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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 07 - Proposed City Response to Orange County Grand Jury Report Titled Wildfires Hit Home 'per City Manager's Office ♦''� www.santa-ana.org/cm Item # 7 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report July 7, 2026 TOPIC: Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026 AGENDA TITLE Proposed City Response to Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home RECOMMENDED ACTION Approve the proposed City response to the Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026. GOVERNMENT CODE 484308 APPLIES: No DISCUSSION On May 19, 2026, the Orange County Grand Jury issued a report titled Wildfires Hit Home (Exhibit 1) regarding home hardening and defensible space measures to save property owners and local governments from catastrophic loss. The report includes findings and recommendations directed at local agencies (pages 31 and 32). The Grand Jury report states "California Penal Code Section 933 requires the governing body of any public agency which the Grand Jury has reviewed, and about which it has issued a final report, to comment to the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court on the findings and recommendations pertaining to matters under the control of the governing body. Such comment shall be made no later than 90 days after the Grand Jury publishes its report" (page 34). The 90-day deadline is August 18, 2026. The report requires the City of Santa Ana to respond to findings F1 through F6 and recommendations R2 through R4 (page 40). The City of Santa Ana is an urban landscape and does not lie within a Fire Hazard Severity Zone, as designated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The City contracts with the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) for fire services; and on June 25, 2026, the OCFA Board approved its own response to the Grand Jury report. City management has prepared a proposed response to the Grand Jury report in consultation with the City's Public Work Agency, using information from the Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026 July 7, 2026 Page 2 OCFA response. The findings and recommendations and proposed responses are detailed below. Grand Jury Findings Findings F1 through F6 follow. More frequent and severe wildfires driven by increasingly hotter, drier, and windier conditions in the Orange County wildland-urban interface are escalating impacts on financial and non-financial resources.Among the financial costs are dramatic increases in homeowners'insurance premiums, nonrenewals, and inabilities to obtain insurance. F2 Actions that address conditions in the home ignition zone to significantly reduce ignition potential can prevent a community wildland-urban interface fire disaster or suburban conflagration. F3 Expanded engagement with the community to raise awareness and provide support regarding home hardening and defensible space will increase effectiveness of wildfire risk mitigation and insurance risk reduction efforts. F4 Achievement of community-level and property-level wildfire risk mitigation designations(such as Firewise USA Site, Fire Risk Reduction Community or Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety certification) lessens wildfire risk and helps reduce insurance premium costs. F5 All county residents should be made aware that Safer from Wildfire regulation requires insurers to provide discounts to homeowners and communities that implement home hardening and defensible space measures regardless of whether a property is located within a Fire Hazard Severity Zone. F6 AB888, California Safe Homes Grant Program, provides financial assistance to eligible homeowners, cities, counties, and special districts for home hardening and defensible space measures.Applying for and using these grant funds will reduce wildfire losses and improve insurability and resilience of vulnerable communities. Proposed City response: In general, the City of Santa Ana agrees with findings F1 through F6 presented on page 31 of the Grand Jury report. The findings include statements about the insurability and cost of insurance, as noted below, which the City cannot verify and therefore cannot express an opinion. • F1 excerpt: "Among the financial costs are dramatic increases in homeowners' insurance premiums, non-renewals, and inabilities to obtain insurance." • F4 excerpt: "Achievement of community-level and property-level wildfire risk mitigation designations...helps reduce insurance premium costs." Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026 July 7, 2026 Page 3 Grand Jury Recommendations Recommendations R2 through R4 follow. By December 31. 2026. cities and fire service agencies, including Orange County Fire Authority should commit to participation in a county-wide annual wildfire prevention fair planned by the Oraf}ge County Board of Supervisors to showcase wildfire prevention outreach programs. [Ff, F2.. F3, F4, F5, F6] R3 By December 31. 2026. cities. unincorporated areas; special districts, and fire service agencies in High and Very-High Fire Hazard Severity Zones should initiate planning activities to achieve community-level wildfire risk mitigation designations and'or establish a focal Fire Safe Council within one year. [F4. F5, F6] R4 By December 31. 2026. to ensure city residents are engaged and aware of wildfire risk reduction resources. OCFA member and non-member cities should provide information, develop their own outreach program, and establish a direct contact person(s)for their residents. This is in addition to whatever referrals or references made to OCFA outreach programs. IF I, F2. F3, F4_ F5. F61 Proposed City Response: • R2: If the County of Orange moves forward with a county-wide annual wildfire prevention fair, the OCFA has committed to participating in the event. In matters of fire prevention, the OCFA represents the cities they serve, including the City of Santa Ana. • R3: The OCFA, in partnership with its member cities, is currently and actively executing the objectives in recommendation R3. • R4: As a member city, Santa Ana relies on OCFA for fire prevention expertise, including information and outreach programs. The City does not maintain a fire prevention expert on staff for residents to contact. The City maintains a link to OCFA resources on its website at " The City can and will continue to provide periodic social media outreach, and direct residents to OCFA for fire prevention resources. If City Council approves the proposed response, staff will forward it to the Orange County Grand Jury on behalf of the City before the due date of August 18, 2026. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT There is no environmental impact associated with this action. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. Orange County Grand Jury report titled Wildfires Hit Home dated May 19, 2026 July 7, 2026 Page 4 EXHIBIT(S) 1. Orange County Grand Jury Report Wildfires Hit Home Submitted By: Kathryn Downs, Assistant City Manager Approved By: Alvaro Nunez, City Manager