Photo credit: Julia Sumangil Photography
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a written agreement among governmental agencies that expresses their aligned will. An MOU also details the intent to take action together. An MOU can be bilateral (between two parties) or multilateral (between more than two parties). In this case, the MOU could be signed by both counties (Alameda and Contra Costa), all cities and towns, and all fire districts with jurisdiction in the East Bay Hills.
An MOU provides the legal basis for the jurisdictions to work together to accomplish agreed upon goals, in this case efforts to limit or prevent damage from future wildfires. Counties and Cities are authorized to make such contracts under Government Code section 23004(c), Government Code section 40602(b), or through municipal charters or codes.
The participating jurisdictions will ultimately decide the MOU’s structure, scope of work, and funding strategy.
The MOU is proposed to include jurisdictions in western portions of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties containing hill areas designated as High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
Expand the headings below to see maps of fire hazard severity zones in each county, as well as lists of potential member jurisdictions and partners.
Click image to go to view full-size PDF.
Due to the multiple jurisdictions involved, CAL FIRE does not produce a single map showing fire severity zones in all parts of the proposed JPA area. This is just one of the reasons an East Bay Wildfire JPA is needed.
CAL FIRE last updated its Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps through a process that lasted from 2007 to 2010. That work resulted in three datasets:
The map above is for illustrative purposes and represents a composite of these three datasets, for both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Adopted and Recommended designations are shown in solid colors, while the Draft designations are shown in hatched colors.
CAL FIRE is currently updating its data again. If new maps showing revised Fire Hazard Severity Zones become available, they will be posted here.
For more information about the CAL FIRE designations and the data shown here, visit: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/divisions/wildfire-planning-engineering/wildland-hazards-building-codes/fire-hazard-severity-zones-maps/
Contra Costa County: | |
El Cerrito | Unincorporated Contra Costa County Communities: |
Hercules | El Sobrante |
Pinole | Kensington |
Richmond | East Richmond Heights |
San Pablo | Canyon |
Alameda County: | |
Berkeley | Unincorporated Alameda County Communities: |
Fremont | Castro Valley |
Hayward | Fairview |
Oakland | |
Piedmont | |
San Leandro | |
Union City |
Although wildfire hazards exist in much of the undeveloped and Wildland Urban Interface areas of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, our efforts to create a JPA are currently focused on the “inner East Bay,” along the Berkeley, Oakland, San Leandro, and West Contra Costa Hills, and extending southward to the westernmost portions of the Diablo Range. Relevant jurisdictions and agencies extend from Hercules in the north to Fremont in the south, and include:
Alameda County | Contra Costa County | Regional Entities |
Berkeley | El Cerrito | East Bay Regional Park District |
Fremont | Hercules | East Bay Municipal Utilities District |
Hayward | Pinole | University of California |
Oakland | Richmond | |
Piedmont | San Pablo | |
San Leandro | Lafayette | |
Union City | Moraga | |
Fairview Fire Protection District | Orinda | |
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District | ||
Kensington Fire Protection District | ||
Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District |
Caltrans |
CAL FIRE |
PG&E |
Local school districts |
Firesafe councils and public safety organizations |
Neighborhood organizations |
Forming the East Bay Wildfire Prevention and Vegetation Management JPA is a grassroots effort of a coalition of community organizations working with county staff and elected officials. Steering committee members are listed below.
Member | Affiliation |
Jon Kaufman (Co-chair) | President, Claremont Canyon Conservancy |
Lisa Jacobs (Co-chair) | Secretary, Oakland Firesafe Council |
Elizabeth Stage | Vice Chair, North Hills Community Association |
Sue Duncan | Co-Founder, Make El Cerrito Firesafe |
Jerry Kent | Claremont Canyon Conservancy |
Ken Benson | President, Oakland Firesafe Council |
Soheila Bana | 94803 Emergency Preparedness Alliance |
East Bay Wildfire Prevention and Vegetation Management Coordination endorsements.
