Mar 9, 2017 - Over the past week and a half, we have focused on doing all that we can to provide these families relief a
COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION: 03/09/17 •mi*. J CITY OF C:
SANJOSE CAPITAL OF SILICON VALLEY
XO:
CITY COUNCIL
Memorandum FROM:
DATE:
Mayor Sam Liccardo Vice Mayor Magdalena Carrasco Councilmember Raul Peralez Councilmember Lan Diep Councilmember Tarn Nguyen 03/09/17
DATE: QZ'OZ-- ]
^
— uffered t h r o u g h t h e s e floods. MoreTtTaii 4 0 0 families still c a n n o t r e t u r n h o m e , a n d h a v e b e e n f o r c e d t o s t a y with f r i e n d s a n d family, o r in s h e l t e r s . T h e t h o u s a n d s m o r e w h o h a v e r e t u r n e d h o m e c o n t i n u e t o g r a p p l e with t h e d e v a s t a t i n g impact t h e flooding h a d o n t h e i r h o m e s a n d lives. O v e r t h e p a s t w e e k a n d a half, w e h a v e f o c u s e d o n d o i n g all t h a t w e c a n t o provide t h e s e families relief a n d w e w a n t t o t h a n k t h e t h o u s a n d s of City e m p l o y e e s f r o m e v e r y city d e p a r t m e n t - including police officers, fire fighters, c o d e e n f o r c e m e n t officials, building inspectors, PRNS a n d Housing e m p l o y e e s - w h o h a v e b e e n , a n d r e m a i n , h a r d a t w o r k t o safely h o u s e a s m a n y p e o p l e a s possible. A special t h a n k y o u t o San J o s e Fire c r e w s w h o r e s c u e d 3 5 0 p e o p l e s t r a n d e d d u r i n g t h e floods, e n s u r i n g n o loss of life during t h e c a t a s t r o p h i c e v e n t . In addition, 1 , 9 0 0 v o l u n t e e r s h a v e c o m e o u t t o w o r k side-by-side with o u r e m p l o y e e s a n d a f f e c t e d r e s i d e n t s t o clean u p t h o s e n e i g h b o r h o o d s t h a t w e r e h a r d e s t hit by t h e flooding, a n d 2 , 2 0 0 d o n o r s h a v e c o n t r i b u t e d t h e i r hard e a r n e d dollars t o t h e S a n J o s e Flood Victim Relief Fund t o assist t h o s e w h o h a v e lost s o m u c h . As w e c o n t i n u e t h e recovery a n d relief effort, w e m u s t also begin t o b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d a n d e v a l u a t e exactly w h a t h a p p e n e d in t h e d a y s leading u p t o , during, a n d following t h e flooding. This is t h e only w a y t o identify a n d fix s o m e of t h e shortfalls in o u r p r e p a r a t i o n a n d r e s p o n s e , a n d t o b e t t e r p r o t e c t o u r r e s i d e n t s f r o m floods. Through t h i s m e m o , w e s e e k t o s t a r t t h a t critical discussion, s o t h a t w e m a y h e l p t h o s e currently in n e e d a n d p r e p a r e f o r f u t u r e emergencies.
