Fire chief urges local review after state’s new hazard maps place much of Monterey Hills in "very high" zone

Fire Chief Greg Lloyd told the South Pasadena Public Safety Commission on April 14 that Cal Fire’s recently released local fire hazard severity maps classify much of the city’s western edge — including large portions of the Monterey Hills — as “very high” hazard, and he urged local review and public education.

“This is a hazard map. It’s not a risk map,” Lloyd said, explaining that the state’s maps show physical conditions that create likely fire behavior over several decades and do not account for local mitigation. He described the state’s methodology change: lands were first divided into wildland and non‑wildland; non‑wildland areas such as South Pasadena were assessed by ember‑cast potential and proximity to adjacent wildland fuels.

Lloyd said the Monterey Hills total about 660 acres, with roughly 22 acres of vegetation and a concentrated fuel bed of about 31–32 acres in the south‑central hills that connects with adjacent fuel on Los Angeles‑controlled land. He expressed concern that the state’s inputs led to inconsistent coloring within the same terrain and that the statewide methodology did not reflect localized fuel beds. Lloyd said the city has authority under Government Code 51179 to request map alteration but the state will only allow upward adjustments (the city can request adding areas into higher hazard categories but cannot request downgrades of state designations).

He summarized likely practical effects if areas are designated high or very high hazard: Chapter 7A of the California Building Code and related requirements for fire‑resistant construction, state rules on defensible space (including a 0‑to‑5‑foot “zero” zone that will be phased in starting in 2026 with retroactive compliance by 2029), annual defensible‑space inspections, and real‑estate disclosure requirements for properties within designated zones. Lloyd noted the distinction between hazard and insurer risk, saying insurers can use other models and make independent coverage decisions.

Lloyd recommended a local outreach and education campaign, coordination with Verdugo mutual‑aid partners on response planning, and consideration of an optional map that aligns higher hazard boundaries to recognizable streets to aid public understanding. He also highlighted operational implications: California Fire Code section 503 requires fire‑apparatus access roads to have an unobstructed width of at least 20 feet (28 feet allows parking on one side, 36 feet on both), and narrow hill streets may warrant parking restrictions during high fire conditions to maintain access and prevent evacuation bottlenecks.

Commissioners asked about retrofit or reconstruction mandates (Lloyd said building codes are rarely retroactive and that reconstruction is not generally required, though major remodels can trigger current code), the role of utilities and Caltrans properties (ownership is responsible for maintenance), and public education plans. Lloyd said the city will publish the map, provide feedback channels, hold public education sessions and videos, and that the map must be published within 30 days with council adoption expected within 120 days under the state code process; he asked the commission to engage the community and provide input on options.

The commission received the briefing (no formal action was taken at the meeting).