[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6369923,"mediaKeyId","2153362-275262f513f7f019e28f8f97d0fece99","parentId",2153362,"title","Diamond Bar council hears wildfire-preparedness briefing as residents report power outages and vegetation concerns","audioSeconds",1757,"startMs",1573000,"endMs",3330000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2153362-275262f513f7f019e28f8f97d0fece99&start=1573&end=3330","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2153362-275262f513f7f019e28f8f97d0fece99/thumbnail_1573000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6369923/Diamond-Bar/Los-Angeles-County/California/Diamond-Bar-council-hears-wildfire-preparedness-briefing-as-residents-report-power-outages-and-vegetation-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6369923-e41a17a97ea2bc1b09d2289b0a682481/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213534&Signature=j4P1orLjCpwhBGPXKQr5Xn5bxGU7XCYjL8im6tkyJp~wm2QEsXfsTKpMXSf0aFJJyb6NrhgFPJFkttWLS3wcs4OAMsn-ZPDfRRj1H1C4~3bVWS~v9SNnPLe5IkQYoXWAAdvAnr7jBtVDpFGqWSlb9ziDetY1Stn63WWY2l7I9IRusrHxdbitVDJElM1fFaqNwEIlr8ehzFp7u4ONR5VvptZSIYQVTiF-z9-ROi1qWA4JH0fs-ca6uO~iMeW4hTrQ9~fnynwZFih7UGzKe9ceg0jsrA2tZ9wuEEwICRArTYuxUcJI~HHVDRC~hWD~teaUO2nPwHOSIKBFdmm2frToow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Diamond Bar, CA","date","2025-01-21T00:00:00Z","article","Diamond Bar — The City Council on Jan. 21 heard a multi-agency briefing on wildfire preparedness, water-system resilience and emergency notifications after recent wind-driven fires in Los Angeles County, and residents urged faster and clearer responses to power shutoffs and vegetation hazards.

City Manager Daniel Fox invited Los Angeles County Fire Department representatives and leaders from Walnut Valley Water District to update council members and the public on preparedness steps taken after wind events that preceded the Palisades and Eaton fires. Acting Assistant Chief Dustin Robertson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department outlined evacuation guidance, response levels and public tools for tracking incidents. Walnut Valley Water District General Manager Sherry Shaw described the district’s storage, generator and mutual-aid capabilities.

The presentations mattered because Diamond Bar sits in a wildland-urban interface where fast-moving fires, high winds and utility interruptions can converge to threaten homes and public safety. Council members and residents used the meeting to press officials for clearer evacuation warnings, better maintenance of hillsides and infrastructure, and explanations for why some neighborhoods experienced repeated public-safety power shutoffs (PSPS) while others did not.

Robertson urged residents to prepare now and to leave immediately when an evacuation order is issued. “The ready part of it is right now,” he said, summarizing the department’s Ready, Set, Go guidance. He told the council that evacuation orders — not warnings — are the signal to depart: “It’s the evacuation order… When it’s time to go, it’s time to go.” He recommended the free Watch Duty and Genesis Protect apps and described the county’s large first-alarm brush response for this area, which can include multiple engines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft because Diamond Bar sits in a “mutual threat zone” shared with neighboring counties.

Shaw said the Walnut Valley Water District maintains what she called extensive storage and redundancy to support firefighting. “We have 32 reservoirs providing an average of 50,000,000 gallons of water in storage at all times,” she said, and noted the district’s 13 generators at critical sites and membership in mutual-aid networks such as PWAG and CalWARN. Shaw described routine maintenance, hydrant testing and outreach including fire-resistant landscaping workshops and a February 8 workshop at the Diamond Bar Center.

