CC SR 20230117 04 - Know Your Zone
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 01/17/2023
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with the Peninsula Cities regarding the implementation of the Zonehaven evacuation
platform.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Authorize the Mayor to execute an MOU between the Peninsula Cities of Rancho
Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills Estates, and Rolling Hills in a
form acceptable to the City Attorney, regarding implementation of the Zonehaven
evacuation platform and the associated “Know Your Zone” public outreach
campaign.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no cost for entering into the MOU. However, initial website
development, administration, and marketing cost-share expenses for
Rancho Palos Verdes are estimated not to exceed a one-time cost
of $6,000. Once the website has been developed, associated costs
related to website hosting and domain name services are estimated
not to exceed an annual cost share amount of $900.
Amount Budgeted: $22,000
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): 101-400-1430-5101
(General Fund – Emergency Preparedness/Prof.&Tech.Srvc)
ORIGINATED BY: Jesse Villalpando, Senior Administrative Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Karina Bañales, Deputy City Manager
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Memorandum of Understanding between the Peninsula Cities (page A-1)
BACKGROUND:
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Public Safety Committee (PPSC) is comprised of two council
members from each Peninsula city and meets quarterly to discuss emergency
preparedness and safety matters in the region. Over the last year, the PPSC has
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RANCHO PALOS VERDES
discussed mass evacuation planning for the Palos Verdes Peninsula with a goal of
identifying neighborhood ingress and egress routes and concerns about impaired access,
as well as establishing communication best practices with public safety, local agencies,
and the community to ensure messages are clear and received timely, and how to
repopulate an area in the event of an evacuation.
The County of Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is collaborating
with local jurisdictions located in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) for the
development of evacuation zones and processes supported by the evacuation platform
currently known as the Zonehaven Evacuation Project. This evening, the City Council is
being asked to enter into an MOU with the three other Peninsula Cities on the
implementation of a web-based evacuation platform and the associated public outreach
campaign.
DISCUSSION:
Zonehaven Evacuation Project Platform
The Zonehaven Evacuation Project is a cloud- and web-based evacuation management
platform that leverages critical data and assists local public safety personnel (i.e., Los
Angeles County Fire and Sheriff’s Departments and Palos Verdes Estates Police
Department) by providing actionable insight to emergency responders and the public in
the event of a disaster. The system also serves as a tool for evacuation pre-planning and
assists during real-world incidents. The project's overarching goal is to develop a
centralized online interactive map that divides a local city into evacuation zones based on
geography, threat direction, jurisdictional boundaries, population density, and other
regional and/or city specific factors.
OEM is offering the Zonehaven system to the Palos Verdes Peninsula cities at no cost
for up to three years. City Staff has been working closely with OEM over the past year to
form the evacuation zones within the system in coordination with Los Angeles County
Fire and Sheriff’s Departments and Palos Verdes Estates Police Department, with reports
shared periodically with the PPSC. Once ready to launch, the system will be public facing
for the community to become acquainted with their respective zone and possible
evacuation routes through an extensive public outreach and educational program .
An illustration of the Zonehaven Evacuation Zones for the Peninsula cities is provided on
the following page.
continued on the next page
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In addition to the four Palos Verdes Peninsula cities, in Los Angeles County, the
Zonehaven Evacuation Project currently includes: Avalon, Agoura Hills, Calabasas ,
Hidden Hills, Malibu, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Westlake Village, Arcadia, Azusa,
Bradbury, Burbank, Claremont, Covina, Diamond Bar, Duarte, Glendale, Glendora,
Irwindale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Habra Heights, La Verne, Monrovia, Pasadena,
Pomona, San Dimas, Sierra Madre, Walnut, West Covina, and Whittier. Zonehaven is a
tool currently in use in Northern California areas such as Napa County and Sierra County.
“Know Your Zone” Public Outreach Campaign
To be successful, the public needs to be aware of where to access this important
information. As a result, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Cities are collaborating in the
development of a shared web platform that will direct the public to view the evacuation
map and other important emergency messaging and resources.
