Katie Ward

The Regional Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the San Gabriel Valley serves as a roadmap for agencies, organizations, communities, and the public to enhance preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery from wildfire threats. It focuses on identifying and prioritizing fuel reduction activities, fostering stakeholder collaboration, and addressing structural ignitability. Key strategies include pre-fire planning, promoting wildfire resiliency, public education, vegetation management, and enforcing building codes to reduce structure ignitability. The plan's goals are to minimize threats to life and assets, bolster climate change resiliency, and ensure effective implementation and accountability.

The San Gabriel Valley 2026 Community Wildfire Protection Plan serves as a regional roadmap to assess wildfire hazards, exposure, and vulnerabilities across its member cities. The plan details a consistent framework for understanding wildfire risk at the local level and informs strategic planning and preparedness efforts. Key focus areas include conducting comprehensive hazard and risk assessments, reviewing federal, state, and local policies, developing city-specific risk profiles, outlining fuel treatment prescriptive guidelines and techniques, and incorporating community outreach results. The ultimate goal is to reduce wildfire risk, enhance community resilience, and improve preparedness throughout the San Gabriel Valley.

The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) has adopted its first-ever Regional Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen community resilience across the San Gabriel Valley. Developed through extensive collaboration, the plan identifies regional wildfire hazards, assesses community vulnerabilities, and outlines 60 strategic recommendations to enhance wildfire preparedness, mitigation, response, and resilience. This officially adopted document provides a shared vision and actionable strategies for member cities, serving as a framework for ongoing regional coordination, investment, and pursuit of grant funding for wildfire prevention and safety efforts.

The board discussed administrative items including the adoption of the fiscal year 2026-2027 meeting schedule, and the establishment of a reserve and fund balance policy. Key committee items featured appointments to the city managers' steering committee and the regional housing trust board. The council reviewed program continuation items such as the LA CADA outreach services contract for regional services, the regional food recovery program continuation, and the negotiation of a memorandum of understanding with the city of industry for bus rapid transit corridor improvements. Additionally, the board considered the declaration of surplus property, received updates on capital projects, and reviewed committee and liaison reports.

The committee meeting covered agenda items including the election of the Transportation Committee Chair and Vice Chair for the upcoming fiscal year. Discussion items featured a presentation on Metrolink's preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and an update on the LA Metro fiscal year 2027 budget. Additionally, the committee received liaison reports from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Foothill Transit, and the Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority.