LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order that will expedite assistance and emergency state funding for fire relief in Lake and Trinity counties, which have been heavily impacted by this summer's fire season.
In Lake and Trinity counties combined, this summer's fires have burned close to 300,000 acres, based on reports from fire officials.
The governor's order is expected to bring to Lake County millions of dollars not just to help clean up debris but to repair damaged infrastructure, according to local officials.
“It's some of the best news we've had in three weeks,” said Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin, who over the last month has overseen advisory and mandatory evacuations impacting thousands of residents who fled from the path of the Rocky fire and later the Jerusalem fire.
While a ballpark number of up to $5.5 million had been suggested by state officials regarding how much Lake County could receive for debris cleanup, the total dollar figure for the overall recovery effort could be much larger, according to Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe.
Chilafoe told Lake County News that final numbers depend on project bids that come in as part of the recovery process – including debris cleanup, response costs for agencies and public infrastructure repairs.
However, she said that by her estimation, the funds the county will receive could range as high as $12 million to $15 million.
Those estimates appear on target when looking at the more than $900,000 in state emergency funding the county of Lake and the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport received for a severe storm that occurred Dec. 11 and 12, and which also had resulted in the governor declaring a state of emergency for Lake County.
Both the Rocky and Jerusalem fires together burned more than 94,500 acres, primarily in Lake County, but the neighboring counties of Colusa, Napa and Yolo also were impacted.
The Rocky fire – one of the largest in the county's recorded history – burned 69,438 acres from July 29 to Aug. 14, while the Jerusalem fire burned from Aug. 9 to Aug. 24, scorching 25,118 acres.
Based on the most recent estimates from county and state officials, the Rocky fire destroyed 49 homes and another 61 outbuildings, with the Jerusalem fire burning six homes and 21 outbuildings.
In Trinity County, which also will get expedited assistance thanks to the governor's action, six major wildland complexes continue to burn, with the US Forest Service on Thursday reporting that the fires have burned a total of 232,905 acres.
In July, Brown had issued a state of emergency due to the wildfires burning across California – including, at that time, the Rocky fire – during what officials said has been one of the hottest and driest summers on record.
The state of California later was awarded a Federal Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will pay for 75 percent of the Rocky fire suppression costs, as Lake County News has reported.
Brown's emergency order issued Thursday is meant to help residents and businesses recover from the damaging effects of the wildfires, according to the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
Some of the order's benefits include waiving fees to replace documents such as driver’s licenses and birth certificates for those affected by the fires, the agency said.
Cal OES said the governor's order also will speed up the process to remove hazardous debris from the areas impacted by the fires.
The language of the executive order states that compliance with some statutes and regulations will be waived because they would hinder quicker mitigation of the wildfires' impacts.
Of special concern are the potential health and safety impacts of the fire's aftermath. During a Board of Supervisors meeting earlier this month, county staff told the board that debris from burned buildings contains numerous hazardous materials that pose serious health concerns if not disposed of properly.
For that reason, the board adopted a debris management and removal plan that state officials would fund and oversee, with the county at that point having already asked Cal OES for emergency funding.
Cal OES staff told the board at a special meeting on Aug. 11 that as much as $5 million, plus an additional 10 percent to cover administrative costs, was expected to be awarded to the county for the debris removal plan.
However, the county has been waiting since then for final word of the award, said Supervisor Jim Comstock, who himself at one point had been under an advisory evacuation due to the fires.
He said county officials over the last few weeks had expected the funds to be awarded any day.
“That's a great thing that it's actually going to happen,” he said. “We were starting to get skeptical.”
