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Town manager: Portola Valley should not host a vetted vendor list; committee will link to external resources
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Summary
Town Manager Darcy Smith told the Wildfire Preparedness Committee the town should avoid posting a vetted vendor list because it could be seen as an endorsement; members agreed to instead point residents to third-party directories and highlight local homeowner showcases and will review links annually.
The Portola Valley Wildfire Preparedness Committee heard from Town Manager Darcy Smith that the town should not publish a vetted vendor list for wildfire mitigation because doing so could be perceived as a town endorsement and create legal and reputational risk. "The town has to be fair and impartial and not be viewed as recommending any vendors," Smith said, adding that a maintenance burden and outdated information would also be problematic.
Committee members explored alternatives. Smith suggested three options: accept an open list anyone can join with a clear disclaimer; promote established third-party directories such as the California Fire Safe Council’s Fire Safe Business Directory; or create homeowner showcases or case studies that describe who performed work without presenting the town as recommending specific companies. "There has to be just a very fair, clear process," Smith said, and she cautioned that the town taking on a vetted list would invite complaints that it had "approved" listed vendors.
Craig Taylor, the committee liaison, said the objective was practical: to make it easier for homeowners to start wildfire-safety projects. He recommended linking to several resources rather than endorsing a single vendor. "The goal was to make it so that if people wanted to get started, they had an idea of where to start," Taylor said.
Members noted existing options residents already use, including the Portola Valley forum, lists distributed by the Woodside Fire Protection District, and commercial directories (Yelp, Angi). Committee participants also suggested promoting the California Fire Safe Council directory and sharing short write-ups or a "wildfire tip" spotlight that names the vendor a homeowner used as a case study, leaving responsibility for vetting to the homeowner.
The committee agreed to update its web pages to point residents to multiple external sources (forum, fire-district resources, public directories) and to include a clear disclaimer rather than maintain a town‑vetted list. Staff recommended an annual review of links to avoid dead references and reduce redundancy. No formal motion to create a town‑maintained vendor list was adopted; members instead directed staff to implement the link-and-review approach and to consult the town attorney as needed.
The discussion focused on balancing the committee’s public‑safety goals with legal constraints and practical maintenance burdens; members asked staff to check with the town attorney before taking any action that might imply endorsement.