With a goal of establishing a simple and uniform message, the four Peninsula Cities have
worked together to create a Peninsula-specific “Know Your Zone” public outreach
campaign. Within this campaign, a shared webpage will encompass emergency
preparedness information and other valuable resources. The County-provided evacuation
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system platform will be embedded within this shared webpage for easy access. The
“Know Your Zone” campaign will have co-branded city logos, marketing materials and
media pieces to promote awareness of and access to the platform.
City of Rolling Hills Estates staff and its City Attorney have developed an MOU between
the four Peninsula Cities that outlines the joint effort of developing a shared emergency
preparedness resource web platform for residents to access this important and timely
information. The MOU also sets forth the terms and conditions of the collaboration and
implementation of the platform such as: webpage set -up and hosting, administrative
rights, financial obligations, and general provisions.
The County is currently working with the Peninsula Cities to finalize the evacuation zone
system with final meetings and staff trainings scheduled in the coming weeks. City Staff
plans to have the MOU in place and a public outreach campaign developed before the
platform is live for the Peninsula region and anticipates a public launch no later than April
2023.
Cost-shared Formula for the Peninsula Cities
Each Peninsula City will contribute to the implementation and promotion of the
Zonehaven Platform and the associated extensive public outreach campaign, as
determined by a shared cost allocation formula used previously in other joint public safety
efforts (i.e., Automatic License Plate Reader System.)
The initial website development, domain name purchase, administration, ongoing
maintenance, and marketing costs are estimated not to exceed a total cost of $10,000,
which equates to $6,000 for Rancho Palos Verdes based upon the established cost
allocation formula table shown above. Once the website is developed, the cost will
decrease to only the website hosting services and domain name, anticipated at
approximately $1,500 total annually ($900 ongoing estimated cost for RPV).
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COST ALLOCATI ON FORMULA
("FORMULA")
lVIember Percentage
C ity of P a los V erdes E sta te s 20%
C ity of R anch o Pa los V erdes 60%
C ity of R o ll in g H ills 7%
C ity of R olling Hills Estat es 13%
There is no cost anticipated for the Zonehaven Evacuation system as this is fully
supported and funded by OEM for the next three years.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
City of Laguna Beach Neighborhood Evacuation Map
The City of Laguna Beach recently published a new neighborhood evacuation map, an
interactive tool designed to assist residents in locating their evacuation zone in the event
of an emergency or natural disaster. Twenty-two Evacuation Management Zones (EMZ)
are depicted on the interactive map, allowing the city to strategize evacuations (immediate
and potential) for those affected. Each EMZ has its own map detailing the number of
properties in the zone, as well as evacuation routes and critical infrastructure. During the
2018 Aliso Fire, these maps performed admirably, as the city was able to rapidly send
emergency alerts and upload the map to social media and Nixle, providing the community
with a clear picture of the affected zone(s) and the appropriate evacuation routes. Each
zone has its own evacuation map, which can be accessed via this link.
Although protective measures, such as identifying ingress and egress routes to be used
in the event of a mass evacuation are essential to emergency response, they represent
only a portion of effective evacuation planning, necessitating a deeper examination of the
concepts and principles upon which emergency evacuation plans must be based. The
Peninsula Cities have observed what Laguna Beach and neighboring jurisdictions have
been doing for potential incorporation into the strategy for the Peninsula and will evaluate
the features of the proposed Zonehaven platform to determine if additional features are
necessary to enhance the platform funded by OEM.
The software that hosts the evacuation zone maps differentiates Laguna Beach's
Neighborhood Evacuation Map platform from the Zonehaven evacuation web platform
proposed for Peninsula Cities. The Peninsula Cities platform will launch with the
Zonehaven evacuation management platform, whereas Laguna Beach's maps are
currently hosted on the Mapping and Analytics Software ArcGIS.com.
Although both maps could theoretically be up dated in real-time during emergencies, it is
important to note that Zonehaven provides public safety officials with multiple interactive
tools before, during, and after a crisis. Zonehaven, for example, offers fire simulation
modeling and rapid evacuation zone PDF printouts of established zones, whereas
Laguna Beach's evacuation maps only depict evacuation status and zones. The
Peninsula Cities aim to develop an emergency status "one-stop-shop" website that
residents can easily access during an emergency and that provides pertinent information
on an emergency dashboard that is easy to comprehend.
