To: Board of Supervisors, County of Sonoma
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Emergency Management
Staff Name and Phone Number: Jeffrey DuVall / 707-565-1152
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
2025 Sonoma County Wildfire and Earthquake Expo - County Contribution
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Budget Resolution programming $60,000 from the General Fund Contingencies to support the Wildfire & Earthquake Safety Expo 2025, a countywide disaster preparedness event designed to enhance community resilience and public safety (4/5 vote required)
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Executive Summary:
The Wildfire & Earthquake Safety Expo 2025 is a free to the public, countywide disaster preparedness event scheduled for June 1, 2025, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Hosted by Fire Safe Sonoma in collaboration with local fire agencies and emergency management partners, the Expo will provide bilingual, hands-on education to over 4,000 attendees. This $60,000 funding request will support facility rental and outreach efforts, ensuring broad community participation and strengthening countywide resilience. Other sponsors include the California Fire Safe Council, Santa Rosa Fire, Wine Country to the Rescue, City of Cloverdale, and local corporations and individuals.
Discussion:
The Wildfire & Earthquake Safety Expo 2025 is a large-scale, family-friendly, hands-on event aimed at educating Sonoma County residents about disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response. Scheduled for Sunday, June 1, 2025, from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, the Expo will provide bilingual, interactive education and resources for more than 4,000 attendees and 100+ exhibitors at no cost to the public. While this is the Expo’s 4th year, this is the first year for the event in Santa Rosa. It has been moved to this more central location to make attendance easier for a larger portion of the county and grow participation, and overall preparedness in the County.
The $60,000 funding request will cover facility rental and bilingual outreach efforts, ensuring broad community participation-including a strong presence from Spanish-speaking and farmworker families, who have historically made up over 20% of attendees. By investing in this event, the County demonstrates its ongoing commitment to public safety, disaster preparedness, and inclusive community engagement.
The 2025 Expo is hosted by Fire Safe Sonoma in collaboration with Northern Sonoma County CERT, local fire departments (including Santa Rosa Fire), the Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management, and other key partners. The event provides a unique opportunity to connect residents with emergency responders, local businesses, and community organizations, fostering a culture of preparedness and resilience across all districts.
Key event objectives include:
1. Equipping residents with critical disaster preparedness knowledge (mitigation, evacuation, emergency planning).
2. Ensuring bilingual accessibility and inclusion for Sonoma County’s diverse population.
3. Providing a free platform for local businesses and nonprofit organizations to engage with the public (as vendors) around a variety of preparedness topics.
4. Promoting proactive measures to reduce disaster impacts and enhance community resilience.
Funding Request Breakdown:
1. Facility Rental (Sonoma County Fairgrounds): $27,183
2. Bilingual Marketing & Outreach: $32,817
3. Total Request: $60,000
Total event cost estimate is $$550,027. The balance is being financed through funding from:
1. California Fire Safe Council grant - $50,000
2. Santa Rosa Fire Department grant - $100,000
3. Local agency, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations - $97,700
4. In-kind volunteer hours, donated supplies and materials from local agencies and businesses - estimated at $242,327
Why Invest in the Expo? By funding this initiative, the County:
1. Strengthens community resilience and engagement.
2. Supports equitable access to emergency preparedness education.
3. Promotes consistent, countywide disaster messaging.
4. Reduces long-term disaster recovery costs by enhancing public preparedness.
Conclusion:
Investing in the Wildfire & Earthquake Safety Expo 2025 ensures that Sonoma County residents-regardless of language or background-have access to the knowledge, tools, and connections to respond effectively to disasters. We appreciate the Board’s consideration of this request and look forward to your support in making this vital event a success.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Racial Equity and Social Justice
Goal: Goal 4: Engage community members and stakeholder groups to develop priorities and to advance racial equity.
Objective: Objective 2: Collaborate with community members and stakeholder groups to develop racial equity strategies for County emergency response, economic recovery and resiliency planning efforts.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
Yes
A Racial Equity Analysis was performed, and details can be found on Attachment 2.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
$60,000 |
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Total Expenditures |
$60,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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General Fund Contingencies |
$60,000 |
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Total Sources |
$60,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
This Board item is requesting General Fund Contingencies in the amount of $60,000 for this event.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
1. Budget Resolution
2. Racial Equity Analysis
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.