GOOD AFTERNOON. I WANT TO
WELCOME EVERYBODY FOR TODAY'S
HEARING. TODAY'S JOINT OVERSIGHT
HEARING, SEISMIC RESILIENCE,
FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY, AND A
MULTI-HAZARD MITIGATION
INVESTMENT STRATEGY STRATEGY.
I'M ASSEMBLY MEMBER FREDDY
RODRIGUEZ, CHAIR OF THE ASSEMBLY
COMMITTEE ON EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT, COMMITTEE ON THE
JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. I ALSO
WANT TO THANK MY VICE CHAIRS,
ASSEMBLY MEMBER DAVIES, SENATOR
LEHMAN AND SENATOR DODD, CHAIR
OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION, FOR
JOINING US TODAY. THEY'LL BE
RUNNING SHORT DUE TO OTHER
MEETINGS, BUT THEIR PARTNERSHIP
THIS AFTERNOON IS APPRECIATED.
AS I ALWAYS SAY, CALIFORNIA IS A
DISASTER PRONE STATE AND WE MUST
BE READY TO RESPOND TO TWO MAJOR
DISASTERS AT THE SAME TIME. THEN
THE NEXT MAJOR EARTHQUAKE IN
CALIFORNIA IS ONLY A MATTER OF
WHEN, NOT IF, THE BIG ONE IS
COMING. LAST YEAR, OUR
COMMUNITIES HELD AN
INFORMATIONAL HEARING ON
CALIFORNIA'S PREPAREDNESS FOR
MAJOR EARTHQUAKES FOLLOWING THE
DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKES IN
TURKEY AND SYRIA. THAT HEARING
MADE US CLEAR THAT IN ADDITION
TO CALIFORNIA'S NEEDED FOR A
ROBUST, ROBUST URBAN SEARCH AND
RESCUE PROGRAM AND MOBILE FIELD
HOSPITALS, WE URGENTLY NEED TO
UPDATE BUILDING CODES, RETROFIT
RISK INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVEST
IN HAZARD MITIGATION FUNDS
WISELY. I ALSO REMAIN COMMITTED
TO PROTECTING OUR MOST
VULNERABLE RESIDENTS AND
BUILDINGS BY SECURING FUNDING TO
ESTABLISH A SOFT STORY,
MULTIFAMILY SEISMIC RETROFIT
PROGRAM. WE MUST APPLY LESSONS
LEARNED FROM TURKEY AND NOT
IGNORE SIMILAR RISKS. WE FACE
HERE IN OUR OWN STATE. FOR
EXAMPLE, THE SAN FRANCISCO
CHRONICLE REPORTED ABOUT 3900
BUILDINGS IN SAN FRANCISCO HAVE
THE SAME TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION AS
THE BUILDINGS THAT COLLAPSED IN
TURKEY, UNDERESTIMATING THE
POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCE OF A MAJOR
EARTHQUAKE IS A DEADLY MISTAKE.
TODAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR
MORE ABOUT CALIFORNIA'S CURRENT
BUILDING CODE STRATEGY AND WHAT
IT SHOULD BE MOVING FORWARD. HOW
CALIFORNIA IS STRENGTHENING THE
FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY OF CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE, LIFELINES AND
HOUSING, AND HOW CALIFORNIA IS
PREPARING FOR SECONDARY HAZARDS
LIKE FIRE AND FLOODS THAT OFTEN
FOLLOW A CATASTROPHIC
EARTHQUAKE, AND HOW CALIFORNIA
IS BECOMING A MORE RESILIENT TO
ALL DISASTERS BY TAKING A
MULTI-HAZARD APPROACH TO OUR
HAZARD MITIGATION FUND
INVESTMENTS. AND BEFORE I TURN
IT OVER FOR OUR CHAIR FOR
OPENING COMMENTS, PLEASE LET ME
REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE PUBLIC
COMMENT MAY BE LIMITED TO THE
END OF THE HEARING DUE TO OTHER
BUSINESS IN THE STATE AND THE
ASSEMBLY. HOWEVER MEMBERS OF THE
PUBLIC ARE ENCOURAGED TO VISIT
OUR COMMITTEE'S WEBSITE TO
SUBMIT TO SUBMIT WRITTEN
COMMENTS WITH THAT, WE'LL GO
AHEAD AND START. BUT BEFORE I
START, I THINK WE HAVE SENATOR
ARCHULETA. YOU HAVE A FEW WORDS
BEFORE WE START. MR. CHAIR, OF
COURSE. EXCUSE OUR TARDINESS. WE
JUST BROKE UP OUR CAUCUS. SO ALL
THE SENATORS ARE STILL IN THE
BUILDING FINDING THEIR WAY HERE.
AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE
REPORTS, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY,
WHAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE
WORLD WHEN WE HEAR ABOUT
EARTHQUAKES AND THE FACT THAT IN
CALIFORNIA, IT'S SOMETHING THAT
WE ALL KNOW IT'S THERE, BUT IT'S
HOW WE PREPARE. AND I THINK
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HEAR
ABOUT TODAY AND HOW CALIFORNIA
CAN MAINTAIN ITS OUR FLOW OF
BUSINESS AND, AND CONTINUITY
WITH OUR WITH OUR CITIZENS
FEELING SAFER BECAUSE WE'RE
TAKING ACTION. AND I'M LOOKING
FORWARD TO THE MEETING. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
SENATOR. SO WITH THAT, LET'S
TURN IT OVER TO OUR FIRST PANEL.
OUR FIRST WITNESS WILL BE RYAN
KURTZ, PRINCIPAL WITH BUEHLER
ENGINEERING IN SACRAMENTO AND
CHAIR OF THE FEMA ORGANIZED
FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY TASK
COMMITTEE. MR. KURTZ, YOU MAY
BEGIN WHEN YOU'RE READY. GREAT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR.
AND MEMBERS, I APPRECIATE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO ALL OF
YOU TODAY AND TO SHARE WHAT'S
HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL
AND HOW IT MIGHT BE ABLE TO
BENEFIT THE WORK WE'RE DOING
HERE IN CALIFORNIA FOR, AS YOU
MENTIONED, I'M A STRUCTURAL
ENGINEER HERE IN SACRAMENTO WITH
BUEHLER ENGINEERING. I'M ALSO A
PAST PRESIDENT OF THE STRUCTURAL
ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION OF
CALIFORNIA. I'M ALSO CURRENTLY
THE IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT OF
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS
ASSOCIATION. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING
HERE IN CALIFORNIA IS VERY MUCH
INFORMED BY WHAT WE'RE DOING
AROUND THE COUNTRY. I'M ALSO AN
ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE EARTHQUAKE
ENGINEERING RESEARCH INSTITUTE
AND WHILE I'M NAMING THESE
NAMES, I'M NOT SPEAKING ON
BEHALF OF ANY OF THEM TODAY, BUT
THESE REALLY ARE THE LEADING
ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO PROMOTE
SEISMIC RESILIENCE AND
EARTHQUAKE MITIGATION PROGRAMS.
SEOK, NCC, AND IRI TOGETHER
REPRESENT THOUSANDS OF MEMBERS
ACROSS CALIFORNIA AND EVEN TENS
OF THOUSANDS ACROSS THE UNITED
STATES. AND THEY ARE THE EXPERTS
WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSTANDING
OUR BUILDING CODE REQUIREMENTS
FOR EARTHQUAKE DESIGN. THE
EXPECTED PERFORMANCE OF
BUILDINGS DURING EARTHQUAKES, AS
WELL AS THE EFFECTIVE POLICIES
WHEN IT COMES TO EARTHQUAKE
PREPAREDNESS OF OUR COMMUNITIES,
OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND OUR
FELLOW CITIZENS. I WANT TO
MENTION A FEW OTHER THINGS
HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
I'M PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS A
MEMBER OF THE FEDERAL ADVISORY
COMMITTEE ON EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS
REDUCTION, AND WAS A CHAIR OF A
COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS THAT WROTE
THE REPORT TO CONGRESS UNDER THE
LEADERSHIP OF BOTH FEMA AND
NIST, WORKING TO REPORT ON
RECOMMENDED OPTIONS FOR
IMPROVING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
IN TERMS OF POST-EARTHQUAKE RE
OCCUPANCY AND FUNCTIONAL
RECOVERY TIME AND AGAIN, I'M
BRINGING THIS BACK FROM THE
FEDERAL WORKS TO HERE IN
CALIFORNIA BECAUSE WE HAVE A
CHANCE TO LEAD AND TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THIS WORK HAPPENING
AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. NOW, AS
YOU MENTIONED, I'M ALSO SERVING
AS CHAIR OF THE FUNCTIONAL
RECOVERY TASK COMMITTEE. WE ARE
CURRENTLY CHARGED WITH
DEVELOPING DESIGN CRITERIA FOR
TO BE ABLE TO DESIGN NEW
BUILDINGS TO MEET APPROPRIATE
FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY TIMES,
INSTEAD OF JUST PROVIDING BASIC
LIFE SAFETY. AND THESE THESE
RECOVERY TIMES ARE INTENDED TO
SUPPORT THE POST-EARTHQUAKE
RESPONSE, RECOVERY AND LONG TERM
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BY HAVING
BUILDINGS OF DIFFERENT TYPES
RECOVER AT THE TIMES WE NEED
THEM. FOR EXAMPLE, GROCERY
STORES OR PHARMACIES THAT RIGHT
NOW MIGHT JUST RECOVER IN
MONTHS, BE ABLE TO RECOVER IN A
SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. MANY OF
YOU KNOW THIS IS NOT OUR FIRST
CONVERSATION ABOUT THESE TOPICS.
AND SO I'M THANKFUL FOR THE
LEADERSHIP THAT YOU HAVE ALL
SHOWN TO MAKE SURE WE'RE
CONTINUING TO TALK ABOUT THESE
TOPICS. BUT UNFORTUNATELY,
DESPITE ALL OF YOUR GREAT
SUPPORT, CALIFORNIA HAS NOT YET
ADEQUATELY IMPLEMENTED THE
NECESSARY ACTIONS. AND NOW I
KNOW I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO
COVER EVERYTHING TODAY, BUT I
WANT TO START WITH SOME OF THE
BASICS SO WE CAN SET THE GROUND
AND UNDERSTAND THE SAME, HAVE
THE SAME UNDERSTANDING, AND THEN
GIVE SOME MORE OF THE UPDATES AT
THE FEDERAL LEVEL SO THAT THEY
CAN BE LEVERAGED BY THE WORK
HERE IN CALIFORNIA. AND THE
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT THAT WAS
PREPARED FOR THIS COMMITTEE IS A
GREAT HAS A LOT OF DETAILED
INFORMATION, A LOT OF GOOD
RESOURCES THERE. AND I'LL BE
HINTING AT A FEW OF THOSE
THINGS. AND I HOPE THAT YOU CAN
TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THAT. AND
WE CAN HAVE FURTHER
CONVERSATIONS AFTERWARDS. SO
LET'S START WITH SOME OF THE
BASICS. FIRST. CURRENT BUILDING
CODES. THEY ARE AIMED TO PROVIDE
LIFE SAFETY. THEY MINIMIZE THE
PROBABILITY OF BUILDING COLLAPSE
DURING AN EARTHQUAKE. BUT THIS
DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT CAN
NECESSARILY BE REOCCUPIED RIGHT
AWAY, IF AT ALL. FOLLOWING AN
EARTHQUAKE. ACCORDING TO FEMA,
20 TO 40% OF MODERN CODE
CONFORMING BUILDINGS WOULD BE
UNFIT FOR OCCUPANCY FOLLOWING A
MAJOR EARTHQUAKE IN CALIFORNIA,
TAKING MONTHS OR YEARS TO REPAIR
. 15 TO 20% OF THOSE BUILDINGS
MIGHT BE ECONOMICALLY
UNREPAIRABLE. IN OTHER WORDS,
NEW BUILDINGS ARE BUILT TO CODE,
BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THEY'RE
BUILT TO LAST SECOND. NEWER
EDITIONS OF BUILDING CODES DO
NOT APPLY RETROACTIVELY TO
EXISTING BUILDINGS, AND I THINK
WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT. BUT IT'S
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT MANY
TYPES OF EXISTING BUILDINGS
BUILT TO THESE OLDER BUILDING
CODES ARE KNOWN TO PERFORM
POORLY IN EARTHQUAKES AND REMAIN
VULNERABLE UNLESS STRENGTHENED
TO COLLAPSE. THIRD, OUR
COMMUNITIES REALLY NEED
SOMETHING BETTER THAN LIFE
SAFETY. THEY NEED THE FUNCTIONS
AND SERVICES THAT NECESSARY TO
RUN THEIR COMMUNITIES QUICKLY.
FOLLOWING EARTHQUAKES. NOW, TO
ACHIEVE THAT GOAL, WE REALLY
NEED TO START WORKING ON A
FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY BUILDING
CODE, NOT JUST A SAFETY BASED
CODE. WE ALSO NEED TO BE WORKING
ON EFFECTIVE RETROFIT PROGRAMS
FOR VULNERABLE BUILDINGS THAT
FEMA MUST REPORT TO. CONGRESS
HAD SEVEN BIG RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE MOST PRIMARY CENTRAL
RECOMMENDATION WAS TO DEVELOP
THIS POST EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY
BASED OBJECTIVES, AND WE'RE
WORKING ON THAT RIGHT NOW. THAT
REPORT WAS WRITTEN IN 2021. IT'S
HARD TO IMAGINE IT'S ALREADY
THREE YEARS OLD. BUT WE MADE
PROGRESS ON THAT CENTRAL
RECOMMENDATION. THÀNH. WE'RE
ALSO MAKING PROGRESS ON THE
THREE PRIMARY RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. HOW
DO WE DESIGN OUR NEW BUILDINGS?
HOW DO WE RETROFIT EXISTING
BUILDINGS? HOW DO WE HANDLE
LIFELINE INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL?
BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS
COMMITTEE ALSO KNOWS IS NOT JUST
ABOUT THE ENGINEERING OF HOW WE
BUILD OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
IT'S ALSO ABOUT OUR SOCIAL AND
HUMAN NETWORKS. AND THAT REPORT
ALSO HAS THREE PRIMARY
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT FOCUS ON
THINGS LIKE PRE DISASTER
RECOVERY PLANNING, EDUCATION AND
OUTREACH TO ENHANCE AWARENESS AT
THE PUBLIC LEVEL AND IMPROVING
ACCESS TO FINANCIAL RESOURCES,
EVEN IF WE BUILD THE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT TO BE QUICKLY
RECOVERED, WE STILL NEED OUR
PEOPLE AND OUR ORGANIZATIONS TO
BE ABLE TO GET BACK IN THEM AND
TO USE THEM IN AN EFFECTIVE
AMOUNT OF TIME. SO AS AN
ENGINEER, I'M FOCUSED ON THE
BUILT ENVIRONMENT. I'M FOCUSED
ON THAT TECHNICAL ASPECT OF
THINGS, BUT I WANT TO ENCOURAGE
US TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE
HUMAN AND THE SOCIAL ASPECT OF
THINGS AS WELL, BECAUSE THOSE
ARE JUST EQUALLY IMPORTANT, IF
NOT MORE SO. SO IF I CAN LEAVE
YOU JUST WITH ONE KEY TAKEAWAY
FROM THAT REPORT, IT REALLY IS
FOCUSING ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY
AS OUR NEXT GENERATION OF OUR
BUILDING CODES, BUILDING CODES
EVOLVE AND A GENERATIONAL PACE.
WE USED TO DO BUILDINGS THAT
WERE BRITTLE, AND NOW WE'VE
LEARNED ABOUT THINGS LIKE IRM
AND NON-DUCTILE CONCRETE. THESE
ARE GENERATION CHANGES NOW.
WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB OF
PROVIDING SAFETY IN OUR NEW
BUILDINGS. WE NEED TO START
LOOKING AT RECOVERY. ALL RIGHT.
SO SPEAKING OF RECOVERY, THE
FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY TASK
COMMITTEE THAT FEMA HAS
ORGANIZED, WE'RE TAKING THESE
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE FEMA
REPORT EVEN FURTHER. WE'RE
WORKING ON DEVELOPING DESIGN
CRITERIA THAT CAN BE USED IN
BUILDING CODES. THESE WOULD
APPLY TO NEW BUILDINGS, AND THEY
WILL BE FOCUSED ON TARGETED
RECOVERY TIMES BASED ON THE
SERVICES PROVIDED BY THAT
BUILDING THIS, THE GOAL HERE IS
TO DEVELOP PROVISIONS THAT CAN
ACHIEVE THESE RECOVERY TIMES,
INSTEAD OF MONTHS TO YEARS OF
RECOVERY, THINKING ABOUT WEEKS
TO DAYS, MAYBE EVEN HOURS OF
RECOVERY. DEPENDING ON THE TYPE
OF SERVICE A BUILDING PROVIDES.
AND THE GOAL IS ALSO TO REDUCE
THE TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP,
TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP TO THE
PEOPLE WHO OWN AND OCCUPY THE
BUILDING, BUT ALSO TOTAL COST TO
THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF THE
RESPONSE AS WELL. IF WE CAN
PROVIDE OUR BUILDINGS THAT CAN
MINIMIZE DAMAGE AND BE MORE
QUICKLY OCCUPIED AND UP AND
RUNNING, WE'RE MINIMIZING COSTS
TO SOCIETY AND COST TO OUR
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS AS
WELL, THE FIRST VERSION OF THESE
PROVISIONS ARE GOING TO BE
COMPLETED LATER IN SORRY, MIDDLE
OF NEXT YEAR. SO ABOUT A YEAR
FROM NOW WE'LL HAVE THESE FIRST
VERSION OF THESE PROVISIONS
READY FOR CONSIDERATION FOR
FUTURE BUILDING CODES. NOW THIS
IS A FEMA ORGANIZED EFFORT, BUT
IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT
FEMA DOESN'T CONTROL WHAT
ACTUALLY MAKES IT INTO THE
BUILDING CODES. SO THESE ARE
GOING TO BE CALLED RECOMMENDED
GUIDELINES OR RECOMMENDED
PROVISIONS. BUT IT'S WORTH US
HERE IN CALIFORNIA TO BE
THINKING ABOUT HOW WE COULD USE
THOSE RECOMMENDED PROVISIONS TO
ENHANCE OUR OWN BUILDING CODE
HERE IN CALIFORNIA. WE NEED TO
CONTROL OUR OWN DESTINY. WE
SHOULDN'T LET SOMEONE ELSE THAT
BAY THAT WILL SET UP MINIMUM
STANDARDS FOR ACROSS THE COUNTRY
DICTATE WHAT'S RIGHT FOR
CALIFORNIA, THE FEMA REPORT TO
CONGRESS RECOGNIZES THAT PLACES
LIKE CALIFORNIA AND SOME OF THE
OTHER HIGH SEISMIC WESTERN
STATES REALLY DO HAVE RISK THAT
WARRANTS ADDITIONAL ACTION AND
ADDITIONAL CODE PROVISIONS ABOVE
THE BASIC NATIONAL CODES. SO
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? WELL,
WE ALL KNOW THE DEVASTATION THAT
EARTHQUAKES CAN CAUSE. WE KNOW
THE TOLL THAT IT CAN TAKE ON OUR
COMMUNITIES AND OUR SOCIETY. BUT
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY,
OUR COLLEAGUE, DOCTOR LUCY
JONES, LIKES TO REMIND US WHILE
EARTHQUAKES ARE INEVITABLE, THE
DISASTER CAN BE PREVENTED. BUT
IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME AND
PLANNING AND ENERGY. FOR
DECADES, CALIFORNIA LED THE
WORLD IN DEVELOPING, ADOPTING
AND ENFORCING BUILDING CODES AND
LAWS TO IMPROVE SEISMIC SAFETY.
PART OF THAT PROCESS INVOLVES
LEARNING FROM EARTHQUAKES HERE
IN CALIFORNIA, BUT ALSO FROM
AROUND THE COUNTRY OR AROUND THE
WORLD AS WELL, AND THEN UPDATING
OUR LAWS AND CODES ACCORDINGLY.
I JUST NEED TO SAY, DESPITE THAT
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP IN THE PAST,
WE'VE ACTUALLY NOW FALLEN BEHIND
. WE'RE NOT DOING WHAT WE NEED
TO DO TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES
THE WAY WE COULD. WE NEED TO
RECOGNIZE THAT EVEN CALIFORNIA
HAS MORE WORK TO DO. CALIFORNIA
RIGHT NOW IS AT RISK. WE'RE AT
RISK OF COLLAPSED OLDER
BUILDINGS. WE'RE AT RISK OF
SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
DISRUPTION DUE TO PROLONGED
RECOVERY TIMES OF EVEN MODERN,
NEWER BUILDINGS. AGAIN, YOUR
BACKGROUND PACKET CONTAINS A LOT
OF GREAT INFORMATION. TOWARD THE
END OF IT IS IRIS 2024
LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND
ACTIONS. THOSE SUMMARIZE FOUR
DIFFERENT KEY AREAS OF HOW TO
HELP US IMPROVE OUR RESILIENCE,
STARTING WITH RETROFITTING
VULNERABLE BUILDINGS, TALKING
ABOUT HOW WE ADOPT FUNCTIONAL
RECOVERY BASED BUILDING CODES,
LOOKING AT WHAT WE COULD DO TO
PROTECT HOUSING AND PROVIDE
ENHANCED PERFORMANCE FOR
HOUSING, IN PARTICULAR, AND ALSO
UPHOLDING OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS
FOR EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS OF
OUR HOSPITALS. AS I MOSTLY
INVOLVED IN THAT FUNCTION
RECOVERY BUILDING CODE
DEVELOPMENT EFFORT, I WANT TO
JUST CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE
ACTIONS THAT ARE LISTED THERE.
IN PARTICULAR, CALIFORNIA CAN BE
WORKING RIGHT NOW TO BE READY TO
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROVISIONS
THAT I'M WORKING ON IN MY
COMMITTEE. THAT SHOULD BE DONE
BY THIS TIME. NEXT YEAR. WE NEED
YOUR HELP. ONE OF THOSE
RECOMMENDATIONS CALLS FOR THE
BUILDING STANDARDS COMMISSION
HERE IN CALIFORNIA TO BE
PREPARED, AUTHORIZED AND
EMPOWERED TO REVIEW THOSE
PROPOSED CODE CHANGES FROM FEMA
AND CONSIDER HOW TO ADOPT THEM
HERE IN CALIFORNIA. DUE TO OUR
UNIQUE SEISMIC CONDITIONS, THE
CONSENSUS ACROSS THE INDUSTRY,
THERE'S CONSENSUS ACROSS VARIOUS
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, AND
THERE'S CONSENSUS HERE AT HOME
IN OUR COMMUNITY SCALE TO START
TO DESIGN FOR FUNCTIONAL
RECOVERY, NOT JUST SAFETY, BUT
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO ESTABLISH A
PATH FOR US TO PARTNER WITH THE
BUILDING STANDARDS COMMISSION TO
FURTHER THAT CONVERSATION AND TO
THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN IMPLEMENT
APPROPRIATE PROVISIONS IN THE
CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE. THIS
REALLY IS A LOW COST, HIGH
REWARD EFFORT. IT CAN BE PRETTY
PROCEDURAL, QUITE HONESTLY. IT
IS GOING TO TAKE SOME
LEGISLATIVE ACTION, BUT IT WILL
HAVE A SIMPLE GOAL AND A SIMPLE
RESULT. IN THE END, WE KNOW THAT
OUR LARGE EARTHQUAKES WILL OCCUR
HERE IN CALIFORNIA. WE KNOW THAT
WE NEED TO PREPARE NOW, AND HOW
WE PREPARE NOW WILL IMPACT HOW
WE RESPOND AND RECOVER LATER.
OUR COMMUNITIES ARE VULNERABLE
TO THOSE COLLAPSES, TO THOSE
LOSS OF LIFE, TO PERMANENT
DISRUPTION FROM OUR WAY OF LIFE.
AND WE MUST TAKE ACTION NOW TO
PROTECT OUR FUTURE BY
RETROFITTING OLDER, VULNERABLE
BUILDINGS AND BY STARTING TO
DESIGN THE NEXT GENERATION OF
BUILDINGS TO A HIGHER STANDARD
LIKE FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. HAPPY
TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS WHEN
TIME PERMITS. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH, NOW WE'LL MOVE ON
TO OUR NEXT WITNESS, GENERAL
MAFI. CHIEF. MITIGATION.
MITIGATION OFFICER OF THE
CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE AUTHORITY,
YOU MAY BEGIN WHEN READY. THANK
YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND THANK YOU, RYAN. IT'S A GOOD
SETUP TO TALK ABOUT BUILDING
CODES, BECAUSE THE BUILDING CODE
ESTABLISHES ESSENTIALLY KIND OF
FIXES IN TIME WHAT THE EXPECTED
PERFORMANCE IS OF A PARTICULAR
BUILDING IN AN EARTHQUAKE.
UNLESS YOU STEP IN AND YOU DO
SOMETHING RETROACTIVELY OR
RETROFIT. SO I WANT TO TELL YOU
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE
AUTHORITY, OUR MITIGATION
PROGRAMS, AND THEN TOUCH A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS WHOLE IDEA
OF THE BUILDING CODE AND KIND OF
USING THIS MECHANISM OF THIS,
THIS INSURANCE ENTITY TO PROMOTE
MITIGATION IN CALIFORNIA, THE
CEA GO BACK TO 1984, WHEN THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA PASSED A LAW
CALLED THE MANDATORY OFFER LAW
THAT STATED, IF A COMPANY WRITES
INSURANCE, HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE
IN CALIFORNIA, THEY MUST OFFER
EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE. THE
EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE POLICY IS
COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE
HOMEOWNER'S POLICY, BUT IT MUST
BE OFFERED. THE HOMEOWNER IS NOT
OBLIGATED TO PURCHASE, BUT IT
MUST BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
ALONG CAME THE NORTHRIDGE
EARTHQUAKE. MODELING OF DISASTER
WAS AT ITS INFANCY. THE
INSURANCE COMPANIES LOST THEIR
SHIRTS AND THEY WERE GOING TO
STOP WRITING INSURANCE IN
CALIFORNIA COMPLETELY. NOT JUST
EARTHQUAKE POLICIES, BUT ALL
INSURANCE WITH THAT CATASTROPHE.
OF COURSE, IT'S NOT ONLY AN
INSURANCE CATASTROPHE, IT'S A
LENDING CATASTROPHE. THE STATE
LEGISLATURE STEPPED IN AND
CREATED THE CALIFORNIA
EARTHQUAKE AUTHORITY, A VERY
UNIQUE ENTITY, NOT A STATE
AGENCY, BUT A PUBLICLY MANAGED,
PRIVATELY FINANCED
INSTRUMENTALITY OF THE STATE,
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLICLY
MANAGED, WE REPORT TO A BOARD
THAT INCLUDES DESIGNEES ON
BEHALF OF THE GOVERNOR,
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER AND
TREASURER, AND THE ASSEMBLY AND
STATE SENATE, AND WE ARE
PRIVATELY FINANCED, THOUGH VERY
IMPORTANT, NOT PART OF THE STATE
BUDGET, THE MONEY COMES FROM 25
PARTICIPATING INSURERS WHO ALL
JOINED THE CEA 13 AT THE
BEGINNING, AND OTHERS WHO HAVE
JOINED, AND POLICYHOLDERS
PREMIUMS THAT WE COLLECT, OF
COURSE, ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. SO
PRIVATELY FINANCED IS VERY, VERY
IMPORTANT, WE CAN'T DIP INTO THE
STATE TREASURY IN THE EVENT OF
AN EARTHQUAKE. AND THE STATE, OF
COURSE, CAN'T DIP INTO THE
CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE AUTHORITY,
IN A IN A BAD YEAR, BUT VERY
IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE WAS A
VERY STRONG MISSION TO EDUCATE,
MITIGATE AND INSURE EDUCATE. SO
THAT CALIFORNIANS MAKE INFORMED
DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR RISK.
MITIGATE. SO NOT ONLY ARE WE
TRANSFERRING RISK TO THE CORE
BUSINESS OF INSURANCE, BUT WE'RE
TRYING TO REDUCE DAMAGE AS WELL.
