of the Police Department and the Orange County Fire Authority. The next tabletop exercise is planned for May 2023 in which the scenario will be a large Tsunami.

4.4. Coordination
Effective emergency response requires a high degree of coordination between multiple agencies and jurisdictions. The responding agencies, both public and private, must ensure effective coordination in several areas:
• A unified command structure that allows all agencies with responsibilities to manage the response objective and strategies in a consolidated way without losing any accountability or a necessary degree of operational flexibility. A unified structure must also allow responding agencies to identify priorities, allocate critical resources, and adequately address any issues that arise in a multi-agency response.
• A modular organization that allows functional groups to be added or expanded to the command structure based on the emergency response needs. Similarly, as emergency response needs decline, functional groups must be able to shrink or be removed from the command structure without disrupting functional groups that are still needed. • A common terminology and communication protocol that ensures information is conveyed clearly and rapidly.

California law requires emergency response efforts to use NIMS, SEMS, and ICS for coordination.

4.4.1. National Incident Management System (NIMS)
NIMS is a federal framework that emerged after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, revealing flaws in multiagency emergency response strategies. On February 28, 2003, President Bush issued a directive calling on the Secretary of Homeland Security to create an emergency response framework for multiagency emergency response cooperation that could be applied consistently across the country regardless of the type or scope of the emergency. This directive also required agencies to adopt NIMS and provide training to their employees; adopting NIMS also makes agencies eligible for certain grants.

At the federal level, emergency preparation and response efforts are coordinated by FEMA. California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Arizona are in FEMA’s Region IX. Additional federal agencies are assigned to these efforts as identified in the National Response Plan and National Response Framework. These agencies may include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Coast Guard, the Department of Health, and Human Services, and potentially others depending on the nature of the emergency.

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4.4.2. Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)
SEMS is a state-level framework for coordinating emergency response actions between local, regional, and state agencies. Much like NIMS, SEMS originated after a major emergency revealed problems in multiagency coordination; in this instance, the emergency was the 1991 fire in the Oakland hills. All agencies in California are required to use SEMS and to provide training in SEMS to employees.

SEMS consists of four organizational levels, shown in the following chart and discussed below.

Although SEMS is a state framework and so does not include federal levels, national agencies such as FEMA play a critical role in coordinating interstate response activities. Each organization level has its own ERO:
• The state level, which manages the response and resources of state agencies, communicates with the federal emergency response system, and coordinates mutual aid between regions. • The regional level, which coordinates state action and mutual aid within the regional area. The regional level is also how state agencies communicate with local governments and private organizations on a regular basis. California is divided into six emergency regions. • The operational area (OA) level, which coordinates priorities, information, and resources during emergency events. The OA is also responsible for communicating between local governments and the regional level. There is one OA for each of California’s 58 counties. The county board of supervisors is responsible for creating the OA. Seal Beach is located within the Orange County OA, which is managed by the Emergency Management Division of the Orange County SheriffCoroner Department and currently comprises 115 agencies. The Orange County OA has its own EOC, located at the Loma Ridge facility in the County of Orange, Silverado, CA. This facility includes Control One, the central site of operations for the Countywide Coordinated State Level
Regional Level
Operational
Area (County)
Level
Local Level
Field Level
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Communications System. Under SEMS regulations, the Orange County OA’s EOC must be activated under one of the following conditions:
o The County and at least one city in Orange County, or at least two cities in Orange County, have declared an emergency.
o An Orange County agency has activated its EOC and requested support from the Orange County OA EOC.
o The County or a city in Orange County has requested that the governor declare a state of emergency.
o The governor declares a state of emergency for Orange County, or for at least two cities in Orange County.
o The Orange County OA requests outside resources, or receives outside requests for resources, not including resources used in day-to-day operations. • The local government level, which includes municipal and county governments as well as special districts. Local governments are responsible for organizing response and recovery efforts within their jurisdiction, as well as directing their staff and resources when providing mutual aid.
• The field level, which is made up of emergency response personnel and resources carrying tactical activities and making decisions that are directly in response to an emergency.

4.4.3. Incident Command System (ICS)
ICS is a framework to create a unified but flexible command structure to respond to emergencies. It was originally developed in 1968 to coordinate wildfire response efforts and was refined because of California wildfires in the 1970s. ICS protocols were formalized and integrated into SEMS, and later were applied at a national level with the creation of NIMS. Several key principles of ICS have been carried forward into the SEMS/NIMS frameworks, including the following:
• Modular operations: There are five functional groups within the ICS framework: Management, Operations, Planning/Intelligence, Logistics, and Finance. All emergency response operations will be carried out under one of these five groups. Each group will be activated and assigned subgroups as needed depending on the nature of the emergency. Activation and deactivation of a functional group or any subgroup should be able to take place without disrupting emergency response efforts.
• Personnel management: Each functional group or subgroup will have only one person in charge of that group’s operations, a principle known as “unity of command.” Depending on the nature of the emergency, a single individual may be responsible for multiple groups or subgroups.

Throughout the entire organization, everyone should only report to one supervisor. Each supervisor should be responsible for three to seven people, and ideally five.

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• Unified command: When multiple agencies have jurisdiction over an emergency, it is necessary to establish a single response plan that allows agencies to work together without affecting individual accountability, authority, or responsibility. In the event of several emergencies or a single large emergency with multiple response teams, a single Area Command can be created to oversee the broader response. If the incidents under the Area Command span multiple jurisdictions, the Area Command becomes a Unified Area Command. • Common terminology: Different individuals or agencies may use multiple terms when describing organizational functions, responsibilities, and titles, resources, and facilities. ICS calls for standardization of this terminology to help ensure that information is conveyed accurately and to reduce the risk of complications arising from misunderstandings.

4.5. Emergency Response Organization
This section describes the structure of staff and resources for responding to emergency events at various levels. While this structure can apply to any level of ERO, it is primarily focused on the local level and above. Field-level emergency response activities often use a modified form of this structure, as field-level operations are often more focused on tactical activities.

4.5.1. Emergency Response Organization Layout
Regardless of level, EROs are generally organized around the structure established by the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework, although individual EROs may vary from this standard model to account for local conditions and preferred command structures. An emergency may also require an ad hoc reorganization of the ERO, although such contingencies should be anticipated ahead of time to the City of Seal Beach
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greatest extent possible.

4.5.2. ERO Sections
The ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework organizes the ERO into five broad groups, known as “sections,” with one section (the Management Section) overseeing the other four. Each section includes one to three levels of subgroups, which carry out more specific types of operations. In keeping with the principle of modular operations in the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework, a jurisdiction may not need to fully activate all levels and groups of its ERO. Some emergency situations may not require a specific function or service.

Since the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework recommends that each staff member manages ideally five people (or at least no fewer than three people and no more than seven), some levels in the ERO may not need to be activated. For example, the emergency may only require five staff to be mobilized in the Logistics Section. In this instance, all the section’s responsibilities can be handled at the section level, and there is no need to activate the branches or units, with their more specific functions. Note that any group in the ERO may be a single individual or a group of individuals. The jurisdiction will mobilize any group leaders as their services are needed.

4.5.2.1. Management (Command) Section
The Management Section, known as the Command Section in a field-level response, is responsible for the overall emergency management strategy and coordinating key high-level components of the emergency response. Staff in this section will activate the appropriate positions in the ERO and establish priorities for emergency response operations. The Management Section will provide legal Management
(Command)
Section
Operations
Section
Operations
branches
Operations
divisions
Resources, strike
teams, or task
forces
Operations
groups
Resources, strike
teams, or task
forces
Planning Section
Planning units
Logistics Section
Logistics
branches
Logistics units
Finance Section
Finance units
Command staff
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services to the ERO and make the appropriate notifications to members of the public, staff, and other agencies.

The Management Section does not have dedicated subgroups in the same manner as the other four sections. Instead, it includes three Command staff positions, who may activate additional staff to assist with their duties as needed.

4.5.2.2. Operations Section
The Operations Section carries out the tactical objectives of the ERO, including planning and implementing specific activities related to emergency search, rescue, and repairs. Staff in this section will plan and carry out evacuation operations as appropriate, coordinate tactical mutual aid requests, and participate in emergency inspections. Members of this section also are responsible for notifying the public in situations when an emergency is imminent.

The primary subgroups in the Operations Section are known as “branches,” which often correspond to a department or service (e.g., the Fire Branch or Public Works Branch). Each branch may have further subgroups, known as “groups” or “divisions.” A group is a functional unit with responsibility over a specific type of operation, such as search and rescue or debris clearing, which operates over the entire emergency area. In contrast, a division is a unit made up of staff and resources performing multiple functions, whose operations are limited to a specific zone of the affected area (e.g., in a citywide emergency, a division will function only in a specific neighborhood, but will carry out most or all tactical activities in that neighborhood). The Operations Section may activate groups, divisions, or both depending on the needs of the emergency. Groups and divisions may report to their respective branches, or they may report directly to the main Operations Section as the situation allows.

Within groups and divisions, there may be another layer of organization, composed of a single resource (such as one staff member, or one piece of equipment and its operator), or a smaller group called a “task force” or “strike team.” In ICS/SEMS/NIMS terminology, a task force is a group meant to carry out a specific mission, comprising personnel and resources with a range of skills and capabilities, and which may be planned for the emergency situation or created ad hoc as the situation requires. A strike team is a group comprising the same type of personnel or resource (e.g., a small group of bulldozers to move debris), and is generally established before the emergency develops.

4.5.2.3. Planning Section
The Planning Section is responsible for collecting and analyzing information to support emergency response activities. Staff members in this section will use this information to prepare plans and issue reports. The Planning Section staff also provides technical support to the ERO as needed. Subgroups in the Planning Section are called “units,” each of which carries out a specific function.

4.5.2.4. Logistics Section
The Logistics Section must ensure that the other groups in the ERO have the necessary personnel and resources to carry out their assigned responsibilities. Members of this section are responsible for obtaining equipment, supplies, and services from available sources, and for requesting mutual aid City of Seal Beach
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assistance as needed. The Logistics Section also helps prepare records and preserves documentation of activities. Subgroups in the Logistics Section are called units. In a large-scale emergency, the ERO may choose to organize multiple units into a single group called a branch, with the units subservient to the branch; the branch then reports directly to the Logistics Section leadership.

4.5.2.5. Finance Section
The Finance Section supports emergency response efforts by ensuring that records are properly created and preserved. These records are needed for vital purposes such as requests for state and federal disaster aid, claims processing, payroll of emergency response staff, and purchasing of necessary resources. The Finance Section also helps monitor financial metrics to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and to support planning efforts. Subgroups in the Finance Section are called units.

4.5.3. EOC Director/Director of Emergency Services
The head of the Management Section oversees the ERO. This staff member sets priorities for coordinating the emergency response, activates groups in the ERO and mobilizes staff as needed, and establishes overall objectives. This staff member coordinates with the leaders of the other sections to ensure that information is being conveyed and updated to help prevent duplication of effort. The leader of the Management Section is responsible for overseeing the staff in the Management Section. This staff person also approves the release of information to the public and oversees demobilization of appropriate sections of the ERO.

This position often goes by many names, including (in a field-level ERO) Command Section Chief or Field Incident Commander, or, in higher-level EROs, Management Section Chief or Director of Emergency Services. In a local ERO or higher, this position is responsible for the EOC and hence is sometimes called the EOC Director. The Director of Emergency Services has responsibility for the overall ERO, while the EOC Director oversees the EOC facility itself and the staff stationed there. In some instances, the Director of Emergency Services and the EOC Director may be two separate positions, while in other instances a single individual may fill both roles.

4.5.4. Command Staff
The ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework establishes three Command staff positions, which assist the City Manager or comparable position at other ERO levels and report directly to him or her. These three positions are part of the Management/Command Section of the ERO.

4.5.4.1. Public Information Officer
The Public Information Officer is responsible for managing the release of all information to the public, either directly (e.g., public interviews/announcements or social media) or indirectly (via media outlets).

This role is one of the most critical functions within the ERO and must be mobilized in almost all emergency situations. The staff member filling this role must be able to think of what questions will be asked of them and have the answers ready ahead of time.

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The Public Information Officer compiles accurate and timely information and distributes it appropriately after the release of the information is approved by the EOC Director. This staff member conducts tours and media briefings as appropriate and makes information available as needed to other emergency response staff. This staff member also identifies any limits on the release of information to the public, in coordination with the Director of Emergency Services. In instances where there are multiple Public Information Officers, one will assume overall responsibilities for these duties as the lead Public Information Officer, while others will assume more specific roles as support Public Information Officers.

4.5.4.2. Safety Officer
The Safety Officer is responsible for the overall operational safety of all emergency response activities.

This staff member works to ensure the health and safety of City staff members who are responding to an emergency event or are engaged in any emergency planning or preparation activity. This staff position identifies any situation that may pose a hazard to responders and develops and implements ways to mitigate the risk. It is their responsibility to monitor emergency response activities for any unsafe behavior, and to correct them. This may include halting the activity outright if warranted. The Safety Officer also distributes safety information to emergency responders and initiates investigations if any accidents occur as part of the response.

4.5.4.3. Liaison Officer
The Liaison Officer is the main point of contact between the jurisdiction’s emergency response framework and other agencies and is responsible for maintaining contact with representatives from other agencies that can aid. This staff member participates in meetings with other agencies to share information, ensures effective interagency coordination in a manner that minimizes repetition of effort, and establishes and maintains a list of appropriate contacts. They monitor all coordination with other agencies to identify existing or potential inter-organizational problems and work to minimize or remove these barriers. The Liaison Officer will also oversee any members from other agencies (known as Agency Representatives) stationed at a jurisdiction’s operational facility such as an EOC.

4.5.5. EOC Executive Officer
While the Director of Emergency Services has the legal authority and obligation to control the City’s emergency response efforts and has the ultimate responsibility for these activities, they are usually not an emergency response professional. As a result, the Director of Emergency Services or any EOC Director that may be appointed, may not have the technical expertise to implement emergency response activities. To address this, a Management Section staff position called the EOC Executive Officer (EOC XO) is responsible for developing strategic objectives and response strategies and implementing the response measures. The EOC Director approves the EOC XO’s decisions as appropriate and helps provide advice to the EOC XO, in conjunction with the Policy Group (an advisory committee within the Management Section) if the community has established one. As the individual with responsibility for carrying out the specific response efforts of a community, the EOC XO has the following duties:
• Directing all departments and resources in a disaster operation.

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• Approving the Incident Action Plan and ensuring that requests for action are completed. • Overseeing the Section Coordinators and Management Section staff assigned to the EOC, ensuring that they are completing their mission objectives. In most instances, the EOC XO’s direct supervision responsibilities are limited to liaisons assigned to the EOC. • Directing field forces through the appropriate chains of command. • Making necessary executive decisions regarding orders, rules, and regulations. • Making operational plans and policies and establishing operational priorities. • Seeking support and feedback from the Policy Group and EOC Director, and approval and validation from the EOC Director.

The type of emergency incident determines which staff member is in the position of EOC XO. The head of the lead department during a disaster will generally be the EOC XO. If the scope of the emergency encompasses the authority of multiple agencies, without any agency having a clear lead in responsibilities, the jurisdiction will establish a Unified Command (UC), wherein two or more individuals collectively have the authority and responsibilities of an EOC XO. To keep the UC effective, the number of staff members that are part of the UC should be kept as small as possible. Since every jurisdiction has a differing organizational structure, the position of EOC XO will vary for different jurisdictions even in the event of the same type of emergency. As EOCs are not used at the field level, there is no EOC XO in a field-level ERO.

4.5.6. General Staff
Just as the Director of Emergency Services oversees the Management Section, other staff members assume responsibility for the four other sections. These four Section Coordinators are known collectively as the General Staff. In a limited ERO activation, the Section Coordinators may be responsible for directly carrying out the functions of their sections. In a more complete ERO activation involving many mobilized staff, the Section Coordinators will oversee the operations of their sections, acting more as managers.

In many EROs, the four General Staff positions are known as Section Chiefs. However, Seal Beach refers to these staff positions as Section Coordinators, and so they shall be known as such in this EOP.

The Operations Section Coordinator is responsible for the tactical response to the emergency, including ensuring the safety of these operations. They supervise the execution of the operational portion of the Incident Action Plan and make changes to the plan during emergency situations if needed. As every emergency will have differing tactical needs, the Operations Section Coordinator must decide which Note: The City Manager is the designated Director of Emergency Services and has the ultimate responsibility, and by extension – authority, for the management of an incident and all personnel. If the incident is such that either the Chief of Police or the OCFA Division Chief is the EOC XO, then those individuals both answer to the to the Director of Emergency Services.

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personnel and resources are necessary to carry out the tactical operations, mobilizing and demobilizing the appropriate personnel and resources as needed.

4.5.6.1. Planning Section Coordinator
The Planning Section Coordinator oversees all planning-related activities to support the emergency response effort. This staff member supervises the collection and analysis of relevant data and is responsible for overseeing the creation and distribution of action plans based on this information. This staff position oversees the identification of needs for any special resources, collects and distributes specialized information (e.g., weather forecasts), and reassigns staff. This information includes the status of all personnel and resources assigned to response activities. The Planning Section Coordinator also forecasts potential changes in the emergency, reports on significant changes in the incident, and oversees the preparation of the demobilization plan.

4.5.6.2. Logistics Section Coordinator
The Logistics Section Coordinator oversees the acquisition and distribution of all resources necessary to support tactical emergency response efforts, except for any air operations. This staff position provides facilities, transportation, communication, and supply services to the emergency response operations, including maintenance and fuel for needed equipment, and food and medical services for emergency response staff. The Logistics Section Coordinator identifies anticipated and known needs and requests additional resources if needed through mutual aid. This staff member also provides logistical input to the Planning Section Coordinator to help create the action plans, and oversees the development of any necessary communications, medical, and traffic plans.

4.5.6.3. Finance Section Coordinator
The Finance Section Chief is responsible for all aspects of disaster cost recovery. The Finance Section Coordinator oversees the financial components of the incident. This staff member oversees efforts to provide financial analyses and information, coordinates with other agencies on financial matters, and provides support to the creation of action plans. This staff member ensures that all necessary records and other documents are completed properly. The Finance Section Coordinator is also responsible for determining if a commissary must be set up.

