Item Number: 16
City Council / Board of Directors
Consent Calendar
Meeting of: June 18, 2024
Submitted By:
Brenda Hampton, Director of Electric Utility Services
Subject:
Adoption of Resolution No. 24-070 approving the updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan for the City of Victorville Municipal Utility Services
Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council Adopt Resolution No. 24-070:
1. Approving and amending the revised Victorville Municipal Utility Services (“VMUS”) updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan; and
2. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to make minor plan modifications and submit to the State to ensure compliance with State legislation as needed Fiscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report in FY 2024-2025.
Strategic Plan Goal:
This item contributes to goal B in Victorville’s strategic plan regarding public safety. VMUS prepares this plan to ensure the safety of the Victorville community by minimizing the risk of wildfires around its service territories.
Background
In 2016, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill (SB) 1028 (stats. 2016), which required publicly owned utilities (POUs) to identify additional wildfire mitigation measures that the POU could take if the POU governing board first found that its overhead electric lines and equipment posed a significant risk of causing a catastrophic wildfire. SB 1028 required that the POU governing board (City Council) must base this determination on “historical fires and local conditions,” and must consult with local fire departments and other entities with responsibilities for the control of wildfires within the relevant area. These requirements were specified in the Public Utilities Code Section 8387. 3 6
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In 2018, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) completed the development of the statewide Fire Threat Map that designates areas of the state at an elevated risk of electric line-ignited wildfires. Governor Brown signed SB 901 (stats. 2018), which addressed a wide range of issues relating to wildfire prevention, response, and recovery.
SB 901 substantially revised the Public Utilities Code Section 8387, eliminating the prior process established by SB 1028 and instead making it mandatory for all POUs (regardless of size or wildfire risk) to develop a wildfire mitigation plan. Pursuant to the amended Section 8387, all POUs were to present their initial wildfire mitigation plan to its governing board prior to January 1, 2020, and annually thereafter. The City Council adopted the initial Victorville Municipal Utility Services (VMUS) Wildfire Mitigation Plan (plan) at the November 19, 2019, regular city council meeting.
In 2019, two new bills (SB 1054 and SB 111) made additional major reforms relating to wildfires. As part of these reforms, SB 111 created a new state agency, the California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board (WSAB). SB 1054 requires that all POUs must submit their wildfire mitigation plans to WSAB by July 1 of each year beginning in 2020. WSAB reviews the POU plans and provides comments and advisory opinions on the content and sufficiency of the plans.
SB 1054 also requires POUs to conduct a comprehensive review and revision of the adopted wildfire mitigation plan at least every third year, and 2023 was considered a comprehensive review year, in which VMUS presented its updated wildfire mitigation plan on June 20, 2023, along with the independent evaluation prepared by the Victorville Fire Department. The WSAB desires POUs plans to include more comprehensive, concise, and tailored information than previous years.
WSAB has since adopted the Advisory Opinion for the 2024 Wildfire Mitigation Plans of Electric Publicly Owned Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives (Guidance Advisory Opinion) on December 4, 2023, in response to the POU’s 2023 wildfire mitigation plan submittals. The Guidance and Advisory Opinion offers recommendations to the POU community to achieve the most effective and appropriate wildfire mitigation measures and strategies for their service territories and customers.
Discussion:
VMUS staff have prepared an updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan based on WSAB’s guidance and suggestions. In WSAB’s Publicly Owned Electric Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives Wildfire Mitigation Plan Working Group Summary Report (Attachment D) WSAB recommends that the Utility add language discussing the presentation and submission process. The WSAB recommends that VMUS present the Plan to Council for adoption as normal. VMUS will then use the current Wildfire Mitigation Plan as a foundational document and submit the Plan to WSAB with a supplemental letter describing the Utility’s low-wildfire risk and any small revisions to their Plan. Should any substantive changes be needed, a revision log will be submitted with the Plan to WSAB after it has been adopted by Council.
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The Wildfire Mitigation Plan Metrics Table has been updated to document the Utility's weekly inspections of the system and record any deficiencies identified. This recommendation was attributable to VMUS' not owning or controlling any overhead electric facilities in a High Fire Threat District (HFTD) and to VMUS’s system being completely underground with zero wildfire threats causing outages or ignitions.
As VMUS’ electric distribution system remains underground in conduit and vaults; the risk of powerline-ignited wildfires is minimal. These characteristics, along with VMUS’ small service area create a relatively low likelihood of seeing or causing a catastrophic wildfire.
The utility remains in a low-risk fire threat zone and annually reviews department procedures and operations to ensure low wildfire risk. VMUS’ overarching goal is to provide safe, reliable, and economic electric service to its service territory and VMUS’ Wildfire Mitigation Plan memorializes those efforts. For these reasons, staff is recommending approval to amend the revised Victorville Municipal Utility Services (“VMUS”) Wildfire Mitigation Plan.
Staff is available for questions.
Attachments: A. Resolution No. 24-070
B. Wildfire Mitigation Plan
C. Independent Evaluation
D. WSAB Publicly Owned Electric Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives Wildfire Mitigation Plan Working Group Summary Report