Friday Update on Thursday June 6 2019

All,

A week which has just flown by and my Friday is an absolute monster so the update will be a day early!!

• Staff attended the Governor’s Emergency Management Preparedness Summit in Sacramento on Monday. The session included a presentations from Governor Gavin Newsom, State Director of the Office of Emergency Services Mark Ghilarducci and panels which included executives from many areas impacted by wildfire over the past year. I would give the Summit 10 out of 10 Stars for effort by the Governor and his entire team in raising awareness and the need for collaboration in preparation, response and recovery.

I will admit that I had never seen the Governor in person and my impression of him was quite a bit different than the typical sound bites and media presentations. Frankly, I was impressed with his grasp of the issues, he was very articulate and well informed on emergency management needs and realities. He was quite magnanimous in his appreciation for his emergency management executive team and the efforts of those throughout the emergency management field. His grasp on the need for collaboration and the need for reform of government regulation to enable fire prevention was commendable. I left impressed with his sincerity and demonstration of leadership on the issues. Overall, well done and worth attending.

• One major takeaway from the Summit was an appreciation for the preparation and collaboration we have in Yolo County. County OES Manager Dana Carey and the Yolo Cities are extremely well prepared and could have been highlighted as a model for much of what they were talking about.
• A key concern for the coming summer will the potential for power outages which could last for up to 5 days in the event that transmission lines are turned off. A reality is that a need to turn off transmission lines in Butte County could result in outages as far as Yolo County, essentially shutting down business and operations in communities for hundreds of miles. Getting information to businesses and residents will be critical in the coming weeks. People, especially those from vulnerable groups (elderly, sick, persons on oxygen) who need power need to begin making preparations in the event of extended periods without power.
• City Staff met today to discuss the potential for a relocation of City Hall operations and maintaining our utilities and public safety capabilities. Generators, fueling contracts, maintenance of both water and wastewater operations and pumps all were topics. Key plans and assignments are going to be put in place to insure a continuity of operations in the event of an extended power outage. We all left the meeting with assignments to start things in motion to be ready in case the power goes out.
• Winters Fire this week has been busy on two structure fires, one at Burger King and the other at a residence on Hill view Lane. Quick action in both were critical in preventing spread and preventing injuries to people and pets. A special thanks to Winters Police who were quick to the scene on Hillview, helping the residents and protecting the community.
• On Tuesday, a combined meeting of the City Council and the Planning Commission was held to discuss the Economic Development Committee’s Report and recommendations. A good meeting with a nice turnout and lots of really good questions. You can access the report HERE.
• The City received its first transient occupancy check from Air B&B for the months of February and March. Something close to $20,000!

Have a nice weekend!

John