AND I'M VERY, VERY PROUD THAT
MITIGATION WAS PART OF THE
ORIGINAL CHARGE TO THE CEA. AND
IT'S FUNDED IN A UNIQUE WAY IN
THAT THE CEA, OF COURSE, AS AN
INSURANCE COMPANY, HAS A CERTAIN
BODY OF CASH. THAT CASH IS IN,
IS INVESTED AND 5% OF THE
INVESTMENT INCOME ON THAT GOES
TOWARDS THE LOSS MITIGATION
FUND, TOWARDS MITIGATION, IT'S
MAXED OUT AT $5 MILLION A YEAR,
AND WE'RE RIGHT ABOUT AT 5
MILLION NOW. THAT'S HOW MUCH
COMES INTO OUR PROGRAM. BUT
WE'VE BEEN VERY, VERY LUCKY TO
BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE OUR FUNDING
WITH FOR TWO YEARS IN, I THINK,
20 1819 STATE FUNDING, THERE
WERE THERE WERE $3 MILLION FOR
TWO YEARS IN A ROW THAT CAME AND
THEN PREDOMINANTLY NOW IT'S FEMA
FUNDING. OUR LAST GRANT WAS $84
MILLION FROM THE FEMA HAZARD
MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM. NOW
THE LOSS MITIGATION FUND IS
MANAGED. THE MANAGES A PROGRAM
CALLED SORRY FOR THE LONG NAMES.
CALIFORNIA RESIDENTIAL
MITIGATION PROGRAM, TERRIBLE
ACRONYM CRIMP, CRIMP, CRIMP. I
THINK, BUT WE MANAGE THAT
JOINTLY IN ANOTHER UNIQUE
FASHION JOINTLY WITH THE
CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF EMERGENCY
SERVICES THROUGH A JOINT POWERS
AGREEMENT. AND SO THAT IT'S A
IT'S A COMBINATION. THERE'S OUR
AGENTS A LITTLE BIT OF AGENCY
STATUS THAT WE GET FROM CAL OES.
IT'S BEEN A VERY, VERY
SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP TO MANAGE
THESE FUNDS. AND LET ME TELL YOU
ABOUT THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE
DEVELOPED. OUR FLAGSHIP PROGRAM,
EARTHQUAKE BRACE AND BOLT, WAS
STARTED IN 2013. I'M VERY PROUD
TO SAY WE DID NINE HOUSES OUR
FIRST YEAR. I WAS SHOOTING FOR
20, SO IT WASN'T TOO BAD. 700
THE NEXT YEAR. WE ARE NOW AT
25,000 AND COUNTING AND WITH OUR
, AVAILABLE FEMA FUNDING, EXPECT
TO HIT 30,000 AT THE END OF THIS
PARTICULAR GRANT, 30,000 HOMES
RETROFITTED IN CALIFORNIA. THIS
IS, REALLY, REALLY CATASTROPHIC
KIND OF DAMAGE TO HOUSES. THE
IDEA HERE IS THAT THESE ARE
THESE OLDER HOUSES THAT SLIDE
OFF THEIR FOUNDATION, BUT THE
RETROFIT IS REALLY VERY BASIC,
VERY SIMPLE. THE COST BENEFIT
ENORMOUS. TWO DAYS UNDER THAT
HOUSE TO PUT BOLTS AND PLYWOOD
IN AND THAT HOUSE THAT WE'VE
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE
LIKELIHOOD THAT THAT HOUSE WILL
REMAIN ON ITS FOUNDATION IN THE
EVENT OF AN EARTHQUAKE. SO VERY
EXCITING, TO ADDRESS, YOU KNOW,
THE NEED TO ABSOLUTELY MEET THE
NEEDS OF OUR VULNERABLE
COMMUNITIES. WE HAVE A
SUPPLEMENTARY GRANT FOR PEOPLE
WHO WHO ARE HOUSEHOLD INCOME
QUALIFYING THAT CAN GET INSTEAD
OF JUST THE 3000 AGAINST A
$5,000 RETROFIT, CAN GET PRETTY
CLOSE TO THE FULL AMOUNT. AND WE
INTRODUCED THAT TWO YEARS AGO,
AND THAT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL,
VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. WE OPENED
A SECOND PROGRAM FOR A SECOND
VULNERABILITY. I THINK YOU ALL
CAN PICTURE THE MARINA DISTRICT
AFTER THE LOMA PRIETA EARTHQUAKE
IN 1989. THE HOUSES THAT HAVE
NOW, THIS IS NOT THE MULTIFAMILY
APARTMENT COMPLEX, BUT SINGLE
FAMILY HOUSES WITH GARAGES ON
THE FIRST FLOOR. THAT SOFT STORY
CONDITION CAN BE ACTUALLY VERY
CAN BE CATASTROPHIC, PARTIAL OR
FULL COLLAPSE, EARTHQUAKE SOFT
STORY WAS INTRODUCED TO ADDRESS
THAT. WE'VE GOT 5 MILLION FROM
FEMA. AND THEN I'M VERY PROUD TO
ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED
$40 MILLION FROM FEMA THROUGH
THE BRIC FUNDING TO STAND UP A
MULTIFAMILY SOFT STORY RETROFIT
GRANT PROGRAM. SO WE JUST GOT
THAT ANNOUNCEMENT JUST RECENTLY.
SO WE'VE BEEN GIVEN THE GO AHEAD
FOR THE TIER ONE OR PHASE ONE,
WHICH IS TO STAND UP THE
PROGRAM, KIND OF TELL THEM HOW
WE'RE GOING TO DO IT, GET
TOGETHER A LIST OF BUILDINGS
BACK TO FEMA AND, AND THEN WE
ARE WE'RE PRETTY DARN SURE WITH
OUR EXPERIENCE FROM OUR OTHER
PROGRAMS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO
PROCEED WITH THIS PROGRAM. THESE
PROGRAMS ARE REALLY, REALLY VERY
IMPORTANT. I WANTED TO, TO END
WITH KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, RYAN
SET SET THIS UP PERFECTLY TO
TALK ABOUT RETROFITS. RETROFITS
ARE FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS AND
EXISTING BUILDINGS ARE NOT
MANAGED BY THE BUILDING CODE.
THE BUILDING CODE IS FOR NEW
BUILDINGS. THERE ARE SEPARATE
STANDARDS THAT MANAGE THE
RETROFITS OF THESE OLDER
BUILDINGS. AND IN FACT, THE CEA
CONTRIBUTED WITH FEMA TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SOME OF THESE
STANDARDS, AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT
ABOUT THEM IS THAT THE BUILDING
CODE FOR OUR NEW BUILDINGS
REALLY DOES SET THE BASELINE FOR
HOW WE RETROFIT OUR EXISTING
BUILDINGS. AND I WANT YOU TO
THINK ABOUT INSURABILITY FOR A
LITTLE FOR A MINUTE HERE,
BECAUSE, OF COURSE, I WORK FOR
AN INSURANCE ENTITY. BUT
INSURABILITY, WHEN FEMA COMES IN
AFTER AN EVENT, YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE THIS THIS IMAGE OF THE, YOU
KNOW, SOMEONE ON A WHITE HORSE,
YOU KNOW, THE AVERAGE IS BETWEEN
3000 AND $5000 IN INDIVIDUAL
ASSISTANCE. THAT GOES TO PEOPLE.
IT IS NOT AN INSURANCE ENTITY.
THEY THEY THEY DO NOT HAVE THE
MEANS OR THE PURPOSE OR THE
SCOPE TO MAKE PEOPLE WHOLE. AND
ALL OF THIS DAMAGE WE SEE IN
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES AND,
FRANKLY, IN MULTIFAMILY
RESIDENCES AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
IS BORNE BY THE INDIVIDUAL
BUILDING OWNERS, AND IN MANY
CASES, THE MULTIFAMILY
STRUCTURES ARE NOT INSURABLE. I
TALKED TO A COUPLE OF INSURANCE
COMPANIES AND I SAID, DO YOU
INSURE MULTIFAMILY SOFT STORIES?
THEY SAID, NO. I SAID, WHAT IF
WE RETROFIT THEM? DO YOU WILL
YOU INSURE THEM? THEY SAID, NO.
NOW CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE
AUTHORITY TAKES ALL COMERS. SO
WE DO IN FACT INSURE HOUSES THAT
HAVE NOT BEEN RETROFITTED, OF
COURSE, WITH THAT DRIVE TO GET
THEM RETROFITTED AS SOON AS WE
CAN. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
RESILIENCE IN CALIFORNIA, IT'S
IMPORTANT TO THINK OF TERMS LIKE
INSURABILITY OF PROVIDING THESE
MECHANISMS FOR FUNDING. AND ONE
WAY TO DO THAT IS TO THINK VERY
SERIOUSLY ABOUT THE STANDARDS TO
WHICH WE NOT ONLY BUILD NEW
CONSTRUCTION, BUT TO WHICH WE
RETROFIT STRUCTURES, SO WITH
THAT, I'LL END WITH JUST A JUST
A BRIEF COMMENT ON FUNCTIONAL
RECOVERY FOR HOUSES, FOR
RESIDENCES IS HABITABILITY.
HABITABILITY, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE
ANY ONE OF OUR COMMUNITIES RIGHT
NOW THAT IS JUST STRUGGLING TO
PUT ADUS IN AND TO FIND WAYS TO
BUILD NEW HOUSING CONSTRUCTION
AND THEN PUT ON TOP OF THAT A
DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE THAT
TAKES OUT AND PUTS TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ON THE
STREET, HABITABILITY IS
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, WE ALL WORK
AS A TEAM IN THIS EARTHQUAKE
ENGINEERING WORLD. WE APPRECIATE
THAT. YOU'RE ON OUR TEAM. AND
WITH THAT, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. BUT I ALSO
WANT TO THANK FOR THIS,
COMMITTEE'S SUPPORT IN THE PAST
FOR OUR PROGRAM AND PARTICULARLY
FOR THAT MULTIFAMILY SOFT STORY,
WHICH CAN BE CATASTROPHIC
DAMAGE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT.
AND SO NOW I'LL BRING IT BACK TO
OUR MEMBERS. ANY COMMENTS
QUESTIONS. OH YES. SENATOR
ARCHULETA GOOD. THANK YOU MR.
CHAIR, I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT
CALIFORNIA VÀ AND FEMA ARE KIND
OF JOINT VENTURE IN A LITTLE
BIT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S
SHORT, YOU KNOW, WITH $2.2
TRILLION FROM 1980 TO 2021.
THAT'S A LOT OF DAMAGE. LOTS AND
LOTS OF DAMAGE. AND FOR MOM AND
POP, YOU KNOW, AND THEY HAD THAT
DUPLEX OR A YOUNG COUPLE WHO
JUST BOUGHT THEIR FIRST HOME.
THE RETROFITTING COST IS IMMENSE
. SO I'M HOPING THAT MAYBE IN
THE FUTURE YOU CAN INCREASE THAT
JOINT VENTURE MONIES, WHERE THIS
HOMEOWNER, BRAND NEW HOMEOWNER
CAN GO AHEAD AND LOOK TO FEMA
FOR A GRANT OR THE STATE FOR A
GRANT, BECAUSE RETROFITTING AND
A STANDARD 1800 SQUARE FOOT
HOUSE RUNS ANYWHERE FROM 10 TO
$15,000. AND IT MAY NOT SOUND A
LOT TO SOME, BUT TO A COUPLE OR
SENIORS, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY.
AND TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE A
GRANT THAT COULD BE AT LEAST A
PORTION OF IT AS A GRANT IN THE
REST OF IT, CAN BE PAID OVER THE
LIFE OF A LOAN OR WHATEVER IT
MIGHT BE, WOULD REALLY ENHANCE
THING. AND I KNOW IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA, IN LOS ANGELES
COUNTY, WE HAVE THE SEISMIC SHUT
OFF VALVE THAT'S REQUIRED ADD ON
FOR UNITS AND ABOVE. AND THAT
SEISMIC SHUT OFF VALVE IS
ATTACHED TO THE GAS METER. AND
WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE THAT VALVE
THAT DIAL JUST MOVES FROM LEFT
TO RIGHT AND IT SHUTS OFF THE
GAS, EVEN IF THAT WERE GRANTED,
AS A PRECAUTION FOR FURTHER
DAMAGE, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY GAS
EXPLOSION AND FIRES AND SO ON.
BUT IF WE COULD DO SOMETHING
LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND I WOULD AND I'D APPRECIATE
YOU TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT IT.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, SENATOR
LYMAN? THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU
FOR BEING HERE AND KIND OF
WALKING US THROUGH THIS. I DID
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE
MULTIFAMILY FEMA STAND UP GRANT
PROGRAMS. HOW MANY HOUSEHOLDS
DOES THAT TOUCH? I MEAN, WE HEAR
NUMBERS LIKE 40 MILLION, AND IT
MIGHT EXCITE SOME PEOPLE THAT
IT'S 40 MILLION AND IT MIGHT
CONCERN OTHERS THAT 40 MILLION
IS SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH FOR THE
MAGNITUDE OF THIS STATE, AND SO
I'M TRYING TO PUT PERSPECTIVE ON
HOW HOW MUCH MORE WE NEED TO, TO
REALLY BE ABLE TO, TO TOUCH MORE
HOUSEHOLDS. WELL, I THANK YOU
FOR THAT QUESTION. AND WE DID
SOME HOMEWORK, OBVIOUSLY, TO
CREATE OUR OUR GRANT APPLICATION
TO FEMA AND WHAT CITIES WHO HAVE
MANDATORY ORDINANCES AND HAVE,
YOU KNOW, MANY OF THESE THESE
RETROFITS UNDER THEIR BELT TELL
US IS IT'S ABOUT $140,000 PER
BUILDING. SO YEAH, $40 MILLION
IS GOING TO BE IN THE HUNDREDS
OF BUILDINGS THAT WE CAN PROVIDE
GRANTS TO, NOT IN THE THOUSANDS.
