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Irvine council directs staff to inventory hazardous‑materials sites and review preparedness
Summary
The council directed city staff, the city attorney, emergency management and OCFA to prepare an inventory of facilities handling acutely hazardous materials, evaluate municipal and zoning code amendments (including risk‑management and cost‑recovery options), and report back within 90 days.
The Irvine City Council voted to direct staff to review local chemical‑incident preparedness, create an inventory of facilities that handle acutely hazardous materials, and propose code or procedural changes within a 90‑day timeline.
Councilmember Liu introduced the request, citing recent hazardous‑materials incidents in Garden Grove and elsewhere and asking that the city examine current regulation and preparedness. "I request that the city manager, city attorney, and city emergency management director, the director of community development, and the Orange County Fire Authority prepare a preliminary inventory of Irvine facilities handling acutely hazardous materials and a plan to amend the Irvine Municipal Code and zoning code accordingly and report back to the city council within 90 days," Liu read into the record.
Fire Chief Freeman (Orange County Fire Authority) told the council that the county health agency currently serves as Irvine's Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA), conducting tri‑annual inspections of hazardous‑materials facilities while the city performs annual inspections and maintains an active list of sites accessible to city emergency planners. "We also do maintain an active list of all sites here in the city of Irvine, that is accessible by our staff and our hazmat team at any time," the chief said.
The motion directed staff to evaluate potential municipal code amendments, including risk‑management/prevention program requirements for handlers of acutely hazardous materials, exploration of a hazardous‑incident cost‑recovery mechanism, extension of public‑notification radii for industrial zones, and a city attorney opinion on application of the California Fire Code to industrial parcels sited adjacent to residential parcels. Council members confirmed the work was to be completed with normal staff resources and requested a report within 90 days.
With no effective public comment, the council approved the directive by roll call, recorded as carrying 6‑0 of members present. The motion asks multiple departments and OCFA to collaborate on the inventory and recommended code changes and to return with findings and recommendations to the council.