RECOMMENDATION 1 . Direct t h e City M a n a g e r t o a d d r e s s t h e following s u b j e c t a r e a s ( s e e Paragraph 4 ) — a l o n g with o t h e r s identified by Council a n d Staff t h r o u g h o u t t h i s p r o c e s s . Release all r e l e v a n t
information t h r o u g h a s e r i e s o f public hearings a n d public r e p o r t s in t h e w e e k s a h e a d , a s City staff collect t h a t information f r o m relevant d e p a r t m e n t s a n d o u t s i d e agencies. 2. Direct t h e City Manager—in consultation with e x t e r n a l e x p e r t s o r a g e n c i e s - t o d r a f t a p r o p o s e d "Action Plan" t h a t consists of i m m e d i a t e s h o r t - , m e d i u m - , a n d long-term m e a s u r e s t o fix deficiencies a n d i m p r o v e p r o c e d u r e s in t h e City's flood a n d e m e r g e n c y p r e p a r e d n e s s , f o r Council a d o p t i o n a n d i m m e d i a t e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n . Bring i m m e d i a t e l y t o Council a n y r e q u e s t s f o r f u n d i n g f o r assistance f r o m external e x p e r t s o r c o n s u l t a n t s n e e d e d t o identify p r o b l e m s o r solutions. Prioritize f o r t h e first public hearing a p p r o p r i a t e e m e r g e n c y r e s p o n s e s a n d flood p r e p a r a t i o n s t o i m p r o v e e m e r g e n c y p r e p a r e d n e s s f o r t h e r e m a i n d e r of t h i s s t o r m s e a s o n . 3 . If t h e City M a n a g e r d e e m s a p p r o p r i a t e , call f o r a n After Action Review t o a s s e s s a n d i m p r o v e coordination a t t h e inter-agency level, especially b e t w e e n t h e City, S a n t a Clara Valley W a t e r District, County, a n d o t h e r s . T h e m e c h a n i s m f o r t h e inter-agency review, f o r e x a m p l e by a private third p a r t y e x p e r t o r public entity, shall b e d e t e r m i n e d by t h e City M a n a g e r . 4 . Invoke Section 4 1 6 of t h e City Charter, w h e r e necessary, t o o b t a i n relevant information t h a t will e n a b l e Council a n d staff t o identify issues a n d r e m e d y deficiencies in t h e a r e a s o u t l i n e d below, o r o t h e r w i s e d e e m e d relevant by t h e Council: A. Early Notification t o Residents f o r Emergencies: • Identify explicit risk t h r e s h o l d s f o r triggering " l o w t e c h " notification efforts—i.e., knocking o n d o o r s , utilizing n e t w o r k s o f "block captains," a n d t h e like—that m u s t b e u s e d in c o m m u n i t i e s with high n u m b e r s of non-English s p e a k e r s , o r with limited digital access; • Review a n d identify i m p r o v e m e n t s in protocols f o r t h e u s e of non-English m e d i a o u t l e t s t o w a r n monolingual r e s i d e n t s o f risks, a n d f o r translation o f e m e r g e n c y information c o m i n g f r o m t h e City's Emergency O p e r a t i o n s C e n t e r ; • Refine t h e City's Language Access Plan (LAP) t o d e v e l o p a m e t h o d f o r identifying City e m p l o y e e s w h o c a n assist with d o o r - t o - d o o r notification e f f o r t s w h e n triggered, w h a t languages t h e y s p e a k , a n d t h e i r LAP a s s i s t a n c e levels (spoken, w r i t t e n , etc.) t o b e d e n o t e d t h r o u g h a n o t a t i o n in t h e H u m a n Resources d a t a b a s e s u c h t h a t a notification c a n m a t c h e m p l o y e e s with o n - t h e - g r o u n d r e s o u r c e n e e d s ; •
Identify t h r o u g h c e n s u s d a t a o r n e i g h b o r h o o d planning information, primary l a n g u a g e s of n e i g h b o r h o o d s s o a g e n c i e s c a n b e s t d e l o y multi-lingual staff;
•
Identify, in conjunction with t h e County of S a n t a Clara's Office of Emergency Services, technological i m p r o v e m e n t s in early w a r n i n g s y s t e m s t h a t t h e C o u n t y could i m p l e m e n t — o r , if necessary, t h a t t h e City should i m p l e m e n t - t o e n s u r e t h a t r e s i d e n t s can receive notifications of looming t h r e a t s w i t h o u t subscription. Identify obstacles, including funding, t h a t m u s t b e o v e r c o m e t o i m p l e m e n t t h o s e s y s t e m s , possible p a r t n e r s - s u c h a s school districts - t h a t h a v e s u c h s y s t e m s in place, a n d a p r o p o s e d timeline f o r i m p l e m e n t a t i o n ; a n d
•
In light of a n e c d o t a l r e p o r t s t h a t AlertSCC s u b s c r i b e r s in flood-impacted a r e a s did n o t receive warnings, identify a n y s h o r t c o m i n g s in t h e o p e r a t i o n of AlertSCC a n d a n y i m p r o v e m e n t s t h a t c a n b e i m p l e m e n t e d in t h e i m m e d i a t e f u t u r e .
