Pico Rivera adopts local hazard mitigation plan to unlock FEMA mitigation funding
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Summary
The City Council adopted a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) that Cal OES and FEMA have approved pending the council's signed resolution. The plan identifies extreme heat, seismic shaking, flooding, epidemics and human-caused hazards, and establishes a five-year implementation window and outreach priorities.
The Pico Rivera City Council voted to adopt the city's updated Local Hazard Mitigation Plan on Oct. 28, 2025, a step officials said is required to access certain Federal Emergency Management Agency mitigation grant programs.
Atlas Planning Solutions consultant Aaron Fannons, who led the update, told the council the plan was reviewed by the California Office of Emergency Services and FEMA and that the agencies had granted approval pending the council's signed resolution. Fannons said the plan "provides access to future mitigation grant opportunities with FEMA" and is intended to bridge the general plan safety element and the city's emergency operations plan.
The plan identifies a set of priority hazards, including extreme heat, seismic shaking, flooding, epidemics and human-caused hazards. Fannons said staff conducted community outreach for the update, citing an online public survey that drew 96 responses, a senior breakfast session with roughly 90–100 attendees, meetings with the school district and stakeholder outreach with assisted-living facilities such as Pico Rivera Gardens. He said the plan has a five-year shelf life and that adoption permits the city to seek mitigation project funding over that period.
Councilmember Laura asked about a median household income figure referenced in the plan and whether the data source was current; Fannons replied the figures came from the American Community Survey's most recent available data. Resident Esther Mejia, during the public hearing, urged stronger outreach and recommended activating CERT and houses of worship as resilience partners.
A motion to adopt the resolution was made by Councilmember Laura and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Camacho. Roll call recorded four ayes and no nays; the motion passed 4'0'00. The council directed staff to sign the resolution and return the signed document to Cal OES and FEMA to finalize approval.
What happens next: with the signed resolution attached, the city will file the final plan with Cal OES and FEMA and begin implementation efforts tied to the plan's projects. That implementation will be the mechanism for applying to FEMA mitigation grants.