Cal Fire Revised Wildfire Hazard Severity Maps
The City was recently made aware that the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection (Cal Fire) Office of the State Fire Marshal is releasing for public comment
updates to the existing map capturing Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ), which is a
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comprehensive map that ranks the State Responsibility Area (SRA) of California — or
rural, unincorporated areas — based on the likelihood that different areas will experience
wildfire. These long-overdue changes impact State Responsibility Areas (SRAs) such as
state and privately-owned forests, watersheds, and rangelands. Cal Fire determines Very
High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZs) based on factors that influence fire
likelihood and fire behavior, such as fire history, existing and potential fuel (natu ral
vegetation), flame length, blowing embers, terrain, and typical weather for the area.
The most recent wildfire hazard severity zone map was last updated in 2007. Since then,
Cal Fire leadership saw the need to update the map to reflect the impacts of climate
change and other key factors, according to a news release from the fire agency. With
input from local Los Angeles County Fire Department stations, in 2008, Cal Fire
determined almost all of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes falls within a VHFHSZ,
excluding a small portion located east of Western Avenue. The City Council approved the
City’s VHFHSZ map on May 20, 2008, ahead of new VHFHSZ-based fire prevention
construction requirements that went into effect in July of that year.
This upcoming revision will only update areas in California’s unincorporated rural areas
where wildfires tend to be frequent, known as the SRAs. The updated map shows an
increased risk of fire overall, reflecting the increase in wildfire occurrence and severity in
California. The map updates serve to better reflect zones susceptible to wildfires and
provide communities a forecasting tool to take steps to prevent and prepare for fires.
In order to help California residents better understand the FHSZ map and answer
questions, CAL FIRE has created a public toolkit on its website to include new and easy
to follow sections, including maps, frequently asked questions, and an automated
“hotline” to contact for specific information. The new website also includes dates, times,
and locations of FHSZ public hearings that will be held in the 56 counties that have FHSZs
within the SRA. For information about FHSZs, visit the program’s website at
osfm.fire.ca.gov/FHSZ.
As part of the adoption process of the map, Cal Fire invites public comment on the
proposed map between December 16, 2022 and February 3, 2023. The public may
submit written comment at the address below or through email at
FHSZcomments@fire.ca.gov. Written comments may be submitted by U.S. mail to the
following address: Office of the State Fire Marshal C/O: FHSZ Comments California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection P.O. Box 944246 Sacramento, CA 94244 -
2460.
In addition, Cal Fire will host a public comment hearing in all 56 counties that have SRA
to receive public comment. A full list of the meetings with dates and times is available at
the following link: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/media/arxdc3oq/public-hearings.pdf
Following the adoption of the SRA FHSZ Map, Cal Fire - Office of the State Fire Marshal
will begin providing local governments updated FHSZ maps for Local Responsibility
Areas (LRA). Under California Government Code 51178, the State Fire Marshal is
required to provide local agencies with the areas within their jurisdiction that meet FHSZ
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criteria for their implementation. At that time, City Staff will coordinate with the City Council
on submitting comments and input to Cal Fire on the mapping of the City prior to the City
Council’s consideration for local adoption.
Public Outreach
The agenda and staff report for this item will be posted on social media and sent to listserv
subscribers to encourage public input and participation. Staff has additionally worked with
staff from the neighboring Peninsula Cities and the PPSC for strategic planning of the
newly proposed shared emergency preparedness resource web platform.
CONCLUSION:
Attached for City Council review and approval is the MOU between the four Peninsula
Cities for the establishment, implementation and promotion of the Zonehaven web
platform and the extensive “Know Your Zone” public outreach campaign which includes
important emergency response and preparedness resources for the c ommunity.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the MOU between the Peninsula Cities as
approved to form by the City Attorney with the established not -to-exceed total cost of
$10,000, with Rancho Palos Verdes’ share estimated at $6,000 for the first year of
implementation.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available for
the City Council’s consideration:
1. Do not execute the MOU and give alternative direction to Staff regarding the
project.
2. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
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MOU Page | 1
LA #4889-3618-4637 v1
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN
THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES,
THE CITY OF PALOS VERDES ESTATES, THE CITY OF ROLLING HILLS,
AND THE CITY OF ROLLING HILLS ESTATES
REGARDING
THE COLLABORATIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE KNOW YOUR ZONE
EVACUATION WEB PLATFORM
This Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”), is effective as of January 1, 2023
(“Effective Date”) and is between the CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES (“Rancho
Palos Verdes”), a California municipal corporation, the CITY OF ROLLING HILLS
ESTATES (“Rolling Hills Estates”), a California municipal corporation, the CITY OF
PALOS VERDES ESTATES (“Palos Verdes Estates”), a California municipal
corporation, and the CITY OF ROLLING HILLS (“Rolling Hills”), a California municipal
corporation. (These entities may be referred to collectively or individually as “Parties” or
“Party”).
RECITALS
A. It is the goal of the Parties to implement a shared web platform that
encompasses emergency response and preparedness resources for the public.
B. An online zone evacuation map provided to agencies such as the Parties
whose jurisdiction encompasses high wildfire-prone areas will be available through the
Los Angeles County Emergency Management on a shared web platform. An overview of
the zone evacuation map resource is provided in EXHIBIT A.
C. The Parties desire to provide the public easy access to view their evacuation
zone and obtain emergency preparedness tips and tools on the shared web p latform.
D. The Parties intend to promote the online zone evacuation resource through
the established joint Palos Verdes Peninsula platform with the web address:
PVPready.org
E. The Parties are willing to contribute general municipal funds to pay for web
management services to accomplish this goal.
F. The purpose of this MOU is to set forth the terms and conditions of the
collaboration and financial participation between the Parties with respect to the
implementation and operation of the zone evacuation resource.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual benefits to be derived by the
Parties, and of the promises contained in this MOU, the Parties agree as follows:
Section 1. Recitals. The recitals set forth above are incorporated into this MOU.
Section 2. Term. Subject to Section 8 (Termination) below, this MOU will remain in
effect on a year-to-year basis from the Effective Date, subject to any Party’s right to
withdraw from this MOU by notifying the other Parties in writing of its decision not to renew
the MOU for the next year at least 30 days prior to the anniversary of the Effective Date.
Section 3. Administrator. The City of Rolling Hills Estates agrees to host a web
A-1
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platform, as the “Host Administrator,” for the purpose of a Palos Verdes Peninsula joint
zone evacuation resource available to the general public on behalf of the other Parties to
this MOU.
Section 4. Obligations. Each Party will have a representative authorized to access
to website management system to provide oversight of content and resources in
coordination with the designated Host Administrator.
a. Invoice City. The Host Administrator will invoice each Party on an annual basis
for each Party’s share of the cost of website hosting and will include with such
invoice reasonable documentation of the services provided.
.
b. Records. The Host Administrator will provide the Parties within five business
days of a request with all requested information regarding the costs of the
website hosting to assure proper accounting for all funds provided and
expended under this MOU.
Section 5. Financial Obligation. The Parties will pay a share of the cost of the
website set-up, hosting, administration, on-going maintenance and joint-marketing of the
site. Each Party will contribute based upon the established cost-share formula for the four
Peninsula cities, in an amount not-to-exceed cost of $10,000 per year. The percentages
to be paid by each Party under the Cost Allocation Formula (the “Formula”) are as follows:
Payment by each Party to the Host Administrator must be made within thirty (30)
days of receipt of invoice.
Section 6. Insurance. The Parties are insured by virtue of their membership in
pooled insurance authorities for purposes of Professional Liability, General Liability, and
Worker’s Compensation. The Parties warrant that through their programs of insurance,
they have adequate Professional Liability, General Liability and Workers’ Compensation
to provide coverage for liabilities arising out of the Parties’ performance of this MOU.
Section 7. Indemnification. Each Party agrees to indemnify, defend, assume
all liability for and hold harmless all other Parties and their respective officers,
employees, and agents, to the maximum extent allowed by law, from all actions,
claims, suits, penalties, obligations, liabilities, damages to property, costs and
expenses (including without limitation any fines, penalties, judgments, actual litigation
A-2
COST ALLOCATIO FORMULA
("FORMULA")
M ember Percenta~e
City of P alos Verdes E s tat es 20%
City of R ancho Pa los Verdes 60 %
City o f R olling Hill s 7%
City o f R olling Hill s E st ate s 13 %
MOU Page | 3
LA #4889-3618-4637 v1
expenses and attorneys' fees), or bodily and/or personal injuries or death to any
persons, arising out of or in any way connected to the negligence or willful
misconduct of such Party, and its officers, employees or agents in connection with or
arising from any of the activities under this MOU. The provisions of this Section will
survive the expiration or termination of this MOU.
