Calimesa council opens public comment on statemandated fire-hazard remapping; chiefs warn of consequences

Calimesa City Council on April 7 directed staff to open a public comment period on the statemandated Local Responsibility Area (LRA) fire hazard severity zone mapping and Executive Order N-18-25, beginning the local step in a statewide process that will require cities to adopt zoning designations and, eventually, new municipal code language.

The action came after Fire Chief O'Connell outlined the state process and what he described as a new and controversial set of requirements developed by the state fire marshal and CAL FIRE. "Zone 0 will require removal of all combustible material. That's all combustible material located within 5 feet of any structure," Chief O'Connell said, explaining the difference between the historical two-zone defensible-space approach and the newly proposed zone 0, zone 1 and zone 2 structure.

Why it matters: The mapping and subsequent ordinance changes will determine which properties are labeled moderate, high or very high fire severity and…