4.5.7. Emergency Services Coordinator
The ESC helps to ensure that the members of the ERO can carry out their assigned responsibilities when they are activated. Unlike other positions in the ERO, which are filled by staff members who have other responsibilities during normal circumstances and only carry out their emergency roles during incidents, the ESC is a dedicated part-time or full-time role during normal circumstances, although they may assume additional responsibilities during emergencies. The role of the ESC varies across jurisdictions, but they are often responsible for carrying out emergency planning operations, conducting outreach to community members and local organizations to provide emergency education and encourage people to prepare for emergency situations, and working with other jurisdictions in the area to coordinate on emergency planning and preparedness activities.

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In this role, the ESC is an important authority on emergencies within the jurisdiction, and so must have sufficient knowledge of potential emergency situations, policies, and strategies related to emergency response and recovery, and applicable laws and regulations. The ESC usually maintains training records on emergency-related topics for members of the ERO and sets the curriculum for these trainings.

Additionally, the ESC is frequently responsible for ensuring that the EOC and any necessary support facilities are stocked and ready to function as sites of emergency operations when needed. This position is only seen at the local level and above; there is no field-level ESC (although other field-level personnel may have similar responsibilities).

The ESC within the Seal Beach ERO is an assigned Police Sergeant in the Seal Beach Police Department. The Police Unit serves as an advisory body to the Director of Emergency Services/EOC Director.

4.5.8. Policy Unit
The Policy Unit is a body within the ERO that can be mobilized as needed. Unlike other individuals or groups within the ERO, the Policy Unit does not have command authority or responsibilities for specific tasks. It is instead an advisory body that can offer advice and make recommendations to ERO leadership but cannot implement strategies or make decisions on its own. The Policy Unit is technically located in the Management Section but does not clearly fit into a specific location in the organization hierarchy. It is made up of multiple staff, who may have other responsibilities within the ERO (usually as members of the Command or General Staff). While there are standing members of the Policy Unit, the Director of Emergency Services may choose to include other members during part or all of the emergency response phases as the situation requires.

The Director of Emergency Services often must make very difficult decisions regarding the overall priorities and objectives for emergency response operations. The members of the Policy Unit can advise the Director of Emergency Services on the best approach and may provide support and backing for any decisions. They may help draft emergency legal legislation and amendments to ordinances, including curfews, emergency changes to financial requirements, and local emergency proclamations.

The Policy Unit may also serve as a support role to the Public Information Officer, as its members often have extensive experience and prior relationships with media organizations. In this capacity, the Policy Unit can help to conduct media briefings and coordinate tours. Its members may also serve to gather information in the field and report this information back to key staff in the ERO, such as the Director of Emergency Services and the Planning Section Coordinator. Like the ESC, the Policy Unit does not exist at the field level.

The Policy Unit does not meet on a prescribed schedule but rather when called by the Director of Emergency Services.

4.6. Disaster Council (Currently Inactive)
In accordance with Title 3, Chapter 25 of the Seal Beach Municipal Code, the City has established a Disaster Council to assist with planning for and responding to emergency situations. However, the City of Seal Beach
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Disaster Council is not currently active. Should it become active, the responsibilities of the Disaster Council overlap in part with the Policy Unit, although the Disaster Council is an established body within the government of Seal Beach, whereas the Policy Unit is a body within the local ERO that is activated as needed. Title 3, Chapter 35, Section 015 of the Municipal Code charges the Disaster Council with two authorities:
• To develop and submit emergency and mutual aid plans, emergency ordinances, and emergency resolutions and agreements to the City Council for approval. • To provide for the structure, power, duties, services, and staff of the local ERO.

The membership of the Disaster Council also overlaps to some degree with the membership of the Policy Unit. Title 3, Chapter 35, Section 010 of the Seal Beach Municipal Code establishes the membership of the Disaster Council as follows:
• The mayor (chair of the Disaster Council).
• The Director of Emergency Services (vice chair of the Disaster Council). • The Assistant Director(s) of Emergency Services.
• Chiefs of emergency services (e.g., the Section Coordinators of the local ERO). • Representatives of other groups with an official emergency responsibility, including civic, business, professional, labor, and veterans’ groups. These representatives shall be appointed to the Disaster Council by the Director of Emergency Services, subject to the approval of the City Council.

4.7. Field Response
The field level is where emergency response personnel and resources, under the command of the appropriate authority, carry out tactical decisions and activities in direct response to the emergency or the threat of one. The field-level ERO is generally organized around the same principles and framework as all other EROs, although the field response is much more focused on tactical operations than a locallevel ERO, which also has a large planning and support role. To this end, the field-level ERO often has a greater proportion of Operations staff than other EROs, although other sections (e.g., Planning, Logistics, etc.) are also important at the field level. Table 9 compares the responsibilities of the five sections at the field level compared to the local (citywide) level. The two are quite similar, although the local-level ERO has a greater focus on coordination.

Table 9. Comparison of Field-Level and Local-Level Section Responsibilities Section Field Level Duties Local Level Duties
Management
(Command)
Directs and orders all personnel and
resources.

Establishes overall policies and
priorities, and coordinates with other
agencies and organizations.

Operations
Carries out coordinated tactical
activities to directly implement or
support Incident Action Plan.

Coordinates all tactical operations
across the organization, including
involvement of other agencies.

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Section Field Level Duties Local Level Duties
Planning
Collects, evaluates, and documents
information about the incident and
resources in the field.

Collects, evaluates, and documents
and distributes information at a
citywide level.

Logistics
Provides personnel and resources
(equipment, supplies, services,
facilities, etc.) to support field
response.

Coordinates the provision of
personnel and resources within the
city.

Finance
Conducts financial and cost analyses
at the field level, and other field-level
administrative duties as needed.

Conducts financial and cost analyses
at the local level, and other locallevel administrative duties as needed.

4.7.1. Field Incident Command
The Field Incident Commander oversees the field-level Command Section, and therefore is the head of the field-level ERO. This staff member is responsible for the overall management of incident activities, including the development and implementation of strategy, and approves the mobilizing and release of personnel and resources. The Field Incident Commander can be thought of as a combination of the Director of Emergency Services/EOC Director (or comparable position) and EOC XO, as there is no separate EOC XO position at the field level.

If the field-level response involves a significant commitment of resources from agencies in multiple jurisdictions, a UC may be established jointly by the agencies that have direct jurisdictional or functional responsibilities for the agencies. In these situations, multiple individuals will serve collectively as the Field Incident Commander, like how multiple individuals may serve in a UC as the EOC XO in a local level ERO or higher. If the field response involves a significant commitment of resources from multiple City agencies (but no significant involvement from other jurisdictions), a UC may also be established. Alternatively, a single Field Incident Commander from one City agency may place personnel from other involved agencies in key positions in the field-level ERO, but not establish a UC.

4.7.2. Incident Command Post
A field-level ERO is not headquartered at an EOC, but at a separate facility known as an Incident Command Post. Like an EOC, an Incident Command Post includes personnel from multiple involved agencies to allow for better coordination and is where field-level ERO General and Command Staff will be stationed. Incident Command Posts are not located in a preselected location but are set up as the emergency requires. They should be easily accessible by personnel (both those stationed at the Incident Command Post and personnel conducting tactical operations), be located a sufficiently safe distance from any ongoing incidents (e.g., a fire or flood), and have access to necessary resources such as communication equipment and electricity. Incident Command Posts should also be located with easy access to other field-level support facilities, such as staging areas.

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4.8. EOC Location
The EOC functions as the ERO’s headquarters (apart from field-level EROs), and is the centralized facility used to manage all emergency response and recovery operations within the ERO. When the EOC is activated, predetermined staff members report to the EOC and carry out their assigned responsibilities. Staff in the EOC are usually non-tactical staff (members of the Management, Planning, Logistics, and Finance Sections), or high-level members of the Operations Section who are responsible for the management and coordination of tactical activities. Tactical personnel with assigned activities in the field will generally report to a Field Command Post or other lower-level headquarters when they are not carrying out tactical activities, although such staff must maintain contact and coordinate with the EOC. Using a centralized facility like the EOC allows for improved collaboration between staff in the different agencies of the jurisdiction and different sections of the ERO. It also helps support increased cooperation between multiple jurisdictions if the emergency response requires it.

The default EOC for the local-level ERO in Seal Beach is the Police Department Training Room, located in the Seal Beach Police Department Building at 911 Seal Beach Boulevard. This location is not located in a FEMA flood zone or in a coastal area, which makes it less vulnerable to tsunamis and flood-related disasters. However, this site may still be vulnerable to other types of disasters, including earthquakes and liquefaction, wind events, or fire/explosion-related incidents.

If a primary EOC cannot be used (e.g., the facility is damaged, or if roads to the facility are damaged or blocked), alternate facilities shall be used. These facilities shall be designated as alternate EOCs in advance of any emergency. If the primary EOC is in use when it is damaged or when access is impaired and a decision is made to activate an alternate facility, all staff members in the primary EOC shall relocate to the alternate facility. The EOC Director will be responsible for transferring direction and control authority to the alternate EOC when necessary, and all EOC Section Coordinators will advise their field personnel of the transition. The Logistics Section of the EOC shall arrange transportation of EOC personnel to the alternate site. If the primary EOC cannot be used prior to activation, all EOC staff members shall report directly to the alternate EOC site when mobilized.

If the Police Department building cannot be used as the EOC for Seal Beach’s local ERO, the city has designated three alternate facilities as shown in Table 10. All alternate facilities are in Seal Beach unless otherwise noted. Alternative City EOC Locations
Table 10. Alternative City EOC Locations
Rank Facility Name Facility Address
First Orange County Fire Authority Station 48 3131 North Gate Road Second Orange County Fire Authority Station 81 11261 Acacia Parkway, Garden Grove Third Urban Area Mobile Command Post
(MCP)
Mobile facility (stored at Orange County
Fire Authority Station 48)
Note: The first and second alternative EOC locations are OCFA Fire Stations that are stocked with emergency supplies and equipment. The third location is a mobile unit that is primarily equipped with communications electronics. This mobile unit can be set-up in less than an hour.

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4.9. Mutual Aid

4.9.1. Mutual Aid Agreements
California’s emergency planning and response is built on a statewide mutual aid system designed to ensure that sufficient resources, facilities, and other support are provided to jurisdictions whenever their own means and resources are inadequate to cope with the scale of a situation. The basis for this system is the California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement, as provided for in the California Emergency Services Act. This agreement was established in 1950 and has since been adopted by the state, all 58 counties, and most incorporated cities (including Seal Beach). The Master Mutual Aid Agreement establishes a formal structure wherein each community retains control of its own facilities, staff, and resources, but may receive assistance from and render assistance to other communities. The state government is obligated to provide available resources to assist local jurisdictions in emergency situations.

The statewide mutual aid system includes several discipline-specific mutual aid systems, such as fire and rescue, law, medical, emergency management, and public works. These systems work through local government, operational areas, regional, and state levels in a manner consistent with the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework. Mutual aid may also be obtained from other states if necessary. Interstate mutual aid may be obtained through direct state-to-state contacts pursuant to interstate agreements and compacts or may be coordinated through federal agencies such as FEMA.

California is divided into different mutual aid regions, established under the California Emergency Services Act. There are six mutual aid regions for fire and rescue, and seven mutual aid regions for law enforcement. For fire and rescue, Seal Beach is part of Region I, which covers all of Los Angeles, Orange, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. For law enforcement, Seal Beach is part of Region I, which covers all of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Under both systems, California is divided into three larger administrative regions. Seal Beach is in the Southern Administrative Region, which encompasses all of Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties.

Seal Beach is also party to the Public Works Mutual Aid Agreement, which currently covers 19 counties and 153 communities. All counties in the Southern Administrative Region except for Inyo County are part of this agreement, along with several counties in the northern parts of California.

4.9.2. Mutual Aid Coordinators
The key staff members who handle mutual aid requests and coordinate the provision of personnel and resources within their area of responsibility are known as mutual aid coordinators. These staff members generally operate within a discipline-specific mutual aid framework (for example, a dedicated coordinator for fire- and rescue-related requests, another for public works requests, etc.). Mutual aid requests that do not fall into the purview of any discipline-specific mutual aid coordinator are generally handled by the emergency management mutual aid system. When a mutual aid coordinator receives a request for assistance, this staff member will identify if the personnel or resources requested are within his or her geographic area and are available for deployment. If so, the coordinator will work to deploy City of Seal Beach
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the resources to the agency requesting assistance. If the requested personnel or resources are unavailable, the coordinator will pass the unfilled request up to the next level. Mutual aid coordinators may be part of an EOC staff, but they may also operate outside their normal agency location or any other site as circumstances demand.

A mutual aid request does not always involve activation of a higher-level EOC (for example, Seal Beach may make a mutual aid request to the Orange County OA, but the OA EOC may not necessarily have to be activated as a result). This occurs when the incident is limited, and the mutual aid request can be filled (or passed on to a higher level) without requiring the extensive interagency or inter-jurisdictional coordination that an EOC supports. When a discipline-specific mutual aid system is activated in association with a higher-level EOC, there should be coordination and communication between the mutual aid system and the EOC as follows:
• If an OA EOC is activated, such as the Orange County OA EOC, representatives from any activated OA mutual aid systems should be stationed at the EOC for coordination. • If a regional EOC is activated, all regional mutual coordinators should report to the regional EOC or have a representative stationed at that facility, unless all coordinators agree that they can carry out their responsibilities effectively through communication systems. • If a regional EOC is activated, state agencies may be asked to send representatives to the EOC, to assist in handling mutual aid requests for personnel and resources that do not have designated or discipline-specific mutual aid coordinators.

If the state-level EOC (known as the State Operations Center, or SOC) is activated, state agencies with mutual aid coordination responsibilities will be asked to send a mutual aid coordinator or representative to the SOC.

4.9.3. Mutual Aid Facilities
Three general types of facilities are used for receiving and processing personnel and resources requested through the mutual aid system. These facilities are not necessarily exclusively used for mutual aid and may also be used for personnel and resources that the jurisdiction is able to obtain internally. These facility types are as follows:
• Marshalling areas, which are locations used for assembling personnel and equipment/supplies before they are sent directly to the site of the emergency. Marshalling areas are generally located away from the disaster site, and in the event of a catastrophic and widespread disaster (such as a major earthquake), these areas may be established in neighboring states. • Mobilization centers, which are temporary locations for personnel and equipment/supplies while they are waiting to be assigned or reassigned to a specific duty or released. These centers are typically located within or adjacent to the affected area. • Incident facilities and staging areas, which are temporary locations at the disaster site where assigned personnel and equipment wait for their specific tactical duties. Staff and equipment City of Seal Beach
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who are newly arrived at the site may first be sent to an incident facility or staging area, or they may proceed directly to carry out their tactical assignments.

4.9.4. Requesting Mutual Aid
Mutual aid requests are made to the ERO level directly above the requesting agency, which will seek to fill the request with the personnel and resources available to it; if it cannot meet the needs of the requesting agency, it will pass the request to the ERO level above it. Seal Beach will make all mutual aid requests to the Orange County OA, which will identify if the need can be met by personnel and resources available to the OA (e.g., all jurisdictions in Orange County). If not, the OA will pass the request up to Region I, which will meet the request with the additional resources available to it, or pass the request up to the state.

When making a mutual aid request to the Orange County OA, Seal Beach will provide, at minimum, the following information:
• The number and type of personnel needed, including any specific needed skills or abilities. • The number and type of equipment or other resources needed. • The location that the personnel and resources should report to, and the reporting time. • Who in the local ERO the requested personnel should report to. • Any special access considerations, including preferred routes. • The estimated duration of the operation.
• Any risks or hazards associated with the operation.

4.9.5. Key Partners
Through the mutual aid system, Seal Beach may request personnel and resources from any jurisdiction covered by the Orange County OA, which can then escalate the request to a higher level if it is unable to meet the City’s needs. While vital personnel and resources may come from anywhere in Orange County, there are a handful of agencies and nongovernmental organizations which the city has identified as being critical to emergency operations in Seal Beach. Not all these agencies and organizations are covered by the Orange County OA. Some government agencies may include Seal Beach within their jurisdiction and have plans that apply to the community (for example, the Orange County Fire Authority Hazardous Materials Area Plan covers the area that includes Seal Beach). These key partners are as follows:
• California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
• Long Beach Transit
• Los Alamitos Unified School District
• Orange County Fire Authority
• Orange County Health Care Agency
• Orange County Transportation Authority
• Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board
• South Coast Air Quality Management District
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4.10. Department Operations Centers
Some communities will establish an interim ERO level between the field level and the local level: the department or agency level. At this level, the equivalent of an EOC or a Field Command Post is a Department Operations Center (DOC). DOCs are usually established in larger jurisdictions, when it may not be feasible to locate all personnel in a single citywide EOC facility, and it may be more efficient to manage personnel and resources in a more decentralized manner. An individual department may activate a DOC to coordinate the mobilization of its own personnel and resources without needing to fully activate the citywide ERO. When both the EOC and one or more DOCs are activated, the EOC will help coordinate and supervise the DOCs, while the DOCs will coordinate and supervise the Field Command Posts; Field Command Posts that do not have a DOC will continue to report to the EOC.

The City of Seal Beach does not use DOCs; Field Command Posts will be overseen by the citywide EOC (if activated). The Orange County Fire Authority, which provides fire services to the community, does have its own DOC, located at its headquarters in the City of Irvine. The Seal Beach EOC may need to coordinate with the Orange County Fire Authority DOC in some emergency situations.

4.11. Action Plans
Action plans are intended to provide specific operational protocols for various emergency situations, supplementing the information in this EOP and related documents. These plans are important ways to identify priorities and objectives for emergency response and recovery efforts.

4.11.1. Incident Action Plan
An Incident Action Plan (IAP) is the document that lays out the policies and tactics for field-level responders. It is written in the initial period following the disaster and mobilization of appropriate staff and is revised frequently (usually at least once every operational period) to continue to provide consistent and up-to-date guidance for field personnel. The IAP outlines the goals (“control objectives” in NIMS parlance) of the emergency response, the objectives of the operational period, and the response strategy as defined by the Field Incident Commanders. The IAP should outline the tactics needed to achieve these goals while operating within the parameters of the ERO and any overall strategy frameworks. The IAP is also useful for distributing key information about the emergency and response activities, including the status of available personnel and equipment.