Last Updated: November 1, 2021
Elected Official | Position | Jurisdiction |
Nancy Skinner | Senator, District 9 | State Senate |
Buffy Wicks | Assemblymember, District 15 | State Assembly |
Mia Bonta | Assemblymember, District 18 | State Assembly |
Keith Carson | Supervisor, District 5 | Alameda County |
Rochelle Nason | City Councilmember | Albany |
Jesse Arreguin | Mayor | Berkeley |
Lori Droste | Former City Councilmember | Berkeley |
Susan Wengraf | City Councilmember | Berkeley |
Mark Humbert | City Councilmember | Berkeley |
Shawn Kumagai | City Councilmember | Dublin |
Aisha Wahab | City Councilmember | Hayward |
Libby Schaaf | Former Mayor | Oakland |
Sheng Thao | Mayor | Oakland |
Dan Kalb | City Councilmember | Oakland |
Janani Ramachandran | City Councilmember | Oakland |
John Gioia | Supervisor, District 1 | Contra Costa County |
Paul Fadelli | Mayor | El Cerrito |
Gabriel Quinto | Mayor Pro Tem, City Councilmember | El Cerrito |
Janet Abelson | City Councilmember | El Cerrito |
Tessa Rudnick | City Councilmember | El Cerrito |
Carolyn Wysinger | City Councilmember | El Cerrito |
Tiffany Grimsley | City Councilmember | Hercules |
Gayle McLaughlin | City Councilmember | Richmond |
Soheila Bana | City Councilmember | Richmond |
Rita Xavier | Vice Mayor, City Councilmember | San Pablo |
Dee Rosario | Board Member | East Bay Regional Park District |
Dennis Waespi | Board Member | East Bay Regional Park District |
Elizabeth Echols | Board Member | East Bay Regional Park District |
Vinnie Bacon | Former City Councilmember | Fremont |
Greg Lyman | Former Mayor | El Cerrito |
Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto | Former City Councilmember | El Cerrito |
Organization | Location |
Claremont Canyon Conservancy | Berkeley and Oakland |
Claremont Elmwood Neighborhood Association | Berkeley and Oakland |
Berkeley Firesafe/Hillside Foundation | Berkeley |
Friends of the Montclair Railroad Trail | Oakland |
Garber Park Stewards | Oakland |
Montclair Neighborhood Council | Oakland |
North Hills Community Association | Oakland |
Oakland Firefighters IAFF Local 55 | Oakland |
Oakland Landscape Committee | Oakland |
Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Association | Oakland |
South Hills Beat 35Y | Oakland |
El Cerrito Trail Trekkers | El Cerrito |
Make El Cerrito Fire Safe | El Cerrito |
94803 Emergency Preparedness Alliance | El Sobrante |
Kensington Neighbors for Wildfire Safety | Kensington |
Kensington Public Safety Council | Kensington |
Richmond Firefighters Local 188 | Richmond |
Oakland Firesafe Council | Alameda County |
Phreed (Pinole, Hercules, Rodeo, El Sobrante for Equity and Diversity) | Regional |
Regional Parks Association | Regional |
The Sierra Club | Regional |
The Community Organizing Committee began its work to facilitate the coordination of wildfire prevention efforts in the East Bay Hills in 2019. Initially, the group secured endorsements for a potential Joint Powers Agency (JPA) and made preliminary presentations to elected bodies and commissions to obtain support for a joint resolution that will allow local jurisdictions to explore formation of the JPA. From December 2021 through June 2022, more than 20 jurisdictions and agencies participated in several workshops for jurisdiction and agency representatives to consider a governing structure, goals, funding strategies, and implementation approach.