The full text of the governor's executive order is posted below.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
EXECUTIVE ORDER B-33-15
WHEREAS on July 31, 2015, I proclaimed a State of Emergency to exist in California due to wildfires burning throughout the state, including those that were burning in Lake and Trinity counties; and
WHEREAS wildfires have burned thousands of acres of land, destroyed structures, including homes, damaged critical infrastructure, and forced the closure of major highways and local roads; and
WHEREAS the Federal Emergency Management Agency granted a Federal Fire Management Assistance Grant for the Rocky Fire burning in Lake County; and
WHEREAS the wildfires have created a substantial amount of ash, burnt vegetation, and debris in Lake and Trinity counties;
WHEREAS this debris is threatening public health and safety, and must be removed and disposed of quickly and properly to ensure that the areas can be reoccupied safely; and
WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8571 of the Government Code, I find that strict compliance with the various statutes and regulations specified in this order would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the wildfires.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the State of California, in particular, sections 8625 and 8571 of the California Government Code, do hereby issue this Executive Order, effective immediately.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:
State statutes, rules, regulations and requirements are hereby suspended to the extent they apply to the following activities: (a) removal, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste and debris resulting from the wildfires that have burned and continue to burn in areas that are subject to the jurisdiction of agencies within the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Natural Resources Agency; and (b) necessary restoration and rehabilitation of timberland, streams, rivers, and other waterways. Such statutes, rules, regulations and requirements are hereby suspended only to the extent necessary for expediting the removal and cleanup of debris from the fires, and for implementing any restoration plan. Individuals who desire to conduct activities under this suspension of statutes, rules, regulations, and requirements shall first request that the appropriate Agency Secretary, or his delegate, make a determination that the proposed activities are eligible to be conducted under this suspension. The Secretary for the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency shall use sound discretion in applying this Executive Order to ensure that the suspension serves the purpose of accelerating cleanup and recovery, while at the same time protecting public health and the environment. This order shall apply to, but is not necessarily limited to: solid waste facility permits; waste discharge requirements for storage and disposal; emergency timber harvesting; emergency construction activities; and waste discharge requirements and/or Water Quality Certification for discharges of fill material or pollutants. To the extent it is within their administrative authority, the boards, departments and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Natural Resources Agency shall expedite the granting of other authorizations, waivers or permits necessary for the removal, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous debris resulting from the fires, and for other actions necessary for the protection of public health and the environment.
As necessary to assist local governments and for the protection of public health and the environment, state agencies shall enter into contracts to arrange for the procurement of materials, goods, and services necessary to quickly remove dangerous debris, repair damaged resources, and restore and protect the impacted watershed. Applicable provisions of the Government Code and the Public Contract Code, including but not limited to travel, advertising, and competitive bidding requirements, are suspended to the extent necessary to address the effects of the fires.
The Office of Emergency Services shall provide local government assistance to Lake and Trinity counties, as appropriate, under the authority of the California Disaster Assistance Act, California Government Code section 8680 et seq. and California Code of Regulations, Title 19, section 2900 et seq.
Health and Safety Code sections 103525.5 and 103625, and Penal Code section 14251, requiring the imposition of fees, are hereby suspended with regard to any request for copies of certificates of birth, death, marriage, and dissolution of marriage records, by any individual who lost such records as a result of the wildfires. Such copies shall be provided without charge.
Vehicle Code sections 9265(a), 9867, 14901, 14902 and 15255.2, requiring the imposition of fees, are suspended with regard to any request for replacement of a driver’s license, identification card, vehicle registration certificate, or certificate of title, by any individual who lost such records as a result of the wildfires. Such records shall be replaced without charge.
The provisions of Vehicle Code sections 4602 and 5902, requiring the timely registration or transfer of title, are suspended with regard to any registration or transfer of title by any resident of Lake and Trinity counties who are unable to comply with those requirements as a result of the wildfires. The time covered by this suspension shall not be included in calculating any late penalty pursuant to Vehicle Code section 9554.
The provisions of Unemployment Insurance Code section 1253 imposing a one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance applicants are suspended as to all applicants who are unemployed as a direct result of the wildfires, who apply for unemployment insurance benefits during the time period beginning August 27, 2015 and ending on the close of business on February 27, 2015, and who are otherwise eligible for unemployment insurance benefits in California.
This Executive Order is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.
I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this order be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this proclamation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 27th day of August 2015.
EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Governor of California
ATTEST:
ALEX PADILLA
Secretary of State