The Pinole Planning Commission voted 6-0 on Sept. 22 to recommend that the City Council adopt an updated safety element and a new environmental justice (EJ) element to the city's general plan, staff said.

The elements were revised to incorporate new state requirements and recent local planning products, and commissioners directed several targeted edits before forwarding the package to the council.

Why it matters: The safety element update incorporates the county's multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan (LHMP) by reference, which staff said is required under AB 2140 and affects the city's eligibility for federal public-assistance cost sharing after a disaster. The EJ element implements state statutes that require jurisdictions to assess pollution and socioeconomic burdens and to add policies addressing equity of public services, facilities and housing.

Staff presentation and public input: Planning Manager Dave Hannum summarized the legal background for the update and introduced Noelle Anderson, the MBI consultant who led the technical work. Anderson told commissioners that the most significant statutory item to flag is AB 2140 and the LHMP integration, and that incorporation allows a city to be eligible for a 100% FEMA public-assistance cost share in certain disaster circumstances rather than a 94%/6% cost share if the LHMP is not incorporated. Anderson also reviewed state-driven requirements for wildfire mapping, evacuation planning and the new EJ element (SB 1000) and described outreach the team conducted, including a public workshop and survey.

The commission focused questions on wildfire policy, evacuation planning and local implementation details. Commissioners noted that the March 2025 wildfire-hazard mapping changed many areas of Pinole from very high to moderate fire-hazard severity; Anderson said much of the safety element was already written to the higher standard and that the element therefore "goes above and beyond in terms of policy" for wildfire risk. Commissioners also asked about the status of Fire Station 74; staff confirmed the station is open and said the element's narrative would be updated to reflect that.

The commission discussed evacuation-route mapping and an item in the safety element labeled Action SE 1.9.0.1, which describes constructing an emergency access road from Galbraith Road to South Rancho Road at a fire access gate and "explore the possibility of making this a permanent public road." Assistant/Staff Sebastian Manis called attention to that action and the commission asked staff to confirm the current construction status before the package goes to council. Manis read the action to the commission during the meeting: "Constructed emergency access road extending Galbraith Road to South Rancho Road at a fire access gate to be opened by emergency responders and explore the possibility of making this a permanent public road." (spoken verbatim during the meeting.)

Other substantive edits and discussion: Commissioners requested a set of focused edits and clarifications before transmittal to council, including:
- Correcting narrative references to Fire Station 74 so the element notes the station is currently open.
- Revising or removing an action (SE 1.11.0.4) that referenced very-high fire-hazard-zone requirements now that much of the city is in a moderate zone; staff proposed replacing references to "very high" with "moderate" where appropriate or removing the action if it is no longer relevant.
- Confirming the implementation status of the emergency-access action for Galbraith Road (SE 1.9.0.1) and reporting back on remaining work.
- Clarifying that pipeline hazardous-materials issues are handled in the countywide LHMP because pipeline ownership and locational data are held by third-party operators, not the city.
- Adding language to a crime-policy action (SE 2.1.0.3) so that camera networks are not only maintained and expanded but are secure and subject to appropriate security protocols; commissioners debated wording and ultimately approved a version that read in amended form at the commission level.
- Adjusting CERT-related actions to emphasize coordination with county and regional CERT programs rather than creating stand-alone programs from scratch.

Public comment: There were no substantive public speakers on the safety/EJ item at the time the commission held the hearing.

Outcome: After discussion and the staff'recommended revisions, the commission voted to recommend the safety element update and the environmental-justice element to the City Council. Planning Manager Dave Hannum told the commission staff would finalize the edits and forward the documents to council for action.

What happens next: The commission's recommendation sends the updated elements to the City Council for adoption. The elements incorporate recent mapping (March 2025 wildfire-hazard maps) and the county LHMP by reference; adopting jurisdictions must follow state timelines and statutory requirements for general-plan elements prior to submittal or final adoption.

"The most significant 1 I will flag for everybody is this AB 2,140 and it's, summarized as the LHMP integration," consultant Noelle Anderson said during her presentation. "Constructed emergency access road extending Galbraith Road to South Rancho Road at a fire access gate to be opened by emergency responders and explore the possibility of making this a permanent public road," staff member Sebastian Manis read aloud when highlighting a specific action that the commission asked staff to check for construction status.