SO I, I OFTEN GET A LITTLE
DISMAYED THAT MY, MY CURRENT JOB
IS A DROP IN THE BUCKET. 25,000
SOUNDS A LOT LIKE A LOT TO ME
WHEN I COMPARE THAT WITH WHAT WE
ESTIMATE IS A IS A DEMAND OF A
MILLION HOUSES IN CALIFORNIA
NEEDING THIS RETROFIT, I TRY AND
REMAIN STOIC AND ENERGIZED,
WHAT? I'M HOPING WITH THESE
PROGRAMS AS WELL, THOUGH, IS WE
ESTABLISH A CULTURE OF
RESILIENCE WHERE PEOPLE KNOW
THAT THESE VULNERABLE CITIES
EXIST. THEY KNOW WHEN THEY BUY A
HOUSE, THEY SHOULD BE LOOKING
FOR A RETROFITTED HOUSE. WE
START PUTTING IT IN THE MLS. SO
THAT WHEN THEY GO TO BUY A
HOUSE, IT HAS VALUE, SO WE NEED
TO HAVE A CULTURE AND A
VOCABULARY OF RESILIENCE. S AND
I'M HOPING THESE PROGRAMS,
ALTHOUGH NOT BRINGING AS MUCH
MONEY AS WE WOULD LIKE, ARE
BRINGING AT LEAST NOTORIETY LU█T
AWARENESS. AND AS I SAID, THAT
CULTURE OF RESILIENCE. AND SO I
JUST WANT TO, REPEAT SOMETHING
YOU JUST SAID. WE HAVE OVER A
MILLION HOUSEHOLDS IN THIS STATE
THAT NEED RETROFITTING. SO IF
YOU LOOK AT JUST THAT EARTHQUAKE
BRACE AND BOLT VULNERABILITY AND
I USE AGE AS A PROXY, THERE ARE
APPROXIMATELY A LITTLE OVER A
MILLION HOUSES IN AREAS OF HIGH
HAZARD, THAT ARE THAT PRE 1940
HOUSE. SO UNLESS THEY'VE BEEN
RETROFITTED THEY ARE VULNERABLE.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND THEN
YOU ALSO MADE ANOTHER, STATEMENT
ABOUT SOME CITIES REQUIRING IT
OUT OF OUR 480 PLUS CITIES, HOW
MANY CITIES REQUIRE FIRE? RIGHT,
I THINK IT'S IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
OF SEVEN STATEWIDE, MAYBE SEVEN
CITIES IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD,
SEVEN OUT OF 480 PLUS. YEAH, I
MEAN, THE BIG ONES. OKAY BUT, I
THINK THERE ARE, IN FACT, CITIES
THAT ARE POISED THEY HAVE
VOLUNTARY ORDINANCES READY TO
GO. AND THEY TRULY ARE WAITING
FOR SOME KIND OF FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE FOR THEIR BUILDING
OWNERS. THANK YOU. SENATOR
RUBIO, HAVE A QUESTION? THERE WE
GO. SORRY ON THE WRONG SIDE OF,
OF THE BUILDING, HELLO. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR
PRESENTATION. I WANT TO GO BACK
A LITTLE BIT. WHAT YOU SAID
EARLIER TO THE BEGINNING OF THE
CEA, AFTER THE NORTHRIDGE
EARTHQUAKE HAPPENED. AND, YOU
KNOW, I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY
THAT MOST INSURANCE JUST GAVE UP
AND STOPPED WRITING HERE IN THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA, YOU KNOW,
I'M THE CHAIR OF THE INSURANCE
COMMITTEE ON THE SENATE SIDE.
AND, I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE WE CAN
SORT OF EQUATE THIS SOMEWHAT,
MAYBE NOT EXACTLY, TO WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN THE INSURANCE
MARKET, BACK IN, I THINK IT WAS
94. RIGHT THE EARTHQUAKE
HAPPENED. CORRECT, I MEAN,
THAT'S WHAT WE HAD WE HAD, YOU
KNOW, THIS CATASTROPHE WHERE,
THE INSURANCE COMPANIES COULDN'T
INSURE THE DAMAGE WAS SO GREAT
THAT WE WERE FORCED TO CREATE A
SEPARATE ENTITY BECAUSE
INSURANCE MARKET IS, YOU KNOW,
THEY'RE INDEPENDENT. THEY'RE
NOT. THEY'RE A BUSINESS. AND WE
COULDN'T FORCE THEM TO STAY.
RIGHT. BUT AT THE END OF THE
DAY, THEY CAME BACK AND THEY'RE
PAYING INTO THIS. Kò. THEY WANT
TO FUND IT BECAUSE THE GOAL OF
AN INSURANCE COMPANY IS TO WANT
TO STAY IN CALIFORNIA AND RIDE
AND MAKE MONEY IN CALIFORNIA.
AND SO THE REASON THEY CAME
TOGETHER AND I DON'T WANT TO SAY
GAVE UP THEIR MONEY, BUT THEY
ARE FUNDING THIS RIGHT PART OF
IT, BECAUSE YOU WANT A HEALTHY
MARKET, THE MORE THE THEY SHARE
THE, THE RISK, THE BETTER WE ARE
FOR IT. AND WHEN I THINK OF WHAT
YOU'RE SAYING IN TERMS OF THE
DEFICIENCIES AND STRUCTURES, AND
YOU JUST SAID, I BELIEVE 1
MILLION HOUSES ARE IN THE HIGH
HAZARD AREA. I MEAN, ALL WE NEED
IS AN EARTHQUAKE AND THE ENTIRE
INFRASTRUCTURE IS GOING TO
CRUMBLE. NOT, YOU KNOW, HOW
HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE, EVERYTHING
ELSE IS GOING TO CRUMBLE. AND I
SAY THAT BECAUSE SOMETIMES I
HAVE A HARD TIME, YOU KNOW, A
LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING
WITH INSURANCE. AND I OFTEN HEAR
THIS COMMENT, EVEN FROM
COLLEAGUES, YOU KNOW, WELL, WHY
DON'T WE FORCE THEM? YOU SHOULD
JUST FORCE THEM TO DO IT. AND
THE HARDEST TIME I HAVE IS
CONVINCING MY COLLEAGUES WHO ARE
EDUCATING MY COLLEAGUES THAT WE
CANNOT FORCE A PRIVATE COMPANY
TO DO ANYTHING. WHAT WE COULD DO
IS ELABORATE AND HOPE THAT WE
CAN FIGURE OUT A STRUCTURE WHERE
WHERE IT'S A WIN WIN, NOT ONLY
FOR OUR CONSUMERS, WHICH IS
RIGHT. THE GOAL HERE IS TO MAKE
SURE THAT WHEN THAT NEXT
EARTHQUAKE HAPPENS, WE DON'T
LEAVE OUR HOMEOWNERS JUST, YOU
KNOW, AND THEN INCREDIBLE
POSITION WHERE THEY CANNOT
RECOVER. AND THE FACT THAT WE'RE
ALSO LOSING OUR HOMEOWNERS
INSURANCE IS GOING TO BE A
DOUBLE HIT, IF YOU WILL. THEY
DON'T HAVE THE INSURANCE ON THE
EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE SIDE, AND
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE
HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE. BUT
ANYWAYS, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT
FOR YOU TO KIND OF EXPLAIN HOW
THEY CAME TOGETHER TO CREATE
THIS CEA. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU I
DON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE THERE AT
THE TIME, BUT HOW DO THEY COME
TOGETHER TO CREATE IT? AND WHERE
DID THE DISCUSSIONS COME FROM,
WHERE THEY ALL GOING TO PAY INTO
THIS FUND AND BE YOU KNOW,
SUSTAINING IT FOR THE FOR THE
REST OF THE LIFETIME OF CEA?
WELL, WHEN I JOINED THE CEA, THE
TWO FOUNDING FATHERS WERE STILL
THERE. SO, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER
THE STORIES. I MEAN, ESSENTIALLY
IT WAS A CRISIS IN THE, YOU
KNOW, IN THE FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS IN CALIFORNIA. VÀ
AND SO IT WAS THE LEGISLATURE
AND THEY THEY CREATED A
COMMITTEES WITH THE INSURANCE
INDUSTRY AND SAT DOWN ACROSS THE
TABLE AND TALKED ABOUT, OKAY,
WHAT WHAT KIND OF A POLICY
SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE. AND
AND, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MONEY
SHOULD THESE INSURANCE COMPANIES
BRING WHEN THEY JOIN? AND YOU
KNOW WHAT? WHAT SHOULD WHAT
SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE? AND WE'VE
BENEFITED FROM, YOU KNOW, NOT
HAVING ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE LIKE
NORTHRIDGE FOR 30 YEARS, YOU
KNOW, SO THERE'S BEEN AN ABILITY
TO, YOU KNOW, TO, TO STAND UP A
VERY SUBSTANTIAL, HEALTHY,
INSURANCE ENTITY, BUT WE HAVE, I
THINK, SOMETHING LIKE 14% OF
CALIFORNIA HOMES INSURED. AND I
MY QUICK CALCULATION FOR, FOR,
THE RISK IS 80% OF OUR
POPULATION LIVES IN COUNTIES
THAT SOMEHOW TOUCH THE SAN
ANDREAS FAULT ZONE. 80% OF OUR
POPULATION. SO, YOU KNOW,
THERE'S ALWAYS WORK TO BE DONE,
I THINK, YOU KNOW, MITIGATE OUR
KNOWN VULNERABILITIES AND INSURE
FOR THE UNKNOWNS IS REALLY WHERE
WE WANT TO BE. BUT
UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE THESE
HUGE, HUGE, HUGE POPULATIONS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD HUGE
CONSTRUCTION BOOMS AROUND THE
WORLD WARS, AND THOSE BUILDINGS
ARE AT RISK. AND ACROSS THE
BOARD, NOT JUST RESIDENTIAL. SO,
I DON'T KNOW THAT I OFFERED YOU
ANY ANSWERS, BUT BUT THERE WAS A
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
COLLABORATION, AND THEY AND THEY
AND THEY WERE ABLE TO CREATE AN
ENTITY THAT ALLOWED THESE
COMPANIES TO STAY IN THE STATE.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND THE
REASON I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT
THAT, BECAUSE I THINK THE
INSURANCE CRISIS IS, YOU KNOW,
OUR, NORTH OF THIS TIME IN THAT,
YOU KNOW, WE'RE STRUGGLING TO
FIGURE OUT THAT PIECE WHERE, YOU
KNOW, WE ARE COLLABORATIVE
BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, I, YOU
KNOW, I'M THE CHAIR AND I HEAR
IT AND I AND I UNDERSTAND THE
MECHANISMS AND HOW IT'S REALLY
DIFFICULT TO, TO MANDATE WITHOUT
SITTING AT THE TABLE AND SAYING,
LET'S FIGURE THIS OUT AND LET'S
COME TO THE MIDDLE. WE KIND OF
DID THAT LAST YEAR, BUT I JUST
WANTED TO SAY THAT, IN, IN TERMS
OF EDUCATION AND YOU KNOW, I
HOPE THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE OPEN
MINDED BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE
COLLABORATION. AND IT'S NOT ONE
SIDED BECAUSE WE CANNOT FORCE
THE INSURANCE COMPANIES TO STAY.
THAT IS THEIR CHOICE. THEY WALK
AWAY AND OUR CONSUMERS ARE OUR,
YOU KNOW, HOMEOWNERS ARE GOING
TO SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCE. BUT I
MIGHT ENGAGE YOU BECAUSE I WANT
TO GO DEEPER INTO THAT. BUT ON A
PERSONAL LEVEL, BECAUSE WE'RE
WORKING ON A PLAN RIGHT NOW AND
YOUR INPUT WOULD BE VALUABLE.
BUT THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ANY OTHER
QUESTIONS? I JUST HAD A
QUESTION, A COMMENT REALLY,
RYAN, YOU SAID IN YOUR BEGINNING
THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG AGO
CALIFORNIA WAS THE LEADER,
RIGHT? AND WE FELL BEHIND WHAT
DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD START
DOING NOW TO GET BACK UP THERE?
IT WOULD BE LIKE ONE THING WE
COULD FOCUS ON TO TRY TO GET US
BACK TO. TO BE THAT LEADER LIKE
WE WERE YEARS AGO. RIGHT BECAUSE
I ALWAYS LOOK AT CALIFORNIA, WE
LIKE TO BE THE LEADERS AND A LOT
OF OTHER THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO
THINGS LIKE THIS. BECAUSE I SAID
EARLIER, WE'RE A DISASTER PRONE
STATE AND WE SHOULD REALLY BE
FOCUSING ON EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE TO
EARTHQUAKES AND EVERYTHING ELSE
THAT SUFFERS HERE. SO WHAT DO
YOU THINK SHOULD BE SOMETHING WE
SHOULD FOCUS ON NOW TO TRY TO
GET BACK IN THAT NUMBER ONE SPOT
LIKE YOU ALLUDED TO? YEAH I
MEAN, TO ME IT'S SIMPLE. WE NEED
TO ADOPT A FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY
BUILDING CODE, THERE'S GREAT
WORK THAT SIA IS DOING ON THE
RETROFIT SIDE OF THINGS. THERE'S
GREAT WORK THAT SOME OF THE
CITIES ARE DOING AT THE LOCAL
LEVEL ON RETROFITS. BUT WE NEED
TO STOP CREATING LIFE SAFE
BUILDINGS AND START CREATING
RECOVERY BASED BUILDINGS. YOU
KNOW, BACK TO YOUR POINT,
SENATOR, ABOUT MAKING SURE HOMES
ARE AFFORDABLE FOR PEOPLE. WE
NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT LONG
TERM COSTS AND WE NEED TO MAKE
SURE THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING
DOESN'T HAVE THIS BUILT IN
DAMAGE. THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO
BE PAID FOR WHEN THE NEXT
EARTHQUAKE STRIKES, THAT PEOPLE
AREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO
AFFORD. THAT'S GOING TO KNOCK
THEM OUT OF THEIR HOME, TOO. IT
REALLY IS AN INTERNAL CONFLICT
FOR A LOT OF US. STRUCTURAL
ENGINEERS. WHEN WE DESIGN ONLY
SAFE BUILDINGS, BECAUSE WE KNOW
THAT A LOT OF THOSE BUILDINGS
CAN'T BE REUSED AFTER AN
EARTHQUAKE. AND WE THINK ABOUT
THE IMPACT TO OUR COMMUNITIES,
TO OUR NEIGHBORS, TO OUR
FAMILIES, AND WE NEED TO START
DOING RECOVERY BASED BUILDING
CODES. MAKES SENSE. AND JUST ONE
LAST QUESTION. WE TALKED A LOT
ABOUT THE BUILDINGS COLLAPSING
RIGHT FROM THE EARTHQUAKES. BUT
WHAT ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE?
