For City Council Meeting [September 28, 2021]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
FROM: Michael Tahan, Interim Public Works Director
Title
Request City Council to Approve the City of Rialto’s Climate Adaptation Plan.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
In 2018, the City of Rialto received a Caltrans Adaptation Planning Grant to comply with the SB 379 requirement for a General Plan element addressing climate change adaptation and a resiliency strategy. On June 26, 2018, the City Council accepted the California SB1-Public Transportation-Adaptation planning grant in the amount of $350,000. Caltrans approved the restricted grant agreement on October 1, 2018 and issued a notice to proceed. The grant originally had an expiration date of February 28, 2021, but due to delays as a result of COVID-19, the City was granted an extension to September 30, 2021.
On May 14, 2019, City Council approved a Professional Services Agreement with Dudek to prepare the Rialto’s Climate Adaptation Plan (the “Plan”).
On August 12, 2021, a draft version of the Plan was presented to the Economic Development Committee. The two (2) main discussions at this meeting revolved around how to address fire insurance maps used by insurance companies and how the City can best balance the benefits of tree planting with things like water usage and fire hazards. Action 7.1c was added in an attempt to address public access to fire maps used by insurance companies. Actions 2.3a and b were altered to include project-by-project considerations by certified arborists for multiple hazards, and Action 7.2b addresses trees as well with the development of a prohibited plant species list for high fire hazard severity zones.
On August 25, 2021, a draft version of the Plan was presented to the City of Rialto’s Planning Commission. The main discussions here revolved around plan implementation and tracking, as well as the specificity of engagement efforts. Implementation tracking was addressed through the addition of Action 5.3a which directs staff to report annually on the implementation of the Plan and grant applications. Table 6-1 also addresses implementation and tracking, as it is an implementation table that lays out all actions with costs, funding sources, timeframes, responsible City departments, and more to ensure a swift and successful implementation. This table also aids in making the engagement efforts more specific by identifying the City departments in charge of specific engagement efforts. Furthermore, engagement actions were updated to include examples and options for which organizations or groups could receive the engagement while still allowing the City flexibility, as the groups and organizations most connected in the community may change over the life of the plan.
A table with dates for all project-specific community engagement efforts can be seen below.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The City of Rialto’s Climate Adaptation Plan, which lays the groundwork to prepare the City and its residents for the expected impacts of climate change and meet the requirements of SB 379 and the climate change-related requirements of SB 1000, has reached the stage of public review and associated revision. The Plan builds on the City’s General Plan Safety Element and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) to evaluate various measures of preparedness and vulnerability and address them where they threaten health and safety of Rialto residents.
The purpose of the Plan is to identify low-cost and grant eligible projects that couple with State-mandated land use policy to create a safe and healthy Rialto. The Plan was developed in coordination with City staff, regional agencies, and Rialto residents to create an implementable plan that best reflects the broad values and goals in the community while adapting to climate change.
California Senate Bill 379 requires that Safety Elements of General Plans be reviewed and updated to include climate-related hazards and resilience strategies. Similarly, California Senate Bill 1000, the Planning for Healthy Communities Act, mandates that cities and counties adopt environmental justice elements, or integrate such goals, objectives, and policies into their General Plan elements. Accordingly, a review of the Rialto General Plan was conducted and edits for consistency with the CAP are included as part of this effort.
The City of Rialto’s Climate Adaptation Plan, included as Attachment 1, provides a summary of activities to date as well as recommendations that can be used by the City to obtain additional infrastructure and programmatic funding.
The following is a summary highlighting the plan elements contained in the document:
• Introduction describing the applicable State requirements are they relate to this Plan and provides an overview of Rialto’s vulnerable populations and neighborhoods
• Public Engagement from Community and Stakeholders
• Data Collection and Methodology used for the development of the Plan
• Vulnerability Assessment includes forecasts of each of the four (4) climate-related hazards: Air Pollution, extreme heat, flood, and wildfire.
• Capability Assessment evaluates the City’s current capacity to address the four climate-related hazards
• Policy and Action Recommendations to increase the City’s ability to adapt to the hazards and meet the needs of its vulnerable communities. Each recommended implementation action includes a priority level, timeframe, funding sources, cost, performance indicators, and future tracking.
Consultant presentation by Dudek is included as Attachment 2.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to section 15378(a), a project means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to section 15378 (b), a project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
Approval of this action also complies with the following City of Rialto General Plan Goals and Policies:
Goal 3-6: Require that all developed areas within Rialto are adequately served with essential public services and infrastructure.
Goal 3-7: Upgrade public infrastructure as an inducement to promote private investment.
Goal 4-1: Provide transportation improvements to reduce traffic congestion associated with regional and local trip increases.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed and supports this staff report and First Amendment.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
The proposed action will not affect the Operating Budget.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
The proposed action will not affect the Capital Improvement Budget; however, the Rialto Climate Adaptation Plan was funded through a Grant from the California SB1-Public Transportation-Adaptation planning grant and Measure I funds.
Licensing
The action taken by City Council in this report will not result in a business license application nor subjected to payment of a Business License tax.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the City of Rialto’s Climate Adaptation Plan.