Section 8. Termination; Withdrawal. This MOU may be terminated upon the
express written agreement of the Parties. Additionally, a Party may withdraw from the
MOU by a notice of non-renewal in accordance with Section 2 (Term) above and the MOU
will remain in effect for the remaining Parties.
Section 9. General Provisions
a. Notices. Any notices, invoices, or reports relating to this MOU, and any
request, demand, statement, or other communication required or
permitted hereunder must be in writing and be delivered to the
representatives of the Parties at the addresses set forth below. The
Parties shall promptly notify each other in writing of any change of
contact information, including personnel changes.
City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Attn: City Manager
30940 Hawthorne Blvd.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
City of Palos Verdes Estates
Attn: City Manager
340 Palos Verdes Drive West
Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274
City of Rolling Hills Estates
Attn: City Manager
4045 Palos Verdes Drive North
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
City of Rolling Hills
Attn: City Manager
2 Portuguese Bend Rd.
Rolling Hills, CA 90274
b. Relationship of the Parties. The Parties are, and will at all times remain
as to each other, wholly independent entities. No Party to this MOU will
have power to incur any debt, obligation, or liability on behalf of any
other Party unless expressly provided to the contrary by this MOU. No
employee, agent, or officer of a Party will be deemed for any purpose
whatsoever to be an agent, employee, or officer of another Party.
c. Amendment. The terms and provisions of this MOU may not be
amended, modified, or waived, except by an instrument in
writing signed by all Parties.
d. Law to Govern. This MOU is governed by, and will be interpreted, construed
A-3
MOU Page | 4
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and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California.
e. Severability. If any provision of this MOU is be determined by any court
of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable to any
extent, then the remainder of this MOU will not be affected, and this
MOU will be construed as if the invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision
had never been contained in this MOU.
f. Entire Agreement. This MOU constitutes the entire agreement of the
Parties with respect to the subject matter of this MOU.
g. Waiver. Waiver by any Party to this MOU of any term, condition, or
covenant of this MOU will not constitute a waiver of any other term,
condition, or covenant. Waiver by any Party to any breach of the
provisions of this MOU will not constitute a waiver of any other provision,
nor a waiver of any subsequent breach or violation of any provision of
this MOU.
h. Counterparts. This MOU may be executed in counterparts, each of
which will be an original, but all of which taken together will constitute
one and the same instrument.
i. The Parties have been represented by counsel in the preparation and
negotiation of this MOU. Accordingly, this MOU will be construed
according to its fair language. Any ambiguities will be resolved in a
collaborative manner by the Parties and may be rectified by amending
this MOU as described in Section 8(c).
[Signatures on the following page.]
A-4
MOU Page | 5
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EXHIBIT A
The Know Your Zone digital tool is an interactive mapping system that allows first responders
to update specific zones and regions with evacuation information that can be publicly viewed
and accessed.
A-5
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MOU Page | 6
LA #4889-3618-4637 v1
The Parties have caused this MOU to be executed by their duly authorized
representatives and affixed as of the date of signature of the Parties:
A-6
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CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
By:
Barbara Ferraro, MAYOR
ATTEST:
By:
Teresa Takaoka, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
By:
William W. Wynder, City Attorney
A-7
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CITY OF ROLLING HILLS ESTATES
By:
MAYOR
ATTEST:
By:
Lauren Pettit, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
By:
Donald M. Davis, City Attorney
A-8
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LA #4889-3618-4637 v1
CITY OF ROLLING HILLS
By:
, Mayor
ATTEST:
By:
, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
By: ,
City Attorney
A-9
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LA #4889-3618-4637 v1
CITY OF PALOS VERDES ESTATES
By:
, Mayor
ATTEST:
By:
, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
By: ,
City Attorney
A-10