THE WATER, GAS, ELECTRICITY
LINES? HOW VULNERABLE ARE THOSE
IN YOUR YOUR OPINION? BECAUSE I
THINK WE NEVER REALLY TALK ABOUT
THAT. BUT THAT'S ALSO GOING TO
WE'RE GOING TO GET CUT OFF.
RIGHT. YEP. ABSOLUTELY I MEAN
THERE'S GOOD WORK ON LEADERS WHO
HAVE BEEN THINKING AHEAD OF
THOSE TOPICS, BUT THERE'S A LOT
OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO
LAY THE GROUNDWORK TO REALLY
MAKE SOME GOOD PROGRESS ON
LIFELINES THAT WATER SUPPLY,
LIKE YOU SAID, THE POWER GRID
THERE IS A LOT OF WORK THAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE. WE TALK A LOT
ABOUT IN MY CONVERSATIONS, WE
TALK A LOT ABOUT CARTS AND
HORSES, CHICKENS AND EGGS. WE
HAVE TO SAY YOU HAVE TO MAKE
PROGRESS IN PARALLEL ON BOTH THE
BUILDING SIDE OF THINGS AND THE
INFRASTRUCTURE SIDE OF THINGS.
YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR ONE TO START
OR FINISH BEFORE THE OTHER
STARTS. YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE
MAKING PROGRESS ON BOTH AT THE
SAME TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU. IF
THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS,
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO
OUR SECOND PANEL. SO THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR SECOND
PANEL WILL BE SEISMIC RESILIENCE
AND MØT HAZARD MITIGATION
EFFORTS. OUR FIRST WITNESS IS
ROBIN PFENNING, THE ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR FOR HAZARD MITIGATION
AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF
EMERGENCY SERVICES. SO WHEN
YOU'RE READY THANK YOU. NOON,
MR. CHAIR AND COMMITTEE, THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY,
MY NAME IS ROBIN PFENNIG. AND
I'M THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR THAT
OVERSEES HAZARD MITIGATION, OUR
ENTIRE STATEWIDE PROGRAM AT CAL
OES. ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I MOVED
FROM THE FINE STATE OF WISCONSIN
TO, TAKE THE ROLE HERE AT CAL
OES. HONESTLY, BECAUSE OF, YOU
KNOW, MAYBE I HAVE A DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE COMING FROM OUTSIDE,
BUT CALIFORNIA REALLY DOES SET
THE PRECEDENT FOR WHAT HAZARD
MITIGATION LOOKS LIKE IN MY
FIELD, AND I'VE DEDICATED MY
WHOLE CAREER TO THIS FIELD. SO
BEING HERE TO SHARE A SNAPSHOT
OF THE LAST 30 YEARS OF HAZARD
MITIGATION AND RESILIENCY,
THROUGH THE LENS OF CAL OES,
REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE WITH
YOU TODAY, THE CAL OES HAZARD
MITIGATION SECTION. OUR GOAL IS
TO BRING IN AS MUCH MONEY AS
POSSIBLE TO SUPPORT RESILIENCY
WORK, FOR CALIFORNIA
COMMUNITIES, TRIBAL ENTITIES AND
ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE
STATE, BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS TO
MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS, HAVE
MINIMAL IMPACTS DURING DISASTERS
AND CAN RECOVER FROM THEM MORE
SMOOTHLY, OUR WHOLE PROGRAM IS A
COMMUNITY DRIVEN AND LED
APPROACH, AND IT STARTS WITH
LOCAL HAZARD MITIGATION
PLANNING. SO, THESE LOCAL HAZARD
MITIGATION PLANS OUTLINE THE
RISK TO NATURAL HAZARDS AS WELL
AS THE LOCAL STRATEGIES THAT
COMMUNITIES COME UP WITH THROUGH
AN INTEGRATED PLANNING PROCESS,
AND THIS APPROACH MAKES SURE
THAT FOLKS ARE CONTRIBUTING TO
THOSE PLANS. THE STRATEGIES TO
REDUCE RISKS AND THEN KIND OF
LEADING WITH WHAT PROJECTS WILL
BE FUNDED THROUGH OUR GRANT
PROGRAMS. FROM THERE, THE
COMMUNITIES SUBMIT THOSE
STRATEGIES THEY IDENTIFIED IN
THEIR LOCAL PLANS TO OUR OFFICE,
AND WE WORK WITH THEM TO TRY TO
SECURE AS MUCH FEMA HAZARD
MITIGATION ASSISTANCE GRANT
FUNDING AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE
KIND OF TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF
PROGRAMS THAT WE OVERSEE. WE
HAVE THE NATIONALLY COMPETITIVE
GRANTS, I THINK THOSE ARE
GETTING A LOT OF PRESS RIGHT
NOW. GENERALLY SPEAKING, THERE'S
THE BUILDING RESILIENT
INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES
OR BRIC PROGRAM, WHICH IS A
NATIONALLY COMPETITIVE PROGRAM,
WE DO SUBMIT EVERY SINGLE
ELIGIBLE AND COMPLETE
SUBAPPLICATION TO FEMA FOR THE
NATIONAL REVIEW PANEL TO
EVALUATE IT, AND WE MAKE SURE
THAT WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN AT
CAL OES SO THAT EVERY
COMMUNITY'S APPLICATION IS CLEAR
IN PLAIN LANGUAGE AND THAT
REVIEWERS CAN ASSIGN EVERY POINT
THAT WE BELIEVE THEY'RE ELIGIBLE
TO RECEIVE, OUR COMMUNITIES HAVE
BEEN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL IN THE
BRIC PROGRAM, AND ACTUALLY, THAT
WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
BROUGHT ME HERE. CALIFORNIA GETS
ABOUT 20% OF THE OVERALL BRIC
NATIONAL COMPETITION GRANT
FUNDS, FOR STATES LIKE WISCONSIN
WHO HAVE REALLY BAD BUILDING
CODES TO BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE
TO THIS TYPE OF WORK IS REALLY
EXCITING, 20% ACROSS THREE
FEDERAL FISCAL YEARS IS JUST
UNDER $780 MILLION GOING TOWARDS
RESILIENCY FOR CALIFORNIA
COMMUNITIES AND TRIBES, AND
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A
PRETTY, PRETTY BIG AMOUNT OF THE
MONEY AVAILABLE FOR STATES TO
COMPETE FOR, LAST YEAR, IN
FISCAL YEAR 22, ALL OF OUR
PROPOSALS WERE SELECTED FOR
FURTHER REVIEW. AND I CAN TELL
YOU MY PHONE WAS RINGING OFF THE
HOOK, THE DAY THAT THOSE THE
SELECTIONS WERE ANNOUNCED. AND
THAT ACTUALLY INCLUDED TWO OF
THE BIGGEST SEISMIC PROJECTS
FUNDED TO DATE THROUGH THE BRIC
PROGRAM, JANELLE MENTIONED THE
CEA PROGRAM FOR THE MULTIFAMILY
SOFT STORY RETROFIT, YOU KNOW,
GRANT PROGRAM. AND THAT'S REALLY
GOING TO JUMP START THAT PROGRAM
AGAIN, WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO PULL
IN SOME FUNDING FOR KERN COUNTY,
JUST UNDER $30 MILLION TO
RETROFIT A HOSPITAL IN
BAKERSFIELD. AND, AND SO WE'VE
GOT STATES WHO ARE LOOKING TO US
AS LEADERS. WE DO ALSO FUND A
GOOD AMOUNT OF MITIGATION FOR
SEISMIC RISKS THROUGH OUR
POST-DISASTER GRANT PROGRAM,
WHICH IS CALLED THE HAZARD
MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM.
JANELLE ACTUALLY MENTIONED IT
BECAUSE WE DO PARTNER WITH CEA
THROUGH A GOOD NUMBER OF GRANT
PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS FUNDED
THROUGH THE HMP, IT'S A
POST-DISASTER, GRANT PROGRAM,
WHICH MEANS WE KIND OF GET A SET
ASIDE ALLOCATION BASED ON THE
AMOUNT OF DAMAGES SUSTAINED IN A
HAZARD EVENT, SO WE GET A 20
MILLION OR A 20% ALLOCATION OF
ALL OF THE VALIDATED DISASTER
CLAIMS. THAT'S ACTUALLY
ADDITIONAL FUNDING, STANDARD
STATES GET 15% IN STATES LIKE
CALIFORNIA WHO ARE ENHANCED
STATES RECEIVE AN EXTRA 5% OF
THAT POST-DISASTER ALLOCATION
FOR ALL HAZARDS MITIGATION THAT
CAN BE USED STATEWIDE. AND THAT
AMOUNT IS ACTUALLY PRIORITIZED
BY CAL OES. BUT WE DON'T DO THAT
IN A VACUUM. WE DO COORDINATE
PRETTY CLOSELY WITH OUR STATE
COUNTERPARTS, AND IN PARTICULAR
WITH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, WE
EVALUATE ALL THE PROPOSALS THAT
WE RECEIVE, USING A PUBLICLY
AVAILABLE NOTICE OF FUNDING
OPPORTUNITY THAT ASSESSES
ADDITIONAL POINTS FOR
COMMUNITIES THAT SUSTAIN RECENT
DISASTER DAMAGES. BECAUSE, AS
ALL OF YOU KNOW, ON THE
COMMITTEE, THAT THE BEST TIME TO
INVEST IN RESILIENCY IS OFTEN
AFTER A DISASTER WHEN BUILDINGS
ARE BEING REPAIRED. AND IT
DOESN'T NECESSARILY MATTER WHAT
TYPE OF DISASTER HAPPENS. WE
HAVE A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY
IN FRONT OF US AND TO DO IT IN
THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY
POSSIBLE. WE ALSO DO LIKE TO
PRIORITIZE PROJECTS IN
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BOTH HIGH
SOCIAL VULNERABILITY AND ALSO
EXPERIENCE HIGH HAZARD RISKS. SO
WE LIKE THAT INTERSECTION OF THE
BOTH BECAUSE AGAIN, THAT'S GOING
TO BE THE BEST TYPE OF
INVESTMENT FOR CALIFORNIA
COMMUNITIES. WE ALSO FACTOR IN
HAZARD RANKING, I THINK SOMEBODY
MENTIONED THE STATE HAZARD
MITIGATION PLAN WHEN I WALKED IN
THIS MORNING, IT'S OUR
ASSESSMENT OF ALL OF THE HAZARDS
THAT CALIFORNIA EXPERIENCE. BUT
WE DON'T JUST LOOK AT BUILDING
EXPOSURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
EXPOSURE, BUT WE ALSO LOOK AT
THE WAY THAT OUR EQUITY PRIORITY
COMMUNITIES ARE EXPOSED TO THESE
HAZARDS. AND I SAY THIS BECAUSE
EARTHQUAKES ARE THE HIGHEST
HAZARD, RATED IN IN THIS 2023
STATE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN. SO
THAT IS OUR YOU KNOW, YOU'D HOPE
TO SEE THAT WITH ALL THOSE
FACTORS CONSIDERED THAT WE'RE
FUNDING A LOT OF SEISMIC
PROJECTS, AND SO BETWEEN BOTH
THE POST-DISASTER AND THE
NATIONALLY COMPETITIVE GRANT
PROGRAMS, WE'VE HAD JUST SHY OF
1000 COMPLETED HAZARD MITIGATION
PROJECTS, AND OF THAT, ABOUT 492
OF THEM ARE SPECIFIC FOR
EARTHQUAKE MITIGATION. SO THAT'S
JUST UNDER 50. BUT IT TRANSLATES
TO $1.36 BILLION IN FEDERAL
FUNDING THAT HAVE BEEN GONE,
THAT HAVE GONE DIRECTLY TO
CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES TO
IMPLEMENT SEISMIC MITIGATION
OAN. AND THAT'S OVER 62% OF OUR
GRANT PORTFOLIO OVER THE LAST 30
YEARS. WE ALSO HAVE ABOUT JUST
UNDER 100 ACTIVE PROJECTS AND
PROJECTS COMING THROUGH THE
PIPELINE THAT TARGET BOTH
EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS.
TOTALING ABOUT 618 MILLION. SO
WHEN ALL OF THESE PROJECTS ARE
ALL SAID AND DONE, WE'LL HAVE,
IN ADDITION TO THE 25 TO 30,000
STRUCTURES THAT DANIELLE
MENTIONED THAT CEA IS TARGETING,
WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER 9800
STRUCTURES. AND THAT ALSO
INCLUDES QUITE A BIT OF CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE. IT'S KIND OF
HARD TO COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES
SINCE, YOU KNOW, WATER SYSTEM OR
A DAM, YOU KNOW, MIGHT COUNT AS
ONE STRUCTURE. BUT WE KNOW THAT
THAT MIGHT HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT
WHEN IT COMES TO CASCADING
IMPACTS FROM SEISMIC HAZARDS, WE
GENERALLY RETROFIT EVERY TYPE OF
STRUCTURE IMAGINABLE, YOU KNOW,
IN ADDITION TO THE SINGLE AND
MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
STRUCTURES. WE'RE DOING
MANUFACTURED HOUSING, DAMS, CITY
HALLS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, FIRE
STATIONS, AND OF COURSE,
HOSPITALS. I THINK THAT GETS A
LOT OF COVERAGE AS WELL, WE ALSO
UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT JUST
ABOUT THE BUILDINGS, BUT IT'S
ALSO ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
LIFELINES, WE DO HAVE A SMALLER
PRE-DISASTER GRANT, THE NATIONAL
EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION
PROGRAM, WHERE WE'RE WORKING
SPECIFICALLY WITH FOOD BANK HUBS
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO
CONDUCT SEISMIC ASSESSMENTS. AND
THEN BASED ON THOSE REPORTS,
FUNDING SEISMIC HAZARD
MITIGATION THROUGH THE HMP, THAT
POST-DISASTER GRANT PROGRAM I
MENTIONED, AND THOSE REALLY DO
TARGET EQUITY PRIORITY
COMMUNITIES BECAUSE WE KNOW
THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS ONE,
THE BIG ONE HAPPENS. WE NEED TO
MAKE SURE THAT FOOD SECURITY IS
SOMETHING WE'RE ALSO THINKING
ABOUT, I'LL ALSO MENTION WE FUND
A LOT OF EARTHQUAKE EARLY
WARNING SYSTEMS SUCH AS THE ONE
INSTALLED FOR CEDARS-SINAI
MEDICAL CENTER IN WEST HOLLYWOOD
, BECAUSE THIS ONE IS A FACILITY
THAT WAS DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY
NORTHRIDGE, AND THEY'VE HAD TO,
YOU KNOW, USE IT IN, IN SOME
CAPACITY SINCE IT WAS COMPLETED.