Council members asked practical questions about response times for medical calls during wide-area events, how PSPS messages are issued and why some neighborhoods in the city appear to receive repeated, extended outages. Robertson said medical and emergency medical services continued to be staffed during the recent wind events but acknowledged the county experienced atypical staffing pressures the night of the Palisades fire. On false or repeated evacuation notifications, Robertson said the county’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) receives location identifiers and issues the public messages; a misplaced or misstated identifier can cause an alert to go incorrectly to a broader area.

Several residents asked council to press Southern California Edison (SCE) for explanations and remedies after extended PSPS outages in parts of southern Diamond Bar. Longtime resident Eleonore Barua asked, “Why is it only the south end of Diamond Bar that’s being affected?” and said outages lasting many hours are causing safety and quality-of-life concerns. City officials said they would continue to invite SCE representatives to a council meeting to seek answers.

Other residents pressed city staff about vegetation management and hillside maintenance. Amy Mao, a board member of the gated Diamond Hills Ranch community, said residents seek a “comprehensive preventative plan” and asked, “Who can we contact within the city to begin those conversations?” City Manager Fox and staff said public-works and fire-department channels would be the primary contacts for weed abatement and defensible-space coordination and that staff would follow up individually.

Residents also described specific local problems. Douglas Barcomb and Lorraine Neely reported inconsistent street-lighting and deferred brush clearing on private parcels that border their neighborhoods, and urged the city to increase inspection cadence and enforcement where ownership and maintenance responsibilities are unclear. Neely said she has repeatedly reported a hill that once received twice-yearly clearing and now appears to be the property of a neighbor; she called for more reliable city follow-up when residents report hazards.

What’s next: staff said the city will keep seeking SCE participation in a council meeting, continue local outreach on wildfire readiness beginning in March, and promote the Walnut Valley Water District’s upcoming workshops. Robertson reiterated that residents should prepare evacuation plans and “know how you’re gonna get out of your street and your community,” and Shaw encouraged residents to consult the district’s website and attend community workshops about fire-resistant landscaping and local water-supply resilience.

Community members who raised issues at the meeting were told staff or department liaisons would follow up directly; council did not take formal votes on new emergency authorities or ordinances during the presentation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Regular Meeting 1/21/2025 5:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","City Council heard wildfire readiness updates from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Walnut Valley Water District and took public questions about power shutoffs and vegetation maintenance.","taxTitle","Diamond Bar, Los Angeles County, California","taxId",5538,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6369918,"Diamond Bar council approves consent items, CDBG allocations, fiscal audit and acquisition of Pony League property",6217,3383000,9600000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2153362-275262f513f7f019e28f8f97d0fece99&start=3383&end=9600","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2153362-275262f513f7f019e28f8f97d0fece99/thumbnail_3383000.jpg","/articles/6369918/Diamond-Bar/Los-Angeles-County/California/Diamond-Bar-council-approves-consent-items-CDBG-allocations-fiscal-audit-and-acquisition-of-Pony-League-property","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6369918-766d65951ac89678613b536310de96ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213534&Signature=m0KZcJO1-3tQ3Awt1wHiu4DhY4Jy6L2ar-RK1h6u~UfasMlrz0f7zng~0CYiWYxKjavtx2uKl~y9kSLE7hVVBwJwRbIHW34O8y~HiqIZnF8oLLyGcGJfLJupSyGYrAz1MdTMO77ddfhdAFvtqHxAleaXnHVQO-KZMQjxMKTrWy-dwvI1aFkKEkLgNaF19Gu6IZ0~pM5pyoLNsVQr~LJ8DoE2JpE3~ljM8brnqjaEuw3acyHXNxL2EBlGvPQz7KFzFm8ylPY~qYpdwK5d64KJ1vSUMVt1PBtvMG5tSak3McdZOdMpe~Ponot1TkKJ3KDFwvBDvrF9CxfFqY9U~NsSLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Diamond Bar — At its Jan. 21 meeting the City Council approved several formal actions including the consent calendar, the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding plan for fiscal year 2025–26, the annual comprehensive financial report for fiscal 2023–24 and a real-property transfer and facility-use agreement to acquire the Diamond Bar Pony League ball fields.