B. R e s p o n s e f o r I m p a c t e d Residents a n d Neighborhoods: •
Identify " n e x t s t e p s " f o r t h e City t o help flood i m p a c t e d r e s i d e n t s r e t u r n t o normalcy, including b u t n o t limited t o : i. Any building i m p r o v e m e n t s o r infrastructure repairs s u c h a s s t r e e t s , s t o r m drains, s e w e r repairs, e t c . t h a t r e q u i r e i m m e d i a t e action; ii. Health a n d s a f e t y verification a s it p e r t a i n s t o c o n t a m i n a t e d w a t e r s , associated d a n g e r s a n d h o w b e s t t o inform r e s i d e n t s of t h e risks a n d b e s t practices f o r mitigating t h o s e risks; iii. On-going protocol f o r coordinating direct c o m m u n i t y e n g a g e m e n t a n d information sharing, in coordination with Council offices, t o e n s u r e r e s i d e n t s a r e i n f o r m e d of s u p p o r t services in multiple languages; a n d iv. Funding s u p p o r t t h a t c a n b e provided by t h e City, W a t e r District, FEMA, o r o t h e r a g e n c i e s a n d h o w b e s t t o provide t h o s e r e s o u r c e s t o flood damaged neighborhoods.
•
Identify f o r t h e f u t u r e a n e w protocol f o r c o m m u n i c a t i n g with a n d e n g a g i n g r e s i d e n t s - including o n - t h e - g r o u n d staff a n d in multiple languages - with information following a n e m e r g e n c y .
C. Flood Data & Communication Networks: • In conjunction with t h e S a n t a Clara Valley W a t e r District, d e t e r m i n e w h a t information w a s provided t o t h e City c o n c e r n i n g c r e e k c h a n n e l capacity, s t o r m r e l a t e d flows, a n d projected timing of increased c r e e k levels t h a t , in r e t r o s p e c t , s h o u l d h a v e triggered m o r e aggressive a n d specific w a r n i n g s t o residents; •
•
•
In conjunction with t h e W a t e r District, d e t e r m i n e w h a t information w a s n o t c o r r e c t , a n d identify h o w t o b e t t e r " g r o u n d - t r u t h " o r verify d a t a s o t h a t t h e City c a n b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d t h e m a g n i t u d e a n d timing o f flood risks; Identify w h a t o p e r a t i o n a l i m p r o v e m e n t s n e e d i m p l e m e n t a t i o n t o e n s u r e b e t t e r c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e W a t e r District a n d t h e City Office of Emergency Services; a n d Identify w h a t i n d e p e n d e n t s o u r c e s c a n b e u s e d t o e n s u r e t h e reliability of technical d a t a provided by o u t s i d e a g e n c i e s o r City d e p a r t m e n t s in dynamic, fast-changing circumstances like t h e s e , a n d h o w t o operationalize t h e verification of information in t h e s e instances. Also c o n s i d e r additional s t r e a m g a g e s in flood p r o n e a r e a s f o r m o r e a c c u r a t e real-time d a t a .
D. Organizational O p e r a t i o n s : • In t h e longer t e r m , identify a third party (or City Auditor) t o d e f i n e t h e a p p r o p r i a t e s t r u c t u r e a n d staffing f o r t h e City's Office o f Emergency Services, a n d w h e t h e r its mission could b e b e t t e r s e r v e d by t h e c r e a t i o n of a n i n d e p e n d e n t d e p a r t m e n t o r division t h a t w o u l d e n s u r e b e t t e r a c c e s s t o r e s o u r c e s , key staff, e t c . • In t h e longer t e r m , identify i m p r o v e m e n t s a n d a workplan t o u p d a t e t h e City's Emergency O p e r a t i o n s Plan outlining h o w b e s t t o r e s p o n d t o various e m e r g e n c i e s a n d a d d r e s s t h e c o n c e r n s outlined in t h i s m e m o .
E. S t r e a m Channel M a i n t e n a n c e : •
F.