BUT THEY PROVIDE THAT VALUABLE
COUPLE OF SECONDS NOTICE TO THE
OCCUPANTS SO THAT THEY CAN SEEK
SHELTER, BUT ALSO SO THAT FOLKS
CAN TAKE THOSE LIFE SAFETY AND
PROTECTIVE ACTIONS TO PROTECT
INVENTORY WORKERS AND OTHER
FOLKS IN THE BUILDING BEFORE THE
SHAKING ARRIVES, I'LL CLOSE WITH
MENTIONING THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH
BUILDING CODES, FEMA AND OTHER
FEDERAL AGENCIES ARE STARTING TO
REALIZE THAT THEY NEED TO PUT
SOME FOCUS ON BUILDING CODES, SO
FEMA IS NOW, IS NOW SPONSORING
APPLICATIONS TO ENHANCE LOCAL
PARTNERSHIPS AND SUPPORT THE
DEVELOPMENT, ADOPTION AND
ENFORCEMENT OF LOCAL BUILDING
CODES. LIKE I MENTIONED AT THE
IN MY OPENING, CALIFORNIA DOES
HAVE SOME OF THE BEST BUILDING
CODES, I'M AGAIN, I'M COMING
FROM A STATE THAT DOESN'T
NECESSARILY HAVE THE BEST TRACK
RECORD WHEN IT COMES TO ADOPTING
A VERY OLD VERSION OF THE
INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE, BUT
THIS YEAR'S BRICK PROGRAM
INCLUDED THIS NEW STATE SET
ASIDE ALLOCATION SPECIFICALLY
FOR BUILDING CODES. WE WERE
GUARANTEED $2 MILLION IN FEDERAL
FUNDING TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES
AND STATES, STATE PARTNERS, TO
DO BUILDING CODE WORK. WE DID
FUND ONE OF THE PROPOSALS FROM
THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO, AND
THEY'RE LOCATING INVENTORY AND
ASSESSING CONDITIONS IN THEIR
STRUCTURES OF AT RISK SEISMIC
HAZARDS, BECAUSE ABOUT 33% OF
THEIR HOUSING STOCK IS AT RISK,
EVEN FOR MINOR SHAKING
INCIDENTS. SO THE PROPOSAL WILL
TAKE THE DATA COLLECTED AND
ASSESSED TO AMEND ITS LOCAL
BUILDING CODE, HOPING TO NOT
JUST BE A MODEL FOR CALIFORNIA
COMMUNITIES, BUT FOR ALL
COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND I THINK THE LAST PROPOSAL
THAT I'M THE MOST EXCITED ABOUT
IS, ACTUALLY FOR THE SEISMIC
SAFETY COMMISSION, AND THEY'RE
GOING TO BE REVIEWING AND
EVALUATING THE EXISTING
CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS
AS IT RELATES TO TIE DOWN
EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT BRACING
SYSTEMS AND FOUNDATION SYSTEMS
FOR MANUFACTURED HOUSING, AS
WELL AS ASSESSING HISTORIC
PERFORMANCE ACROSS RECENT
EARTHQUAKE EVENTS, FOR THOSE
SYSTEMS, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT
BECAUSE ABOUT 6% OF CALIFORNIANS
OR ABOUT 2.3 MILLION FOLKS LIVE
IN MANUFACTURED HOUSING. AND WE
ALSO KNOW THAT HISTORICALLY,
THOSE HOUSEHOLDS TEND TO HAVE
THE LOWEST INCOMES IN OUR
COMMUNITIES, AND AFTER SHAKING
EVENTS OR MANUFACTURED HOUSING
UNITS SUFFER A VERY
DISPROPORTIONATE, IMPACT BECAUSE
OCCUPANTS HAVE THE MOST
DIFFICULT TIME RECOVERING, WE'LL
DEFINITELY CONTINUE TO WORK
CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS IN
THIS ROOM AND BEYOND THE WALLS,
TO MAKE SURE THAT CALIFORNIANS
IN OUR COMMUNITIES ARE INFORMED
ABOUT THEIR HAZARD RISK AND HAVE
THE SUPPORT NECESSARY TO TAKE
ACTIONABLE STEPS TO REDUCE THEIR
RISK TO HAZARDS, INCLUDING
SEISMIC ONES. I'M HAPPY TO TAKE
QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THE
PANEL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
HAVING ME. THANK YOU AGAIN, MISS
FANNING. NOW, OUR SECOND SPEAKER
IS BRIAN STRONG, THE CHIEF
RESILIENCE OFFICER FOR THE CITY
AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO, MR.
STRONG, YOU MAY BEGIN. YEAH. HI.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I AM SORRY
I'M NOT ABLE TO BE THERE IN
PERSON, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU
AND TO TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES.
I COULD PROBABLY TALK ABOUT
ABOUT ANY NUMBER OF THEM FOR
HOURS, THESE ARE THINGS I'VE
BEEN THINKING ABOUT A LOT. SO I
STARTED THIS MY ROLE AS A CHIEF
RESILIENCE OFFICER IN 2016. BUT
I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR STRUCTURE
PLANNING IN SAN FRANCISCO SINCE
2005, 2006 AND ORIGINALLY, YOU
KNOW, THE BIG CONCERN WAS
EARTHQUAKES. AND THAT KEPT ME UP
AT NIGHT JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW
WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS ALL THE
VULNERABLE BUILDINGS IN SAN
FRANCISCO. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A
VERY DENSE CITY THAT IS SITTING
IN BETWEEN TWO MAJOR EARTHQUAKE
FAULTS, IN A CITY THAT'S
EXPERIENCED SOME SOME MASSIVE
EARTHQUAKES. RIGHT? NOT, YOU
KNOW, 1906 AND THEN THE 1989
LOMA PRIETA. SO IT IS PART OF
SAN FRANCISCO CULTURE TO BE
EARTHQUAKE AWARE, BUT THEN IN
2017, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SEVEN
DAYS OF 105 DEGREE PLUS WEATHER,
WHICH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE FROM
SAN FRANCISCO, WE DO NOT HAVE
AIR CONDITIONING. THIS IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT WE EXPERIENCED.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU KNOW,
HEAT BECAME A MASSIVE ANOTHER
BIG ISSUE. WE HAD TO ADD, WE
KNEW SEA LEVEL RISE WAS
HAPPENING, BUT IT'S GOING AT A
MUCH, MUCH HIGHER PACE THAN IT
HAD IN THE PAST, WE ALL OF A
SUDDEN HAVE SEEN SOME MASSIVE
STORMS. WE HAD HURRICANE LEVEL
WINDS, WHICH WE'VE NEVER
EXPERIENCED IN CALIFORNIA THIS
PAST YEAR, WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAD
SOME CLADDING OR SOME GLASS
WINDOWS FROM SKYSCRAPERS FALL
DOWN. NOT VERY MANY OF THEM. AND
THAT'S GOOD. AND THEY WERE
REALLY NOT DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND
THOSE WINDS. BUT NOW WE'RE
SEEING THEM, AND THEN ON TOP OF
THAT, WE'RE ALSO, WE'RE ALSO
EXPERIENCING I WAS GOING TO SAY
MORE, MORE FLOODING, MORE
EXTREME RAIN. AND WE AND WE JUST
RECOVERED FROM DROUGHT. SO THE
IDEA OF THINKING ABOUT ONE
HAZARD WAS A LUXURY, WHICH NO
LONGER APPLIES. AND NOW I'M
REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS ON HOW WE
ADDRESS MULTIPLE HAZARDS
TOGETHER, AND THERE'S NOT ENOUGH
RESOURCES. AND TO. YOU KNOW, I
REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT, ROBIN
WAS SAYING ABOUT FEMA FUNDS AND
SO FORTH, BUT IT'S REALLY A DROP
IN THE BUCKET. AND I THINK,
JANELLE, THE CONVERSATION WITH
JANELLE MAFFEI, FROM SENATOR
RUBIO SORT OF EMPHASIZED THAT
THERE'S JUST NOT NEAR ENOUGH
MONEY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
A $5 BILLION, BUILDING
RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITIES
PROGRAM FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY,
IT'S JUST NOT NEARLY ENOUGH.
AND, YOU KNOW, AN EXAMPLE I CAN
PROVIDE IS IN SAN FRANCISCO, ONE
OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE IS
OUR WATERFRONT RESILIENCE
PROGRAM TO ADDRESS THE SEAWALL.
SAN FRANCISCO SEAWALL WAS
CONSTRUCTED, YOU KNOW, OVER 120,
130 YEARS AGO. AND IT WAS, IT
WAS ACTUALLY ORIGINALLY A STATE
PROGRAM, AND THAT SEAWALL WE
KNOW SUFFERS FROM TWO POTENTIAL,
YOU KNOW, TWO MAJOR
DEFICIENCIES. ONE IS IT'S NOT
HIGH ENOUGH NOW, AS A RESULT OF
SEA LEVEL RISE AND SOME OF THE
EXTREME RAIN PRECIPITATION WE'RE
SEEING. AND THE OTHER IS THAT
IT'S NOT SEISMICALLY STRONG
ENOUGH. SO WE KNOW WE'RE GOING
TO SEE LATERAL SPREAD IN THOSE
AREAS, SO AS A RESULT, WE'VE SAN
FRANCISCO WAS ONE OF THE ONLY, I
THINK, ONE OF TWO CITIES IN 2018
OR 2019 TO RECEIVE A NEW START
FROM THE US ARMY CORPS OF
ENGINEERS TO START EVALUATING
FLOOD RESILIENCE ALONG WITH
EARTHQUAKE RESILIENCE, WE ALSO
MANAGED TO GET NEW LEGISLATION
THAT ALLOWED THE ARMY CORPS TO
THINK ABOUT EARTHQUAKES. PRIOR
TO THAT, THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED
TO. THEY WERE ONLY THINKING
ABOUT REALLY FLOODS THAT WAS ALL
THAT WAS IN THEIR JURISDICTION.
AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE HAVE A
RECENT FLOOD, STUDY THAT WAS
COMPLETED, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT
THE RETROFIT AND, RAISING THE
SEAWALL NUMBERS AND THEY'RE
GOING TO BE IN THE $13 BILLION
RANGE. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE
ESTIMATING, AND THAT'S $13
BILLION IN TODAY'S IN TODAY'S
DOLLARS, THE CITY AND THE STATE
OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT WOULD BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE THIRD OF
THAT. SO THERE'S A ONE THIRD
MATCH REQUIRED. SO AGAIN, THAT'S
$4 BILLION OR SO. JUST OUR MATCH
REQUIREMENT. THAT IS OUR TEN
YEAR CAPITAL PLAN. YOU KNOW, GEO
BOND PROGRAM TIMES TWO, THAT'S A
TEN YEAR PROGRAM. SO AGAIN,
WHERE WHERE WE BEGIN TO COME UP
WITH THE FUNDS TO SUPPORT THIS,
IS, IS THE BIG QUESTION. AND ARE
THERE ENOUGH MONEY IN SOME OF
THESE PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY
AROUND THESE MITIGATION TYPE
PROGRAMS, TO REALLY MAKE A
DIFFERENCE, AND I WOULD SUGGEST
THAT, RIGHT NOW THERE IS NOT.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I
WOULD I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU
HELP US DO OR WE START REACHING
OUT MORE TO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT, TO THINK ABOUT WAYS
WE CAN WE CAN INCREASE FUNDING,
NOW, HAVING SAID THAT, SAN
FRANCISCO HAS HAD A NUMBER OF
SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS WITHOUT
FEDERAL FUNDING, I SHOULD SAY,
AND IT'S THROUGH OUR EARTHQUAKE
SAFETY IMPLEMENTATION
IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM, IT'S A
30 YEAR PLAN. SO THAT'S THE
OTHER THING TO THINK ABOUT WITH
THESE THINGS. THEY TAKE A LONG
TIME WITHIN THAT 30 YEAR PLAN.
WE'VE ADDRESSED SOFT STORY
RETROFITS, AND I SHOULD
EMPHASIZE THOSE WERE JUST
MULTIFAMILY SOFT STORY RETROFITS
. WE'VE NOT ADDRESSED THE ONE,
TWO AND THREE UNIT BUILDINGS,
THAT DANIEL WAS TALKING ABOUT.
THESE ARE THE MULTIFAMILY FIVE
PLUS UNIT BUILDINGS. WE
RETROFITTED. WE HAD A MANDATORY
PROGRAM. IT TOOK EIGHT YEARS IN
FOUR DIFFERENT TIERS TO GET
THERE. SO WE WERE MOVING
JUDICIOUSLY ALONG IT WAS, IT WAS
APPROXIMATELY $382 MILLION OR
SO. IS WHAT WE THINK PRIVATE
PROPERTY OWNERS NEEDED TO INVEST
. IT CAME AT A GOOD TIME, I
SHOULD SAY. IT CAME AT A TIME
WHEN THE MARKET, WHEN THE
ECONOMY WAS, WAS RELATIVELY
STRONG AND WHEN PEOPLE'S HOME
VALUES WERE GOING UP
CONSISTENTLY. SO AS A RESULT,
BUILDING OWNERS WERE ABLE TO
ABSORB A LOT OF THESE COSTS. WE
DID HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL
PROGRAMS TO PROVIDE FINANCING
FOR THEM, BUT LARGELY THIS WAS
THIS WAS ON THE BACK OF BUILDING
OWNERS, TO DO IT. AND WE'RE VERY
PROUD OF THE EFFORT THERE. WE
HAVE A 93% COMPLIANCE WITH IT,
BUT NOW THAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO
THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE MORE
DIFFICULT PROGRAMS LIKE CONCRETE
RYAN MENTIONED THE NON-DUCTILE
CONCRETE PROGRAM, SAN FRANCISCO.
