Council approves $386,025 for Fire Safe Council outreach, home-hardening work after months of debate

The Ojai City Council voted 3–2 on Aug. 26 to approve a revised proposal from the Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council and appropriate $386,025 from Measure C funds to begin expanded outreach, education and structural hardening work aimed at reducing wildfire risk.

Supporters told the council the revised plan narrows the scope from an earlier draft and includes measurable deliverables staff requested. “The proposal before you tonight paves the way for the beginning to make your city the wildfire ready and resistant community that both you and your residents want and deserve,” Fire Safe Council representative Randy Coggin said.

Nut graf: Council members and dozens of residents debated whether the city should spend Measure C money on outreach and home-hardening incentives, with proponents arguing the proposal is a targeted first step and critics wanting more money directed to direct fuel removal. After public testimony from neighborhood leaders, teachers and wildfire experts, Council approved the staff-recommended, scaled-back package.

Council discussion focused on priorities and measurable outcomes. Supporters noted the plan funds community-level education, volunteer training to expand assessment capacity, and limited homeowner assistance and structural hardening assessments. Several residents described recent hardening and urged quicker action; others called for loans or grants targeted to low-income homeowners.

Opponents and cautious council members pressed for a stronger emphasis on direct fuel removal and questioned whether the proposal spends enough on on-the-ground mitigation rather than education. “There’s too much emphasis on talk,” one council member said during deliberations, while others noted that home hardening and outreach are complementary and that larger fuel-reduction projects require separate, larger grants.

Council action and outcome: The motion to approve the revised proposal and authorize the city manager to enter a professional services agreement and to appropriate $386,025 from Measure C passed 3–2. Vote record: Council member Ruhl — yes; Council member Meng — no; Mayor Pro Tem Lang — yes; Mayor Gilman — yes; Council member Whitman — no.

Ending: Staff and the Fire Safe Council said they will return with implementation steps, timelines and reporting, and council members asked for progress reports and documentation of measurable deliverables as the work moves forward.