R-10339City Council Meeting 9-9-08
Santa Monica, California
RESOLUTION NUMBER 1339 (ccs>
(City Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
MAKING FINDINGS REGARDING LOCAL CLIMATIC, GEOLOGICAL AND
TOPOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS PURSUANT TO HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTIONS 17958.5, 1:7958.7 and 18941.5
WHEREAS, the State Building Standards Commission approved and published
the 2007 edition of the California Building Standards Code on July 1, 2007; and such
code became effective 180 days thereafter on January 1, 2008; and
WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code Sections 17958.7 and 18941.5 provide that
the City may make changes or modifications to the building standards contained in the
California Building Standards Code based upon express findings that such changes or
modifications are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological or
topographical conditions, and
WHEREAS, in April 2008, the State Fire Marshal released a Draft Guideline for
Installation of Solar Photovoltaic Systems, developed with input from the solar industry
and local fire departments which is intended to create a consistent approach to fire
safety concerns pertaining to solar photovoltaic installations; and
WHEREAS, the Office of the State Fire Marshall has stated that these guidelines
are intended to be incorporated into the next version of the California Building
Standards Code in 2010: and
WHEREAS, the State Fire Marshall has encouraged localities to implement these
guidelines in advance of this schedule if warranted based on local conditions; and
WHEREAS, based upon the findings contained in this Resolution, the City
Council will be adopting an ordinance containing certain modifications and additions to
the building standards contained in the California Building Standard Code, which are
reasonably necessary based upon local climatic, topographical and geological
conditions and which will reduce the risks to life and property resulting from these
conditions;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS
SECTION 1. The City Council makes the following findings regarding local
climatic, geological and topographic conditions related to the local amendments to the
California Building Standards Code found in Section 2 below:
Local Climatic Conditions
(a) The Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) adopted in April, 1996, shows
that Santa Monica's climate is primarily influenced by the Pacific Ocean and is
characterized by infrequent rainfall and winds, which come from the west during the
daytime and from the north and northeast during the nighttime, with intermittent Santa
Ana winds occurring from September to March. As demonstrated by the recent events
of last month, these conditions create the potential for high velocity winds with high
temperatures and low humidity, which are conducive to uncontrolled wind driven fires
and greatly increase the fire risk to residences.
(b) The MEA also shows that structures in the City are situated in close proximity
to each other, with only about 1 % of the 8.3 square miles that the City occupies vacant.
In addition, these lots are often very narrow or on hilly terrain, which limits access to
side yards for fire suppression and placement of ladders for rescue operations. These
conditions also contribute to the ability of fires to spread quickly between buildings
because of the proximity to each other and create difficulty in suppressing fires in the
hilly terrains. Widespread fire would seriously impact the Fire Department's ability to
respond to all fires.
(c) The Safety Element of the General Plan, adopted in January 1995, also
identifies that many of the structures in the City are older structures that are prone to the
quick spread of fire from adjacent structures due to the materials used in construction
and less stringent fire resistant technology available at the time they were built.
According to the City's 2000-2005 Housing Element, in 1990 about 35% of the housing
stock was over 50 years old and 40% was 30 to 50 years old.
(d) Santa Monica is situated In Southern California, which has extreme arid
conditions and periods of severe drought. Indeed, the City is currently in extreme
drought condition. As outlined In the MEA, the City relies upon water from outside the
region, which is bought from the Metropolitan Water District, and local groundwater for
the City's water supply. Presently, due to MTBE contamination, local groundwater now
provides only about 10-15% of City's water. Severe drought conditions and potential
uncertainty about the availability of future water supplies from outside the region require
the proper management of available water supplies. These conditions also contribute to
the ability of fires to spread quickly due to the reliance of water from outside sources
that may not be available following a major earthquake. Widespread fire would seriously
impact the Fire Department's ability to respond to all fires.
(e) As also detailed in the MEA, although the City can experience periods of high
winds and arid temperatures, it often enjoys an extremely mild climate. A below
freezing temperature has never been recorded in the City. The City's annual
precipitation averages 12.5 inches. The City has excellent air quality and the City,
unlike most of the South Coast Air Basin,. seldom exceeds national and state air quality
standards. This temperate climate and abundance of sunshine makes the City uniquely
suited for sustainably designed buildings and increased use of solar photovoltaic
systems.
(f) As listed above, frequent and severe droughts, periodic high temperatures,
low humidity levels, and strong winds all increase the fire hazard risk to Santa Monica.
Diminishing and uncertain access to water supplies make fire suppression activities
more difficult. These conditions are all exacerbated by shifting climate patterns as a
result of increasing anthropocentric greenhouse gas emissions. To mitigate these
impacts, a consistent and safe method for installing clean, .distributed, renewable
electricity generation is necessary.
SECTION 2. The City Council makes the express finding that the following
modifications and changes to the California Building Standards Code are reasonably
necessary because of the local climatic. conditions and that each and every one of the
local conditions detailed in Section 1 above apply to the following modifications and
changes to the California Building Standards Code:
1. Add fire safety standards for installation of solar photovoltaic
systems. (Climatic)
SECTION 3. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution and
thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect.
APPROVED AS TO FORM
Adopted and approved this 16th day of September, 2008.
~~
Herb atz, Mayor -
I, Maria Stewart, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby certify that the
foregoing Resolution No. 10339 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of the Santa
Monica City Council held on the 16th day of September, 2008, by the following vote:
Ayes: Council members: Genser, Holbrook, McKeown, O'Connor, Shriver
Mayor Katz, Mayor Pro Tem Bloom
Noes: Council members: None
Abstain: Council members: None
Absent: Council members: None
ATTEST:
Maria Stewart, Ci Clerk