Receive Staff Recommendation and approve the expenditure plan of State budget funds to enhance fire preparedness. (No general fund impact) (Rinde/Carey)

1. Receive Staff Recommendation; and
    
2. Approve the expenditure plan of State budget funds issued to Yolo County for the purposes of fuel reduction, alert and warning systems, and fire preparedness and mitigation efforts.

Safe Communities

As fires in California continue to grow larger every year, there is a heightened attention to fire mitigation project completion to enhance the resiliency to future wildfires in our area. The LNU Fire in 2020 was the sixth major fire along the western border of Yolo County in 6 years and was the first in those 6 years to destroy primary residences in Yolo County. Post LNU Fire, the Supervisor for District 2 in Yolo County and the Supervisor for District 4 in Solano County held public listening sessions with residents from the affected area to better understand actions that could be taken to improve mitigation and response actions for the area. These public listening sessions led to a partnership between the Supervisors and Senator Dodd's office to request additional funding be set aside in the State budget to begin to address the area.

In August of 2021, the Yolo County Fire Safe Council (YCFSC) was established. The mission of YCFSC is to provide support for wildfire prevention, wildfire response, and post-fire recovery efforts by implementing priority projects identified in the Yolo County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). In 2021, the YCFSC also established an oversight structure that includes members from across Yolo County. They completed a Wildfire Risk Assessment for the County and began drafting the CWPP. A CWPP includes projects that are pre-identified as being beneficial for the mission of the YCFSC. Due to funding streams being available for Wildfire mitigation projects prior to the completion of the CWPP, the YCFSC focused on creating an initial project list, with ratings of importance, to be able to apply for funding even prior to the completion of the CWPP. The CWPP will continue to grow with additional projects as the fire landscape changes within Yolo County.

In addition to the CWPP process, Fire mitigation and response information is also included in the local Urban Forestry plans of cities throughout Yolo County. This information focuses more on the urban conflagration risk of fire and less on wildfire preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.

It is important to note that whether the fire risk is due to Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) or Urban Conflagration, both sources are considered a risk to Public Life Safety by Yolo Office of Emergency Services (YOES). It is the viewpoint of YOES that all projects (regardless of origin) will need to have funding sources identified for completion. In future years, State budget, State grant sources, and Federal grant sources should all be maximized to fund all projects listed as a protection from any type of fire source to protect the residents of our County.

The County of Yolo obtained $1.5 million as part of the State budget process and has proposed the attached expenditure plan for those funds to enhance fire preparedness. Staff is asking the Board to approve the initial expenditure plan (Attachment A) so staff can proceed when funds are received from CalOES (expected to be March, 2022). The Board approved authority for the Interim CAO to sign the agreement with CalOES in January 2022.

Yolo County Fire Safe Council and California Senate District 3