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Moraga fire district: state'issued maps place many neighborhoods into 'very high' fire hazard zones
Summary
The Moraga-Orinda Fire District told the Moraga Town Council the Office of the State Fire Marshal released updated fire hazard severity zone maps that expand very high hazard designations; the district and town will post maps for public comment and must adopt the zones by ordinance within 120 days.
Jeff Isaacs, Fire Chief of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District, told the Town Council on Feb. 26 that the Office of the State Fire Marshal released updated fire hazard severity zone maps that increase areas designated as "very high" within Moraga.
"I just wanted to give you a brief update on the fire hazard severity zone maps that have finally been released from this office of the state fire marshal," Isaacs said. He said the maps were released Monday and that the district is preparing to publish both the new and previous maps online and offer an interactive lookup so residents can check their address.
The district has 30 days to publish the maps and take public comment, Isaacs said, and 120 days to adopt the maps by ordinance. "State law does not allow us to downgrade an area. So if some [area] designated by the state is very high, I can't come in and say, 'no, I think it's high.' We can only upgrade," he said.
Isaacs said he expected the board of forestry to release regulations implementing parts of Gov. Gavin Newsom's February executive order, including the so'called "Zone 0" measures. He said the Board of Forestry will take public comment on proposed regulations and that the governor directed the board to have the rules in effect by Dec. 31, 2025. He added some parts of the executive order already apply immediately to new construction and to properties inside very high hazard zones, and that there is a three'year implementation schedule for existing homes to gain compliance with some requirements.
Councilmembers and residents asked for clear public outreach. One resident asked whether the new designations will affect insurance rates; Isaacs said insurers use their own modeling and do not directly base rates on the state maps. He listed other, concrete consequences of a very high designation: more restrictive building and defensible space standards for new construction, disclosure obligations for real estate transactions, and the need to address safety elements in local hazard mitigation and general plan documents.
Isaacs said he would present phased implementation options to the Moraga-Orinda Fire District board and work with the town manager to make town website links and public comment instructions available.
No ordinance or regulatory change was adopted at the council meeting; Isaacs's remarks were part of the meeting's public comment period and provided an informational update and next steps for the district and town.
The council thanked Isaacs and the district for the update and for coordinating outreach with town staff.
Ending: The town can expect the district and town staff to post both old and new maps, an address lookup tool, and details about public comment opportunities in the coming weeks; the district will bring a proposed phased approach to compliance to its own board and the town will track the district's public comment and the state rulemaking schedule.
