More open space along hillsides above South Laguna will be cleared of overgrown and dead brush thanks to $1 million Laguna Beach will receive from the state to help protect the city from wildfires, officials announced last week.
The money comes from Senate Bill 109, signed into law Sept. 27 by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Laguna and its surrounding open space are designated by CalFire as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, the hilly terrain and vegetation creating extreme fire risk. The designation has made it costly and challenging for homeowners to get fire insurance. Some residents have seen costs triple and others have had policies canceled.
“Our number one priority as a city is to reduce our current level of high fire risk and exposure to wildfires,” said Mayor Bob Whalen, who for years has led a push for greater fire safety and recently spearheaded a city sub-committee that spent seven months developing a report for a long-range citywide fire mitigation plan.
The report — developed with data collected from trips to Paradise, the Northern California town virtually destroyed by November’s Camp Fire, and discussions with officials who oversaw the Woolsey Fire in Malibu — is designed to ensure Laguna Beach, its 23,000 residents, and nearly 7 million annual visitors are as safe as possible.
On July 23, the council approved nearly $23 million for wildfire mitigation efforts included in the report’s 29 short-term goals. If all components of the report were to be implemented, the full cost over the next decade could be $166 million.
The report placed a high priority on efforts to remove fuel sources from Laguna’s surrounding hillsides.
Over the next two years, the fire department will continue to develop a fuel modification program that was instituted after Laguna’s devastating 1993 fire, with hundreds of goats and hand crews being used to clear dry brush and vegetation.
“This funding is a tremendous help to those efforts,” Whalen said of the boost from the state, adding that the city worked closely with Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, D-Laguna Beach, to secure the funding.
The state funds will be used to target areas in South Laguna near Mission Hospital and the South Coast Water District, he said.
Whalen said the money will be added to other funds already secured through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, bringing the total grants for wildfire safety and evacuation planning to $4.7 million over the past three years. In addition, CalOES, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, has recommended Laguna receive another $1 million in funding, Whalen said.
About 800 goats currently are at work on Laguna’s hillsides. Typically the city has used two herds but because of last winter’s rainstorms and the increased vegetation growth, an additional herd of 200 goats was brought into town in August.
The goats cost the city about $200,000 a year. The base contract is $100,000 and additional goats are paid for on a monthly basis. Hand-crews are brought in to work more environmentally sensitive areas.
Goats have cleared vegetation in wildland areas of North Laguna and chomped through brush behind the Festival of Arts grounds and near Thurston Middle School and Top of the World Elementary School. They’ve also worked in some of the city’s steeper canyon areas in Arch Beach Heights, along the fire road and in Bluebird Canyon.
The herd began munching vegetation in South Laguna’s Upper Three Arch Bay and is working its way north. Each herd is guided by a goat herder from Peru and a shepherd dog.
“Given the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in the state, Laguna Beach needs to be proactive in mitigating our wildfire-related risks and preventing fire-related air pollution,” said Laguna Beach Fire Chief Mike Garcia. “This funding will help us do both.”
Before the goats are used in the ungrazed South Laguna locations, Garcia will need to formalize a plan and work through the California Coastal Commission’s permitting process, which will involve several studies.
“As we are seeing from the fires in Los Angeles and Riverside today, it is not a question of whether but when a fire will hit,” Whalen said. “We will continue to work hard to attract monies and deploy our local funding to maximize fire safety in the city.”
