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Painted Cave Defensible Space Emergency Project

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GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor WADE CROWFOOT, Secretary for Natural Resources June 18, 2019 Chief Porter, Director Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 1416 9th Street, Suite1505 Sacramento, CA 95814 Re: Painted Cave Defensible Space Emergency Project Dear Chief Porter, On March 22, 2019, Governor Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency involving forest conditions near vulnerable communities. The proclamation enables the Secretary for the California Environmental Protection Agency or Natural Resources Agency to suspend State environmental statutes, rules, regulations, and requirements to the extent necessary to complete priority fuel management projects started this calendar year. In considering whether to suspend any requirements, the Secretaries must determine that the proposed activities are eligible to be conducted under this suspension and will take protection of the environment into account while ensuring timely implementation. CAL FIRE has requested suspension of Division 13 (commencing with section 21000) of the Public Resources Code and regulations adopted pursuant to that Division, commonly known as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), for the Painted Cave Defensible Space Emergency Project, which is one of the thirty-five priority projects identified in the Community Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Report (February 22, 2019). Project Description The Painted Cave Defensible Space Emergency Project is a 67 acre, 6.8-mile long project of roadside fuels reduction and strategic fuel breaks to protect Painted Cave and neighboring communities in Santa Barbara County. This project focuses fuel reduction efforts in a community that has been threatened by multiple fires over the years including the Zaca, Whittier, White, Rey, Gap and Jesusita Fires. The 1990 Painted Cave Fire started just south of this community destroying 660 homes. This project will provide tenable evacuation routes for residents, access for firefighters and provide a strategic defensible space south of this community. 1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311, Sacramento, CA 95814 Ph. 916.653.5656 Fax. 916.653.8102 http://resources.ca.gov Baldwin Hills Conservancy • California African American Museum • California Coastal Commission • California Coastal Conservancy • California Conservation Corps • Colorado River Board of California California Energy Commission • California Science Center • California Tahoe Conservancy • Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy • California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Delta Protection Commission • Delta Stewardship Council • Department of Conservation • Department of Fish and Wildlife • Department of Parks and Recreation • Department of Water Resources Exposition Park • Native American Heritage Commission • Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy • San Diego River Conservancy • San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy • San Joaquin River Conservancy • Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Sierra Nevada Conservancy • State Lands Commission • Wildlife Conservation Board • Ocean Protection Council Page 2 This project includes 6.8 miles of roadside maintenance to improve community egress and firefighter access. The project will also improve and maintain a 10.75 acre strategic fuel break to the south. The proposed roadside maintenance and fuel break projects will result in roughly 67 acres of fuel reduction. Immediate implementation of this project is necessary to protect the community of Painted Cave and neighboring communities. CAL FIRE has incorporated protection of the environment into the design of this project. While specific measures may vary by emergency project, required protective measures include those described in CAL FIRE’s “Protective Practices for CAL FIRE’s 35 Emergency Fuels Reduction Projects” (April 2019). In addition, CAL FIRE has contacted local offices of the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Regional Water Quality Control Board to invite staff to visit the site and provide input on project design. Suspension Because the Painted Cave Defensible Space Emergency Project is urgently needed to protect vulnerable communities and because CAL FIRE has incorporated environmental protection into project design, I find that this project is eligible under the Governor’s Proclamation. Therefore, Division 13 (commencing with section 21000) of the Public Resources Code and regulations adopted pursuant to that Division are hereby suspended for that project. This suspension may be revised or further conditioned as necessary to protect public health and the environment. Suspension of additional regulatory requirements may be considered as project implementation proceeds. This suspension does not alter any requirements imposed by federal law. Sincerely, Wade Crowfoot Secretary for Natural Resources PAINTED CAVE EMERGENCY COMMUNITY DEFENSIBLE SPACE Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara County Fire Department On January 8, 2019, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-05-19 to address the wildland fire threat throughout California. As a result, CAL FIRE released the Community Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Report. This report delivered recommendations to reduce public safety hazards associated with catastrophic wildland fires and specifically prioritized 35 projects that protect 200 of California’s most wildfire-vulnerable communities. The Painted Cave Community Defensible Space Emergency Project is a 67 acre, 6.8-mile long project of roadside fuels reduction and strategic fuel breaks to protect Painted Cave and neighboring communities in Santa Barbara County. This project focuses fuel reduction efforts in a community that has been threatened by multiple fires over the years including the Zaca, Whittier, White, Rey, Gap and Jesusita Fires. The 1990 Painted Cave Fire started just south of this community destroying 660 homes. This project will provide tenable evacuation routes for residents, access for firefighters and provide a strategic defensible space south of this community. This project includes 6.8 miles of roadside maintenance to improve community egress and firefighter access. The project will also improve and maintain a 10.75 acre strategic fuel break to the south. The proposed roadside maintenance and fuel break projects will result in roughly 67 acres of fuel reduction. 1. Laws requested to be suspended: Per directive 4 in the Emergency Proclamation issued March 22, 2019 the Santa Barbara County Fire Department requests suspension of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Division 13 (commencing with section 21000) of the California Public Resources Code, and regulations adopted pursuant to that Division for this priority fuels reduction project. 2. Project description: This project directly benefits the Painted Cave community and more broadly protects the neighboring communities of San Marcos Pass, Kinevan, West Camino Cielo, East Camino Cielo, San Marcos Trout Club, Old San Marcos Road, Twinridge and San Marcos Foothill. This project will reduce the impacts of fire to these communities through roadside fuel reduction and mid-slope fuel break maintenance. The project will remove dead vegetation, reduce ladder fuels, and remove 10-12 foot tall brush. 1 This project includes 6.8 miles of community roadside maintenance. Fuel reduction will extend10-25 feet on both sides of the roads identified in the project area. These roadside treatments will create a small fuel break for the communities while improving community egress and firefighter access. The project also includes the maintenance of an existing Forest Service fuel break to minimize significant fire behavior and ember production in the event of a slope-driven or wind-driven fire. Local sundowner winds are a particular threat to this area. The strategic fuel break is 10.75 acres and 300 feet wide on steep terrain with a dense chaparral fuel beds. 3. Project location: This project is in Santa Barbara County in the San Marcos Pass area, directly affecting the Painted Cave community and its residents. This project is in the jurisdiction of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, a CAL FIRE Contract County. See attached map. 4. Treatment methods and equipment that will be used: The scope of the roadside fuels reduction part of the project is to reduce understory and ladder fuels and remove brush and dead vegetation. No live trees will be removed. Healthy trees may have lower limbs elevated to reduce vertical continuity of flammable material. Annual grasses and shrub vegetation will be cut at ground level and root structures left in place to reduce the potential for erosion. The scope of work for the strategic fuel break is to reduce understory and ladder fuels and remove brush and dead vegetation. No live trees will be removed. Healthy trees may have lower limbs elevated to reduce vertical continuity of flammable material. Annual grasses and shrub vegetation will be cut at ground level and root structures left in place to reduce the potential for erosion. Chippers will be used on the road and designated staging areas. No other heavy equipment will be used. Brush will be chipped and taken to a County facility for ornamental use by county residents. Most of the work will be conducted by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department Hand Crews using chainsaws and hand tools. There will be minimal disturbance to the ground with work conducted to provide community defensible space, improve egress/access and protect natural resources. 5. Communities protected:
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