When field personnel respond to a disaster, the Field Incident Commander or members of the UC will establish multiple IAPs for each type of incident. For example, damaged and collapsed buildings will have their own IAP, while ruptured hazardous waste storage containers will have a separate IAP. This allows tactical response staff to focus on the protocols to carry out their specific assignments. If the situation requires activation of the local-level EOC, the EOC Operations Section will establish guidelines for how IAPs should be created. In some instance, the EOC Operations Section will divide the affected area into geographic divisions (or into Area Commands or Unified Area Commands in instances where multiple agencies have jurisdictional control over the emergency) and establish an IAP for each functional area. All IAPs, regardless of how they are guided and organized by the EOC Operations City of Seal Beach
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Section, should be coordinated with the EOC Action Plan to ensure that both documents reflect similar goals and objectives.

All IAPs should consider including the following items as appropriate to the emergency:
• The goal of the incident response should be the desired status at the end of response operations.
• The objectives of the incident response for the operational period in question, which should contribute toward achieving the goal.
• The response strategies, including priorities and tactics, to accomplish the objectives. • An organization list that shows primary roles and responsibilities, consistent with the ERO framework as established by ICS/SEMS/NIMS.
• An assignment list that shows specific tasks for personnel and resources. • Updates and assessments of all critical situations.
• A status update of all personnel and resources.
• A health and safety plan to reduce the risk of injury or illness among emergency response personnel, and a medical plan to describe how to provide medical care to emergency response personnel if necessary.
• A communication plan to outline how field-level staff should exchange information, including with individuals in a higher ERO level.
• A logistics plan.
• A clearly understandable map of the incident scene.

4.11.2. EOC Action Plans
An EOC Action Plan is a document that describes the policies and tactics used by EOC staffers for local or higher-level EROs. Like the IAP, it is written in response to a disaster situation after the EOC has been mobilized and is updated on a regular basis. The EOC Action Plan identifies the objectives of the EOC, and the actions needed to achieve them, and helps monitor and measure the achievement of objectives and overall performance. An EOC Action Plan also includes documentation of priorities and lists of assigned tasks, personnel, and other resources. They should be sufficiently detailed to guide EOC staff and groups through the process of implementing the actions they include.

Depending on the structure of the ERO (e.g., which levels have been activated), an EOC Action Plan may serve as the overall action plan for the incident. For example, if a local-level EOC has been activated but the OA EOC is not, the local-level EOC Action Plan will guide the overall emergency response. Alternatively, if a higher-level ERO has been activated, the higher-level EOC may have its own EOC Action Plan, and all lower-level EOCs will develop EOC Action Plans that are specifically relevant to their own obligations.

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EOC Action Plans are developed for operational periods, which usually span 12 to 24 hours, although the duration of the operational period is determined by the set of actions to be performed within the period and what is a reasonable time frame for accomplishing these actions. The first version of an EOC Action Plan may be limited to a well-prepared outline or may be delivered as an oral briefing, with subsequent versions taking the form of a more traditional plan document.

The process for initially developing an EOC Action Plan and revising it for subsequent operational periods is as follows:

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Incident or
Threat
Notification
Initial Response
and Assessment
Incident
Briefing
EOC Policy
Meeting
Tactics Meeting
Prepare for
Planning
Meeting
Planning
Meeting
EOC Action Plan
Preparation and
Approval
Operations
Briefing
Execute Plan and
Assess Progress
New Operational Period
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In accordance with the process and standards in ICS/SEMS/NIMS, EOC Action Plans are developed and updated at planning meetings to incorporate the best available information at the time. These planning meetings should involve the EOC Director, the other four Section Coordinators, the three Command Staff members, the EOC XO, other members of the Policy Unit not already included, and other Agency Representatives as needed. The Planning Section of the EOC is responsible for developing the EOC Action Plan following this meeting, and for facilitating the planning meetings. During the planning meeting, all participants will develop the plan collectively.

There are four desired outcomes from the EOC Action Plan planning meetings and associated process:
• Current information that accurately describes the incident situation and resource status. • Predictions of the probable course of events.
• Alternative scenarios to attain critical incident objectives. • An accurate and realistic EOC Action Plan for the next operational period.

4.12. Government Continuity
During an emergency, it is imperative that the local government of Seal Beach continue to function to the greatest extent possible. Not only does this maintain an established hierarchy of authority that supports the local ERO, but it allows normal government services to resume more easily. However, a major disaster may lead to the death or incapacitation of multiple local government officials, the damage or destruction of key government facilities, and/or the loss of records that are essential to continue normal government operations.

4.12.1. Order of Succession
A key part of government continuity is ensuring that there are alternate officials authorized to carry out emergency actions if the usual officials are unable to carry out their duties. This includes elected officials, such as City Council members, and appointed and hired staff.

4.12.1.1. Elected Officials
Governing bodies, such as the Seal Beach City Council, are authorized to establish standby individuals to serve in their stead, if necessary, under the provisions of the California Emergency Services Act (Article 15, Section 8368). Each member of the governing body may establish three standbys for each member. When selecting these standbys, the California Emergency Services Act says that considerations for standby officers should consider the individual’s place of residence and work, but that standby officers can be residents of a jurisdiction other than the one wherein they have been selected as a standby.

If all normal members of a governing body are unavailable, and there are not enough standby members available for a quorum to conduct government business, the California Emergency Services Act says that temporary officers shall be appointed, following a prescribed order. For Seal Beach, these temporary officers shall be appointed by the chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. If the chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors is unable to appoint officers, the chair of the Board of City of Seal Beach
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Supervisors of other counties within 150 miles shall appoint officers, with authority first passing to the chair of the Board of Supervisors of the nearest and most populated, down to the farthest and least populated. The counties within 150 miles of Seal Beach in approximate order by distance and population are given in Table 11.

Table 11. Counties Within 150 Miles of Seal Beach
County Approximate Distance to Seal Beach 2020 Population Los Angeles Less than 1 mile 10,014,009
San Bernardino 23 miles 2,181,654
Riverside 26 miles 2,418,185
San Diego 36 miles 3,298,634
Ventura 44 miles 843,843
Kern 74 miles 909,235
Santa Barbara 90 miles 448,229
San Luis Obispo 112 miles 282,424
Imperial 118 miles 179,702
Tulare 141 miles 473,117
Inyo 141 miles 19,016
If no chair of a Board of Supervisors for a county within 150 miles of Seal Beach can appoint officers, the authority to do so shall pass to the mayor of any city within 150 miles of Seal Beach, beginning with the nearest and most populated, down to the farthest and least populated.

Under the Emergency Services Act, the City Council of Seal Beach must meet as soon as possible if a state of emergency or state of war is declared. The City Council may meet outside of the boundaries of Seal Beach, and the meeting may be called either by the mayor or a majority of members of the City Council. If only one member of the Seal Beach City Council can serve, this staff member may call and hold the meeting, and perform the acts necessary to reconstitute to City Council.

The Emergency Services Act grants governing bodies such as the Seal Beach City Council the following responsibilities in emergency situations:
• To identify damage caused by the disaster to the government, including facilities and personnel. The governing body shall have the power to issue subpoenas as necessary to compel the attendance of a witnesses and the production of records. • To reconstitute the governing body by filling vacancies until there are sufficient members to form the largest quorum required by applicable laws. If there is only a single member of the governing body (either a regular member or a standby officer) able to serve, this staff member shall have the power to reconstitute the governing body. • To appoint qualified people as needed to reconstitute the government. • To continue to carry out its responsibilities to provide services and preserve law and order.

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4.12.1.2. Appointed and Hired Staff
The Emergency Services Act authorizes political subdivisions (including cities) to provide for the succession of any staff members who have duties related to law and order and/or health and safety.

The highest-ranking appointed staff member in Seal Beach is the City Manager, who also serves as the Director of Emergency Services for Seal Beach, and therefore oversees the local ERO and the objectives, strategies, and prioritization of local-level emergency response and recovery operations. If the City Manager is unable to carry out their responsibilities, the alternates for this position (in order) shall serve temporarily in this position until the regular City Manager is able to assume their duties, or until the City Council officially appoints a successor. The order of succession for City Manager is as follows:
• Assistant City Manager
• Chief of Police
• Public Works Director
The order of succession for other City staff members with key responsibilities in the local ERO is as follows:
• Assistant City Manager: (1) Chief of Police, (2) Public Works Director, (3) Finance Director • Chief of Police: (1) Operations Division Captain, (2) Support Division Captain, (3) Operations Division Lieutenant, (4) Support Division Lieutenant
• Public Works Director: (1) Public Works Director (2) Deputy Director of Public Works / City Engineer (3) Deputy Director of Public Works / Maintenance & Utilities (4) Associate Engineer • Community Development Director: (1) Planning Manager, (2) Senior Planner, (3) Associate Engineer
• City Attorney: Successor to be selected by City Manager and confirmed by City Council, either through mutual aid or from the private sector
• Chief Lifeguard: (1) Lifeguard Lieutenant, (2) Lifeguard Supervisor, (3) assignment from Police Department
• Director of Finance: (1) Finance Manager, (2) Support Division Captain of Police Department, (3) successor to be selected by the Director of Emergency Services with support from Policy Unit

4.12.2. Alternate Government Business Sites
If the seat for a local government is destroyed or damaged to the point where it cannot be used, the California Government Code identifies the procedure to allow local governments to designate alternate sites. The governing body (e.g., the City Council) may designate alternate City seats, which may be in or outside of the community boundaries, although the property cannot be purchased explicitly for this purpose. The governing body must adopt a resolution designating the alternate sites as such and file a copy of this resolution with the California Secretary of State.

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The designated alternate sites for the Seal Beach City Hall are shown in Table 12. All alternate sites are in Seal Beach.

Table 12. Alternative Seal Beach City Hall Locations
Rank Facility Name Facility Address
First Seal Beach Police Department 911 Seal Beach Boulevard Second Orange County Fire Authority Station 48 3131 North Gate Road Third Urban Area Mobile Command Post
(MCP)
Mobile facility (stored at Orange County
Fire Authority Station 48)

4.12.3. Government Records
Local governments are responsible for securing vital government records, which serve essential functions. These records include birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and divorce decrees, wills, land and tax records, and articles of incorporation, all of which help to protect the rights and privileges of individuals and businesses. Several other key records, such as utility network maps, locations of emergency supplies and equipment, personnel rosters, and emergency plans such as this EOP, are needed to help conduct emergency response and recovery operations. Additionally, records such as local statutes and ordinances, government charters, court records, and government financial records are critical in reestablishing normal government functions following an emergency.

The Seal Beach Police Department is responsible for maintaining Seal Beach’s vital government records, primarily by using digital copies of records. All vital paper records are entered into a server, located in an off-site location. Data maintained on this server is duplicated in multiple locations for redundancy. The city takes a daily backup of its own computer network, which is stored locally, and a weekly backup copy is stored off-site. All City audio and video recordings are stored locally in the Police Department building, under the stewardship of the Police Department Records Division Supervisor.

The Police Department’s computer network is backed up to a server in the building, and a second copy is made to a server located in City Hall.

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4.13. City Organization
During times of normal operation, the local government of Seal Beach is organized as follows:

Seal Beach does not have its own fire department, but contracts with the Orange County Fire Authority to provide fire services within the community. The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is the contract fire services provider. The OCFA has two fire stations in Seal Beach (Station 44 and 48), each station is supervised by a Fire Captain. The Fire Captains report to a Battalion Chief, who in turn report to a Division Chief. The Division Chief is the head of fire services for the city and reports directly to the City Manager. During emergency situations that call for an activation of the local level ERO, a different organizational structure comes into being, based on the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework. The ERO structure does not overwrite or invalidate the city government structure that exists during normal times, but the normal structure may be disrupted as staff members are given emergency roles, and emergency situations may make multiple staff positions vacant.

4.14. Seal Beach ERO Structure and Responsibilities
The Seal Beach local ERO is organized in accordance with the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework, with some modifications to reflect the needs and preferred structure of the community. This ERO incorporates the ultimate capabilities and staffing potentials of the city. This section describes the local ERO framework, identifies the staff and organizations that fill the roles within the local framework, and describe the responsibilities of each.

In accordance with the ICS/SEMS/NIMS principles of flexibility and modular design, it is only during the most severe of disasters that every position and organizational element of the local ERO will be activated. Instead, the demands of the situation and the appropriate response will determine which staff positions are mobilized. If the local ERO is not fully mobilized, supervisory positions are responsible for performing the functions of the unstaffed subgroups that they oversee. Each supervisory position should only oversee three to seven people (ideally five), as per the ICS/SEMS/NIMS principle of personnel management. Subgroups should be mobilized as needed to maintain this number, with only a single leader of each subgroup reporting to an immediate supervisory position.

City Council
City Manager
Orange County
Fire Authority
Police
Department
Community
Development
Department
Planning and
Development
Division
Building and
Safety Division
Community
Services
Department
Finance
Department
Public Works
Department
Engineering and
Administration
Division
Maintenance
Operations
Division
Marine Safety
and Lifeguard
Department
City Clerk City Attorney
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Any group within a section, including the branches, groups, and units, may be a single individual or a group of individuals. The City will mobilize any group Leaders as their services are needed; if the Leader needs assistance from additional staff or from subgroups under their authority, they shall inform the Section Coordinator, who may choose to mobilize additional personnel. The Leader shall be responsible for selecting the appropriate staff and designating an area for them to work.

4.14.1. Management Section
The Management Section of Seal Beach’s ERO comprises the Director of Emergency Services, the EOC XO, and various other positions and subgroups. These other positions include the Command Staff, three members with special responsibilities that are not included elsewhere in the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework. Additional Management Section staff may be necessary depending on the nature of the incident or any specific requirements established by the Director of Emergency Services and/or the EOC XO. The Management Section of Seal Beach’s ERO, when fully mobilized, is as follows (other sections are added in gray for context):

4.14.1.1. Director of Emergency Services/EOC Director
The Director of Emergency Services oversees the City’s ERO, with responsibility for overall emergency management policy and coordination. This staff member has the authority to direct all City ERO activity and staff and manages the coordination of all City response efforts.

Director of
Emergency
Services
EOC Director
EOC Executive
Officer
Operations
Section Planning Section Logistics Section Finance Section Public
Information
Officer
Safety Officer
Liaison Officer Legal Officer
Policy Unit
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In Seal Beach, the responsibilities and powers of the Director of Emergency Services are specifically spelled out in Title 3, Chapter 25, Section 020 of the Seal Beach Municipal Code. This individual has the following duties. Note that these responsibilities only apply to the Director of Emergency Services, and do not apply to a Field Incident Commander:
• To request that the City Council proclaim a local emergency condition if the Council is in session.
• To proclaim a local emergency condition if the Council is not in session. Any proclamation issued by the Director of Emergency Services must be ratified by the City Council within seven days, or it becomes null and void.
• To request that the governor proclaim a state of emergency if an emergency condition requires a response that exceeds the capacity of locally available resources. • To direct efforts of the City’s emergency response organization. • To represent Seal Beach in dealings related to the emergency. • To designate an order of succession for himself or herself if this staff member is unavailable or unable to carry out the responsibilities of the Director of Emergency Services. This order of succession must be ratified by the City Council.

In the event of a proclaimed local emergency, state of emergency, or state of war emergency, the Director of Emergency Services also has the following authority. As with the above duties, these responsibilities only apply to the head of the local ERO and not the field level:
• To issue emergency regulations to protect life and property as needed, which shall be confirmed or repealed by the City Council at the earliest possible time. • To obtain vital supplies and equipment needed for emergency response operations. These supplies and equipment shall be obtained at fair market value but may be commandeered if necessary.
• To command the aid of the citizens of Seal Beach to assist with response activities, in the event of a state of emergency or a state of war emergency. A local emergency proclamation, on its own, does not grant the Director of Emergency Services this power. • To requisition necessary personnel and resources from any City department.

The Director of Emergency Services may also appoint Assistant Directors, who are responsible for developing emergency plans and managing emergency programs. As part of the Director of Emergency Services’ role in directing the City’s ERO, this staff member chairs the Policy Unit and is the vice chair of the City’s Disaster Council.

As the head of the Management Section of the local ERO, Seal Beach’s Director of Emergency Services is also officially the EOC Director. It is important to note the distinction between the two roles: the Director of Emergency Services is responsible for the overall management and direction of the City’s City of Seal Beach
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ERO and the EOC facility (the physical structure). while the EOC Director manages the EOC facility and supervises the staff assigned to it upon activation. In some instances, the two roles may be filled simultaneously by the same individual. However, as the EOC Director must spend most or all their time stationed at the EOC facility and the Director of Emergency Services often has other responsibilities elsewhere, it is not feasible for the Director of Emergency Services to always act as the EOC Director, particularly during a long-term emergency. When the Director of Emergency Services is not acting as the EOC Director, this staff member shall appoint someone to serve as the EOC Director. If the EOC Director is a distinct position, this staff member shall answer to the Director of Emergency Services.

In Seal Beach, the role of the Director of Emergency Services is filled by the City Manager. If the City Manager is unavailable or unable to assume this role, the Assistant City Manager shall assume the role of City Manager, and by extension become the Director of Emergency Services. If neither the City Manager nor the Assistant City Manager can act in this capacity, the Chief of the Seal Beach Police Department shall serve in this position. There is no officially assigned EOC Director; the Director of Emergency Services will appoint a position to fill this role if the Director of Emergency Services is unable to fulfill it.

4.14.1.2. Policy Unit
Seal Beach’s Policy Unit is composed of high-level decision-makers: the City Attorney and the community’s elected officials (the five City Council members). Collectively this body sets direction on policies and direction, making recommendations to the Director of Emergency Services and other decision-makers. The Policy Unit does not have any authority to establish and implement decisions on its own, as it is strictly an advisory body. Policy Unit meetings are convened by the Director of Emergency Services as needed. (Note that the City Attorney has an additional role to play in the City’s ERO as the Legal Officer).

There are 12 duties of the Seal Beach Policy Unit, which are as follows:
• If the City Council lacks a quorum, recommend the appointment of specific individuals to fill vacant positions.
• Recommending individuals to fill any vacant department head positions. • Providing policy guidelines for emergency response activities within the affected area and for coordination with the Orange County OA.
• Helping to identify if the response needs of the emergency exceed the capabilities of Seal Beach’s ERO, and therefore if mutual aid is needed.
• Helping to identify if the situation in Seal Beach requires a proclamation of local emergency and publicizing any such proclamation that may be issued.
• Developing emergency curfew laws as needed.
• Drafting regulations and policies related to any emergency expenditures of City funds.

