SR 09-27-2022 5E
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 27, 2022
Agenda Item: 5.E
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: David White, City Manager, City Manager's Office
Subject: Approval to Accept State Homeland Security grant funds to provide a
countywide, emergency management training program serving all Santa
Monica staff, all Operational Area cities, County departments, and special
districts within the County of Los Angeles for the reporting period 2022
through 2025.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to accept federal grant funds allocated by the
Department of Homeland Security to the State Homeland Security Grant
Program. The State of California awarded the funds to the City of Santa Monica
to provide a countywide, emergency management training program serving all
Santa Monica staff, all Operational Area cities, County departments, and special
districts within the county of Los Angeles. On behalf of the Los Angeles
Operational Area, the City will accept two federal grants totaling $565,000
starting in 2022 and concluding at the end of the performance period in 2025.The
two State Homeland Security Grants are titled as follows: State Homeland
Security Grant fiscal year 2021 through 2023, and State Homeland Security
Grant, fiscal year 2022 through 2024.
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept the
grant and all grant renewals. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report.
Summary
Staff seeks Council authorization to accept two federal grants from the federal
Department of Homeland Security – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
by way of the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) for performance period
beginning in 2022 and concluding in 2025, totaling $565,000. Grant funds will be utilized
to fund an emergency management training program for local emergency management
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professionals and supporting staff members throughout the County of Los Angeles.
Grant funds will be utilized to hire a contractor to implement a countywide project to
improve emergency management training throughout the region and establish baseline
training for City of Santa Monica staff and partners throughout the county.
Discussion
To meet the State’s grant requirements, the 88 cities, special districts, and LA County
departments established a SHSGP Approval Authority comprised of representatives
elected from member agencies. The approval authority is comprised of public sector
personnel from various law enforcement, fire, public health, emergency management,
and emergency medical services agencies throughout the County. The Approval
Authority is charged with reviewing eligible projects submitted to the governing body
and approving regional projects based upon regional necessity, gaps in readiness, and
national security priorities. After review of eligible projects, the Approval Authority votes
to fund projects which support regional priorities.
On behalf of the emergency management discipline within the County, Disaster
Management Area Coordinators (DMACs), who represent the discipline throughout the
88 cities (Santa Monica serving as the coordinator of Area A), develop and submit
regional projects to the Approval Authority to improve the region’s emergency response
capacity. In 2022 the DMACs resubmitted an existing project – Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) Training Cadre – which had been approved by the committee in 2019 to
continue from 2022 through 2025. The Approval Authority approved the EOC training
project to support the unified development of emergency response personnel and
emergency support staff in the County.
The EOC training program supports staff development and continuity of operations by
using an “All Hazards” approach to teach emergency management at the local level.
The EOC training project will increase the City’s and regional partner’s alignment with
the Federal - National Incident Management System (NIMS) and State - Standardized
Emergency Management System (SEMS) core capabilities. Developing emergency
response staff capacity to support law enforcement, fire, medical, public works, and
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critical infrastructure emergency field responses. This program will additionally result in
Santa Monica, along with regional cities and special districts, fulfilling federal and state
emergency training requirements while specifically increasing the emergency response
capabilities of City staff in Santa Monica who are new to the organization and have not
received EOC training.
In a brief overview of the proposed project sent to the Approval Authority, the EOC
Training Cadre program is designed to improve incident management capabilities and
response coordination throughout the region. Disaster Management Area Coordinators
from all member agencies sought this program to ensure new and existing staff were
able to have State-approved, cost-effective, and local training available to the
government partners specific to emergency management.
Grant funds will be utilized to hire a consultant and instructors who will develop and
deliver CalOES-certified courses in emergency management. Courses will be delivered
to cover emergency planning, logistics, finances, management, public information, and
action planning. Courses will be held in Santa Monica along with additional sites
throughout the county of Los Angeles Operational Area.
Once approved by the SHSGP Approval Authority, the DMACs sought a member
agency to serve as the fiscal agent due to the project being proposed by a coalition of
cities. The City of Santa Monica was requested to support the grant as the fiscal agent
due to City staff being familiar with the grant program and subject matter experts on the
design and intent of the regional program. Upon acceptance of the grant funds, Santa
Monica, will serve as the fiscal agent for the grant and the associated training program
will support all 88 participating cities, special districts, and County departments across
Los Angeles county. Cities serving as the fiscal agent for the Homeland Security
Grants have received one-hundred percent reimbursement from FEMA due to the strict
documentation conducted by City staff and regional partners. In exchange for serving as
the fiscal agent for the grants, the City will be authorized to recover costs associated
with existing staff time and ancillary costs incurred by the City. Staff are approved to
recover up to ten percent of the total grant cost over the performance period.
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Throughout the County, partner agencies have embraced the training model by
supporting the delivery of critical training to over one-thousand public employees over
the last three years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional access to staff training
has been requested by regional partners and staff within the Santa Monica Office of
Emergency Management have been a strong proponent of EOC training for the
westside partner agencies.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to accept two Department of Homeland Security Grants, by way of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Upon acceptance, Staff recommends the
following budget changes. If renewals are awarded, budget changes will be included in
subsequent year budgets, contingent on Council budget approval.
FY 2022-23 Grant Budget Changes
Establish Revenue Budget Appropriate Funds
Account Number(s) Amount Account Number(s) Amount
20200002.410800 $565,000 20200002.555510 $565,000
Total $565,000 Total $565,000
Prepared By: Steven Torrence, Emergency Services Administrator
Approved
Forwarded to Council
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