1 2
Assess w h a t substantial i m p a c t v e g e t a t i o n g r o w t h , s e d i m e n t build-up, o r o b s t a c l e s h a d o n c h a n n e l capacity in t h e Coyote Creek. In o t h e r w o r d s , t o w h a t e x t e n t did flooding b e n e a t h t h e s t a t e d m a x i m u m c h a n n e l capacity result f r o m a n y of t h o s e c a u s e s : i. If t h e s e issues h a d a n y i m p a c t o n flooding, f u r t h e r d e f i n e t h e respective roles a n d responsibilities o f t h e City a n d W a t e r District with r e g a r d s t o m a i n t e n a n c e of s t r e a m c h a n n e l capacity, with specific r e f e r e n c e t o t h e W a t e r District's a n n u a l S t r e a m M a i n t e n a n c e P r o g r a m . D e t e r m i n e w h a t i m p a c t , if any, W a t e r District projects in t h e C o y o t e Creek, s u c h a s t h e July 2 0 1 6 S e d i m e n t Removal project, h a v e h a d in flood mitigation; a n d ii. D e t e r m i n e t h e responsibility of p r o p e r t y o w n e r s , with o r w i t h o u t a W a t e r District e a s e m e n t , t o maintain flood control a l o n g t h e i r properties, t h e n determine: 1 . Funding s o u r c e s f o r t h e City t o p a y f o r s t r e a m m a i n t e n a n c e in S a n J o s e s u c h a s f u n d i n g f r o m t h e N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2 p a s s a g e of t h e W a t e r District's Safe, Clean W a t e r a n d Natural Flood Protection P r o g r a m parcel t a x m e a s u r e ; a n d 2 . W h a t , if any, a r e a s a l o n g C o y o t e Creek r e q u i r e City-funded m a i n t e n a n c e , a n d if necessary, w h e t h e r a Joint P o w e r s Authority o r o t h e r joint effort c a n b e c r e a t e d t o e n s u r e c o n s i s t e n t a n d t h o r o u g h s t r e a m m a i n t e n a n c e t o maintain flood mitigation o f t h e channel. Flood Control a l o n g Coyote Creek: • Identify t h e s t a t u s , f u n d i n g n e e d s , a n d timing of several previously-proposed o r identified W a t e r District projects t o mitigate flood risk a l o n g t h e C o y o t e Creek, including, b u t n o t limited t o : i. A retaining wall t o p r o t e c t t h e Rock Springs n e i g h b o r h o o d ; ii. C o y o t e Creek Flood Protection projects previously a p p r o v e d by t h e v o t e r s in N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 0 in t h e W a t e r District's Clean, S a f e Creeks Program;1 iii. Any projects identified o r a p p r o v e d by t h e v o t e r s in t h e N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 2 p a s s a g e of t h e W a t e r District's Safe, Clean W a t e r a n d Natural Flood Protection Program; 2 iv. Any o t h e r feasible projects t h a t might r e a s o n a b l y h a v e r e d u c e d t h e flood risk t o t h e n e i g h b o r h o o d s a r o u n d a n d in Rock Springs, S p a r t a n Keyes, Brookwood Terrace, Olinder, Naglee Park, Oakland Avenue, a n d Charcot Avenue;and v. Identify w h a t , if anything, t h e City c a n d o t o a d v o c a t e f o r on-going f e d e r a l , s t a t e , o r regional f u n d i n g f o r flood c o n t r o l a l o n g t h e Coyote Creek.
http://www.valleywater.org/services/CoyoteCreek.aspx http://www.valleywater.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=9584
Anderson D a m : • Identify w h a t , if anything, t h e City c a n d o t o a d v o c a t e f o r f e d e r a l , s t a t e , o r regional f u n d i n g f o r seismic s a f e t y a n d b e t t e r m a n a g e m e n t of r e l e a s e s a t A n d e r s o n Dam; • Identify t h e role a n d input, if any, t h e City h a s in W a t e r District decisions regarding t h e r e l e a s e of w a t e r a t Anderson D a m ; •
•
Identify t h e decision-making p r o c e s s in r e c e n t m o n t h s a s A n d e r s o n Dam w a s filling f r o m r e p e a t e d s t o r m s a n d a t w h a t p o i n t r e l e a s e s f r o m t h e d a m w e r e necessary; a n d Identify w h a t , if a n y , additional protocols might b e reviewed t o e n s u r e i n t e r e s t s o f City r e s i d e n t s a r e fully i n c o r p o r a t e d in r e l e a s e decisions a t A n d e r s o n D a m .