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• Working with the Public Information Officer to help facilitate coordination with media organizations.
• Working with the Public Information Officer or Liaison Officer to help brief elected officials and state and federal agencies.
• Working with the Planning Section to assess public needs. • Reviewing and discussing other policy issues that come before it.

4.14.1.3. EOC Executive Officer
Seal Beach’s EOC XO is responsible for developing strategic objectives and response strategies for the City’s ERO, and for implementing response measures. The EOC XO has full responsibility for the City’s response efforts, but the ultimate legal authority and obligation lie with the Director of Emergency Services, and command of the EOC and its staff is the responsibility of the EOC Director. The EOC XO also receives advice from the Policy Unit as needed. Seal Beach’s EOC XO has the following duties:
• Directing all Seal Beach municipal departments and resources in emergency response and recovery operations.
• Approving the IAP and ensuring that all requests for action are completed. • Overseeing the General Staff and Command Staff and ensuring that they are completing their mission objectives. The EOC XO’s direct supervisory role may be limited to liaisons of the General Staff and Command Staff in some instances.
• Directing field operations, through the established ERO chain of command. • Making operational plans and policies and establishing operational priorities. • Making executive decisions regarding orders, rules, and regulations in council with the Policy Unit, and as approved and validated by the Director of Emergency Services.

The type of emergency incident determines which City staffer fills the role of EOC XO, as the head of the lead department during a disaster will generally be the EOC XO (for example, if the disaster is mostly within the purview of the Public Works Department, the Public Works Director will serve as EOC XO). The City will establish a UC if multiple City departments are involved in the response without any one department having a clear lead in responsibilities. The table below identifies the staff assigned to be the EOC XO for different types of emergencies in Seal Beach, or whether a UC should be used. If the situation requires a UC, Table 13 identifies the Seal Beach staff members who should be involved.

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Table 13. EOC XO Assignment
Emergency Scenario Unified
Command
Chief of
Police
Division Chief/
Battalion
Commander
Public
Works
Director
Chief
Lifeguard
Flooding and coastline
disturbances
  
Earthquakes and
liquefaction
   
Tsunamis    
Fire, explosion, and gas
pipeline hazards

Tornadoes, waterspouts,
and wind events
 
Aircraft accidents   
Marine oil spills 
War, nuclear accidents,
and terrorism
  
Cyber attacks
Hazardous chemical spills 
Riots and civil disturbances 
Pandemic   

4.14.1.4. Public Information Officer
As a member of the Command Staff, the Public Information Officer is responsible for working with members of the public, media organizations, and other jurisdictions, as well as City departments, in providing public information about the disaster. This position is responsible for developing accurate and complete information about the incident’s cause, size, and status. This staff member must also inform people about the resources committed to addressing the situation, and other matters of safety and interest. The Public Information Officer is the ultimate authority for public information in Seal Beach and must create and coordinate the City’s overall public information strategy. The City of Seal Beach during normal operations divides PIO duties amongst the respective departments with the Police Department, Fire Department, City Hall, and Marine Safety having responsibility for their areas of interest. During a disaster or large-scale emergency, PIO representatives would enter a unified media outreach posture to maintain consistent messaging. Seal Beach’s Public Information Officer is the Assistant City Manager or the Police Department PIO. The Police Department has an alternate PIO that may also serve as the City PIO. This staff member and any other staff that this staff member oversees are collectively called the Public Information Unit.

4.14.1.5. Safety Officer
The Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring a safe and secure working environment in the Seal Beach EOC and throughout the local ERO. This staff member inspects for any safety or security-related flaws in the operating environment of the EOC and corrects these flaws as needed. As part of this responsibility, the Safety Officer must make sure that staff working in the EOC is not overly stressed or working overly long hours that may jeopardize their health. This staff member oversees all safety and security for the local ERO, although the EOC is the Safety Officer’s direct responsibility. This staff City of Seal Beach
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position coordinates security for the EOC and any support facilities and reviews the IAP for safety implications. In Seal Beach’s local ERO, the Safety Officer is designated by the Emergency Services Coordinator and is preferably a Police Officer. This staff member and any other staff that this staff member oversees are collectively called the Safety Unit.

4.14.1.6. Liaison Officer
The Liaison Officer is the main point of contact between the Seal Beach ERO and all other agencies that the city works with as part of emergency response and recovery activities. This staff member participates in meetings with representatives from other agencies to share information, improve interagency cooperation and coordination, and help minimize the repetition of effort. The Liaison Officer monitors all coordination to identify existing or potential interagency problems or conflicts and works to minimize or remove these issues. This staff member also establishes and maintains a list of appropriate contacts for other agencies. Representatives from other agencies that the Liaison Officer maintains contact with are known as Agency Representatives.

The Liaison Officer must stay in contact with all members of the Seal Beach General Staff, along with external groups such as the Orange County OA, the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), and FEMA, along with neighboring communities and other organizations as may be required by the emergency. Agency Representatives from these external organizations may be stationed in the EOC during emergency situations to improve coordination. If Seal Beach’s EOC is unable to accommodate all Agency Representatives, the Liaison Officer shall be responsible for deciding which Agency Representatives are allowed access to the EOC. The designated Liaison Officer in Seal Beach’s ERO is the Police Department Emergency Services Coordinator. The alternate Liaison Officer is preferably personnel who have formerly held the position of Emergency Services Coordinator or have worked in the Emergency Services Bureau. Alternatively, the Liaison Officer is designated by the Emergency Services Coordinator. This staff member, any staff they oversee, and all Agency Representatives assigned to the EOC are collectively called the Liaison Unit.

4.14.1.7. Legal Officer
The Legal Officer is an example of a position that is not established by the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework, but which Seal Beach and many other communities have created as a fourth member of the Command Staff. The Legal Officer is responsible for providing the Director of Emergency Services, the EOC Director, and the EOC XO with legal advice during an emergency. This staff member assists in the preparation of any legal documents, including resolutions or proclamations, requests for state assistance, local ordinances, or other documents needed to carry out emergency response activities.

The Legal Officer also maintains legal information, reports, and records about the emergency, and is responsible for initiating and representing the City in any legal proceedings that may be necessary. The City Attorney serves as Seal Beach’s Legal Officer, and this staff member and any staff that they supervise are collectively known as the Legal Unit. If the City Attorney cannot fulfill his or her responsibilities in this role, the City Manager is responsible for selecting a temporary replacement, to be confirmed by the City Council, who will be named City Attorney and by extension the Seal Beach Legal Officer.

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4.14.2. Operations Section
Seal Beach’s Operations Section, headed up by the Operations Section Coordinator, manages and coordinates all EOC-related operational functions, which will vary considerably depending on the operational needs of the situation. The Operations Section is often the most complex of the four sections, as it usually contains multiple subgroups with different geographic and operational parameters as defined by the emergency. Seal Beach’s Operations Section uses a relatively simple structure, with six established branches under the main section, and no preplanned groups, divisions, strike teams, or strike forces. However, the City may reorganize the Operations Section and establish these other groups if needed.

Seal Beach’s Operations Section is organized as follows, with other sections included in gray for context:

4.14.2.1. Operations Section Coordinator
Seal Beach’s Operations Section Coordinator manages and coordinates all operational functions of the City’s EOC, ensuring that all necessary operational functions are activated and appropriately staffed as demanded by the emergency. In Seal Beach’s ERO, the Chief of Police is the designated Operations Section Coordinator. If the Chief of Police is unavailable to serve in this capacity (for example, if the Chief of Police is serving as the EOC XO), they shall designate an Operations Section Coordinator. If the Chief of Police is unable to fulfill his or her responsibilities and cannot name a replacement, the Police Department Operations Division Captain becomes the Chief of Police (and therefore the Operations Section Coordinator), followed by the Support Services Captain. If unavailable, then it is followed by the Operations Lieutenant.

The Shelter Services Branch is responsible for coordinating the City’s tactical response with other agencies providing emergency care and sheltering services to community members. These other agencies may include the Orange County Health Care Agency, the Orange County Social Services Agency, school districts, and nongovernmental organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and faith-based groups. While the Shelter Services Branch generally does not directly manage emergency care and sheltering facilities unless there is no other group able to provide these services, this branch does help to supply volunteers, supplies, and management needs. These responsibilities also include care for animals, often in coordination with Orange County Animal Care Management
Section
Operations
Section
Shelter Services
Branch
Fire Services
Branch
Law Enforcement
Branch
Public Works
Branch
Building Safety
Branch
Marine Safety
Branch
Planning Section Logistics Section Finance Section
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Services and other organizations. The Shelter Services Branch Leader is the Community Services Department Director or the Recreation Manager

4.14.2.2. Fire Services Branch
The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is the contract fire services provider. The OCFA has two fire stations in Seal Beach (Station 44 and 48), and each station is supervised by a Fire Captain. The Fire Captains report to a Battalion Chief, who in turn reports to a Division Chief. The Division Chief is the head of fire services for the city and reports directly to the City Manager.

4.14.2.3. Law Enforcement Branch
The Law Enforcement Branch of the Seal Beach ERO directs the tactical response of the City’s Police Department during emergency situations. It obtains situation reports and works to supply field operations with information and directives developed in the EOC. This branch is responsible for coordinating evacuation efforts in Seal Beach, including drafting and issuing evacuation orders if the situation requires it. The Law Enforcement Branch provides traffic control and emergency notification services, coordinates with other groups in the local ERO, and assists with damage surveys. It identifies procedures for accessing mutual aid and other support, including requests for resource support outside of the established mutual aid systems. The Law Enforcement Branch Coordinator is the Operations Captain of the Seal Beach Police Department or the Support Services Captain. If a Captain is unavailable, then it is followed by the Lieutenant with the highest seniority.

4.14.2.4. Public Works Branch
The Public Works Branch has a wide range of responsibilities related to public facilities and infrastructure during a disaster. This branch’s duties include inspection and repair of infrastructure, debris clearance, and repairing transportation routes. Following a disaster, the Public Works Branch conducts inspections (in coordination with the Building Safety Branch) and begins damage control and repair operations for public facilities and infrastructure, beginning with critical infrastructure and damage that poses a safety hazard. This branch also provides engineering advice and design for repairs, supports external field crews, and requests information from external agencies such as utility companies. The Public Works Branch Leader, with responsibility for coordinating and allocating resources, is the Public Works Director or designee.

4.14.2.5. Building Safety Branch
The Seal Beach Building Safety Branch is responsible for evaluating all buildings and facilities affected by the disaster to determine whether they are safe for entry and/or occupancy. Inspections are a multistep process, beginning with a rapid “windshield” inspection to obtain a quick and high-level understanding of the damage to the community, proceeding to a more thorough inspection of damaged structures to understand the scope of the damage and any safety risks more precisely. As part of these duties, this branch estimates the financial impact of structural damage, which is transmitted to the Orange County OA and used for mutual aid requests. The Building Safety Branch also assists the Orange County Fire Authority with search and rescue operations. The Building Inspector serves as the Building Safety Branch Coordinator The alternate is designated by the Building Inspector and is preferably a Code Enforcement Officer.

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4.14.2.6. Marine Safety Branch
Seal Beach’s Marine Safety Branch is responsible for the safety of coastal areas during a disaster. This branch conducts aquatic search and rescue operations, monitors dangerous and potentially dangerous aquatic environments, and issues evacuation notifications to the beach and other aquatic environments as needed. As part of these responsibilities, the Marine Safety Branch may conduct evacuations from coastal areas as necessary. While the duties of this branch often involve disasters with a risk of drowning or water inundation (e.g., coastal floods and tsunamis), the branch also has a large role in marine oil spills and hazardous chemical spills that impact the aquatic environment. The head of Seal Beach’s Marine Safety Branch is the Chief Lifeguard of the city. If they cannot fill this role, the Lifeguard Lieutenant shall assume this role, followed by Marine Safety Lieutenant, followed by the Marine Safety Officer (MSO). If these two positions are also unavailable, a member of the Seal Beach Police Department will carry out the responsibilities of the Marine Safety Branch Coordinator.

4.14.3. Planning Section
The Planning Section of Seal Beach’s ERO is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information about the nature and severity of the disaster situation in the community, including the extent of the damage. This section monitors the status of the city personnel and resources that can respond to the disaster and identifies current and potential future gaps in the City’s response capabilities. The information collected by the Seal Beach Planning Section is reported to the Orange County OA and higher-level EROs, and is used to inform response decisions, request state and federal financial assistance, and support decisions for short-term and long-term recovery activities.

Seal Beach’s Planning Section is organized as follows (other sections in the Seal Beach ERO are shown in gray for context):

4.14.3.1. Planning Section Coordinator
The Planning Section Coordinator oversees the Planning Section of Seal Beach’s ERO and all its responsibilities. This staff member coordinates the collection of information about the emergency, the forecasts of how the emergency may involve, and the preparation of the EOC Action Plan, the AfterManagement Section
Operations
Section Planning Section
Situation and
Documentation
Unit
Resources
Status Unit
Technical
Specialists Unit
Logistics Section Finance Section
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Action and Corrective Action Report, and the EOC Deactivation Plan. This position also helps identify gaps in available information and works to close these gaps. The Community Development Director serves as Seal Beach’s Planning Section Coordinator. If this staff member is unable to carry out these duties, the Planning Manager is first in the order of succession, followed by the Senior Planner, or his or her designee.

4.14.3.2. Situation and Documentation Unit
The Situation and Documentation Unit in Seal Beach’s ERO is the primary group responsible for collecting information about the emergency, analyzing it, and distributing it to intended recipients. This unit develops status reports about the incident and forecasts about how the situation may change and assists the Planning Section Coordinator to develop the EOC Action Plan and the After-Action and Corrective Action Report. The reports provided by the Situation and Documentation Unit should help provide a high-level picture of the situation, particularly the interaction between multiple events or elements of the same event and should provide information about emerging trends and potential future needs. The forecasts prepared by this unit should be both short-term and long-term. This unit also documents emergency response and recovery efforts to form a complete administrative record, coordinating with other groups in the City’s ERO as needed. The Situation and Documentation Unit Leader is the Community Development Executive Assistant, or a designee selected by the Planning Section Leader.

4.14.3.3. Resources Status Unit
Seal Beach’s Resources Status Unit tracks the status of emergency response personnel and resources deployed in the community, including City personnel and resources and those requested through mutual aid. This unit updates all status boards and status reports, including whether personnel or resources are in use, whether personnel or resources have been taken out of use and why what operational potential currently exists that is not in use, and any unfilled mutual aid requests. The Resources Status Unit collects and maintains information about the status of public facilities and buildings in Seal Beach, often in coordination with the Public Works and Building Safety Branches of the Operations Section. As part of these responsibilities, the Resources Status Unit also monitors the condition of care and shelter facilities, Disaster Recovery Centers, and other community support facilities. The Executive Assistant of the Public Works – Yard serves as the Resources Status Unit Leader. The Alternate is its designee.

4.14.3.4. Technical Specialists Unit
The Technical Specialists Unit is a group within the Planning Section of Seal Beach’s ERO that is activated when the emergency requires the long-term involvement of multiple staff with special skills who are not active elsewhere in the ERO. The members of this unit often hold professional certifications in their field or professions. If there is only a short-term need for these staff, or if a very small number of these staff is needed, these staff will generally be integrated into another established group, frequently the Situation and Documentation Unit. Members of the Technical Specialists Unit usually assist the Planning Section Coordinator in developing EOC Action Plans, although they may also City of Seal Beach
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be deployed to Field Command Posts to assist on-site staff. The Technical Specialists Unit Leader will be selected when the unit is activated, based on which staff members are mobilized.

4.14.4. Logistics Section
The Logistics Section of the Seal Beach ERO is responsible for ensuring that the members of the ERO and the facilities they depend on have the means to carry out their responsibilities, including sufficient personnel, supplies, equipment, and various support services as needed. These needs are varied and may include facilities, transportation, communication, maintenance and fuel for equipment and vehicles, and food and medical services for emergency response staff. This section also supports procurement activities. Although the Logistics Section is responsible for supporting all other sections of the ERO, the focus of this section’s attention is often the Operations Section.

The organization of Seal Beach’s Logistics Section is as follows, with other sections shown in gray for context:

4.14.4.1. Logistics Section Coordinator
As the head of the Logistics Section of the Seal Beach ERO, the Logistics Section Coordinator manages the personnel of the section and their activities to meet the logistical needs of the City’s emergency response operations. This staff member coordinates mutual aid requests with the Logistics Section of the Orange County OA, manages disaster relief supplies, and oversees the Seal Beach Convergent Volunteer Program. The Logistics Section Coordinator also supports the Planning Section Coordinator to develop the EOC Action Plan, the After-Action and Corrective Action Report, and the EOC Deactivation Plan. The Public Works Director serves as the Logistics Section Coordinator for Seal Beach. If the Public Works Director cannot fulfill his or her duties the first designee is the Director of Public Works / Maintenance and Facilities, or its designee.

4.14.4.2. Facilities and Transportation Unit
The Facilities and Transportation Unit is responsible for maintaining City facilities during an emergency, including the EOC and all support facilities. As part of these duties, this unit monitors the status of Management
Section
Operations
Section Planning Section Logistics Section
Facilities and
Transportation
Unit
Human
Resources Unit
Communications
Unit Supply Unit Staging Unit
Check-In Unit Assignment Unit
Finance Section
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these facilities and helps obtain additional facilities needed for Seal Beach’s emergency response operations. The Facilities and Transportation Unit provide sanitation, cleaning, and lighting services to these facilities as needed. This unit maintains Seal Beach’s transportation equipment and fuel and arranges for the pickup/delivery of supplies and the movement of personnel. The Maintenance Service Manager serves as the Facilities and Transportation Unit Leader for Seal Beach. The alternate is the Fleet Maintenance Services Supervisor

4.14.4.3. Human Resources Unit
The Human Resources Unit in Seal Beach’s ERO monitors the availability of emergency response staff and develops staffing assignments and rotation lists for the EOC and City operations. This unit works with City personnel along with mutual aid staff and trained and untrained volunteers (including registered disaster service workers) as well as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

The West Orange County CERT Program is comprised of those who live and/or work in Buena Park, Cypress, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, Westminster, and their attached communities. The West County CERT Program’s primary purpose is to educate people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact them at home, at work, or at play. The initial CERT training covers basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. With this training, CERT members can assist themselves and their families, plus others in their neighborhood or workplace, following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to affected individuals and organize volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of their community.

