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Supervisors approve county response to grand jury review of Planning & Building, direct staff to follow up on fire-code issue with Cal Fire
Summary
The Board unanimously approved its formal response to the 2024-25 Mendocino County Grand Jury report on Planning and Building Services and directed Planning & Building to return within a month with clarification and, if needed, coordinated action with Cal Fire on PRC 4290 implementation.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 9 approved the County's required response to the 2024-25 Grand Jury report examining structural issues in the Planning and Building Services department.
County counsel presented the Board's written responses to each grand jury finding and recommendation, noting the response had to be filed by the statutory 90-day deadline. Board members had earlier formed an ad hoc committee to prepare the substantive reply and consulted with department leadership and county counsel.
During public comment and Board discussion, concerns were raised about a specific finding related to the county's approach to PRC 4290 (state defensible-space and fire-safe regulations) and whether Planning & Building's practices aligned with state code. Public speakers, including a former Cal Fire employee, argued the county must enforce PRC 4290 in full for preexisting structures in the State Responsibility Area, not merely rely on annual defensible-space forms.
Board direction and action: The Board approved the response unanimously and asked Planning & Building to follow up expeditiously to clarify whether county practice aligns with state law. The Board instructed Planning & Building to consult Cal Fire and return within a month with any corrective actions or a plan; county counsel also noted a limited statutory window exists for seeking clarification from the grand jury if necessary.
Process note: The Board added a correction to the summary form accompanying the response (to include a missing finding number) before submission. The approval completed the county's formal reply obligation under Penal Code 933.05.
