Score: -6 (0/4/6)

Santa Cruz County Grand Jury • 2024-2025

Victims of the Czu Wildfire – Four Years Later The Flame Still Burns “And the flame still burns

Published: June 21, 2024 26 pages

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⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings and Recommendations 6 findings

The inability of local fire departments to coordinate (communicate) with CAL FIRE during their initial response to the CZU Fire caused many fire victims to unnecessarily lose their homes and possibly contributed to the loss of a life.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury further recommends that the Board of Supervisors work with CAL FIRE to develop clear collaboration between local firefighting agencies and CAL FIRE. The community at large should then be advised as to this line of command. This should be done by December 31, 2024. (F1, F4)

The Long-term Recovery Group which assisted CZU fire and other disaster victims with case management and food and housing support serves as a model for the future.

Related Recommendations (2)

The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience enter into a public-private partnership with the Long Term Recovery Group to provide continuing assistance and support for current and future disaster victims. This should be done by December 31, 2024. (F2, F3)

The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury recommends that OR3 provide a list of all victims of the CZU Lighting Complex Fire, as well as lists of victims of any future disasters, to the LTRG to simplify outreach to victims. This should be done by September 1, 2024. (F2, F3)

Because many CZU fire victims were unaware of LTRG disaster services, fire victims, to their detriment, did not make use of the services and/or available financial assistance.

Related Recommendations (2)

The failure of County agencies to have an effective disaster response plan in place prior to the CZU Fire caused many fire victims to incur unnecessary expense in the rebuilding process.

Related Recommendations (1)

The failure of CDI and Environmental Health to provide timely guidance with respect to applying for and obtaining required permits after the CZU Fire caused many fire victims to expend unnecessary time and expense in the rebuild permitting process.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury recommends that OR3, CDI, and Santa Cruz County Environmental Health collaborate in developing a plan for an expedited rebuild process for future disaster victims. This should be done by December 31, 2024. (F5, F6)

The failure of the County Environmental Health department to fully inform CZU fire victims about new state septic system regulations (LAMP) resulted in many fire victims abandoning their plans to rebuild after realizing how high the cost of meeting the new standards would be.

Related Recommendations (1)

Conclusions 1

CL1 Page 15

The litany of obstacles to rebuilding is long and complex. From Grand Jury interviews with fire victims and those agencies primarily responsible to aid and assist in restoration and rebuilding, we found much to note. Many victims struggled with the permitting process, insufficient insurance coverage, or a lack of knowledge or understanding of the applicable agency and regulatory requirements. Others simply were so dispirited by the experience that no amount of money could see them through to completion. It is good to remember that we too often get lost in numbers. Numbers don’t completely hide the human cost from view, but sometimes make it more difficult to see and feel. As Grand Jurors, we saw it and felt it all the more deeply as we re-lived every experience, every delay, and every difficulty with every victim we interviewed. That being said, this report is respectfully submitted as a story of both success and failure in which two seemingly contradictory concepts exist side by side. This report is offered to reconcile those concepts and to inform and guide our community. With those thoughts in mind, the 2023-2024 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury respectfully submits the following Findings, Recommendations, and Commendations.

Commendations 1

CM1 Page 16

C1. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends the Recovery Permit Center and 4Leaf for its outstanding service to our community and particularly its work in assisting and supporting victims of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in their recovery and rebuilding efforts. C2. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends the Long Term Recovery Group for its outstanding service to our community and particularly its past and continuing work in assisting and supporting victims of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in their recovery and rebuilding efforts. C3. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends Catholic Charities and Community Bridges for their outstanding service to our community and their continuing work in support of CZU Lightning Fire victims and their families. C4. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County for providing financial support to the Long Term Recovery Group and for the preparation and publication of the Atkins Debris Flow Analysis Report. C5. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury commends Stephen Homan, a retired registered environmental health specialist, who helped 50 CZU fire survivors obtain their environmental Pre-Clearance. A fire victim himself, he donated his time to this effort.

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

Report with Responses

September 19, 2024 • 41 pages • 17 responses • Score: -6 (+0, 4, -6) View Details ▾

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17 responses to findings and recommendations

Response: Disagree Score: -1

DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): The ability for local fire departments and CALFIRE to communicate during operations was in place at the time and continued for the duration of the CZU Fire through unified incident command, which included the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, Felton Fire Protection District, Santa Cruz County Fire Department, San Mateo County Fire Department, Boulder Creek Fire Department and the Ben Lomond Fire Protection District. These agencies operated using long- established unified command princ...

Response: Implemented

Score: 0

HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED – provide a summary of the action taken, or b. HAS NOT YET BEEN IMPLEMENTED BUT WILL BE IN THE FUTURE – provide a timeframe or expected date for completion, or c. REQUIRES FURTHER ANALYSIS – provide an explanation, scope, and parameters of an analysis to be completed within six months, or d. WILL NOT BE IMPLEMENTED – provide an explanation of why it is not warranted or not reasonable. 3. Please confirm the date on which you approved the assigned responses: We approved these responses in a regular public meeting as shown ________________ in our minutes dated September 10, 2...

The Grand Jury recommends that by December 31, 2024, in order to reduce the backlog of difficult to fill positions, the Personnel Department creates dedicated recruiter positions for the HSA, HSD and Public Works departments. (F1–F5) Improve Marketing to Candidates

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

R1. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience enter into a public- private partnership with the Long Term Recovery Group to provide continuing assistance and support for current and future disaster victims. This should be done by Decembe

The Long-term Recovery Group which assisted CZU fire and other disaster victims with case management and food and housing support serves as a model for the future.