The Human Resources Unit is also responsible for ensuring that injured staff receives the appropriate medical attention, that any injuries are documented, and that workers’ compensation paperwork is filed and processed appropriately. Seal Beach’s Human Resources Director acts as the Human Resources Unit Leader. The alternate is its designee.

4.14.4.4. Communications Unit
The Communications Unit of the Seal Beach ERO is responsible for the communication equipment and services used by the City’s emergency staff. This unit assigns the equipment, such as radios and mobile phones, and maintains and repairs it to ensure that the equipment is always available if an emergency occurs. Staff in this unit work to install communication equipment in the EOC and other facilities as needed, allocate radio frequencies to emergency response staff, and manage the use and deployment of the Mobile Command Post if needed.

The Communications Unit also coordinates with Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) volunteers. RACES are a public service comprised of dedicated amateur radio operators, also known as HAMS. This group of volunteers provides communication personnel to the City of Seal Beach in times of extraordinary need. RACES. operations are in two basic functions. First, they observe and report on local conditions in their neighborhood during an emergency or disaster. Second, RACES. members are an import member of the Emergency Operations Center; they handle incoming emergency messaging City of Seal Beach
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traffic, operate the Amateur Television, assist with communications at the Incident Command Post, and more.

The Communications Unit Leader in Seal Beach is a representative from the City’s representative to the West Cities Police Communications Center (West-Comm) agency.

4.14.4.5. Supply Unit
The Supply Unit oversees procuring and allocating all supplies and equipment needed for emergency response activities, including volunteered and donated disaster relief supplies. This unit tracks the supplies and equipment that are in and out of use, both for City resources and those obtained through mutual aid. When the staff members in this unit receive and process a request, they must prioritize resources and identify how many are needed, if any personnel are needed to operate the resource in question, and if the operators need any special training. The Supply Unit will maintain lists of all equipment and supplies owned by the city or procured through mutual aid, to be kept in the primary EOC and any alternate EOC facilities. The Supply Unit Leader in Seal Beach is designated by the Public Works Director.

4.14.4.6. Staging Unit
The Staging Unit of the Seal Beach ERO oversees managing operations at the City’s primary staging area. This job involves staffing the primary staging area and ensuring that personnel at the area have the equipment necessary to do their job. The Staging Unit sets up the primary staging area, ensures that communications and other vital services at the site are operational, and addresses transportation needs for the site in coordination with the Facilities and Transportation Unit. Staff in this unit coordinates mutual aid deployed to the primary staging area and may work in the field with mutual aid coordinators as needed. The Staging Unit staff may also establish a base camp for emergency response personnel, in consultation with the Logistics Section Coordinator. There are two subgroups that may be established underneath the Staging Unit: The Check-In Unit and the Assignment Unit. The staff member in charge of the Seal Beach Staging Unit, who is known as the Staging Area Coordinator, is designated by the Public Works Director.

4.14.5. Finance Section
The Finance Section in the Seal Beach ERO provides records on EOC operations and has a duty to maintain all logs and administrative paperwork. It is responsible for recording information related to tracking and repository activities, accounting, cost records on personnel and other resources, auditing, timekeeping, payroll, cost recovery, and payment to vendors and contractors. This section also works to compile and submit information for state and federal disaster reimbursement requests.

The Finance Section of the Seal Beach ERO is organized as follows, with other sections shown in gray for context:

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4.14.5.1. Finance Section Coordinator
The Finance Section Coordinator has the overall responsibility for providing financial and administrative services to the Seal Beach ERO. This staff member ensures that costs are being documented properly and that all staff members assigned to the section are carrying out their responsibilities. This staff member manages the City’s cost recovery efforts and keeps the EOC Director informed on the costs of emergency response and recovery operations. This staff member also helps to prepare the EOC Action Plan, EOC Deactivation Plan, and the After-Action and Corrective Action Report. The Director of Finance serves as Seal Beach’s Finance Section Coordinator. The Finance Manager serves in this capacity if the Director of Finance is unable to do so, followed by the Support Division Captain of the Seal Beach Police Department. If these positions are unable to serve, the Director of Emergency Services shall appoint a successor.

4.14.5.2. Accounting and Cost Unit
Seal Beach’s Accounting and Cost Unit is responsible for tracking costs, including all receipts, contracts, and payments. This unit manages billing, invoice payments, and accounts receivable. Staff in the Accounting and Cost Unit compiles cost records associated with the damage and claims for financial compensation. This unit also develops cost projections for use in budget modification requirements and creates cash flow status reports. The Accounting and Cost Unit Leader is the Finance Manager. The alternate is the City Accountant Payroll and Time Keeping Unit The Payroll and Time Keeping Unit in the Seal Beach ERO is charged with maintaining the payroll and timekeeping documents for all City staff and registered disaster service worker volunteers. As part of these responsibilities, this unit maintains sign-in sheets and staffing lists for all shifts in the EOC and the primary staging area. Staff assigned to this unit is responsible for making sure that payroll activities are being carried out in compliance with all applicable laws, policies, and procedures. The documentation maintained by this unit is used to help compile the After-Action and Corrective Action Report. The Payroll and Time Keeping Unit Leader for Seal Beach is the Senior Account Technician or an alternate Account Technician.

4.14.5.3. Disbursement Unit
The Disbursement Unit is responsible for disbursing City funds in an authorized manner and maintaining a record of all disbursements carried out as part of Seal Beach’s emergency response operations. This unit maintains a list of all personnel who can sign a request for petty cash and confirms Management
Section
Operations
Section Planning Section Logistics Section Finance Section Accounting and
Cost Unit
Payroll and Time
Keeping Unit
Disbursement
Unit
Contracts and
Proclamations
Unit
Purchasing Unit
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disbursement policies and procedures with the Finance Section Coordinator. The Seal Beach Disbursement Unit Leader is the Senior Account Technician or an alternate Account Technician.

4.14.5.4. Contracts and Proclamations Unit
The City Clerk is the Contracts and Proclamations Unit Leader. Their role is to ensure public or official announcements of an important matter are coordinated with the PIO. They also serve to administratively manage any contractual agreements.

4.14.5.5. Purchasing Unit
The Purchasing Unit of Seal Beach’s ERO oversees purchasing supplies, materials, and equipment as needed to support the City’s emergency response and recovery activities. This unit establishes the organizational and operational policies and procedures necessary for purchasing activities in consultation with the Finance Section Coordinator. This unit acts as a centralized procurement body, allowing for easier tracking and coordination. The Account Technician in the Finance Department acts as the Purchasing Unit Leader.

4.15. EOC Activation
Seal Beach’s EOC can be activated either in a top-down or bottom-up process. In a top-down activation, the city receives a notification of a pending or existing emergency and decides that the scope of the emergency response may potentially require the services of the City’s EOC. In a bottom-up EOC activation, field emergency responders arrive on the site of an incident and believe the incident will exceed the capabilities of the City’s normal activities, thus requiring EOC activation and mobilization of the local ERO. Most EOC activations are of the bottom-up variety.

If an emergency situation does occur that may require the activation of the EOC, any or all of the following members of the government may be involved in the decision to activate the EOC; the Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem, City Council members, the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Chief of Police, Police Captains, OCFA Division Chief, OCFA Battalion Chief, etc… EOC activation may be necessary if the emergency situation meets at least one of the following criteria:
• At least two City agencies will need to send staff to respond. • The emergency may overwhelm the City’s emergency response capabilities, requiring mutual aid.
• There is a significant possibility that the emergency may escalate beyond its initial severity. • The response to the incident will require a centralized command center to coordinate activities properly across multiple jurisdictions, agencies, and/or organizations. • Emergency response activities may last longer than eight hours. • The scale of the emergency response operations is likely to be significant.

Additionally, the Seal Beach EOC will be activated automatically, without any deliberation, under the following circumstances:

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• An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.0 occurs within 50 miles of Seal Beach. • The governor proclaims a state of emergency that covers part or all of Seal Beach. • The president declares a national emergency or major disaster for an area including part or all of Seal Beach.
• A state of war emergency is declared for an area covering part or all of Seal Beach. • An attack involving WMDs has occurred and is impacting Seal Beach, or such an attack is imminent.
• The City Manager of Seal Beach orders the EOC to be activated.

Depending on the nature of the emergency, Seal Beach’s EOC may not need to be activated even if other ERO levels activate their EOC or comparable facility. For example, an emergency that affects multiple communities in southern Orange County may lead to the Orange County OA activating its EOC, but Seal Beach may not need to do so.

There are three levels of EOC activation: Level I, Level II, and Level III. These levels follow the standard SEMS protocol/recommendations. In a Level I activation, the lowest level, the EOC facility is opened and stocked in case it is needed, but ERO staff may not be stationed there. If the EOC is staffed, the staffing is likely to be minimal—generally limited to the Director of Emergency Services, the EOC XO, and any necessary General Staff. In a Level II activation, the Command and General Staff are mobilized, along with any other staff positions that the situation may require, but significant portions of the Seal Beach ERO are still not yet activated. A Level III activation is the most widespread EOC activation; most or all personnel and groups within the ERO are mobilized in these instances.

The following are the generally recommended levels of EOC activation for different types of emergencies. However, in all emergency situations for which the EOC is activated, the city should determine what level of EOC activation makes the most sense, even if this does not match the recommendations presented below. The Director of Emergency Services and/or EOC Director will choose the appropriate level of activation, in consultation as necessary with other staff:
• Flooding and Coastline Disturbances: The level of EOC activation shall be based on the situational needs. In severe emergencies, Level III activation may be required. • Earthquakes and Liquefaction: Any degree of EOC activation may be necessary depending on the scope of the damage and any injuries and fatalities. Level III activation is recommended if a significant event occurs.
• Tsunamis: If a tsunami watch is issued, Level II EOC activation is recommended. If Seal Beach falls under a tsunami warning (risk of significant inundation), the EOC should be activated at Level III.
• Fire, Explosion, and Gas Pipeline Hazards: EOC activation is generally necessary if the event causes a significant loss of life, numerous injuries, or extensive property damage. Level II City of Seal Beach
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activation is suggested for large fires or explosions, while Level I activation may be suitable in other instances.
• Tornadoes, Waterspouts, and Wind Events: A Level I EOC activation will generally be sufficient.

If the City needs to provide extensive support, Level II activation may be considered. • Aircraft Accidents: A Level I or Level II activation is generally recommended depending on the size of the damaged area, and the number of injuries and fatalities. • Marine Oil Spills: Marine oil spills are generally addressed through a Unified Command managed by the US Coast Guard, so local communities typically fill more of a support role. In most instances, Level I activation should be sufficient. • War, Nuclear Accidents, and Terrorism: A war or nuclear accident should merit a Level III activation. An incident of terrorism will generally only require EOC activation if it was a large incident, at which point the level of EOC activation will be based on situational needs. • Cyber Attacks: The EOC will likely not be needed for most cyber-attacks. If the EOC is necessary, Level I activation should be sufficient.
• Hazardous Chemical Spills: Coordination will largely occur in the field, among local staff (City and Orange County Fire Authority personnel), and representatives from state and/or federal agencies if necessary (a full Unified Command). Level I activation will generally be sufficient. • Riots and Civil Disturbances: EOC activation is generally only necessary if there is widespread looting and property damage. However, regional rioting may require Level III activation. • Pandemic/Disease Outbreak: EOC activation is generally necessary if the event causes or threatens to cause a significant loss of life or numerous injuries. Level II activation is suggested for a disease with widespread transmission or high mortality rate, while Level I activation may be suitable in other instances.

Regardless of how the Seal Beach EOC is activated and at what level, the city must activate all necessary groups and staff positions within the local ERO as soon as possible. The EOC Director will select the appropriate groups and staff positions, allowing for an effective response to the emergency.

This rapid mobilization also allows Seal Beach to begin any planning and forecasting work to help anticipate any potential impacts from the disaster that have not yet occurred.

4.15.1.1. SEMS vs. NIMS Activation Levels
Understanding that there are differences in Activation Level terminology between SEMS and NIMS, Table 14, provides a comparison for easy understanding and coordination between the two different systems.

Table 14. SEMS vs. NIMS Activation Levels
SEMS SEMS Activation Level NIMS NIMS
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Minimum Staffing Event/Situation SEMS NIMS Event Description Minimum Staffing
• EOC Director
• Planning Section
Coordinator
• Severe Weather Advisory
• Small incidents involving 2
or more departments
• Earthquake Advisory
• Flood Watch
1 3
(Monitor)
• Small incident or
event
• One site
• Two or more agencies
involved
• Potential threat of:
o Flood
o Severe storm
o Interface fire
o Escalating
incident
• EOC Manager
• Public
Information
Officer
• Liaison Officer
• Operations
Section Chief
• EOC Director
• All Section
Coordinators
• Branches and
Units as
appropriate to
situation Liaison
Representatives
as appropriate.
• Moderate Earthquake
• Wildfire affecting
developed area
• Major wind or rainstorm
• Two or more large
incidents involving 2 or
more departments
• Imminent Earthquake
Alert
• Major scheduled event
(such as World Cup, Papal
visit, Olympics, etc.)
2 2
(Partial)
• Moderate event
• Two or more sites
• Several agencies
involved
• Major scheduled event
(e.g., conference or
sporting event)
• Limited evacuations
• Resource support
required
• EOC Manager
• Public
Information
Officer
• Liaison Officer
• Section Chiefs
(as required)
• Limited
activation of
other EOC
staff (as
required)
• All EOC
Positions
• Major city or regional
emergency. Multiple
departments with heavy
resource involvement
• Major earthquake.
3 1
(Full)
• Major event
• Multiple sites
• Regional disaster
• Multiple agencies
involved
• Extensive evacuations
• Resource support
required
• EOC Manager
• Policy Group
• All EOC
functions and
positions (as
required)
Notes:
• Local governments and the operational area should work together to develop consistent activation criteria and levels that are common with the operational area.
• Minimum staffing may vary with the size of the local government.

4.16. Emergency Warning Systems
The alert and warning process involves notifying government agencies and members of the public that there is a threat of extraordinary danger, or that such a condition is imminent. An alert or warning can originate at any level of the government, depending on the nature of the threat and the population group at risk. An alert (sometimes called a “watch”) is a notification that there is an elevated risk of a dangerous condition, whereas a warning is a notification that dangerous conditions exist or are imminent. For example, a flood alert or watch means that there is a reasonable risk that a flood emergency may develop, while a flood warning means that flood conditions have already occurred or that a flood emergency is imminent.

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4.16.1. Alert and Warning Phases
To save lives and property, it is critical to disseminate notifications in a timely fashion. Local governments such as Seal Beach are responsible for distributing these notifications, often in compliance with other agencies, through a control system that is always staffed. There are three sequential phases to issuing a public notice of emergency conditions:
• In the Monitoring phase, the government monitors events (existing and developing/potential) to identify threats that may have impacts within its jurisdiction. • In the Notification phase, the government will notify key officials and emergency response personnel. This phase is reached if emergency conditions within the jurisdiction have developed, or if such conditions are imminent. The EOC may be activated at this point. • In the Alert and Warning phase, officials will publicly distribute the notification. If the notification is a warning, government staff will take action to protect people, the environment, and public and private resources.

4.16.2. Alert and Warning Systems
A few federal, state, regional, and local systems are in place to distribute alerts and warnings to members of the Seal Beach community.

4.16.2.1. National Terrorism Advisory System
The National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) was implemented by the Department of Homeland Security in April 2011, replacing the earlier color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System. NTAS is intended to effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to members of the public, government agencies, emergency responders, and key stakeholders. In conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts, Orange County has created the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center to further assess potential and viable threats to Orange County, and to communicate these threats to local law enforcement and related agencies.

There are two levels of alerts under NTAS. In an Elevated Threat alert, there is a credible terrorist threat. In an Imminent Threat alert, the threat is credible, specific, and believed to be impending.

Unlike the earlier Homeland Security Advisory System, which was always at some level of alert or warning, NTAS is only active when one of the two types of alerts has been issued. All NTAS alerts expire at a specific date, although the alert may be extended or cancelled early if new information becomes available.

4.16.2.2. Emergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national public notification system for AM and FM radio stations, broadcast and cable television stations, and satellite radio and television providers. It can provide communications capability to the president to address members of the public during a national emergency, or it may be used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information such as AMBER Alerts or weather information targeted to a specific area. The president City of Seal Beach
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has sole authority for determining when to activate the EAS at the national level and has delegated this authority to the director of FEMA. FEMA is responsible for the implementation of national-level EAS notifications, tests, and exercises. Other federal agencies are also involved, including the National Weather Service, which develops emergency weather information to alert the public of dangerous weather conditions. The Federal Communication Commission establishes technical standards for EAS, procedures for participants to follow if the system is activated, and EAS testing protocols; it is also responsible for ensuring that state and local EAS plans conform to federal rules and regulations.

Participation in EAS is voluntary, although if a presidential message is transmitted, stations must carry the message or go off the air.

Each state has been divided into several EAS operational areas, consisting of one or more counties within the radio reception range of EAS stations in the area. There are 23 local EAS areas in California.

One station within each area assumes the function of the local primary broadcast station, designated LP-1. If the LP-1 station is unable to carry out this function, a designated alternate station (LP-2) assumes this responsibility. In Orange County, LP-1 is radio station KWVE 107.9 FM. Control One, the central site of operations for the Countywide Coordinated Communications System located at the Orange County OA’s Loma Ridge facility (the same site as the Orange County OA EOC), is Orange County’s LP-2.

All requests to activate the countywide EAS must be submitted to Control One, which will activate the system for emergency events and other conditions that are of concern to a significant portion of Orange County community members. The following individuals can authorize the activation of the countywide EAS in Orange County:
• The Orange County Director of Emergency Services.
• The sheriff-coroner or a watch commander of the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department. • The fire chief, a division chief, or battalion chief, of the Orange County Fire Authority. • The California Highway Patrol (only in the event of a multijurisdictional child abduction alert, including statewide events).
• Authorized staff of previously designated Orange County agencies, including the Health Care Agency and the Public Works Department.
• Authorized officials of Orange County incorporated communities, including city managers, chiefs of police, watch commanders, fire chiefs, or battalion chiefs. • Authorized representatives of the National Weather Service.

