Sonoma Strong: Recovery and Resiliency Pledge

We, as representatives of the ORR Community Advisory Committee, District Block Captains, fire survivors and residents within Sonoma County communities, are writing to support the initiatives discussed in the current Recovery and Resiliency Framework. We greatly appreciate the leadership of the Board of Supervisors and the Sonoma County staff that developed this framework in service to our communities. Since the wildfires in October 2017, our communities have benefited from your encouragement and support with our rebuilding and resiliency efforts. Through streamlining the building permit process, supporting the debris cleanup efforts and other initiatives, County government has provided a lift to fire survivors throughout the County.

However, residents have been deeply disappointed that there has been little to no progress towards the financial and overall community security within Sonoma County given the ever-increasing risks associated with wildfires and other natural disasters. The diffusion of responsibility across various government agencies at the local, State and Federal level should not deter the Board of Supervisors from taking an active leadership position on these important issues. The increasing severity and frequency of fires before and since October 2017 (Mendocino Complex Fires, Butte County Fires, etc.) should provide all the urgency we need to take swift actions.

We highly encourage the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to take significant and immediate action to mitigate these wildfire related security risks in the following manner:

1. Establish Alert and Warning System – Immediately leverage existing technology and processes to establish baseline alert communications that give residents the tangible information they need to make life safety decisions for themselves and their families (exp. fire size, location, wind speed, wind direction, location and AQI). In parallel, we ask that the County complete an RFP process in Q1, 2019 to obtain proposals and solutions towards a comprehensive alert and warning system that incorporates sirens as the primary means of notifying residents in the case that evacuations become necessary for life safety.
2. Reduce Ignition Sources and Fuel Loads – Given that all 16 to 17 of the October 2017 fires, the recent Butte County Fire and most of the other recent conflagration wildfires were ignited by above ground electric equipment and lines, we urge the County to leverage rule 20A to pass ordinances and underground lines and equipment in fire prone areas. Following this effort, the County should work with the CPUC on enforcement strategies. We understand that while undergrounding is less costly than above ground lines over the life of the lines, the initial capital outlay required is substantial. That said, we are confident that given that PG&E is a monopoly, it is a prime candidate for low-interest financing which can eliminate any justification for rate hikes. Additionally, we encourage the County to establish a comprehensive vegetation management strategy that includes public-private partnerships as well as standards and incentives for private landowners. The County should consider fire breaks, fuel breaks and other known wildfire prevention tactics as part of this overall strategy.

3. Insurance Risk Mitigation for Financial Security – We understand that insurance scarcity is a growing financial problem in Lake County and other areas throughout the State with growing wildfire risks. Within the next month, we ask the Sonoma County staff establish monthly working sessions with key insurance industry representatives to proactively work to identify and mitigate the increasing risks of providing insurance within the Wildlife Urban Interface (WUI). Through risk mitigation actions identified by this collaboration, we expect to lessen rate increases and keep a healthy and competitive insurance market here in Sonoma County. Local municipalities in Colorado and in other States have successful programs for this type collaboration which should serve as models for a similar Sonoma County Insurance Collaborative.
4. Home Hardening – The general consensus among fire prevention and preparedness experts is that home hardening is the number one strategy to prevent the spread of large-scale conflagration fires in the Wildlife Urban Interface and in other at-risk communities. We look to the County to adopt additional low-cost home hardening standards as part of their permit process (defensible space, roof vent safeguards, fencing house-return standards, gutter/soffit/eave guards, siding/roof installation standards, etc.). Additionally, we would like County staff to develop and implement a home hardening incentive program in the first half of 2019 that uses the Sonoma Clean Power Program as a model for responsible home building incentivization.

Short of incorporating measurable and manageable objectives prior to approving this framework by the Board of Supervisors, we additionally ask that the County staff commit to establishing measurable targets for each of the above priorities along with the other goals described in the framework within the first quarter of 2019. Yes, having measurable quality controls is key to having a recovery and resiliency strategy that residents and businesses can support and that we as a community can manage. In keeping with the community engagement approach the Office of Recovery and Resiliency has identified, we request that a regular recovery and resiliency report card be provided monthly showing progress towards these and other ORR identified key performance measures. These monthly reports should be made readily available for Sonoma County residents and the County Board of Supervisors. Furthermore, we request that a community advisory board be formed to provide ongoing support and guidance to the Office of Recovery and Resiliency. This advisory board should be representative of the diverse communities and constituents across the County and include Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in areas most relevant to these initiatives (tech sector, nonprofit sector, project management, quality assurance, etc.).

We support moving forward with this “living document” based upon the above commitment. It is only through this type of strategic approach, that we can truly galvanize investment and manage the “new normal” with the new urgency these issues deserve. The health, security and safety of our communities depends on this type of commitment and collaboration among residents, local government and the private sector.