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Council incorporates county hazard mitigation plan into Santa Clara general plan to preserve disaster funding eligibility
Summary
Council adopted a general-plan amendment to incorporate the Santa Clara County multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan and the city's local annex into the safety element, preserving access to federal FEMA and state disaster assistance funds; action passed unanimously.
The Santa Clara City Council unanimously approved a general-plan amendment Tuesday to incorporate the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) and the City’s local annex into the safety element of the city’s General Plan.
City staff said incorporation makes the city eligible for federal FEMA mitigation funding and for state disaster assistance under Assembly Bill 2140 (California Disaster Assistance Act) by aligning the adopted plans with the General Plan’s safety policies.
Nut graf: The MJHMP documents local hazards, risk profiles and mitigation actions developed in coordination across jurisdictions. The council’s action is administrative: it adds the adopted MJHMP and the city’s local annex to the General Plan and requires a permanent web link to the documents so they are readily accessible.
Community Development staff described the background and the benefit of incorporation. The MJHMP and the local annex were developed in coordination with Santa Clara County and other cities; staff said the MJHMP was adopted by the council in August 2024 and that the current action places that plan within the General Plan’s safety element so the city retains access to FEMA and state funding eligibility.
Councilmember questions focused on public outreach and how mitigation actions would be implemented. Staff responded that the plan had included public-engagement steps during its preparation and that the city would update web links and post the adopted documents online. Office of Emergency Management staff confirmed the plan is posted on the city’s emergency-management web pages and staff will keep links updated.
The council adopted the general-plan amendment by unanimous roll call. Staff said the change will be incorporated into the Safety Element and the online General Plan record, and that the city will continue work on mitigation implementation projects and public preparedness outreach.