4.16.2.3. National Warning System
The National Warning System (NAWAS) is a dedicated, wired phone system that allows for communication between a federal center and state and local warning points. NAWAS allows for three types of warning: natural and technological emergency warning (any sort of natural disaster or humanrelated emergency situations, including aircraft crashes, errant domestic missile launches, explosions, City of Seal Beach
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hazardous chemical spills, nuclear accidents, and reentering space debris), attack warning (a missile launch, whether intentional or domestic, against the US, has occurred or is impending), or fallout warning (there is a threat of radiation exposure from radioactive fallout resulting from a nuclear detonation, nuclear and/or radioactive accidents, and/or terrorism). NAWAS is tested three times a day.

FEMA has established specific protocols and procedures for using the system. Local governments are encouraged to use NAWAS for official business when it is not in use for emergency purposes.

4.16.2.4. National Weather Service
The National Weather Service continuously transmits weather information nationwide on designated frequencies. These frequencies can also be used to transmit emergency information for both weatherand non-weather-related hazards. Members of the public can purchase radio devices that can receive these transmissions. 162.45 MHz is the National Weather Service radio frequency for Orange County.

4.16.2.5. AlertOC
AlertOC is a public notification system to distribute emergency information to Orange County community members using telephone messages, text messages, and e-mail. All landline telephone numbers in Orange County are automatically registered with AlertOC, while all others must register with the system through a website or by mail. Users can elect to receive messages for all of Orange County, or only those which affect their specific community. Seal Beach and most other Orange County cities participate in AlertOC, although other cities may have their own systems to supplement the countywide network. Individual communities may elect to use AlertOC to distribute non-emergency information. Monthly and annual tests are conducted to ensure proper working order.

4.16.2.6. Website and social media
Seal Beach may post information about an emergency on the city website (www.sealbeachca.gov), which is accessible from any Internet-connected device (computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.). In addition to text information, these postings may include graphics (photos, diagrams, maps, etc.), videos and animation, and links to additional content. Multiple City agencies, including the Police Department, Lifeguards/Marine Safety, Public Works, and the Community Services Department, have a presence on social media systems including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All of these can also be used to distribute information rapidly. Additionally, the Police Department Official website can be found at www.SealBeachPD.com.

4.16.2.7. NIXLE
NIXLE is a private system that allows community members to receive emergency notifications and nonemergency community information from various agencies and services. The Seal Beach Police Department distributes notifications through NIXLE, as do some other regional agencies. Community members can sign up for NIXLE through an online system, and may receive notifications by e-mail, home and/or cellular phone, and text message. NIXLE messages have the option to relay the same messages to Facebook and Twitter.

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4.16.2.8. Dam Notification Procedure
In the event of an incident at Prado Dam or any other dam-related incident that may affect Orange County, Control One will immediately send out notifications through radio, telephone, and the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System in accordance with established procedures.

These notifications can be received by members of the public, law enforcement, fire services, hospitals, and other public safety agencies. Dam incident notifications will also be distributed through the EAS and National Weather Service notification systems.

4.16.2.9. Tsunami Notification Procedure
If a tsunami occurs with the potential to affect Seal Beach or other coastal Orange County communities, or if there is an elevated risk of such a tsunami, Control One will immediately broadcast a notification in accordance with the established procedure. Control One will use radio, telephone, and the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to alert members of the public, law enforcement, fire, lifeguards and marine safety, hospitals, and other public safety agencies. This information will also be distributed through the EAS and National Weather Service. Tsunami notifications for California originate at the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska. There are four types of tsunami notifications, as follows:
• Tsunami Information Statement: This informs emergency management officials and members of the public that an earthquake or other incident capable of generating a tsunami has occurred, and that a tsunami watch, advisory, or warning has been issued for another coastal area. The area covered by a tsunami information statement does not face any threat of destructive tsunami events; this notification is for informative purposes and to prevent unnecessary preparatory activities (e.g., evacuations). • Tsunami Watch: This informs emergency management individuals and members of the public that an event has occurred which may create a tsunami capable of affecting the covered area. A tsunami watch is used as a preliminary notification that dangerous conditions may develop.

Local communities may need to take preparatory activities or prepare for emergency response operations.
• Tsunami Advisory: This informs emergency management individuals and members of the public that a tsunami has occurred, or that such an event is imminent or expected. Areas under a tsunami advisory are not expected to see significant inundation (maximum of 3.3 feet), but there is a risk of strong currents or dangerous waves for those in and very near the water. Local officials may close beaches and evacuate harbors if a tsunami advisory is issued. • Tsunami Warning: This informs emergency management individuals and members of the public that a tsunami capable of creating widespread inundation has occurred, or that such an event is imminent or expected. Local officials may choose to evacuate low-lying areas during a tsunami warning.

Tsunami notifications may be upgraded, downgraded, or canceled as new information becomes available. This is particularly true for a tsunami watch, which is generally upgraded to an advisory or City of Seal Beach
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warning if a tsunami develops or canceled if not. Seal Beach meets the standard for public notification and evacuation in the Tsunami Ready program established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The city models its tsunami evacuation plan on the State of California “Tsunami Evacuation Playbook” which was developed by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the California Geological Survey. This playbook provides guidelines for evacuation in the event of a tsunami event. While this playbook will inform decision-makers and policymakers, it is not a binding document. The city also has a “tsunami evacuation playbook” which provides additional detail about the potential tsunami scenarios which may affect Seal Beach, including the areas that should be evacuated in the event of different heights of tsunamis.

4.17. Pre-Disaster Activities
In some instances, the City may receive advance notice that a disaster is approaching, or at minimum, notification that conditions are suitable for emergency situations to develop. Disasters for which the city may receive advance notice include flooding and coastline disturbances, tsunamis, tornadoes/ waterspouts/wind events, and marine oil spills. In these instances, the city can take action to minimize the effects of the event before it arrives. Such actions can include the following:
• Ensuring that mobile units (e.g., police vehicles, lifeguard trucks) are sufficiently stocked with traffic control devices, first aid kids, repair tools, communication devices, and other needs. • Closing or placing warning notifications in areas that are likely to be affected by the disaster, such as closing the beach if a marine oil spill has occurred. • Checking infrastructure that can reduce the impacts of the disaster to make sure it is fully functional, such as removing debris from storm drains to minimize flooding opportunities. • Providing community members with supplies to help reduce damage to private property, such as sandbags.
• Identifying conditions in the community that may create or exacerbate hazards if an emergency develops and working with property owners to reduce the risk.

It is also possible that the city may receive advance warning when an earthquake occurs; telecommunications signals travel substantially faster than seismic waves, so if an earthquake occurs a sufficiently far distance away the city may receive notice of the earthquake before the shaking begins in Seal Beach. However, earthquake waves travel extremely fast (the waves that do most of the damage can travel as fast as approximately 130 miles per second), so any warning of an imminent earthquake may only be enough time for personnel to stop their activities and take immediate shelter.

4.18. Evacuation Plans
The Seal Beach Evacuation Plan provides guidance for the evacuation and relocation operations of an affected population, typically involving 50 individuals or more, within the City of Seal Beach during an emergency event, including natural disasters, homeland security emergencies, and technical fault incidents. The Plan addresses the City department roles and responsibilities as well as the alert and City of Seal Beach
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warning systems that should be utilized to notify the affected population. The plan also outlines specific evacuation zones based on historical incidents and evacuation routes. Temporary Evacuation Points (TEPs) and shelters for evacuated populations are addressed as well as repopulation planning. The Evacuation Plan is attached as an addendum to this EOP.

A TsunamiReady community is a certification granted by the National Weather Service to communities that are vulnerable to tsunamis and have taken steps to prepare for a tsunami. The city has designated tsunami evacuation routes that are identified by signage. These routes lead away from the Pacific Ocean inland and to higher ground. The roads and thoroughfares throughout the city are ADAcompliant.

The City of Seal Beach, attending to all community needs, strives to comply with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). This need became evident after significant challenges surfaced following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and, even more so, Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The city must ensure that disaster planning, response, and recovery take into consideration the citizens highlighted in the ADA. Seventy percent of those who died in Hurricane Katrina were over 60 years of age.

Disaster response to citizens in need will be initiated with impartiality. The City of Seal Beach will depend on and coordinate with the American Red Cross. According to the 1996 Statement of Operational Relationship between the Department of Social Services and the American Red Cross, the Red Cross will make every effort possible to select shelter sites that are accessible for citizens with functional needs and work to include compensatory equipment in their shelter design. Furthermore, the American Red Cross will provide shelter residents who have functional needs with appropriate literature and, through their human relations liaisons, will ensure that the needs of their clients are being met in accordance with the ADA. The City of Seal Beach will work closely with the American Red Cross, the Orange County Department of Social Services, and the Department of Rehabilitation to ensure that other response and recovery needs, such as food, transportation, and communication, are appropriately addressed.

July 26, 2004, Federal Register (Volume 69, Number 142), Part II and The President Executive Order 13347 of July 22, 2004, Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, discuss disasters and people with disability access and functional needs.

In an emergency, the City of Seal Beach will make every effort possible to deal with all its citizens’ needs. In the initial hours of a disaster, there may be a shortage of resources and priorities will be on lifesaving operations, not care and sheltering. It may, therefore, take some time to deal with every individual in need.

The Seal Beach tsunami evacuation playbook provides generalized evacuation information for varying types of tsunamis, based on the size of the event that creates the tsunami and the travel time between the event location and the city. It includes protocols for obtaining and recording information on City of Seal Beach
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tsunamis and identifies potential tsunami heights and travel times based on different types of events.

The evacuation playbook identifies four types of scenarios:
• Phase 1 – A tsunami advisory has been issued: Beaches, piers, and harbors (including boats in the harbors) should be evacuated. Be prepared for strong currents and potential scouring of coastal channels.
• Phase 2 – A tsunami warning has been issued, with a height of no more than 5 feet. Evacuate the portion of downtown bordered by Electric Avenue on the south, 12th Street to the west, the Pacific Coast Highway to the north, and Seal Beach Boulevard to the east. Also, evacuate the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, beaches, piers, and harbors. Prepare for strong currents and potential scouring of coastal channels.
• Phase 3 – A tsunami warning has been issued, with a height between 5 feet and 11.5 feet.

Evacuate all areas south of the Pacific Coast Highway, the neighborhood south of Marlin Avenue, and the shopping center at the intersection of Bolsa Avenue and Balboa Drive. • Maximum Phase – A tsunami warning has been issued for a tsunami greater than 11.5 feet.

Evacuate all areas south of the Pacific Coast Highway, the neighborhood south of Marlin Avenue, and the shopping center at the intersection of Bolsa Avenue and Balboa Drive.

4.19. Emergency Shelters
If community members are displaced by emergency situations, shelters will be established to provide a temporary place to stay. These shelters are usually operated by the American Red Cross or various nongovernmental organizations, with support from the Shelter Services Branch of the Seal Beach locallevel ERO (this branch can temporarily operate shelters if no other agency is available to do so).

There are five designated facilities which can serve as shelters for Seal Beach community members, all of which belong to the Los Alamitos Unified School District. Note that four of these five sites are not located within Seal Beach itself. These facilities are shown in Table 15.

Table 15. Seal Beach Designated Shelter Sites
Name Address Phone Number
Laurel High School 10291 Bloomfield Street, Los Alamitos (562) 799-7820 Los Alamitos High School 3591 Cerritos Avenue, Los Alamitos (562) 799-4780 McAuliffe Middle School 4112 Cerritos Avenue, Los Alamitos (714) 816-3320 McGaugh Middle School 1698 Bolsa Avenue, Seal Beach (562) 799-7560 Oak Middle School 10821 Oak Street, Los Alamitos (562) 799-4740 Additionally, there are other facilities in Seal Beach that have not been formally designated as emergency shelters but could serve in such a capacity if needed. Some of the facilities which have been identified as such by the city are shown in Table 16.

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Table 16. Alternative Seal Beach Shelter Sites
Name Address
Grace Community Church 138 8th Street
St Anne’s Catholic Church 318 10th Street
Leisure World Community Church 14000 Church Place
Redeemer Lutheran Church 13562 Saint Andrews Drive
The designated and potential shelters for Seal Beach community members comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to varying degrees.

4.20. Municipal Staff Communication

4.20.1. Staff Contact and Reporting
If an emergency occurs during normal work hours, including a potential or imminent situation, all City employees (regardless of whether they have been assigned a position in an ERO) should contact their immediate supervisor. Staff in the field should return to the office as soon as possible to await instructions. Personnel who are assigned to the EOC should report immediately to that facility or any other pre-assigned location, noting that the EOC may be in one of the alternate sites. Staff members who are unsure of where to report should contact the EOC. All staff should tend to personal or family needs before reporting.

Any EOC staff member who becomes aware of an incident that may warrant the activation of Seal Beach’s EOC but has not yet received an activation notification should try to determine if the EOC has been activated. This should be done by contacting the EOC facility by telephone or by monitoring the local EAS broadcasts. Staff may also be notified by the AlertOC system. If the staff member cannot confirm if the City’s EOC is active, but reports indicate extensive damage to Seal Beach or surrounding communities, they should report to any available City of Seal Beach facility.

If a major disaster occurs, City staff traveling into Seal Beach from outside of the community may be requested by law enforcement to show their city identification and explain the purpose of gaining entry to Seal Beach. Identification is also necessary to access the EOC and may be required to obtain services at or to gain access to other City facilities. As a result, City of Seal Beach employees should carry their city-issued identification whenever they are on duty. The City EOC may issue temporary identification to individuals without City identification who warrant any special credentials.

4.20.2. Communication Systems

4.20.2.1. Local Communication Systems
The primary locally operated communication system for City staff is the City’s telephone network. The phone lines in the EOC are digital lines that operate on a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). There are ten of these lines in the EOC. Many City staff members carry cellular phones, including official devices issued by the City and/or their personal devices. These cellular phones can supplement or replace hard-wired telephones for staff stationed in the EOC if the landline network is not operating or is over capacity and may also be used to communicate with staff in the field. The city maintains an City of Seal Beach
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amateur radio (ham radio) communications network, staffed by volunteers with the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES). The primary RACES system is located at the Police Department building, while a backup system is located at the Orange County Fire Authority Station 48. The City’s Marine Safety and Lifeguard Department has a very high frequency (VHF) radio network and a separate Long Range Acoustic Device (L-RAD), which allows users to broadcast voice messages over a larger area than normal loudspeakers allow. The Seal Beach Public Works Department also maintains its own VHF radio network.

City staff has access to data communication systems, which can supplement voice networks or replace them as necessary. E-mail is the most common data communication technology, and allows for the exchange of documents, images, and other information not easily transmitted through voice systems (in addition to text). All Seal Beach staff members have a city e-mail address, and many may have one or more personal e-mail addresses if the city system cannot be used. Staff members can increasingly check their e-mail from multiple sources, including mobile Internet-connected devices. However, the sender should confirm that the intended recipient is actively monitoring e-mail before sending messages in an emergency, and critical information should never be exchanged by e-mail unless the sender is certain that the intended recipient is receiving the messages in a timely manner. Seal Beach staff may also communicate using facsimile (fax) machines, which allows users to send copies of paper documents by phone line. Fax messages are limited in the types of information they can send and can only be used by individuals stationed at a facility with a working machine. Although they are less versatile and less convenient than e-mail, they can act as an effective supplement or replacement to email systems. Seal Beach staff also have access to the NIXLE notification system, AlertOC, and social media, although these systems are better suited for public notifications and should never be used to exchange key information between emergency response personnel.

4.20.2.2. County Communication Systems
In addition to systems such as telephones and e-mail, Seal Beach staff at the EOC can communicate with other EOCs in Orange County by means of the EOC-to-EOC radio system, also known as OA1. This network is used by all EOCs for jurisdictions that are part of the Orange County OA, as well as the Orange County OA EOC itself and any other OAs with similar operational capabilities. Communication on this network is always monitored by Control One. All law enforcement staff in Orange County has access to an 800-megahertz (MHz) radio network, allowing members of the Seal Beach Police Department to communicate with other police departments in Orange County as well as the Orange County Sheriff. This network can also be used by a lifeguard, fire, and Public Works staff in some instances.

Additionally, Seal Beach personnel can use WebEOC, which is an online system that allows for more effective collaboration than e-mail by itself. The Web Emergency Operations Center (WebEOC) supports emergency management processes and functions by providing a real-time common operating picture for Orange County, as well as for federal, state, territory, and tribal partners. The system provides multitiered situational awareness of incident support and management activities, including, but not limited to, significant event tracking, resource request processing, resource tracking, and City of Seal Beach
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incident action plan development. A WebEOC test is conducted monthly by the emergency services coordinator, and additional staff can be trained on inputting data on an as-needed basis. All jurisdictions belonging to the Orange County OA can access WebEOC.

4.20.2.3. State and Federal Communication Systems
Cal OES maintains the California Law Enforcement Mutual Aid System, a standardized voice communications network, available for use by the Seal Beach Police Department and all other law enforcement organizations in the state. A similar system, called the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, uses a statewide network of secure fax machines to share documentation; this system allows members of the Seal Beach ERO to access data stored in state and federal databases that may not be available through online systems. Seal Beach is a participant in the California Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network, a statewide network that facilitates data exchange between water and wastewater providers. The city can also access the Federal Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS), which is used by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agents. GETS is a voice service, specifically intended for times when conventional telephone networks are overloaded. GETS does not require special phones, as users are able to dial a special number from any landline or cellular phone. While this improves access to GETS, any physical damage to telephone infrastructure may reduce GETS’s efficacy.

In addition to the statewide voice and data networks, many other EOCs in California and other states can communicate using the WebEOC platform, which may be particularly useful when requesting mutual aid or if the scope of an emergency exceeds the response capabilities of the Orange County OA and its member jurisdictions.

4.21. Community Communications and Public Information
Before, during, and after emergency events, it is important that members of the public, emergency responders, and other stakeholders (those both directly and indirectly affected) receive accurate and timely information about the situation, including both potential and actual conditions. A comprehensive emergency public information program provides information to help reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage, as well as providing long-term public education about disaster and hazard awareness. This information must be coordinated and integrated across all jurisdictions, agencies, and organizations involved in the emergency preparedness, response, and recovery effort, including private-sector companies and nongovernmental organizations. The responsibility for these activities generally lies with the Public Information Officer. The City of Seal Beach during normal operations divides PIO duties amongst the respective departments with the Police Department, Fire Department, City Hall, and Marine Safety having responsibility for their areas of interest. During a disaster or large-scale emergency PIO representatives would enter a unified media outreach posture to maintain consistent messaging

4.21.1. Joint Information System
The Seal Beach Joint Information System (JIS) is considered activated whenever two or more department PIOs are mobilized to manage information on the same incident. Emergency situations almost always begin with the involvement of one of the City’s departments; typically, Fire or Police.

