Staff Report
PREPARED BY: ARN ANDREWS
Assistant Town Manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Chief of Police, Director of Community Development, Director of Parks
and Public Works, Director of Finance, and Town Attorney
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 04/16/2019
ITEM NO: 9
ITEM NO: 11
DATE: APRIL 8, 2019
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: ADOPT A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS ANNEX 9
INTO THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION
PLAN (“CWPP”)
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a Resolution adopting the Town of Los Gatos Annex 9 into the Santa Clara County
Community Wildfire Protection Plan (“CWPP”).
BACKGROUND:
In 2003 the U.S. Congress recognized the widespread decline in forest health and the increased
incidence of wildfire risk nationwide by passing the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA).
The HFRA was revised in 2009 to address changes to funding and provide a renewed focus on
wildfire mitigation.
The HFRA expedites the development and implementation of hazardous fuels reduction
projects on federal land and emphasizes the need for federal agencies to work collaboratively
with local communities. A key component of the HFRA is the recommended development of
CWPPs, to facilitate the collaboration between federal agencies and local communities to
develop hazardous fuels reduction projects and place priority on treatment areas identified by
communities in a CWPP.
In addition, communities with an established CWPP are given priority for funding of hazardous
fuels reduction projects carried out in accordance with the HFRA.
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SUBJECT: ADOPT A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS ANNEX 9 INTO
THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN
DATE: APRIL 8, 2019
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2019\04-16-19\Fire Annex EOP\Staff Report FINAL.docx 4/11/2019 12:36 PM
DISCUSSION:
In August 2016, Santa Clara County completed the preparation of the Santa Clara County
Community Wildfire Protection Plan (Attachment 1). The CWPP document is intended to
identify wildfire risks in communities that are most likely to see wildfires and present options
for mitigating those hazards. It is a tool designed for identifying, prioritizing, and tracking
wildland fire mitigation measures across complex jurisdictional boundaries. The Santa Clara
County CWPP includes a series of annexes for the jurisdictions in its service area that address
specific issues and mitigation measures unique to those communities. Since Los Gatos is served
by the Santa Clara County Fire Department, a CWPP annex (Annex 9) was prepared for the
Town (Attachment 2).
Given the recent unprecedented fire behavior and corresponding destruction witnessed
throughout the state, the Santa Clara County Fire Chiefs Association (SCCFCA) is encouraging all
jurisdictions with a local annex in the CWPP to formally adopt their annex. To date, the cities of
Monte Sereno (Annex 8), Palo Alto (Annex 3), and Saratoga (Annex 6) have formally adopted
their respective Annexes. In addition, on April 9, 2019 the County Board of Supervisors
received a report entitled “Wildfire Risk & Response from County Fire which among other items
recommended the future adoption of Annexes 1, 2, 4, 13, and 18 over which the County has
authority (Attachment 3).
CWPPs are composed of three minimum requirements, which are intended to foster strong
communication among the public, government entities, and private organizations as they work
towards a common vision of wildfire risk mitigation. These requirements are:
Collaboration: Local and state government representatives, in consultation with federal
agencies or other interested groups, must collaboratively develop a CWPP.
Prioritized Fuel Reduction: A CWPP must identify and prioritize areas for hazardous fuels
reduction and treatments; furthermore, the plan must recommend the types and
methods of treatment that will protect at-risk communities and their essential
infrastructure.
Treatments of Structural Ignitability: A CWPP must recommend measures that
communities and homeowners can take to reduce the ignitability of structures
throughout the area addressed by the Plan.
During the development of the CWPP, County Fire conducted significant public outreach and
sought involvement from the jurisdictions in the Fire Departments service area, as well as other
wildfire professionals and non-profit organizations.
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SUBJECT: ADOPT A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS ANNEX 9 INTO
THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN
DATE: APRIL 8, 2019
S:\COUNCIL REPORTS\2019\04-16-19\Fire Annex EOP\Staff Report FINAL.docx 4/11/2019 12:36 PM
DISCUSSION (continued):
Assistant County Fire Chief John Justice, will be in attendance at the meeting to answer any
questions the Town Council may have regarding the CWPP.
CONCLUSION:
Given the importance of identifying regional and local wildfire mitigation projects and the need
to collaborate across the full spectrum of the Wildland Urban Interface, staff recommends
adoption of the Town of Los Gatos Annex 9 into the Santa Clara County Community Wildfire
Protection Plan.
COORDINATION:
This report was coordinated with the Town Manager’s Office, the Town Attorney’s Office,
Community Development Department, Police Department, Department of Parks and Public
Works, and the Finance Department.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact at this time.
Attachments:
1. Santa Clara County Community Wildfire Protection Plan
2. Town of Los Gatos Annex 9
3. Report to Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors “Wildfire Risk & Response”
4. Town of Los Gatos Annex 9 Draft Resolution