To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Regional Parks
Staff Name and Phone Number: Hattie Brown, 707-565-3220
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): First
Title:
Title
State of California Wildfire Prevention Funding
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a resolution authorizing the Director of the Sonoma County Regional Parks Department to execute a California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Pass Through Grant Subaward agreement;
B) Adopt a budget resolution increasing Regional Parks 2021-22 expenditure authority by $500,000 for the pass-through grant (4/5th vote); and
C) Authorize the Regional Parks Director to execute an agreement to disburse the funding to Sonoma Land Trust for eligible projects to be conducted by Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative members.
(4/5th Vote Required) (First District)
end
Executive Summary:
On July 12, 2021 California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 129, which approved $258,000,000 in funding from the General Fund on a one-time basis for a wildfire prevention and forest. Through the bill, the County of Sonoma - Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative, was awarded $500,000 for fuel reduction, perimeter fuel reduction, roadside fuel breaks, defensible space, and fuel break maintenance. Receiving and dispersing this funding will allow critical land management and wildfire prevention activities to continue in the Sonoma Valley region.
Discussion:
The Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative (Collaborative) consists of a group of six conservation organizations and land management agencies, including the County of Sonoma (Regional Parks), Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, Audubon Canyon Ranch, the State Department of Parks and Recreation, Sonoma Land Trust, and Sonoma Mountain Ranch Preservation Foundation. Formed in response to the 2017 wildfires, Collaborative members recognized the need to manage land in partnership and across boundaries to achieve greater landscape resilience and community protection from wildfire. Together, the Collaborative manages over 18,000 acres of park and preserve lands in the Sonoma Valley region including lands that have been recently and repeatedly impacted by extreme wildfire. The Collaborative aims to maintain and improve ecosystem health, increase resilience to wildfires and climate change, and reduce future impacts of wildfire to communities in the Sonoma Valley.
The Collaborative works closely with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to develop and implement a long-term strategy on a landscape scale. Through this approach, the Collaborative has successfully secured multiple grant awards utilizing funds from California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment - particularly in disadvantaged communities.
The Collaborative was awarded $500,000 through Senate Bill 129, which approved $258,000,000 in funding from the General Fund on a one-time basis for a wildfire prevention and forest resilience package. The funding will be received by the County via a grant subaward from the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES). Funding will be disbursed from the County to Collaborative partner Sonoma Land Trust (SLT) and then further disbursed to Collaborative members. The County will serve as a pass-through entity and require a budget resolution to increase existing current year budget authority to facilitate this transaction. The Collaborative has designated SLT to serve as the primary grant administrator for funds. The County will execute a sub-grant agreement with SLT to implement Collaborative projects to be funded by the State of California per Senate Bill SB-219.
Funding will be used for continued vegetation management in the Sonoma Valley to create healthier and more fire-resistant ecosystems. Vegetation management projects will include fuel reduction, perimeter fuel reduction, roadside fuel breaks, defensible space, and fuel break maintenance.
California Environmental Quality Act: Compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act for land management activities carried out with this funding will be determined on a project by project basis. Receipt of the funds is not a commitment to any specific project.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Climate Action and Resiliency
Goal: Goal 1: Continue to invest in wildfire preparedness and resiliency strategies
Objective: Objective 3: Leverage grant funding to support sustainable vegetation management program.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 21-22 Adopted |
FY22-23 Projected |
FY 23-24 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
500,000 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
500,000 |
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal(GRANT, SB-129, SEC 272) |
500,000 |
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
500,000 |
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Funds received and disbursed from Senate Bill 129 have no in-kind or budget impacts on Regional Parks.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Resolution
Budget Resolution
Pass Through Grant Subaward
Sonoma Valley Subgrant Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Senate Bill 129, Budget Act of 2021