11 Staff Report.Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report
PREPARED BY: Arn Andrews
Assistant Town Manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Director of Parks and Public Works
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 12/01/2020 ITEM NO: 11
DATE: November 20, 2020
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Accept the Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report and Direct Staff to Return to
Council in One Year with an Action Item Progress Update
RECOMMENDATION:
Accept the Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report and direct staff to return to Council in one year
with an action item progress report.
BACKGROUND:
On October 6, 2020, the Town Council approved the creation of a Town Council Ad Hoc
Committee to study wildfire mitigation in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). The Council
confirmed that the Committee should study a broad variety of wildfire mitigation policy and
project options to improve the Town’s wildfire resiliency and return to Council with a report of
their findings. The Committee examined best practices of similar WUI communities, lessons
learned from recent fires, and other relevant areas of wildfire science. The Committee was
directed to complete the report in time for Council consideration on December 1, 2020 to align
with the annual Strategic Priority and budget development process.
The Committee was comprised of the following members:
• Mayor Marcia Jensen
• Vice Mayor Barbara Spector
• Assistant Town Manager Arn Andrews
• Director of Parks and Public Works Matt Morley
• Assistant Santa Clara County Fire Chief Brian Glass
• Resident member Rob Stump
• Resident member Brad Gordon
PAGE 2 OF 3 SUBJECT: Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report DATE: November 19, 2020
BACKGROUND (Continued):
The Ad Hoc Committee met on October 21, 2020, October 29, 2020, November 9, 2020, and
November 16, 2020. The elements and findings of the report are described in the Discussion
section below.
DISCUSSION:
The Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report (Attachment 1) is the culmination of peer reviewed best
practices, lessons learned from recent statewide fires, mitigation characteristics unique to Los
Gatos, and significant input from the Santa Clara County Assistant Fire Chief. The Committee
Report is structured around five primary strategic goals accompanied by relevant action items.
The identified goals in the report appear sequentially in their order of initial priority focus. Goal
sequencing is not intended to reflect attainment of one goal prior to initiating another but
rather a function of prioritizing protection of life followed by property and the environment. It
should be noted that goals and many action items are anticipated to often be addressed
concurrently. Following are the identified goals of the Committee:
• Emergency Communication
• Emergency Evacuation
• Roadside Fuel Reduction
• Open Space and Residential Land Management
• Emergency Partnerships
In addition to the sequencing of goals, action items have been individually ranked into either
Priority 1 (within 2 years) or Priority 2 (within 3 to 5 years). The priority ranking of action items
is a byproduct of establishing reasonable and attainable actions as opposed to signifying certain
action items are less important then others. The report also establishes quantifiable metrics for
each goal to measure progress of goal/action item attainment.
And lastly, the report identifies additional action items for consideration which include
potential for legislative engagement and potential mitigation funding strategies.
CONCLUSION:
The Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report establishes a roadmap for concrete action items that
mitigate the risks associated with wildfire in the WUI and the community consequences
associated with those risks.
PAGE 3 OF 3 SUBJECT: Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report DATE: November 19, 2020
COORDINATION:
This staff report was coordinated with the Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Director of
Parks and Public Works.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact with acceptance of report
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
Attachment:
1. Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report