Planning and zoning: general plan: safety element.

The Planning and Zoning Law requires the legislative body of each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city and of any land outside its boundaries that bears relation to its planning. That law requires this general plan to include certain mandatory elements, including a safety element for the protection of the community from unreasonable risks associated with the effects of various geologic hazards, flooding, wildland and urban fires, and climate adaptation and resilience strategies. That law requires the safety element to address, among other things, evacuation routes related to identified fire and geologic hazards. This bill, upon the next revision of a local hazard mitigation plan on or after January 1, 2022, or beginning on or before January 1, 2022, if a local jurisdiction has not adopted a local hazard mitigation plan, would require the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to identify evacuation routes and their capacity, safety, and viability under a range of emergency scenarios. The bill would authorize a city or county that has adopted a local hazard mitigation plan, emergency operations plan, or other document that fulfills commensurate goals and objectives to use that information in the safety element to comply with this requirement by summarizing and incorporating by reference that other plan or document in the safety element. By increasing the duties of local planning officials with respect to the update of general plans, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.