WE HAVE PROBABLY A LITTLE OVER
3000 BUILDINGS. IT'S STILL TO BE
DETERMINED, THAT ARE GOING TO
THAT ARE SUBJECT TO, TO FAILURE,
BECAUSE THEY'RE THEY'RE MADE OF
CONCRETE, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE
ENOUGH STEEL DUCTILITY IN THEM.
THOSE THAT PROGRAM IS GOING TO
BE MUCH, MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE,
NOT AS MANY BUILDINGS, BUT MUCH,
MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE TO ADDRESS,
AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW,
WE'RE WE ARE VERY CONCERNED
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE
THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT
DISPROPORTIONALLY IMPACTING THE
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS THAT WE
HAVE THAT DON'T HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
TO GO TO A HOTEL OR TO FIND
OTHER TYPE OF LODGING THAT ARE
REALLY DEPENDENT ON, ON THESE
HOMES OR THESE BUSINESSES, FOR
THEIR LIVELIHOODS, THAT THE
OTHER PROGRAM THAT WE'VE DONE IN
SAN FRANCISCO IS REALLY THROUGH
OUR LIFELINES COUNCIL. AND THIS
GETS TO SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS
THINKING ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND AGAIN, THIS APPLIES TO ALL
KINDS OF HAZARDS. BUT WE YOU
KNOW WE INITIALLY LOOKED AT HOW
OUR LIFELINE PROVIDERS WORK
TOGETHER. WE MEET WITH THEM
QUARTERLY, AND WE TALKED ABOUT
INTERDEPENDENCIES. AND VERY
QUICKLY, ONE OF THE THINGS WE
LEARNED, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THAT
SEAWALL, IS THAT IT'S ALSO WHERE
ALL OF OUR UTILITIES COME IN.
IT'S WHERE BART COMES INTO THE
SAN FRANCISCO COMES INTO SAN
FRANCISCO. SO IT'S A MAJOR FOCAL
POINT, FOR A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
TYPES OF INFRASTRUCTURE. AND AS
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE,
YOU COULD HAVE A VERY WELL
RETROFITTED BUILDING OR HOME.
BUT IF YOU CANNOT GET UTILITY
THERE, IF YOU IF THE SEWER
SYSTEM ISN'T WORKING, IF THE
STREETS AREN'T FUNCTIONING, THEN
IT REALLY IS NOT. IT'S REALLY
NOT EFFECTIVE. RIGHT. YOU NEED
TO HAVE BOTH THE INFRASTRUCTURE
AND THE BUILDINGS, BOTH TO BE
IN, IN A STATE OF GOOD REPAIR
AND BE FUNCTIONAL AFTER AN
EARTHQUAKE. AND THAT'S REALLY
WHAT WE LOOK AT AS SORT OF
FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY. AND HOW CAN
WE HOW CAN WE REACH THAT, THE
OTHER SOME OF THE OTHER TOOLS
THAT WE HAVE IS, YOU KNOW, WE DO
Ã HAZARDS AND CLIMATE
RESILIENCE PLAN, WHICH IS OUR
LOCAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, THE
ALL JURISDICTIONS IN CALIFORNIA
ARE REQUIRED TO DO. IT IS REALLY
WHERE WE SET OUT OUR OBJECTIVES
AND WE TRY TO COMMUNICATE TO THE
PUBLIC AGAIN ABOUT WHAT WE'RE
FACING, ABOUT WHAT KIND OF
HAZARDS THEY'RE SUBJECT TO, AND
ABOUT WHAT THE CITY IS DOING TO
ADDRESS THEM. WE HAVE A 97
STRATEGIES, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A
LOT, AND IT IS, BUT FOR A CITY
AND A COUNTY, THAT'S ANOTHER
PART OF OUR EFFORT HERE, IS THAT
THERE'S A LOT OF COORDINATION
THAT WE NEED TO DO. AND WE HAVE
ALL WE HAVE A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. THAT ARE
WORKING ON THESE ISSUES. SO
THOSE STRATEGIES ARE IMPORTANT.
THAT DOCUMENT IS IMPORTANT. IT'S
HOW WE COMMUNICATE. IT'S ALSO
HOW WE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR FEMA
FUNDING, AND THOSE AND THOSE
OTHER TYPES OF SOURCES AT THE
FEDERAL LEVEL. BUT ALSO IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR COMMUNICATING TO
OUR POPULATION HOW WE'RE
THINKING ABOUT THESE ISSUES AND
HOW WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AND
TRYING TO ADDRESS THEM, WE ALSO
HAVE A TEN YEAR CAPITAL PLAN,
WHERE WE REALLY LAY OUT WHAT,
WHERE THE CITY IS GOING TO BE
MAKING ITS INVESTMENTS, IN TERMS
OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND SEISMIC
HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN, YOU
KNOW, 50% OR SO OF THAT CAPITAL
PLAN HAS BEEN DEDICATED TOWARD
DOING SEISMIC WORK, NOW WE ARE
ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE
CAN, YOU KNOW, INCORPORATE THE
ADAPTATION MEASURES FOR EXTREME
FLOODS AND SEA LEVEL RISE. WE'RE
ALSO LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN, HOW
WE CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THE
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN GOALS THAT
WE HAVE IN TERMS OF, REDUCING
GREENHOUSE GASES. AND THAT'S
ANOTHER COST THAT WE'RE SEEING,
BUT IDEALLY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
HAVING RESILIENT BUILDINGS.
WE'RE ABLE TO WE'RE ABLE TO DO
ALL THOSE THINGS AT ONE TIME,
FINALLY, I WOULD JUST WANT TO
MENTION, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF
HOW I THINK ABOUT THIS WORK IS,
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WHAT I'M
DOING IS TRYING TO CONNECT
PEOPLE, CONNECT PEOPLE TO
RESOURCES, CONNECT DEPARTMENTS,
GET PEOPLE TO PEOPLE, DECISION
MAKERS, OUR BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS, TO UNDERSTAND THE
TRADE OFFS THAT THEY'RE MAKING
WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT,
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS AND,
AND POLICIES, I SHOULD SAY
MANDATORY PROGRAMS FOR THOSE
TYPES OF THINGS, SO THAT
CONNECTING AND THEN
COORDINATING. AND I THINK THE
STATE HAS DONE A LOT OF GREAT
WORK IN TERMS OF REQUIRING, YOU
KNOW, WHAT TO REQUIRE IN OUR
HAZARD MITIGATION PLANS. BUT I
WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE MORE
WORK DONE AROUND IDENTIFYING,
HELPING US IDENTIFY VULNERABLE
BUILDINGS. WE ARE HAVING A HECK
OF A TIME IDENTIFYING WHICH
BUILDINGS ARE CONCRETE IN OUR
CITY. IT'S NOT WRITTEN DOWN
ANYWHERE. WE HAD TO USE OLD
SANBORN INSURANCE MAPS AND
COMPARED THEM TO GOOGLE WITH A
LOT OF INTERNET HELP, AND IT'S
STILL NOT A VERY COMPLETE LIST,
AND HAVING SOME OF THAT COME
FROM THE STATE LEVEL WOULD BE
VERY HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY FROM
FROM ONE LOCAL JURISDICTION,
WHERE OFTEN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE
BUSINESSES AND FOLKS SAY, HEY,
SAN FRANCISCO, WHY ARE YOU
REQUIRING THIS? YOU KNOW, I CAN
GO TO OAKLAND, I CAN GO TO SOME
OTHER PART OF THE STATE AND NOT
HAVE TO DO IT SO THAT THAT
MEANING OF THE PLAYING FIELD AND
THINKING ABOUT THINGS ACROSS
CITY JURISDICTION IS REALLY
IMPORTANT. FINALLY, I JUST
WANTED TO YOU KNOW, END WITH,
YOU KNOW, REMINDING, I GUESS
BRINGING IT BACK TO THE RESOURCE
QUESTION AND THE TIME, WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT THE CONCRETE BUILDING
PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, LOS ANGELES
HAS A 20 IT'S A 25 YEAR PROGRAM.
WE'RE THINKING OUR PROGRAM IN
SAN FRANCISCO FOR THOSE 3000 OR
SO BUILDINGS IS GOING TO BE
ANOTHER 20 YEARS. AND WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THE SAME,
THE SAME TYPE OF THINKING WHEN
IT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT,
FLOOD OR MULTI-HAZARD EFFORTS,
THE, YOU KNOW, THE REALITY IS
THAT FOR THE MOST PART, IT'S OUR
EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT
WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH. I THINK
THAT NEWWORD INFRASTRUCTURE DOES
NEED BETTER CODES. WE SHOULD BE
THINKING ABOUT RECOVERY BASED,
CODE STRUCTURES. SO OR
IMMEDIATE. MAYBE NOT IMMEDIATE
OCCUPANCY, BUT SHORT TERM YOU
KNOW, REPAIRS SO PEOPLE CAN GET
BACK IN. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO BE
THINKING ABOUT THE VULNERABLE
POPULATIONS THAT WE TALK ABOUT,
THAT ARE REALLY IN A LOT OF
THESE EXISTING BUILDINGS THAT
ARE, THAT ARE AT RISK FOR, FOR,
YOU KNOW, FOR BEING DISPLACED.
AND THAT TO ME, AGAIN, COMES
BACK TO REQUIRING WELL THOUGHT
OUT PROGRAMS AND PLANS, BUT ALSO
RESOURCES TO HELP MAKE THOSE
THOSE PROGRAMS WORK, SO THAT
THOSE LOCAL, THOSE LOCAL MOM AND
POP SHOPS AND, AND THOSE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS, SOME
WHICH MANY OF WHICH ARE JUST
AFFORDABLE BY DEFAULT BECAUSE
IT'S OLD HOUSING, BUT THAT THEY
AREN'T, YOU KNOW, THAT WE DON'T
LOSE THEM EITHER AFTER AN
EARTHQUAKE OR THAT PEOPLE AREN'T
NEEDLESSLY DISPLACED. SO WITH
THAT, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO FOLLOW
UP ON ANY OF THE ANY QUESTIONS
THAT YOU MAY HAVE AND I REALLY
APPRECIATE THE, THE DISCUSSION
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR PUTTING
THIS TOGETHER. THANK YOU, MR.
STRONG. NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR
FINAL WITNESS IS DAVID AMBUEHL,
CHIEF DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR
DISTRICT FOR THE CALIFORNIA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,
SO, DAVID, WHEN YOU'RE READY.
GOOD AFTERNOON. CHAIRS.
RODRIGUEZ DODD, VICE CHAIR,
LIMÓN ASSEMBLY MEMBERS AND
SENATORS, MY NAME IS DAVID
AMBUEHL, CHIEF DEPUTY DISTRICT
DIRECTOR FOR CALTRANS DISTRICT
FOUR, IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA.
I'M PLEASED TO BE HERE TODAY TO
PRESENT ON HOW CALTRANS BUILDS
RESILIENT TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE. WHEN CALTRANS
DEVELOPS PROJECTS, WE CONSIDER
HOW WE CAN MEET MULTIPLE
OBJECTIVES, RANGING FROM
PAVEMENT AND BRIDGE MAINTENANCE
TO SAFETY AND ACTIVE
TRANSPORTATION NEEDS, TO SEISMIC
AND CLIMATE RESILIENCY AND
HABITAT RESTORATION IN IMPROVING
SEISMIC RESILIENCE OF THE
STATE'S TRANSPORTATION NETWORK
IS REQUIRED. A LONG TERM
COMMITMENT. LIKEWISE, WE'VE
BEGUN A LONG TERM COMMITMENT TO
ADDRESSING CLIMATE STRESSORS AND
HOW TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE IS PLANNED.
DESIGNED AND BUILT, OPERATED AND
MAINTAINED TO ENSURE OVERALL
RESILIENCE OF THE TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. OUR
EFFORTS ALIGN WITH THE STATE
HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN BY THE
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF EMERGENCY
SERVICES AND THE CALIFORNIA
CLIMATE ADAPTATION STRATEGY. WE,
AS BEEN NOTED, IT'S BEEN 30
YEARS SINCE THE LAST
CATASTROPHIC EARTHQUAKE OCCURRED
, CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE
AND LOSS OF LIVES SINCE THE 1989
LOMA PRIETA AND THE 1994
NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKES.
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEISMIC DESIGN STRATEGIES AND
METHODOLOGIES HAVE DRASTICALLY
REDUCED THE PROBABILITY K¾T OF A
BRIDGE COLLAPSE DUE TO AN
EARTHQUAKE. CALTRANS WORKS WITH
THE US AND CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL
SURVEYS, PACIFIC EARTHQUAKE
ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER, AND
ACADEMIA ON CONTINUOUSLY
UPDATING SEISMIC RESEARCH AND
DESIGN STANDARDS. WITH THEIR
HELP, CALTRANS HAS DEVELOPED
SEISMIC DESIGN CRITERIA, A
COMPILATION OF STATE OF THE ART
SEISMIC DESIGN AND ANALYSIS
METHODOLOGIES FOR DESIGNING
BRIDGES IN CALIFORNIA. CALTRANS
HAS INVESTED OVER 12 BILLION IN
THE RETROFITTING, OF REPLACING
OR OF RETROFITTING OR REPLACING
OF MORE THAN 2000 BRIDGES ON THE
STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM USING
UPDATED SEISMIC DESIGN CODES,
IMPROVING SEISMIC SAFETY IS AN
ONGOING EFFORT. CALTRANS
CONTINUES TO PERFORM RISK
ASSESSMENTS OF EXISTING BRIDGES,
FUND THE SEISMIC RETROFIT OF
BRIDGES TO MEET EVER EVOLVING
DESIGN CODES, FUND ADDITIONAL
RESEARCH AND UPDATE DESIGN
STANDARDS. CALTRANS IS ALSO
WORKING TO ADDRESS THE IMPACTS
OF OUR CHANGING CLIMATE. TO THAT
END, CALTRANS COMPLETED CLIMATE
CHANGE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS
IN 2019 TO IDENTIFY SEGMENTS OF
THE STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM
VULNERABLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
EFFECTS OF PRECIPITATION,
TEMPERATURE, WILDFIRES, STORM
SURGE, AND SEA LEVEL RISE.
