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County’s multi‑jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan moves forward; Scotts Valley priorities include wildfire, earthquake and slope failure
Summary
Consultants and county staff told the council the FEMA‑funded hazard mitigation plan is midway through development; Scotts Valley’s priority hazards include earthquake, wildfire, slope failure, drought and extreme heat and the public survey and draft plan will be released for comment this month.
Consultants developing Santa Cruz County’s multi‑jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan updated the Scotts Valley City Council on progress, listing the local hazards that scored highest in the countywide risk assessment and outlining the next steps for public review and formal approval.
Rainey Ott of Dynamic Planning + Science told council the County’s Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience (OR3) is leading the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program‑funded effort. The plan aims to help participating jurisdictions qualify for federal mitigation grants and prioritize projects that reduce future disaster damage and recovery time.
Ott said the planning team has completed community engagement to date — including a public survey with roughly 450 responses, stakeholder interviews and coordination with other local plans — and that the city’s priority hazards are, in order of assessed consequence: earthquake and wildfire (highest), then slope failure, drought, high wind, flooding and extreme heat. She noted climate change is amplifying frequency and severity of these events and emphasized that the plan will recommend actionable mitigation strategies, capital‑improvement priorities and public outreach.
Key upcoming dates include closing the public survey on Sept. 15 and releasing a public draft of the plan on Sept. 29; the consultant said local adoption proceedings and state/federal approvals are expected in early 2026 after review by the California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA. Council members asked that specific local assets — for example, the Herbalaine/Herbal Lane fire station — be clearly identified in the asset inventory and prioritized if at elevated risk; Ott confirmed assets are inventoried and will be risk‑rated as part of the final mitigation strategy.
Why it matters: The hazard mitigation plan is a prerequisite for many FEMA hazard‑mitigation funding programs and will guide investment decisions on resilience projects in Scotts Valley and across the county.
What’s next: The council was invited to review the public draft when released and to encourage residents to complete the survey before the Sept. 15 closing date.
