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Council hears wildfire-prevention update; Caltrans tree work and regional evacuation modeling discussed
Summary
Staff updated the council on wildfire-prevention goals, including progress on evacuation-route identification tied to a safety-element update and recent Caltrans tree maintenance on Highway 9; staff said the town of Los Gatos is considering an RFP that could include Monte Sereno in evacuation modeling if FEMA grant funding is awarded.
City staff provided an update Aug. 19 on the council-adopted wildfire-prevention and preparedness goal for FY 2025–26, highlighting work on evacuation-route identification, regional evacuation modeling and Highway 9 hazard reduction.
Staff said evacuation routes are being identified through the city's safety-element update and that the town of Los Gatos issued an RFP for townwide evacuation modeling; the RFP included an optional task for the consultant to provide separate pricing to include Monte Sereno. Staff said Los Gatos was reviewing proposals and awaiting notice of potential FEMA grant funding before deciding whether to include Monte Sereno in contracted modeling.
On Highway 9, staff reported Caltrans had a contractor complete tree maintenance and remove several trees a few weeks earlier; staff and the mayor said they had been contacted by Caltrans and scheduled a meeting with nearby jurisdictions and the county supervisor to discuss further safety work.
Council members praised staff communications and asked follow-up questions about home-hardening building-code options, CERT volunteer recruitment and the possibility of using a City Hall shed as a local incident command post once sufficient CERT volunteers are trained.
