Resolution-PC 2022-094RESOLUTION NO. PC2022-094
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF ANAHEIM RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ANAHEIM APPROVE AND
ADOPT PROPOSED GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT
(DEV 2022-00074), AN UPDATE OF THE SAFETY ELEMENT
INCLUDING ADOPTION OF A LOCAL HAZARD
MITIGATION PLAN THEREIN PURSUANT TO
GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 65302.6
WHEREAS, the protection of the community's public health, safety, and welf are is an
inherent responsibility of local, state and federal government; and
WHEREAS, the City of Anaheim is charged and entrusted with the protection of persons
and property prior to and during emergencies, and/or disaster conditions; and
WHEREAS, the City's General Plan is required to include a Safety Element for the
protection of the community; and
WHEREAS, this Safety Element update represents a comprehensive description of the City
of Anaheim's commitment to reducing, preventing or eliminating potential impacts of disasters
caused by natural and human-caused hazards; and
WHERAS, with the adoption of Resolution No. 2022-046 on May 17, 2022, the City
Council adopted the FEMA-approved Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code Section 65302.6 the City of Anaheim may
adopt a LHMP as part of the Safety Element of its General Plan and in so doing, pursuant to
Government Code Section 8685.9, the City is eligible to recover additional disaster reimbursement
from the State pursuant to Assembly Bill No. 2140 (2005-06 Reg. Sess.); and
WHEREAS, public meetings on the Safety Element and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
were held in March 2022; and
WHEREAS, a draft of the Safety Element was made available for public comment during
July and August 2022; and
WHEREAS, proposed General Plan Amendment (DEV2022-00074) was advertised and
noticed for a public hearing before the Planning Commission at the Anaheim Civic Center, Council
Chamber, 200 South Anaheim Boulevard, on December 5, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission did hold a public hearing at the Anaheim Civic
Center, Council Chamber, 200 South Anaheim Boulevard, on December 5, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.,
notice of said public hearing having been duly given as required by law and in accordance with
the provisions of the Anaheim Municipal Code, to hear and consider evidence for and against the
General Plan Safety Element update and related actions, and to investigate and make findings and
recommendations in connection therewith; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission, after due consideration, inspection, investigation
and study made by itself, and after due consideration of, and based upon, all evidence and reports
offered at said hearing, does hereby find:
1.That the proposed General Plan Safety Element update maintains the internal consistency
with the General Plan in the following ways:
a.Housing Element -Identifies policies used to guide the development of new
housing and the future population increases expected within the City. The Safety
Element can help ensure new residents are located in low-risk areas and make sure
the latest codes and standards are followed.
b.Land Use Element -Ensures the City understands and addresses the natural and
human-caused hazards affecting the community by designating the appropriate land
uses in hazardous locations.
c.Circulation Element -Can influence public health and safety by addressing traffic
congestion on roads designated as evacuation routes during emergencies and by
redefining truck routes to avoid residential and other heavily populated areas.
d.Community Design Element -Focuses on policies and programs to address city and
district level design elements and features and create a strong community identity.
e.Green Element -Focuses on advancing sustainable goals and policies focused on
stormwater management, energy conservation, building performance, and
landscaping to ensure a more resilient future for Anaheim.
f.Growth Management Element -Focuses on the effective management of population
growth and development within the City.
g.Public Services and Facilities Element -Focuses on the provision of key services
like utility (water/sewer/electric), police, and fire, and ensuring these services
expand to meet future demands.
2.That the proposed Safety Element update would not be detrimental to the public interest,
health, safety, convenience, or welfare of the City because the proposed Safety Element
update evaluates the risk of hazards and demonstrates how the City will lower its risk and
exposure to potential disasters.
