Draft Community Safety Element expands scope beyond earthquakes; planning staff seek public comment

Ed Lee and Sarah Dennis presented the first draft of an updated Community Safety Element intended to be a centralized reference for plans, programs and policies related to hazards and post‑disaster recovery. "The first one was that we thought this document should really serve as a centralized information source for all the information, all the plans, all the programs that are going on in the city," Sarah Dennis said.

Dennis said the draft expands the element beyond earthquakes to address terrorism, communications and transportation failures, health incidents and other hazards, and adds a focus on recovery and reconstruction — areas the current element does not address in detail. She said the draft is posted for public review on the Planning Department web page and is undergoing environmental review.

Planning staff said the draft will be circulated to departments and stakeholders for feedback, will go through environmental review at the Planning Department, will be heard before the Planning Commission with public hearings, and then forwarded to the Board of Supervisors. Dennis also said the work will be followed by a separate implementation program that will specify which agencies and individuals are responsible for carrying out the policies included in the element.

The council invited participation from SPUR and other stakeholders and reminded members that public hearings and environmental review are part of the process before the document reaches the Board of Supervisors.