Response: Disagree Score: -1

DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): The County, and Office of Response, Recovery, and Resilience (OR3) see the value in a strong, well organized and resourced VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disaster) and a Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) is supporting all phases of disaster from preparedness to response, short term recovery and long-term recovery. Required Response from the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Victims of the CZU Wildfire Due by September 19, 2024 Page 4 of 12 --- Page 33 ---

Response: Implemented

Score: 0

The Grand Jury recommends that by December 31, 2024, the Personnel Department update recruitment and hiring procedures. For example, requiring the updating of job postings on a regular basis in order to improve search engine visibility. (F3, F6, F7)

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

R2. The Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury recommends that O

Because many CZU fire victims were unaware of LTRG disaster services, fire victims, to their detriment, did not make use of the services and/or available financial assistance.

Response: Disagree Score: -1

DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): Communications to fire victim families included regular newsletters from the OR3, community meetings and in-person resource sharing events, outreach from the Board of Supervisor offices whose districts were affected, and digital surveys to learn more about victims’ experiences and share resource information. More can and will be done following future disasters to increase communications. A key learning from the CZU recovery has been the recognition that residents impacted by disaster are able to receive information and i...

Response: Implemented

Score: 0

The failure of County agencies to have an effective disaster response plan in place prior to the CZU Fire caused many fire victims to incur unnecessary expense in the rebuilding process.

Response: Disagree Score: -1

DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): The rebuild plan and procedures were established well in advance of the completion of the state's debris removal process, which is the essential first step. The county finalized its contract with 4 Leaf in November 2020, ahead of the debris removal effort's conclusion. Within two weeks of signing the contract, the Recovery Permit Center was opened to the public on November 30, 2020, where telephone assistance and walk in appointments are available during business hours Monday through Friday. Further, the Preclearance and...

Response: Implemented

Score: 0

Response: Disagree Score: -1

DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): The rebuild plan and procedures were established well in advance of the completion of the state’s debris removal process, the essential first step before any site investigations or permitting activity could take place. The county finalized its contract with 4 Leaf in November 2020, prior to the conclusion of the debris removal efforts. Within two weeks of executing the contract, the Recovery Permit Center (RPC) was opened to the public on November 30, 2020, and the RPC website was launched with information regarding the ...

Response: Disagree Score: -1

DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): The expedited re-build permit process was built on the first step of obtaining “pre- clearances” to ensure rebuilders were able to fully understand the scope of work and financial impact of meeting state-approved requirements for septic systems early in the process and could make informed decisions. In some cases, un-permitted additions or unauthorized septic system augmentation prior to the fire resulted in rebuilders being unable to permit their pre-existing home size and bedroom count without incurring significant exp...

The Grand Jury recommends that by December 31, 2024, the Personnel Department develop a plan detailing how they will solicit and evaluate employee recommendations that could help reduce the backlog of difficult to fill positions. (F6, F12)

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

r 6, 2020 the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors (BoS) voted to create the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience (O

The Grand Jury recommends that by December 31, 2024, the Personnel Department publicly document how they have engaged external expertise which would likely improve hiring and promoting processes. (F6, F12) Evaluate Peer Counties for Best Practices

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

r 7, 2021[24] Victims of the CZU Wildfire - Four Years Later published June 21, 2024 Page 26 o

The Grand Jury recommends that by December 31, 2024, and annually thereafter, the Personnel Department conduct a salary comparison study based on nearby counties. It is recommended that this study include counties which have routinely recruited Santa Cruz County employees and residents. (F6, F13,

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

r 8, 2023. “Santa Cruz most vulnerable county in state to landslides, officials say: Supervisors discuss financial pressures at Tuesday meeting.” Santa Cruz Sentinel. Accessed February 20, 2024. https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2023/12/08/santa-cruz-most-vulnerable-count y-in-state-to-landslides-officials-say/ 88. Confidential Grand Jury interview. 89. Confidential Grand Jury interview. 90. Manu Koenig, Zach Friend, Ryan Coonerty, Greg Caput, Bruce McPherson. Septembe

The Grand Jury recommends that by December 31, 2024, the Personnel Department post a public dashboard, based on real time data, to include time-to-hire and vacancy rates for difficult to fill positions in County departments. (F15, F16, F17)

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

r 9 RPC and Victim Interaction with County Planning 11 Obstacles to Rebuilding 11 Insurance Issues 12 Current Rebuild Status 14 Conclusion 15 Findings 15 Recommendations 16 Commendations 16 Required Responses 17 Invited Responses 17 Sources 18 References 18 Site Visits 23 Appendix A – CZU and RPC Maps & RPC Dashboard 24 Appendix B – Recovery Permit Center Geologic Hazard Workflow 25 Appendix C – After-Action Report Improvement Plan 26 Victims of the CZU Wildfire - Four Years Later published June 21, 2024 Page 2 o

R10

The Grand Jury recommends that the City Manager increase the visibility of the CPVAW programs and events by publishing relevant information, at least quarterly, in the City Manager’s Weekly Update and that the first article be published by December 31, 2024. (F11)

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

r 10, 2024 The Honorable Katherine Hansen Santa Cruz Courthouse 701 Ocean Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Dear Judge Hansen, The purpose of this letter is to formally transmit the Board of Supervisors’ response to the 2023-2024 Grand Jury Report “Victims of the CZU Wildfire – Four Years Later.” Sincerely, JUSTIN CUMMINGS, Chair Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors JC:cs Attachments CC: Clerk of the Board Santa Cruz County Grand Jury The 2023–2024 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury Requires the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors to Respond by Septembe

No Responses Found 1

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

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