CALTRANS LAUNCHED AN UPDATE TO
THESE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS
IN 2023 TO KEEP PACE WITH THE
LATEST CLIMATE SCIENCE. WE ALSO
ARE WORKING TO BROADEN THE
ANALYSIS TO INCLUDE TRANSIT AND
RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE AND APPLY AN
EQUITY LENS. THIS INFORMATION
INFORMS PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
UNDER THE GUIDANCE SET FORTH BY
THE CALIFORNIA STATE
TRANSPORTATION AGENCY IN ITS
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN FOR
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS PLAN PRESENTS A HOLISTIC
FRAMEWORK THAT ALIGNS THE
STATE'S TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS WITH
THE STATE'S CLIMATE, HEALTH, AND
SOCIAL EQUITY GOALS.
ADDITIONALLY, THE FEDERAL
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND
JOBS ACT OF 2021 ESTABLISHED THE
PROJECT FUNDING PROGRAM TO HELP
MAKE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
RESILIENT TO NATURAL HAZARDS,
INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS
AND EARTHQUAKES. MOST RECENT
STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM MANAGEMENT
PLAN MAKES A TEN YEAR INVESTMENT
IN CLIMATE FOCUSED OBJECTIVES IN
THE AMOUNT OF $4.6 BILLION. THIS
FUNDING WILL ADDRESS SEA LEVEL
RISE, COASTAL CLIFF EROSION, AS
WELL AS PROJECTED CLIMATE
INDUCED DAMAGE FROM MAJOR STORMS
AND MITIGATION OF CLIMATE
CHANGE. THIS FUNDING LEVEL HAS
INCREASED MORE THAN FOURFOLD
FROM THE 1.1 BILLION TEN YEAR
INVESTMENT IDENTIFIED IN THE
2015 PLAN. SHOWING OUR
COMMITMENT TO CLIMATE ACTION.
YET MORE WILL BE NEEDED FOR
RESILIENCY AS CLIMATE CHANGE
IMPACTS ACCELERATE. AN EXAMPLE
OF THESE NEEDS IS A 21 MILE
HIGHWAY SEGMENT ALONG THE
NORTHERN SHORE OF SAN PABLO BAY.
HIGHWAY 37, LINKING HIGHWAY 101
IN NOVATO IN MARIN COUNTY WITH
INTERSTATE 80 IN VALLEJO IN
SOLANO COUNTY. THE FREQUENCY AND
SEVERITY OF FLOODING ARE
EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO A POINT
WHERE MOST OF THE EXISTING
ROADWAY WILL BECOME INUNDATED,
OFTEN BY 2050. TO ADDRESS THIS
NEED, CALTRANS CONDUCTED ITS
FIRST PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDY BETWEEN 2020 AND 2022. THE
STUDY HELPED BUILD CONSENSUS
WITH THE PUBLIC RESOURCE
AGENCIES AND STAKEHOLDERS, AS
TOGETHER WE IDENTIFIED
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS AND
MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND
IDENTIFIED STRATEGIES TO REDUCE
SCHEDULE AND COST RISKS. THIS
AWARD WINNING STUDY RECOMMENDED
RECOMMENDS CONSTRUCTING AN
ELEVATED CAUSEWAY ALONG THE
EXISTING HIGHWAY AND PHASES OF
EIGHT SMALLER PROJECTS WITH A
TOTAL COST ESTIMATED TO BE IN
THE BILLIONS. THE PLAN CALLS FOR
HIGHWAY 37 TO BE REBUILT. THIS
IS NOW MORE THAN JUST A
TRANSPORTATION PROJECT THROUGH
COLLABORATION WITH THE MANY
FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL
AGENCIES, TRIBAL NATIONS AND
COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WE ARE
REALIZING OPPORTUNITIES TO OPEN
THE UPLAND AREA FOR ECOLOGICAL
RESTORATION AND BROADER
COMMUNITY BENEFITS. WE ARE
CRAFTING A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO
MEET SEISMIC FLOODING, SEA LEVEL
RISE, ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, AND
CONSERVATION GOALS AROUND SAN
PABLO BAY PROJECT IS BUT ONE
HALLMARK OF WHO CALTRANS HAS AND
IS BECOMING. AS WE ADOPT A NEW
MODEL OF COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
TO FIND INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
THAT HELP CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES
ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND
MITIGATE FURTHER CLIMATE CHANGE,
AND ADDRESS THE ONGOING SEISMIC
RISK AND ECOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
NEEDS OF HABITAT LONG AFFECTED
BY URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS IS
A LONG TERM COMMITMENT AND WE
ARE DEDICATED TO THIS CAUSE AS
WE WORK TO IMPROVE LIVES AND
COMMUNITIES ACROSS CALIFORNIA
THROUGH TRANSPORTATION. SO THANK
YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, AND I'D
BE HAPPY TO JOIN IN AND ANSWER
ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY
MUCH, MR. STRONG. SO WE'LL BRING
YOU BACK UP TO THE COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. ANYBODY HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS COMMENTS. SENATOR
DODD, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?
THIS ONE'S FOR, MR. STRONG. SO I
REALLY APPRECIATE THE RECENT
HIGHWAY 37 SR 37 PARTNERSHIP
AGREEMENT THAT SET THE NATIONAL
MODEL FOR A RESILIENT
INFRASTRUCTURE BY INTEGRATING,
AS YOU SAID, THE ECOLOGICAL
RESTORATION, PUBLIC ACCESS AND
CLIMATE RESILIENCE INTO THESE
INTO THIS TRANSPORTATION
PROJECTS. HOW ARE WE GOING TO
GET THAT FUNDED? I THINK THE
QUESTION WAS DIRECTED TO ME, BUT
I DIDN'T KNOW IF I'M SORRY, I
HAVE THE WRONG PERSON, I DID. I
THINK IT'S PROBABLY THE CALTRANS
GUY, BUT I WANT TO HEAR THE
ANSWER TOO. YEAH SO DO I. SORRY
ABOUT THAT. I DID GET THAT
WRONG. SO I'M LOOKING HERE FOR,
MR. AMBUEHL. SORRY YES, SORRY.
THANK YOU. YOU'RE ON MUTE. I
BELIEVE YOU'RE STILL ON MUTE. IS
THERE A WAY YOU CAN UNMUTE
YOURSELF? AM I UNMUTED NOW? WE
CAN HEAR. OKAY. THAT THAT IS A
MAJOR CHALLENGE. AS FAR AS THE
LONG TERM SOLUTIONS, WE HAVE
FUNDED THE FIRST PROJECT, WHICH
WILL BE THE NEVADA CREEK,
BRIDGE, WHICH IS, ADDRESSING
FLOODING IN THE MARIN SIDE, WE
HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH FOUR
NORTH BAY COUNTIES, AND MTC TO
APPLY FOR THE VARIOUS GRANTS,
AND FEDERAL FUNDING, SO THIS IS
GOING TO BE A STAGED PROCESS.
YES. AND WE REALIZE THAT IT IS
GOING TO BE A LOT OF MONEY,
HOWEVER MUCH LIKE THE CHALLENGES
OF CONGESTION, FLOODING, SEA
LEVEL RISE, ECOLOGY, YOU KNOW,
WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER IN THIS
PARTNERSHIP TO TRY AND BRING
FUNDING IN TO, GET THESE
PROJECTS COMPLETED. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
QUESTIONS? NO, I JUST HAD I JUST
HAD A QUICK QUESTION FOR
PROBABLY ANYBODY IN THE ROOM.
OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE THIS BUDGET
DEFICIT AS WE'RE HAVING FOR THIS
YEAR AND WHO KNOWS HOW LONG
WE'LL HAVE IT. BUT AS THINGS GET
BETTER IN A COUPLE OF YEARS,
ANYTHING WE SHOULD START WORKING
ON NOW. SO THAT WAY WHEN THINGS
DO GET BETTER, WE CAN START
FOCUSING ON, WHETHER IT'S
INFRASTRUCTURE, PROJECTS OR
WHAT. JUST KIND OF THROW IT OUT
THERE FOR ANYBODY WHO THINKS,
SOMETHING WE SHOULD LOOK AT DOWN
ALONG THE ROAD WHEN THINGS GET
BETTER. I MEAN, I'M HAPPY TO
JUMP IN ON THAT BECAUSE I. I
THINK WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE
AN OPPORTUNITY AT THIS TIME. I
KNOW THE BUDGETS ARE STRUGGLING.
CERTAINLY WE'RE SEEING STRUGGLES
WITH OUR DOWNTOWN AND SAN
FRANCISCO, ALONG WITH OTHER,
OTHER PLACES. AND IT DOES
PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY. RIGHT.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT CHANGES OF
USE. I SEE THE STATE IS LOOKING
AT THIS AS WELL, YOU KNOW,
ENABLING, ENABLING PEOPLE TO
SHIFT FROM OFFICE BUILDINGS TO
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS AND THOSE
TYPES OF THINGS, THOSE ALL
PROVIDE, I THINK, OPPORTUNITIES
TO DO SOME OF THE SEISMIC WORK
AND TO DO THE WORK AROUND, YOU
KNOW, ADDRESSING MULTIPLE
HAZARDS. SO I, I THINK ANY WAY
THAT WE CAN BUILD THESE IN AND I
THINK, I THINK IT WAS DANIEL
MAFFEI WHO MENTIONED THE
RESILIENCE SORT OF MINDSET OR
RESILIENCE CULTURE. SO THE MORE
YOU CAN, YOU CAN BUILD THAT IN.
NOW, I THINK THE BETTER OFF WILL
BE, WHEN WE DO SEE THE ECONOMY
START TO TURN AROUND AND WE DO
SEE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS AND
PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ARE ABLE TO
MAKE THE IMPROVEMENTS, THE OTHER
THING I WILL JUST QUICKLY ADD TO
THAT IS THAT PLANNING BEFORE YOU
GET BEFORE THE DISASTER HAPPENS
OR PLANNING DOLLARS FOR THIS
WORK IS THE HARDEST MONEY TO
GET. IT'S MUCH EASIER TO GET
MONEY TO DO A RETROFIT ONCE YOU
GO TO FEMA OR YOU GO TO A
FEDERAL AGENCY AND SAY, WE'RE
GOING TO BUILD THIS HOSPITAL,
IT'S A LOT HARDER WHEN IT'S WHEN
IT'S WE JUST NEED MONEY TO PLAN
FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS,
YOU KNOW, AN AREA OR, OR OR OR
A, YOU KNOW, OR ANYTHING LIKE
THAT WITH THE IDEA THAT WE
REALLY NEED TO HAVE SHOVEL READY
PROJECTS OR HAVE PROJECTS THAT
ARE READY TO GO AND THAT'S WHERE
I THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE
OF AN EMPHASIS THAT PRE-PLANNING
SO THAT PROJECTS ARE READY TO GO
WHEN THE ECONOMY TURNS AROUND,
OR WHEN THE MONEY BECOMES
AVAILABLE. THANK YOU, ANYBODY
ELSE? I, I WAS JUST GOING TO ADD
SORRY. ROBIN WITH CALLAWAY. YES
I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. ONE THING
THAT I CAN I CAN SAY IS THAT THE
COMMUNITIES HAVE AN APPETITE FOR
MITIGATION, ONE THING THAT WE
ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT IS AND AGAIN
, BECAUSE FEMA IS, I THINK,
RECOGNIZING, ESPECIALLY IN A
TOUGH BUDGET CLIMATE, THAT THERE
ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT
FOLKS CAN KIND OF GET READY FOR
THOSE SHOVEL READY PROJECTS, YOU
KNOW, FUNDING STUDIES ARE
OFFERING ASSESSMENTS, WE'RE
LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO
FUND SOME, YOU KNOW, BUILDING
CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES OR
THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE FOLKS CAN
ACTUALLY LEVERAGE IN-KIND
SERVICES, STAFF TIME, YOU KNOW,
THAT KIND OF THOSE TYPES OF
RESOURCES, TO HELP LEVERAGE
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, EVEN THOUGH
THEY'RE NOT THE REALLY BIG,
EXCITING, YOU KNOW, $50 MILLION
PROJECTS. THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF
THINGS THAT ENABLE COMMUNITIES
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE GRANT
OPPORTUNITIES WHEN THE BUDGET
CLIMATE DOES IMPROVE. SO, WE'RE
LOOKING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT
COMMUNITIES IN STUDIES,
ASSESSMENTS AND BUILDING CODE
ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS
ESTABLISHING PARTNERSHIPS AT THE
LOCAL LEVEL TO KIND OF CREATE
AND REALLY BUILD THE CULTURE OF
MITIGATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
OKAY THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT.
APPRECIATE IT. AND WITH THAT, I
WANT TO THANK ALL THE WITNESSES.
I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK
YOU DO TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY
SAFE. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR
PARTICIPATING IN TODAY'S
HEARING. WE'LL NOW HAVE A BRIEF
OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT,
THOUGH THE TIME WE HAVE IS
LIMITED. HOWEVER I ENCOURAGE
ANYONE SEEKING TO PROVIDE
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS TO VISIT THE
COMMITTEE'S WEBSITE ON
ASSEMBLY.GOV TO SUBMIT YOUR
COMMENTS. AND WITH THAT, ANYBODY
IN THE ROOM FOR COMMENTS? SEEING
NONE. ONCE AGAIN, I WANT TO
THANK EVERYBODY FOR
PARTICIPATING. IT'S BEEN A VERY
EDUCATED NØ HEARING A LOT TO
LEARN AND I WANT TO THANK MY
COLLEAGUES FOR TAKING THEIR TIME
OUT AND JOINING ME HERE AS WELL.
ON THE DAIS, TO ADDRESS SOME OF
THESE VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES IN
CALIFORNIA. SO THANK YOU ALL.
AND THIS HEARING IS ADJOURNED.
THANKS.