West Valley stakeholders discuss priorities for Wildfire Resilience Partnership

"Following the first meeting of Congressman Sam Liccardo's regional Wildfire Resilience Partnership, leaders from Los Gatos and Saratoga who were in attendance Aug. 29 at the Los Altos Community Center said that although there wasn't much consensus, the stakeholders discussed their priorities to start narrowing down how the federal government can help. The purpose was to look for ways to work together with federal engagement to have a more coordinated approach to wildfire preparation, risk, mitigation and resiliency, said Los Gatos Mayor Matthew Hudes in an interview."

"Hudes said he, Los Gatos Town Manager Chris Constantin and Los Gatos Emergency Manager Chris Todd raised concerns about funding mechanisms for improvements the town will need down the line and how municipalities can raise money to invest in these improvements. They also suggested having standardized building and zoning codes for construction in high fire hazard zones, which are typically hillside communities."

"Saratoga City Manager Matt Morley echoed some of these concerns, saying that his priorities were the hardening of evacuation routes to make them more resilient in case of wildfire and highlighting infrastructure needs like roadway capacity and retaining walls. I think there's a lot of commonalities in terms of reducing fuels that create issues with wildfires, like brush and trees, Morley said. We'll continue to work with our neighbors and partners."

Leaders from Los Gatos and Saratoga identified priorities for federal engagement to coordinate wildfire preparation, risk mitigation and resiliency. Los Gatos officials raised concerns about funding mechanisms for future improvements and ways municipalities can raise money for resilience projects. Officials proposed standardized building and zoning codes for high fire hazard hillside communities and a single integrated app from technology companies to deliver public service announcements during emergencies. Saratoga prioritized hardening evacuation routes, improving roadway capacity and retaining walls, and reducing fuels such as brush and trees. Saratoga and other hillside communities have used federal funds and FEMA grants routed through the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

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