3.That the proposed Safety Element update would maintain the balance of land uses within
the City because it would protect existing and future developments within the City and
surrounding areas, and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission finds and recommends that the City Council determine that
the adoption of the updated General Plan Safety Element is not subject to the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the State CEQA
Guidelines and no further documentation needs to be prepared for CEQA at this time because the
proposed update fits within the general rule that CEQA only applies to projects that have the
potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. In that, the proposed update would
amend the Safety Element to reflect State law, the proposed update will not have a significant
effect on the environment; and, therefore, the activity is not subject to CEQA; and
- 2 -PC2022-094
GENERAL PLAN
SAFETY ELEMENT
DRAFT
SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
CITY OF ANAHEIM
SAFETY ELEMENT
REVISED 2022
CITY COUNCIL
Trevor O'Neil (Mayor Pro Tern)
Jose Diaz
Gloria Ma'ae
Jose F. Moreno
Avelino Valencia
Stephen Faessel
James Vanderpool, City Manager
PLANNING COMMIS SION
Dave (Dhiru) Vadodaria (Chairperson)
Lucille Kring (Chair Pro Tempore)
Michael B. Mouawad
Steve White
LuisAndres Perez
David Heywood
Natalie Meeks
PLANNING & BUILDING
DEPARTMENT STAFF
Heather Allen, AICP, Principal Planner
Christine Nguyen, Senior Planner
FIRE & RESCUE EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT &
PREPAREDNESS STAFF
Dr . Jannine Wilmoth, Emergency Manager
CONSULTANTS
Atlas Planning Solutions
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Achieving the vision ............................................................................................................ 5
relationship to other documents AND REGULATIONS ....................................................... 5
Seismic and Geologic Hazards ........................................................................................... 9
Fire Hazards ...................................................................................................................... 15
Flood and Dam Inundation Hazards ................................................................................... 18
Hazardous Materials and Wastes ...................................................................................... 23
Climate Adaptation ............................................................................................................ 24
Emergency Preparedness .................................................................................................. 26
SAFETY ELEMENT
INTRODUCTION
Anaheim is characterized by a mixture of flat areas in
the western portion of the City and steep hillside areas
with gullies, arroyos, and rugged canyon bottoms in the
eastern portion. These changes in topography help
create a variety of hazardous conditions that can
impact the community. The risks faced by Anaheim
include wild and urban fire events, earthquakes,
unstable geology, flooding, and the potential for dam
inundation. The city has experienced a variety of these
events on different occasions throughout the years. To
compound matters, the impact of a changing climate is
likely to intensify future events increasing risks to the Historic Photo of Anaheim, CA
community. Drier and hotter conditions will likely increase fire risk and potentially impact future water supplies,
while wetter and more intense winter storms could inundate new areas within the community. These climatic
changes may also exacerbate slope instability causing landslides within the city's hillsides.
The Safety Element is one of seven mandatory elements of the General Plan. Its primary purpose is to identify
potential risks within the City that could endanger the community's public health, safety, and welfare. Periodic
updates of the Safety Element ensure that goals and policies are relevant and responsive to community needs.
Each Safety Element must also geographically identify the location and potential extent of the risks exposed to
the community using maps, which primarily includes hazards surrounding seismicity, flooding, and fires.
The City of Anaheim reaffirms the importance of protecting the community from potential natural hazard risks.
The city's location and history with hazards make it likely that Anehim will experience risks from seismic, flooding,
and wildfire events in the future. Anaheim can also expect that some of these risks will worsen as climate change
accelerates. With this in mind, the safety element, in conjunction with the LHMP, is the best avenue to understand
and address natural hazard risks within the community.
Related General Plan Elements
The Anaheim Safety Element is an essential component of the General Plan and works in tandem with the
following other elements to guide these efforts.
5 Anaheim Safe! Element Draft Se !ember 2022
SAFETY ELEMENT
Housing Element
•Identifies policies used to guide the development of new housing and the future population
increases expected within the City. The Safety Element can help ensure new residents arelocated in low-risk areas and ensuring the latest codes and standards are followed.
Land Use Element
•Ensures the City understands and addresses the natural and human-caused hazards affectingthe community by designating the appropriate land uses in hazardous locations.
Circulation Element
•Can influence public health and safety by addressing traffic congestion on roads designated asevacuation routes during emergencies and by redefining truck routes to avoid residential and
other heavily populated areas.
Community Design Element
• Focuses on policies and programs to address city and district level design elements andfeatures and create a strong community identity.
Green
• Focuses on advancing sustainable goals and policies focused on stormwater management,energy conservation, building performance, and landscaping to ensure a more resilient future
for Anaheim.
Growth Management Element
• Focuses on the effective management of population growth and development within the City.
Public Services and Facilities Element
•Focuses on the provision of key services like utility (water/sewer}, police, and fire services, and
ensuring these services expand to meet future demands.
Consistency with Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan ILHMP), approved and adopted on May 19, 2022, serves three primary
purposes: 1) it provides a comprehensive analysis of the natural and human-caused hazards that threaten the
city, with a focus on mitigation; 2) it keeps the City of Anaheim eligible to receive additional federal and state
funding to assist with emergency response and recovery, as permitted by the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of
2000 and California Government Code Sections 8685.9 and 65302.6; and 3) it complements the efforts
undertaken by the Safety Element. The LHMP complies with all requirements set forth under the federal Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000 and received approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2018.
Sections of the Safety Element are supplemented by the LHMP, incorporated by reference in this element, as
allowed by California Government Code Section 65302(9). The hyperlink above provides access to this
document, or you can visit the City's website (https://www.anaheim.net).
6 Anaheim Safe! Element Draft Se tember 2022
SAFETY ELEMENT
Regulatory Environment
California Government Code 65302(g)(1)
California Government Code Section 65302(g)(1) establishes the legislative framework for California's safety
elements. This framework consolidates the requirements from relevant federal and state agencies, ensuring that
all cities are compliant with the numerous statutory mandates. These mandates include:
Protecting against significant risks related to earthquakes, tsunamis, seiches, dam failure, landslides,
subsidence, flooding, and fires as applicable.
•Including maps of known seismic and other geologic hazards.
•Addressing evacuation routes, military installations, peak-load water supply requirements, and minimum
road widths and clearances around structures as related to fire and geologic hazards, where applicable.
•Identifying areas subject to flooding and wildfires.
•Avoiding locating critical facilities within areas of high risk.
•Assessing the community's vulnerability to climate change.