The votes put on record the council’s decisions to proceed with planned program allocations, accept the city’s audited financial statements and begin a process to bring a long-serving youth-sports property into city ownership and long-term planning.

Why it matters: the CDBG allocations determine federal-assisted funding for senior services, curb-ramp accessibility improvements and the home-improvement loan program in the coming year. The accepted financial audit affirms the city’s year-end accounting and fund balances. Acquiring the Pony League parcel — a roughly 10.23-acre site donated to the community in 1969 — secures a large, flat site at no land cost but will require immediate maintenance work and long-term funding decisions for a potential 13-acre community park.

Votes at a glance:
- Consent calendar: Approved. Motion by Councilmember Chao; second by Councilmember Liu. Vote: Chao — Yes; Lu — Yes; Loh — Yes; Mayor Pro Tem Tai — Yes; Mayor Tang — Yes. Items included approval of minutes, the check register, the treasurer’s statement, Resolution No. 2025-01 (participation in year 5 of the County’s permanent local housing allocation program) and consultant-service agreements for an electronic-billboard environmental review and document imaging services.

- CDBG allocations (Resolution No. 2025-2): Adopted. Motion by Councilmember Liu; second by Mayor Pro Tem Tai. Vote: Chao — Yes; Lu — Yes; Loh — Yes; Mayor Pro Tem Tai — Yes; Mayor Tang — Yes. Staff recommended and council approved an estimated allocation of $354,533 composed of an estimated annual allocation ($277,306) plus available prior-year funds: $41,555 for senior programming (public services cap), $145,000 for area curb-ramp improvements (construction), and $167,978 for the Home Improvement loan program.

- Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (FY 2023–24): Received and filed. Motion by Councilmember Chao; second by Councilmember Liu. Vote: Chao — Yes; Lu — Yes; Loh — Yes; Mayor Pro Tem Tai — Yes; Mayor Tang — Yes. The city’s external auditor (LSL) issued an unmodified opinion; staff reported that unrestricted net position increased and the city ended the year with no material weaknesses in internal controls.

- Real property transfer and facility-use agreement (Diamond Bar Pony League property, 22601 Sunset Crossing Road): Approved. Motion moved and seconded (recorded votes: Chao — Yes; Lu — Yes; Loh — Yes; Mayor Pro Tem Tai — Yes; Mayor Tang — Yes). The agreements authorize a no-cost transfer of roughly 10.23 acres and a facility-use agreement that gives Pony priority access during its organized seasons while preserving public-park status. Staff warned the council that immediate site work is necessary to restore playability — estimated at $750,000 to $1,000,000 — and that a comprehensive redevelopment combining the city’s adjacent 2.8-acre parcel could cost up to $20,000,000 depending on amenities.

Council discussion and next steps: council members praised staff work to negotiate the Pony transfer and directed staff to begin the short-term safety and maintenance work while pursuing a design and funding plan for long-term park development. Staff said the short-term repairs would focus on grading/field repairs, removal of unsafe outbuildings, irrigation and tree/landscape work; those improvements would allow limited use while the city develops a full design and financing plan. Any future redevelopment will include public outreach through the city’s parks and planning processes.

The formal approvals were recorded by City Clerk Santana; staff will return with contracting steps, public-input schedules and funding options should council direct them to proceed with design and construction planning.","The City Council approved the consent calendar (including participation in a county housing allocation program and consultant agreements), adopted CDBG allocations for fiscal 2025–26, accepted the FY 2023–24 financial audit and approved a no-cost transfer and facility-use agreement for the Diamond Bar Pony League property.","actionData","errors"]

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Diamond Bar council hears wildfire-preparedness briefing as residents report power outages and vegetation concerns

Diamond Bar council approves consent items, CDBG allocations, fiscal audit and acquisition of Pony League property