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Calistoga council adopts ordinance updating fire hazard severity zones; two members recuse
Summary
The Calistoga City Council approved a second-reading ordinance to update and designate fire hazard severity zones, with two members recusing for proximity to affected areas. Public commenters urged a slowdown to development citing water and evacuation concerns.
The Calistoga City Council voted to approve the second reading of an ordinance updating and designating fire hazard severity zones on June 17, 2025, with Council members Scott Cooper, Don Gift and Vice Mayor Lopez Ortega voting yes and Mayor Williams and Council member Eisenberg recused due to proximity to the mapped areas.
The ordinance — taken on the consent calendar as a second reading — updates maps and designations used to identify areas of elevated wildfire risk. The ordinance was not pulled from consent for extended debate; the council proceeded to a roll-call vote after a public-comment period.
Residents raised public-safety and evacuation concerns during public comment. Miss Yount, a resident who spoke during the hearing, said the updated map places recent multi‑story apartment projects in higher-severity zones and called for a pause on growth: “You have the 3 story apartments on Lincoln … I think they’re in the red … You keep growing and you’re putting people in places that are not really good places to be and the growth is just gonna add to the need for evacuation.”
Carrie Abreu, another resident, told the council she had spoken with firefighters and said Calistoga’s volunteer fire department and water supplies may be inadequate for new development in high‑hazard areas. Abreu said a significant fire could “drain Kimball Dam” and leave hydrants dry during peak season, and expressed concern about multi‑story buildings the town lacks apparatus to serve.
City Clerk recorded the roll call: Council member Eisenberg and Mayor Williams were noted as recused. The vote record was: Cooper — aye; Gift — aye; Lopez Ortega (Vice Mayor) — aye. The ordinance did not include an ordinance number or citation on the record and no amendments were recorded during the meeting.
The ordinance will take effect according to the city's ordinance-adoption schedule; the council did not state a specific effective date on the record. The council did not specify any further staff direction or follow-up reports related to implementation during the vote.