•Including adaptation and resilience goals, policies, objectives, and implementation measures.
California Government Code Sections 8685.9 and 65302.6
California Government Code Section 8685.9 (also known as Assembly Bill 2140 or AB 2140) limits California's
share of disaster relief funds paid out to local governments to 75 percent of the funds not paid for by federal
disaster relief efforts. However, if the jurisdiction has adopted a valid hazard mitigation plan consistent with OMA
2000 and has incorporated the hazard mitigation plan into the jurisdiction's General Plan, the State may cover
more than 75 percent of the remaining disaster relief costs. All cities and counties in California must prepare a
General Plan, including a Safety Element that addresses various hazard conditions and other public safety
issues. The Safety Element may be a standalone chapter or incorporated into another section as the community
wishes. California Government Code Section 65302.6 indicates that a community may adopt an LHMP into its
Safety Element if the LHMP meets applicable state requirements. This allows communities to use the LHMP to
satisfy state requirements for Safety Elements. As the General Plan is an overarching long-term plan for
community growth and development, incorporating the LHMP into it creates a stronger mechanism for
implementing the LHMP.
California Government Code 65302 (g) 3 adopted through SB 1241 (Effective 2014/ Adopted 2012)
California Government Code Section 65302 (g) 3 requires the Safety Element to identify and update mapping,
information, and goals and policies to address wildfire hazards. As part of this requirement, any jurisdiction that
includes State Responsibility Areas or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) in the Local
Responsibility Areas (LRA), as defined by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board), is required
to transmit the updated element to the Board for review and approval. The City has VHFHSZs located within the
LRA and therefore complies with this requirement.
California Government Code 65302 (g) 4 adopted through SB 379 (Effective 2017/ Adopted 2015)
California Government Code Section 65302 (g) 4 requires the Safety Element to address potential impacts of
climate change and develop potential strategies to adapUmitigate these hazards. Analysis of these potential
effects should rely on a jurisdiction's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan or an analysis that includes data and analysis
from the State of California's Cal-Adapt website. The completed a Climate Adaptation Vulnerability Assessment
that is incorporated into the Safety Element and LHMP to ensure compliance with this requirement.
7 Anaheim Safet Element Draft Se tember 2022
SAFETY ELEMENT
California Government Code 65302 (g) 5 adopted through SB 99 (Effective 2020/ Adopted 2019)
California Government Code Section 65302 (g) 5 requires the Safety Element to identify evacuation constraints
associated with residential developments, specifically focused on areas served by a single roadway. This
analysis has been incorporated into this element to ensure compliance with this requirement.
National Flood Insurance Program
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was created in 1968 to help communities adopt more effective
floodplain management programs and regulations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible
for implementing the NFIP and approves the floodplain management plans for participating cities and counties.
Anaheim participates in the NFIP and uses Chapter 17.28 Flood Hazard Reduction of the Anaheim Municipal
Code to administer flood management regulations throughout the city.
Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act
The Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act (California Public Resources Code [PRC], Chapter 7.5, Section
2621-2699.6) was intended to reduce the risks associated with surface faults and requires that the designated
State Geologist identify, and map "Earthquake Fault Zones" around known active faults. Per PRC Section 2623
a, cities and counties shall require a geologic report defining and delineating any hazard of surface fault rupture
before the approval of a project. If the jurisdiction finds no undue hazard of that kind exists, the geologic report
on the hazard may be waived, with the State Geologist's approval. For a list of project types, please refer to PRC
Section 2621.6. There are no Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zones that run through Anaheim; therefore, it is
not a topic of concern addressed in this element.
Seismic Hazards Mapping Act
The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act (California Public Resources Code, Chapter 7.8, Section 2690-2699.6)
created a statewide seismic hazard mapping and technical advisory program in 1990 to help cities and counties
more effectively address the effects of geologic and seismic hazards caused by earthquakes. Under PRC 2697,
cities and counties shall require a geotechnical report defining and delineating any seismic hazard before
approving a project located in a seismic hazard zone. If the jurisdiction finds that no undue hazard of this kind
exists based on information resulting from studies conducted on sites near the project and of similar soil
composition to the project site, the geotechnical report may be waived. After a report has been approved or a
waiver granted, subsequent geotechnical reports shall not be required, provided that new geologic datum, or
data, warranting further investigation is not recorded. Each jurisdiction shall submit one copy of each approved
geotechnical report, including the mitigation measures to be taken, if any, to the State Geologist within 30 days
of its approval of the report. For a list of project types, please refer to PRC Section 2693. Landslide and
liquefaction hazards are prevalent within the City and are addressed within this element.
Cortese List
Government Code Section 65962.5 (typically referred to as the "Cortese List") identifies sites that require
additional oversight during the local permitting process as well as compliance with the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA). The list is generally a compilation of properties and businesses that generate, store, and/or
have been impacted by the presence of hazardous materials/wastes. Many properties identified on these lists
may be undergoing corrective action, cleanup, or abandoned and in need of these activities. The City maintains
updated lists for these types of properties and should be referenced during the development review process.
8 Anaheim Safet Element Draft September 2022