Yorba Linda council adopts 2025 Cal Fire hazard maps after public objections

The Yorba Linda City Council on June 17, 2025, voted to adopt Ordinance No. 2025-11-13 to incorporate the 2025 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for the city, a change staff said will be submitted to the state Board of Forestry within 30 days.

City officials said the maps are meant to better identify wildfire risk and encourage home hardening and defensible space; residents urged the council to delay adoption and demanded clearer notice and an explanation of an apparent low-risk “island” in the Bryant Ranch area.

Council consideration followed a technical presentation from Nate Farnsworth, city community development director, and Division Chief Kevin Fetterman of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). Farnsworth told the council the state prepared the maps and the city was legally obligated to review and designate hazard areas. "This is a process that we are obligated under the state to take a look at the Cal Fire maps that were prepared by the state,"…