San Clemente council approves emergency wildfire measures, authorizes volunteer abatement program and donations

The San Clemente City Council unanimously approved a package of emergency wildfire-preparedness actions on Jan. 5, authorizing the city manager to accept donated equipment, to accept volunteer abatement services upon signed waivers, to negotiate right-of-entry agreements with property owners and homeowners associations for fuel-reduction work, and to find the activities categorically and statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act as emergency measures.

Mayor Steve Noe Block opened the special meeting by describing a heightened local wildfire risk after two years of unusual precipitation followed by strong Santa Ana winds and said the city’s existing weed-abatement program still left ‘‘areas in our community that present a potential fire hazard’’ that need immediate action. He asked the council to declare a wildfire-prevention week, to authorize a city-led volunteer effort to create and enhance firebreaks, and to ratify the city manager’s acceptance of donated tools and supplies to support volunteer abatement activities.

The council’s motion covered five principal items: receive a report on county-wide wildfire preparations, declare a local wildfire-prevention week, ratify the city manager’s acceptance of equipment donations, authorize the city manager to accept volunteer abatement services after volunteers sign a…