Goleta council adopts state-mapped fire-hazard severity zones, council waives further reading

The Goleta City Council voted to add Chapter 15.22 to Title 15 of the Goleta Municipal Code on May 20, 2025, adopting the state-revised fire hazard severity zone maps for the city’s local responsibility areas and finding the ordinance exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Jason Levy, the city’s emergency services coordinator, introduced the item and said the city and county would host public information events. Fred Tan, fire marshal for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, presented the state’s mapping process and implications. Tan said the state used high-resolution models of vegetation, topography and prevailing winds to identify areas within the city that the state fire marshal’s office now classifies in bands from moderate to very high fire hazard.

Tan and city staff stressed that the maps identify hazards (fuel, slope, wind and ember exposure) rather than actual risk after mitigation. "These maps take into account fuels, topography and local winds," Tan said, and they do not account for parcel-level mitigation such as defensible space, home hardening or fuel-reduction projects already underway.

Staff and the county said the practical outcomes for areas designated very high include application of defensible-space inspections, additional building standards for new construction (7A-type construction measures referenced by the presenters), and eligibility for specific state and federal fuels-reduction grant programs. The county also noted that while many Goleta parcels are urbanized and already comply with common defensible-space practices, the maps will allow Fire Safe Council and County Fire to seek grants to fund additional fuel-reduction crews and prescribed-fire work where appropriate.

Planning staff said the city will incorporate the adopted maps into the pending update to the General Plan safety element; the maps must be forwarded to the state board of forestry after adoption. Staff also noted that Title 14 fire-safe regulations and new building-construction provisions apply in very-high zones and that staff recommends adopting the map now with future related work to follow in the General Plan update.

Council members asked about notice to property owners, whether apartment complexes and public parks would be subject to defensible-space requirements, and how the agricultural parcels protected by Measure G function as a buffer. Staff said the county issued a joint press release and that the city will host two public presentations on June 9 (evening) and June 11 (midday) to explain map areas and defensible-space guidance.

Action: Council member motioned to adopt the ordinance, including a first reading by title only and waiver of further reading; council seconded and the measure passed by roll call. The ordinance was introduced, read by title, and the council waived further reading. Vote recorded: Council member Reyes Martin — Aye; Council member Kyriaco — Aye; Council member Smith — Yes; Mayor Pro Tem Casten — Aye.

Ending: Staff said they will bring the map into the General Plan safety-element update and will continue coordination with County Fire, Wildfire Resilience Collaborative and the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council to deliver public meetings and grant-supported fuel-reduction work.