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Required
Contents
The safety element must, consistent with
Government Code
Section 65302(g)
, provide for the protection of the community
from any unreasonable risks associated with the effects of:
• Seismically induced surface rupture, ground shaking,
ground failure
• Tsunami, seiche, and dam failure
• Slope instability leading to mudslides and landslides
• Subsidence
• Liquefaction
• Other seismic hazards identified pursuant to Chapter 7.8
(commencing with Section 2690) of Division 2
of the Public
Resources Code, and other geologic hazards known to the
legislative body
• Flooding
• Wildland and urban fires
• Climate change
The safety element must include mapping of known seismic
and other geologic hazards. It must also address evacuation
routes, military installations, peakload water supply
requirements, and minimum road widths and clearances
around structures, as those items relate
to identified fire and
geologic hazards.
The safety element must also identify information regarding
flood hazards, establish a set of comprehensive goals, policies,
and objectives for the protection of the community from the
unreasonable risks of flooding, and establish a set of feasible
implementation measures designed to carry out the goals,
policies, and objectives for flood protection. It is recommended
that the safety element do the same for drought impacts.
The safety element must also
be reviewed and updated as
necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as state
Changes in planning and design can increase community
safety and resilience
Image by Urban Advantage, Cunningham Quill | Architects
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responsibility areas and land classified as very high fire hazard severity zones. Because climate change will likely increase
California’s frequency and intensity of fire weather conditions, even historically less vulnerable regions should reevaluate
wildfire risk and prevention strategies in their general plan’s safety element.
Most of the information needed to complete the analysis
for the safety element, can be obtained through a combination of
sources: the
State Hazard Mitigation Plan
and federal requirements outlined in the Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) of 2000,
MyPlan
tool, the
General Plan Mapping Tool
,
Cal-Adapt
and the
Adaptation Planning Guide (APG)
. Some information may need
to be generated at the local or regional level, particularly for those facilities considered critical to the community.
Consultation Requirements
Before the periodic review of its general plan and before preparing or revising its safety element, each city and county shall
consult the
California Geological Survey of the
Department of Conservation
, the
Central Valley Flood Protection Board
, if the
city or county is located within the boundaries of the
Sacramento and San Joaquin Drainage District
, as set forth in
Section
8501 of the Water Code
, and the
Office of Emergency Services
for the purpose of including information known by and available
to
the department, the agency, and the board required by this subdivision. In particular, the Office of Emergency Services can
assist local governments with developing their safety element and aligning general plan strategies with those of the local
hazard mitigation and emergency operation plans to ensure consistency. The
Governor’s Office of Planning and Research’s
Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP)
, established by
SB 246 (Wieckowski, 2015)
, also supports local
government’s compliance with
SB 379 (Pub. Resources Code § 71350 et seq.)
.
Each city and county must provide a draft of its safety element or amendment of its safety element to the California Geological
Survey of the Department of
Conservation prior to adoption, for review to determine if all known seismic and other geologic
hazards are addressed (
Gov. Code § 65302.5)(a)
). A city or county that contains a state fire responsibility area or a very high
fire hazard severity zone must provide a draft of its safety element or amendment of its safety element to the State Board of
Forestry and Fire Protection for review before adoption, and the Board may recommend changes regarding uses of land, policies,
or strategies for reducing fire risk (Id. at
§ 65302.5)(b)
). Similarly, each city and county located in the Sacramento and San
Joaquin Drainage District must provide a draft of its safety element or amendment of its safety element
to the Central Valley
Flood Protection Board before adoption, and the Board may provide recommended changes regarding uses of land, policies, or
strategies for reducing flood risk and protecting areas subject to flooding (Id. at
§ 65302.7
).
Statutory Requirements
This section offers a general guide to the contents of the safety element. Note that while the focus is on the minimum
requirements for an adequate safety element, an effective general plan will focus more extensively on those issues of greatest
relevance to the community. The effects of climate change in particular will influence emergency management issues through
varying impacts across local communities statewide. Increases
in average temperature, a greater incidence of extreme weather
conditions, and sea level rise all will not only exacerbate existing hazards mentioned in this section, but may also create new
hazards where none previously existed.