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Following the initiation of an incident, one of the three PIOs (City Hall, Fire and Police) in the city is notified of a potential or existing need for public information support at their department through:
• A direct media inquiry
• Notification from a department dispatcher that a significant or unusual event is or may be underway
• Automatic or intentional activation of the EAS Notification from a department supervisor, field personnel or Incident Commander
• Notification from the City EOC
• Experiencing (e.g., feeling an earthquake) or barring witness to (e.g., in person or via media outlet) an incident of significance
Upon being individually activated, each department PIO is responsible for assessing the situation to determine whether additional support is needed from the other PIOs in the City or whether the incident might escalate to involve other departments. The City PIO should always be kept apprised of activities when department PIOs are officially activated. If the activated PIO determines that they might need additional support from other PIOs or the City’s Public Information Office (triggering activation of the JIS), then the City PIO should be contacted to determine the appropriate level of JIS activation. That determination will include which PIOs will be activated, the gathering location (or distribution of PIOs), and the appropriate communications strategy.

In other events, the actual involvement of the City PIO is contingent upon the situation. For example, in an incident involving the Fire and Police departments, it may be determined that the Fire and Police PIOs can jointly handle the situation without additional assistance. They should keep the City Hall PIO apprised of their activities even if the formal involvement of the City PIO may not be necessary.

During an emergency, the three Seal Beach PIOs will make initial contact virtually via e-mail, phone, etc. This is particularly true during incidents of short duration. The PIO whose department is least affected by the emergency will be stationed at the City EOC when it is activated. The other PIOs will likely converge near or around the incident scene where media is likely to be on hand. If Seal Beach is involved in an incident involving other jurisdictions and a Unified Command (UC) or Joint Information Center (JIC) is established (either in or outside Seal Beach), then at least one of the City/departments PIOs or appropriate designee will be dispatched to that location to facilitate coordination on behalf of the Seal Beach JIS.

If the incident is anticipated to have a long duration but remains localized to Seal Beach, the City Hall PIO may choose to identify and staff a formal JIC location. This location may be mobile or fixed. If facilities are needed only for media briefings, then the City Council Chamber will be the pre-designated location when a formal JIC is not activated.

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The Seal Beach Joint Information System (JIS) is considered activated whenever two or more department PIOs are mobilized to manage information on the same incident. Emergency situations almost always begin with the involvement of one of the City’s departments; typically, Fire or Police.

Following the initiation of an incident, one of the three PIOs (City Hall, Fire, and Police) in the city is notified of a potential or existing need for public information support at their department through:
• A direct media inquiry
• Notification from a department dispatcher that a significant or unusual event is or may be underway.

Public information must be distributed widely using all media methods, including television, Internet, newspaper, radio, telephone, and wire services. To this end, Seal Beach and all involved partners must establish procedures, processes, and organizational structures to gather, verify, coordinate, and release the information. These activities often rely on a framework called the Joint Information System (JIS), which helps to accomplish these goals regardless of the number or geographic location of the persons or organizations involved. JIS activities can be carried out at a single facility (a Joint Information Center or JIC), located at some central site such as an EOC. Alternatively, JIS activities can be conducted across multiple sites, creating a virtual JIC. The JIC can be both physical locations as well virtual sites that utilize an online interface for document collaboration and dissemination. The decision to use a virtual JIC in place of a physical one or an Area JIC will be made by the PIO or designee. The JIC should be located near the EOC or incident to allow for easy coordination. If the incident is localized, representatives from responding agencies must be invited to participate to allow for the coordination of public information.

4.21.2. Public Awareness
One of the best ways to build community resilience and disaster preparedness is to provide members of the public with information about actions that they can take before a disaster occurs, such as assembling an emergency kit or practicing evacuation procedures at their home or business. Seal Beach is involved in the countywide ReadyOC program, a public service campaign to educate and empower Orange County residents and businesses about preparing for emergency situations. ReadyOC provides information about disasters that may impact Orange County, including many of those in this EOP, and provides information to help prepare emergency kits, conduct disaster education campaigns for school and faith-based organizations, and develop emergency plans for community groups. Information is available through the program’s website (www.readyoc.org), applications for smartphones, and in person at various community events. The goal of ReadyOC is to get residents better prepared for emergency situations that could impact the county and to offer opportunities for concerned community members to become more involved. Members of the Seal Beach Police and Lifeguard Departments, along with the Orange County Fire Authority, also conduct disaster preparation activities and education through the media and at in-person events.

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4.21.3. Media Coordination
Due to shifts in technology, community demographics, and individual behavior and preferences, the role of traditional media outlets in Seal Beach and other communities has changed significantly. For example, a 2014 report by the Pew Research Center found that among adults with access to the Internet, about as many adults receive news about government and politics from the social network service Facebook than from local news and that more adults receive this news from Facebook than from individual cable news services. The increase in social network technologies has allowed communities of people on social media to become a source of information in their own right; consider the role of status updates, images, and videos posted to social media from the site of an event such as a natural disaster. As more individuals carry connected portable devices such as smartphones and tablets, people can receive information almost anywhere and distribute that information to a globally accessible network within seconds. These changes do not reduce the need for Public Information Officers or the roles that these staff members fill, but it does mean that these individuals must provide information that is faster, more direct, more interactive, and more transparent to reflect the recent changes in media production, distribution, and consumption habits. At the same time, it is vital that Public Information Officers distribute information that is widely accessible and accurate.

Public Information Officers must establish working relationships with media outlets, both traditional and emerging, well in advance of emergencies. These relationships can be key during an emergency when the success of communication efforts can depend on the first hour after an incident. Through connections with media outlets, Public Information Officers can plan for how to communicate during an emergency, including how to craft key messages. This coordination should include period meetings with news managers to discuss processes and frameworks such as the JIS and JIC, and to schedule period trainings with media staff on JIS/JIC operations and procedures. Public Information Officers should also provide media outlets with an after-hours contact list, and review and update their contact information at least every six months.

4.21.4. Isolated Populations
Public Information Officers must distribute their information as widely as possible, including to isolated populations who may be difficult to reach. These groups may include disabled individuals, individuals with limited English competency, undocumented immigrants, or poor persons. Isolated populations may be difficult to reach due to physical limitations (e.g., a hearing impairment) or due to social barriers (e.g., a lack of trust in information from official channels). An isolated population may be isolated due to a shared characteristic, but isolation can also result from a circumstance of their situation, as is the case with individuals located in temporary housing who may not have access to their normal social networks or means of communication.

Isolated individuals often depend on social support networks within their populations, or with family members or trusted friends. These support networks can be disrupted in an emergency, creating additional barriers to communication. Some isolated individuals may be unwilling to trust authorities, making them unlikely to seek assistance from City personnel or more likely to disregard information from authority figures. To overcome these barriers and effectively communicate with isolated City of Seal Beach
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populations, Public Information Officers must build a network of collaborators and champions well in advance of any emergency. These “trusted agents” can help to establish appropriate channels of communication and relationships that can be used by Public Information Officers and other City staff to convey information.

One of the major barriers to reaching an isolated population is language. Table 17 shows the languages most spoken in Seal Beach, according to the 2020 US Census, and the English competency among each language population.

Table 17. Languages Spoken by Seal Beach Residents
Although English is by far the most common language spoken in Seal Beach, more than 1 person in every 8 community residents does not speak English. Spanish is the most common language other than English spoken in Seal Beach, but there are also substantial numbers of individuals who speak languages from southern and eastern Asia. Most of the community’s Korean and Vietnamese speakers do not speak English very well, creating additional language barriers. The City’s Public Information Officer(s) should develop language access policies and protocol guidance that reflects the diversity of languages spoken in Seal Beach. Documents that communicate vital information should be translated into the most prevalent languages in the community and consider that pictures and diagrams can be easier to understand than words. Seal Beach staff should know how to use language assistance services City of Seal Beach
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when needed, and City employees who speak multiple languages can assist with community outreach and building relationships with communities of non-English speakers.

4.21.5. Private Sector and Nongovernmental Organizations Public Information Officers must actively involve and engage private sector businesses and other nongovernmental organizations to reach the widest audience and distribute information as broadly as possible. As with other organizations, Public Information Officers should establish relationships with these organizations prior to a disaster situation, either through a formal agreement or an informal working relationship. This process of collaboration can include participating in joint training sessions and exercises, collaborating on emergency response operations, and sharing lessons learned after an emergency incident.

All businesses in Seal Beach have a responsibility to care for the safety and welfare of their employees during working hours. Some of these businesses, such as Southern California Edison and the Southern California Gas Company, may operate key pieces of infrastructure and provide vital services to Seal Beach. Others are a major source of employment and economic activity in the community (e.g., Boeing), while others supply basic needs to community members (e.g., supermarkets and hardware stores). Many nongovernmental organizations also provide food, shelter, counseling, and other important services in emergency situations.

4.21.6. Hotlines and Public Information Services
Agencies may activate an inquiry center to centralize information sharing among the public, the media, and the government. Inquiry centers should be directly linked to media centers or joint information centers as appropriate. Establishing a Hotline allows for:
• Monitoring of radio and television stations and informing the PIO Coordination Team of inaccuracies
• Sharing of information about the emergency or the government’s response • Identification of information trends, which in turn allows PIO to focus on providing targeted information
• Identification of rumors and of misinformation and bringing these to the attention of the PIO Coordination Team
• Response to questions using official, verified information that has been approved for release • Call referrals, as appropriate, to federal, state, local, volunteer, and private sector agencies • Adjusting the mode of communication to meet the needs of those whose primary language is not English and to meet the functional needs of the blind, deaf and hard of hearing The City can establish a hotline in the EOC with ten VOIP lines available. An alternative would be to use office space on the second floor of City Hall. In addition, the city may request that the OA activate its public information hotline. This required coordination with the OA EOC may require a city representative.

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Seal Beach and the Orange County OA may wish to coordinate their public information services with the established 211 information and referral service. There is a national, state, and county-level 211 system, accessible either by phone or through the Internet, which members of the public can use to find out information on several topics. In an emergency, 211 services can distribute information about evacuation routes, shelter locations, and road closures. They can also refer members of the public to locations where they can receive health care and social services. Using 211 systems for this information can reduce the volume of calls to 911 systems, freeing up the 911 network for life-threatening emergencies. The 211 system can also improve access to government and nongovernmental organization services, especially for isolated individuals.

4.22. Disability Access and Functional Needs (DAFN)
While disasters can be challenging for all involved, these challenges can be more significant for individuals with disabilities, including those with access and functional needs. Several recent disasters have illustrated the need for emergency planning and response operations to take people with disabilities into account. For example, 70% of the individuals killed by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding it caused were at least 60 years of age, and 49% were at least 75 years of age. In Katrina and other disasters, some victims with functional needs or other disabilities were unable to evacuate because they lacked access to transportation or other necessary assistance. In a few instances, such individuals were able to obtain transportation but died because the transportation operators did not take the necessary safety precautions. As a community that places high importance on inclusion and meeting the needs of all individuals, Seal Beach is committed to ensuring that disaster planning and emergency response, and recovery operations take into consideration the needs of the city’s disabled population.

The US Census Bureau estimated that in 2020, approximately 1,716 individuals in the community (6.8% of Seal Beach’s population under age 65) had some form of disability. The most common disability in Seal Beach is an ambulatory difficulty, but other forms of disabilities may include hearing or vision challenges, cognitive difficulties, or difficulties with self-care and independent living. Some community members may have multiple disabilities, while others may not be officially recognized as having a disability but may still have special care needs.

4.22.1. Planning Considerations
Individuals with disabilities may be unable to perform tasks that others may take for granted, including tasks that are necessary for staying informed during a disaster or evacuating an area. For example, individuals with hearing limitations may not be able to hear disaster alerts or warnings; persons with visual limitations may not be able to navigate areas with accumulated debris or other obstacles, and persons with mobility challenges may not be able to climb up or down stairs to evacuate a building.

Additionally, persons with cognitive difficulties may not be able to fully comprehend or respond to emergency conditions. When developing plans for emergency response and recovery operations, including plans such as the EOC Action Plan and IAP that are developed after the emergency has occurred, it is vital to include special considerations for persons with disabilities. City staff conducting City of Seal Beach
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emergency planning activities should consider the following challenges faced by disabled persons, and identify ways to minimize or eliminate these challenges:
• Persons with disabilities may not be able to receive notifications of disaster conditions or evacuation orders (e.g., because of visual or hearing impairments), or may have a cognitive difficulty that impacts their ability to adequately respond to the notification. • Some persons with mobility challenges may not be able to exit a building and move to a safe area within a reasonable period.
• Individuals with disabilities may have special needs for supplies and equipment, including medicine and medically necessary devices. Consider whether these individuals will have access to these resources in shelters. If persons will need to supply these resources themselves, consider whether they can reasonably carry the supplies and equipment they need when evacuating.
• Persons with disabilities may require special infrastructure in basic facilities, such as restrooms and showers that can accommodate persons with mobility challenges. Ensure that care or shelter facilities can meet these needs.

To effectively plan for persons with disabilities in an emergency, City staff should analyze the needs of persons with disabilities prior to emergencies occurring and develop ways to effectively address these challenges. Staff should clearly identify which community members may have special needs in advance of an emergency, during an emergency, and after a disaster has occurred. This allows for a more effective emergency plan and a better understanding of the resources needed, leading to a more informed action plan.

This work should include building partnerships with community and advocacy groups that represent disabled individuals and work closely with them. It is important to work with institutional and industry groups who are not necessarily traditionally involved in emergency planning efforts but are able to offer timely and important support. Seal Beach staff can learn from the knowledge, experience, and resources that individuals with disabilities and those who work with them are able to offer, which may lead to creative solutions to potential problems before emergency situations develop. These cooperative planning efforts also help to educate disabled individuals and emergency responders about realistic expectations of service during emergency response and recovery activities.

4.22.2. Communication Considerations
Seal Beach emergency planning and response staff should be aware that individuals with disabilities may be unemployed, socially, or physically isolated, or in other ways less connected to society than other community members. As a result, disabled individuals may be less likely to receive important information about emergency situations in a timely fashion. City personnel must make sure that all emergency-related communications are released with sufficient time for disabled persons to receive, process, and act upon the information as needed. This should include information released well before the emergency (e.g., preparedness information), alerts and warnings about potential and pending City of Seal Beach
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emergency situations, information while an emergency is ongoing, and information during recovery activities.

Staff should ensure that all messages and materials to improve emergency preparedness include information for disabled persons and that such items are presented and distributed in a way that disabled individuals can easily access and understand. While some of these considerations may be more obvious (e.g., avoiding putting critical information in small text or other formats that individuals with visual limitations may not be able to read), some may be less readily apparent to staff. For example, the text messages displayed on a television screen as part of an EAS message should not interfere with closed captioning text or sign language translations. Emergency telephone hotlines that allow community members to call in and receive information should include TTY/TTD systems (text telephone/telecommunications device for the deaf) that some individuals with disabilities use; essential information should also be conveyed in a format that some individuals with cognitive challenges can follow.

4.22.3. Evacuation Considerations
In some emergency situations, it may be necessary for people to vacate their homes or businesses in a timely manner. However, some individuals with disabilities may take longer to evacuate than those without disabilities. Disabled persons may move at a slower speed or may require the use of special equipment such as wheelchairs or walkers. Additionally, some disabled persons may take longer to gather up any needed supplies or equipment. All evacuation plans should consider the longer evacuation time that some disabled individuals may require. To account for this, it may be helpful to issue evacuation notifications to facilities with many disabled individuals in advance of issuing notifications to other parts of Seal Beach. It may also be necessary to procure enough vans, buses, or other vehicles that are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Repeated experience shows that people who are aware of evacuation procedures and participate in drills can evacuate more effectively in an actual emergency than those without this experience.

However, many drills may not adequately address the special needs of individuals with disabilities, and so such individuals may be less prepared. City staff should work to ensure that individuals with disabilities are able to fully participate in drills and other evacuation preparedness efforts.

4.22.4. Recovery Considerations
The recovery phase of an emergency occurs when the activities to mitigate dangerous situations and restore basic functions have generally occurred, but the community has not fully returned to “normalcy.” This phase is often the longest and most difficult part of a disaster and may be especially traumatic for disabled individuals or those with special needs. Individuals with disabilities, who may be more physically or socially isolated than other community members prior to a disaster, may find themselves temporarily or permanently deprived of vital social connections (friends and neighbors, family members, attendants, service animals, etc.) due to injury, death, or relocation. Disabled individuals may no longer be able to follow established routines, due to physical or social disruption.

Additionally, disasters can force individuals to confront their own limitations or to relive traumatic City of Seal Beach
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experiences, which may be especially difficult for disabled individuals and may lead to additional psychological distress.

The additional limitations faced by disabled individuals during disaster recovery operations have been apparent in recent disasters, including the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001.

Paratransit services, which provide mobility services to numerous people with disabilities, were suspended in lower Manhattan and limited elsewhere throughout the community, reducing their effectiveness, and creating travel challenges for individuals who rely on these services. Changes to public transit systems and street networks, including closures and reroutes, forced individuals with visual limitations to navigate a disrupted and frequently changing system, a challenge made greater by the fact that the necessary information was not always distributed in an effective manner. Some individuals could not keep critical health care appointments because they lacked effective transportation or otherwise could not leave their homes. Pharmacies and medical supply/repair shops were sometimes required to close or change their hours due to direct damage or the after-effects of the disaster, making it difficult for people to receive the necessary medication or equipment.

When planning and executing recovery operations, Seal Beach ERO staff should ensure that individuals with disabilities can continue to receive transportation to key locations, including how disabled persons who are employed can reach their place of work in a timely way. If disabled persons are placed in shelters or other temporary housing, this housing should be accessible to disabled individuals and be able to fill any special needs that these persons may have. Consider how interruptions in utility services may affect individuals with disabilities (for example, how power outages for maintenance reasons may impact persons with medically necessary electronic devices), and work to minimize the impact of such actions on disabled persons. It is also important for City staff to address the needs of individuals who provide important services to disabled persons, such as home attendants and caretakers. If access to streets or facilities is limited or if such areas are off-limits to members of the public, ensure that support staff has the means to access these areas if needed. The city should include a representative of the disabled community when drafting After-Action and Corrective Action Reports, to ensure that these reports fully reflect the impact of the disaster and help improve future planning efforts.

5. Recovery
Recovery operations are intended to return systems (physical systems such as infrastructure, as well as nonphysical systems such as social services) to a normal level of service. Recall that, because efforts to improve resiliency are often incorporated into recovery activities, the community may not return to its pre-disaster condition after recovery operations conclude. There is no clearly defined transition between response and recovery activities, as recovery operations should ideally begin as soon as response efforts do. Recovery personnel and agencies will continue to use the principles and procedures established in the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework.

While response operations rely extensively on the Operations and Logistics Sections of an ERO, recovery operations often require more extensive involvement of the Planning and Finance, and Administration Sections. Additionally, local jurisdictions such as Seal Beach work directly with state and City of Seal Beach
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federal programs during recovery operations rather than going through the OA, although the OA may continue to act as an informational and coordination point for affected communities within its area.

5.1. EOC Deactivation
Once Seal Beach has activated its EOC, it remains operational if needed, which depends on the scale of the emergency. In a small event with limited impacts and few recovery concerns, the EOC may only be active for a period between several hours and a few days. In a major event, such as a significant earthquake with extensive damage, the EOC may remain active for several months or more than a year.

While the EOC remains active, individual personnel and groups assigned to the EOC may be mobilized or demobilized as the situation requires.

The EOC can be deactivated by the order of the Seal Beach City Council, or by the Director of Emergency Services or the EOC Director. When deliberating whether to deactivate the EOC, the Policy Unit (if mobilized) should be involved in the discussion. Generally, the EOC is deactivated when on-site emergency response activities end or when the situation is fully contained, and there is little to no possibility that the situation will escalate. Alternatively, the situation may be small enough that it can be adequately addressed by a single Field Command Post, and the EOC is not needed to provide guidance and coordination. If a state of emergency is proclaimed for an area that includes part or all of Seal Beach, the City’s EOC shall remain active if the state of emergency persists. The specifics of the deactivation process are determined by the Director of Emergency Services, the EOC Director, and the Section Coordinators, in accordance with any EOC Deactivation Plan that may have been prepared by the Planning Section.

Depending on which facility is used as the EOC, the Seal Beach Police Department or the Orange County Fire Authority will be responsible for restoring the EOC to a state of readiness. This may include coordinating cleanup services, servicing equipment or coordinating repairs, restocking supplies, and reorganizing furniture.

5.1.1. EOC Deactivation Process
Deactivation of the Seal Beach EOC occurs in five phases, each of which corresponds to the deactivation of an individual section of the local ERO. Each phase may take anywhere between several minutes or multiple months, as needed. The Director of Emergency Services, EOC Director, and/or the EOC XO will determine the appropriate timing, in consultation with the Policy Unit as needed.

Individual groups within each section may be deactivated as needed before the section in its entirety begins to deactivate. The deactivation phases are as follows (note that phases may overlap at times):
• Phase I: The Operations Section deactivates as tactical activities wind down. All teams and field personnel account for their staff and equipment and return to their normal base of operations.

The personnel who were first to arrive on the scene are generally the first to demobilize. • Phase II: The Logistics Section begins deactivation activities while the Operations Section is deactivating. The Logistics Section beings to close support facilities and reclaims or dispose of City of Seal Beach
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resources that were used to support emergency response staff. This section also accounts for resources and their status, and reports needed information to the Finance Section. • Phase III: The Planning Section begins to deactivate after the Operations and Logistics Sections have completed their deactivation activities. It is important that the Planning Section remains active until the Operations and Logistics Sections are deactivated, to address any complications with field operations or logistic support activities that may arise during deactivation. If the Planning Section has prepared an EOC Deactivation Plan, this section must also remain active to address any questions or revise sections pertaining to the deactivation of the Operations and Logistics Sections.
• Phase IV: The Finance Section begins deactivation after the Planning Section finishes its deactivation process. The Finance Section must wait until the Operations, Logistics, and Planning Sections deactivate to gather all appropriate information and fully account for costs. • Phase V: The Management Section begins deactivation only after the Finance Section has fully deactivated. As the other four sections complete their deactivation activities, the Section Coordinators will brief the EOC Director or EOC XO. After the other four sections finish deactivating, and the EOC Director or EOC XO is confident that the EOC’s functions have fully concluded, this staff member will deactivate the Management Section and terminate EOC activities. The EOC Director or EOC XO (as appropriate) should be the final EOC staff member to demobilize.

5.1.2. Demobilization Activities
When individual staff in the local EOC demobilize, they are responsible for carrying out specific activities before they leave the facility. While many of these actions may be unique to their position, there are some generic demobilization activities in accordance with SEMS. These generic actions are as follows:
• Closing out logs and logging out of WebEOC as authorized by the EOC XO or their supervisor. • Completing all required forms, reports, and documentation, and submitting these forms to the appropriate section or subgroup as appropriate.
• Being prepared to provide input to the After-Action and Corrective Action Report. • Cleaning up the work area.
• Leaving a forwarding number as necessary with the appropriate staff member. • Notifying any other appropriate organizations or stakeholders of deactivation. • Ensuring that any open actions will be concluded appropriately after deactivation. • Declaring that the position/group has been deactivated and resumed normal operations.

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5.2. Recovery Organization
Just as an ERO carries out emergency response activities, a Recovery Organization (RO) oversees recovery activities. An RO is structured similarly to an ERO with a Management Section overseeing four other sections (Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance), and will generally include the same or similar personnel; at times during the transition from response to recovery activities, an individual may simultaneously be part of the ERO and the RO.

The key priorities of the RO are as follows:
• Restore individual autonomy for community members.
• Reinstate family and community unity.
• Restore public services and utilities.
• Permanently restore public and private property.
• Restore normal government operations and functions.
• Research as needed to provide advanced knowledge of future disasters, improve future emergency response operations, and uncover residual hazards.

5.2.1. Recovery Organization Facilities
In some situations, recovery operations may be run directly out of the EOC. However, if recovery operations are expected to persist for a long time, this may not always be feasible, as the EOC should be made available for any future emergency conditions that may occur. If recovery activities are not managed in the Seal Beach EOC, the RO will establish a separate facility called a Recovery Coordination Center (RCC) to oversee local recovery operations. The RCC should be capable of supporting long-term recovery needs, and therefore should be conveniently located for City staff and members of the public.

The city may find it helpful to co-locate an RCC in a facility that provides disaster recovery assistance to the public. This can create a single site where community members can seek assistance from City agencies, as well as state and federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Before establishing an RCC, Seal Beach should coordinate with FEMA and Cal OES to see if this unified facility is possible. A facility of this type is known as a Disaster Recovery Center.

If the president has issued a declaration of emergency or major disaster, FEMA will usually establish a joint field office (JFO) in or near the affected area. This facility is the main coordination point for federal assistance for individual entities and government organizations and will liaise with state, federal, and local agencies as applicable to provide logistical support. When FEMA establishes a JFO, Seal Beach staff will work with federal personnel, including the Federal Coordinating Officer, to assist in recovery operations. JFOs monitor federal costs, approve purchase orders, and perform financial audits to support recovery activities. They develop federal action plans for recovery activities to help identify priorities and potential problems. JFOs also work to direct public news releases on the progress of recovery actions, including information on obtaining public assistance and other useful information.

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5.2.2. Recovery Organization Staffing
As with the ERO, the Seal Beach Director of Emergency Services is ultimately in charge of the RO and directly oversees the RO’s Management Section. However, the Director of Emergency Services also serves as the City Manager and so usually has other responsibilities outside of the RO, particularly if recovery operations continue for a long time. As a result, the Director of Emergency Services will often turn daily responsibilities for the RO over to a separate EOC Director (if recovery operations are housed in the EOC), or to an RCC Director if the RO is run out of an RCC. The Director of Emergency Services shall appoint an RCC Director if such a facility is established. The RCC Director, in turn, may appoint an RCC XO if needed.

All City departments will be responsible for some recovery and reconstruction duties and will assist to prepare plans for these activities. Depending on the needs of the situation, some departments may postpone carrying out their normal duties so that they may more efficiently conduct recovery and reconstruction activities. Members of the RO may call on other City personnel or groups to provide recovery assistance, and all City staff should comply with reasonable requests for assistance. If a request interferes with the ability of City staff to carry out their normal primary and non-deferrable responsibilities, the Director of Emergency Services shall make the final decision on the request. Staff members who perform duties within the Seal Beach ERO will continue to perform those activities or similar responsibilities if they are transitioned to the RO. Recovery operations will be guided by the Seal Beach Recovery and Reconstruction Plan, created by the Planning Section of the City’s ERO with input from other stakeholders as appropriate before recovery activities begin.

5.3. Phases of Recovery
A community such as Seal Beach will generally progress through three phases of recovery: short-term, mid-term, and long-term. Each phase has its own priorities and characteristics.

5.3.1. Short-term
Short-term recovery operations begin immediately after the disaster occurs and persist for 72 hours to six months depending on the disaster. During this phase, Seal Beach and partner organizations will carry out preliminary damage assessments, debris removal, and temporary relocation of residents and businesses; minimize threats from remaining hazards; and store vital services. These activities will generally begin as part of emergency response operations and will transition to the RO as emergency response activities wind down. Recovery agencies will also provide crisis counseling and financial assistance to disaster victims. Restoring damaged or destroyed infrastructure is one of the top priorities during short-term recovery operations. This includes energy (electrical and natural gas), communications, water and sewer, critical City facilities, high-impact facilities, and sites (e.g., school and hospitals), and the vital economic and social systems of Seal Beach. Such infrastructure is usually necessary for other recovery activities, and so must be restored quickly and effectively.

5.3.2. Mid-term
Mid-term recovery operations begin after the short-term operations are complete and continue for six months to two years after the emergency occurs. In this phase, most or all vital services have been restored but life in Seal Beach is not necessarily “back to normal” in all cases. There still may be large City of Seal Beach
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numbers of residents living in temporary housing or businesses that are open but operating from temporary locations. Most transportation infrastructure, including roads, highways, and transit systems, are functional but may not be fully restored; some roads may still be closed or operating at reduced capacity, bus routes may be different, etc. Affected individuals and organizations, including government agencies, may not yet have received the disaster relief funding they have applied for.

There may still be a need for emotional health services during this period, as community members may continue to experience stress from coping with the ongoing effects of the disaster.

5.3.3. Long-term
Long-term recovery operations continue for two to ten years or more after the disaster situation occurs, depending on the severity of the emergency. For example, recovery activities continue in New Orleans almost ten years after the area was affected by Hurricane Katrina. In the long-term recovery phase, the community focuses on reconstructing damaged buildings, permanently reestablishing services (public agencies, private companies, and nonprofits), conducting long-range land use planning, conducting hazard mitigation and adaptation planning, and treating the remaining physical and psychological health issues created by the disaster. If the local economy was significantly affected by the disaster, it usually recovers during long-term recovery operations.

5.4. Assistance Efforts
Most disaster relief funds are provided by FEMA, with some coordination from Cal OES. These funds typically become available if the president issues a declaration of emergency or major disaster. These funds are not intended to fully compensate individuals for their losses, but to return living conditions to a “safe and habitable” state. Federal disaster assistance funds are often loans from the US Small Business Administration regardless of whether the applicant is a business or not. These funds come in three categories: individual assistance, public assistance, and hazard mitigation assistance.

5.4.1. Individual Assistance
Individual assistance is intended for residents and business owners. To obtain this assistance, affected community members must register to establish their eligibility. FEMA and other federal agencies will verify their eligibility and determine their need. Individual assistance is broad and is intended to help address a variety of damages and effects that occur because of the disaster. This aid can help to repair or rebuild damaged or destroyed private buildings if the costs are not covered by insurance, to help pay mortgage or rent as needed, and to aid with temporary housing. Damages to some types of personal property are also covered (e.g., clothes and basic household items), as are other basic needs such as heating fuels, and moving expenses. Individual assistance programs may include other benefits beyond reimbursements for damages and expenses, such as free legal assistance, crisis counseling, unemployment benefits and reemployment services, and support from nonprofit volunteer charities.

Businesses can use individual assistance to replace their inventories of products if not covered by insurance or to provide themselves with capital to help with other recovery activities. Individual assistance also covers social needs, including medical costs.

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5.4.2. Public Assistance
Public assistance helps to repair, restore, rebuild, or replace public infrastructure and facilities that have been damaged or destroyed by a disaster, as well as provide for any staff overtime or needed supplies.

It is enabled by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, also known as the Stafford Act. When applying for these funds, Seal Beach staff must submit the application for assistance to Cal OES within thirty days after the area has been designated eligible for assistance.

FEMA will review the application and, if approved, will provide 75% of the costs necessary to conduct the recovery actions. The funds will be distributed to Cal OES, which in turn will pass it on to Seal Beach. Cal OES will generally provide additional assistance, up to 75% of the remaining costs not covered by FEMA, meaning that the city may only have to pay 6.25% of the total costs.

Cal OES and FEMA will host a post-disaster applicant briefing for Seal Beach and other affected communities to describe the program, eligibility rules, filing procedures, deadlines, and other pertinent details about the program. Seal Beach RO staff is responsible for gathering information and submitting claims for reimbursement to Cal OES and FEMA, so it is critical that staff participates in this briefing to maximize participation in the public assistance program and to reduce the odds of future appeals proceedings.

5.4.3. Hazard Mitigation Assistance
The FEMA hazard mitigation assistance grants are intended to fund activities that reduce loss of life, injuries, and property damage/destruction from future disasters. The specific types of hazard mitigation programs vary over time, but at the time of this writing, FEMA offers three types of grant programs.

The first, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, is intended to fund long-term hazard mitigation activities conducted as part of a larger post-disaster recovery effort. The Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program funds hazard mitigation actions prior to a disaster occurring. A similar program, the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program, provides funding for activities that reduce the risk of flood damage to buildings insured under the National Flood Insurance Program.

To apply for these grants, a sub-applicant prepares an application for the program and submits it to the appropriate applicant. Seal Beach, as a local government, is a sub-applicant and will submit its applications to Cal OES. Cal OES, as an applicant, will review all applications from sub-applicants and will select those that it believes are the best use of grant funds. Cal OES will then submit the selected or “sponsored” applications to FEMA. FEMA will select the best applications and distribute funding to the winning applicants, who will then distribute funding to the sub-applicants. Individual entities such as homeowners, businesses, and private nonprofits are not sub-applicants and so cannot officially apply.

However, a sub-applicant such as Seal Beach may apply to Cal OES on behalf of an individual entity, allowing individuals to receive funding from these grant programs.

The application process for these grants is shown on the following page:

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5.5. After-Action Reporting
SEMS/NIMS regulations require if a local jurisdiction proclaims a local emergency and that proclamation is affirmed by the governor declaring a state of emergency, that the local jurisdiction completes an After-Action and Corrective Action Report. It must specify which emergency response actions were taken, modifications to existing plans and procedures that were necessary, any suggested modifications to the ICS/SEMS/NIMS framework, any training deficiencies or needs realized by the emergency, and what recovery actions have occurred to date. This report must be transmitted to Cal OES within 90 days of the end of the incident. It should provide a broad perspective of the emergency and include all documents generated by response activities, including data gathered from interviews with emergency response staff.

The Planning Section of the Seal Beach ERO/RO will develop the After-Action and Corrective Action Report and transmit it to the Orange County OA, which will, in turn, forward it to Cal OES within the necessary 90-day window. Planning Section staff will also coordinate the preparation of this report with the development of any post-disaster hazard mitigation plans to ensure consistency. Hazard mitigation efforts may be included in the After-Action and Corrective Action Report as part of the discussion of recovery actions taken to date.

FEMA
Applicants
Territories Federally recognized tribes States
Sub-applicants
Federally
recognized tribes State agencies Private nonprofits 2 Tribal agencies Local governments Individual Entities
Homeowners Businesses Private nonprofits
City of Seal Beach Emergency
Operations Plan
APRIL 24TH, 2023
Objectives
ICS
NIMS
SEMS
• Incident Command System
• SEMS
• NIMS
• Seal Beach Emergency Operations
Plan 2023
• Alert & Warning Systems
Incident Command System (ICS) ICS
• Standardized approach
• Coordinated response
• Common processes
• Integration of resources
• Flexibility
• Accountability
• Communication
• Systematic planning
process
• Predesigned management
structure
• Cooperation
Incident Command System
Standardized Emergency Management Systems
(SEMS)
SEMS • Incident Command System (ICS)
• Multi/ Inter-agency coordination
• Mutual Aid
• Operational Area Concept
National Incident Management System (NIMS)
NIMS
• Systematic, proactive approach to guide
all levels of government, N.G.O.’s
• Resource Management
• Command and Coordination (ICS)
• Communications and Information
Management
2023 City of Seal Beach Emergency Operations
Plan(EOP)
Emergency
Operations
Plan
(2023)
https://sealbeachpd.com/
Alert and Warning Systems
Residents are
encouraged to sign up
for this important
notification service
at AlertOC.org NIXLE
Emergency
Services
Coordinator
Sergeant Brian Gray
[email protected]
(562) 799-4100 extension
1145
Agenda Item K

AGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 24, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THRU: Jill R. Ingram, City Manager
FROM: Barbara Arenado, Director of Finance/City Treasurer SUBJECT: Street Lighting Assessment District
________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY OF REQUEST:

That the City Council adopt:

1. Resolution 7398 initiating the annual levy of the street lighting assessment; and,

2. Resolution 7399 setting the date for the public hearing for May 22, 2023; and,

3. Resolution 7400 approving the Engineer's Report. No increase in assessments are projected for Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS:

Similar to previous years, the City contracted with Willdan Financial Services to develop a proposal to initiate an annual levy of assessments for the Street Lighting Assessment District for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. Under the provisions of the "Landscaping and Lighting Act of 1972," (Part 2 of Division 15 of the Streets and Highways Code of the State of California), the three resolutions included on this agenda are required to initiate the levy process and must be passed in order to schedule the date for Public Hearing. The Engineer's Report (prepared by Willdan Financial Services) includes:
1) the plans and specifications for the lighting improvements, 2) an estimate of the cost for the improvements,
3) a diagram of the assessment district, and
4) an assessment of the estimated cost of the improvements.

Upon conclusion of the public hearing, Council may adopt a resolution confirming the diagram and assessment either as originally proposed or as modified by Council. The adoption of the resolution shall constitute the levy of an assessment for the fiscal year referred to in the assessment.

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Seal Beach City CouncilApril 24, 2023

Seal Beach City Council
April 24, 2023