These workshops resulted in the nomination of a smaller working group composed of both fire professionals and elected officials from Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, and the Cities of Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and Pinole, and the Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District. In the summer of 2022, the working group made the recommendation to pursue the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in lieu of forming a new JPA. The Hanson Bridgett law firm was contracted in Fall 2022 to draft the MOU. The document was reviewed and revised by the Working Group and their legal counsel. In June 2023, the Working Group agreed on the final language of the proposed MOU.
The Proposed MOU is now public and will be presented to representatives from all interested jurisdictions and agencies in the East Bay Hills in Summer 2023, and then to governing boards for execution.
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Past events and presentations will be posted here.
Oakland Firesafe Council | Website |
Make El Cerrito Fire Safe | Website |
Diablo Firesafe | Website |
Claremont Canyon Conservancy | Website |
East Bay Regional Park District – Preparing for Wildfire Season | Website |
Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority | Website |
CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones Maps | Website |
California Government Code Article 1 – Joint Powers Agreements | Website |
An Introduction to Joint Powers Authorities, Their Funding Mechanisms, and Why California Should Utilize One in Order to Create an Effective Forest Management System to Prevent Wildfires (Anna Bernstein, Hastings Business Law Journal, Summer 2020) | View Article |
Joint Powers Authorities: Opportunities and Challenges (Joan L. Cassman and Jean B. Savaree) | View Article |
The Failure of Planning to Address the Urban Interface and Intermix Fire-hazard Problems in the San Francisco Bay Area (Joe McBride and Jerry Kent, International Journal of Wildland Fire, 2019) | View Article |
Remembering the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Firestorm (Brian Kranas, The Oaklandside, October 19, 2021) | View Article |
Survivors’ stories captured in new ABC6 documentary ‘Firestorm’ (Juan Carlos Guerrero and Brandon Behle, ABC7 News, October 20, 2021) | View Article |
View links to references, organizations, and articles by expanding the list below.
Oakland Firesafe Council | Website |
Make El Cerrito Fire Safe | Website |
Diablo Firesafe | Website |
Claremont Canyon Conservancy | Website |
East Bay Regional Park District – Preparing for Wildfire Season | Website |
Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority | Website |
CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones Maps | Website |
California Government Code Article 1 – Joint Powers Agreements | Website |
An Introduction to Joint Powers Authorities, Their Funding Mechanisms, and Why California Should Utilize One in Order to Create an Effective Forest Management System to Prevent Wildfires (Anna Bernstein, Hastings Business Law Journal, Summer 2020) | View Article |
Joint Powers Authorities: Opportunities and Challenges (Joan L. Cassman and Jean B. Savaree) | View Article |
The Failure of Planning to Address the Urban Interface and Intermix Fire-hazard Problems in the San Francisco Bay Area (Joe McBride and Jerry Kent, International Journal of Wildland Fire, 2019) | View Article |
Remembering the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Firestorm (Brian Kranas, The Oaklandside, October 19, 2021) | View Article |
Survivors’ stories captured in new ABC6 documentary ‘Firestorm’ (Juan Carlos Guerrero and Brandon Behle, ABC7 News, October 20, 2021) | View Article |
Oakland Firesafe Council | Website |
Make El Cerrito Fire Safe | Website |
Diablo Firesafe | Website |
Claremont Canyon Conservancy | Website |
East Bay Regional Park District – Preparing for Wildfire Season | Website |
Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority | Website |
CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones Maps | Website |
California Government Code Article 1 – Joint Powers Agreements | Website |
An Introduction to Joint Powers Authorities, Their Funding Mechanisms, and Why California Should Utilize One in Order to Create an Effective Forest Management System to Prevent Wildfires (Anna Bernstein, Hastings Business Law Journal, Summer 2020) | View Article |
Joint Powers Authorities: Opportunities and Challenges (Joan L. Cassman and Jean B. Savaree) | View Article |
The Failure of Planning to Address the Urban Interface and Intermix Fire-hazard Problems in the San Francisco Bay Area (Joe McBride and Jerry Kent, International Journal of Wildland Fire, 2019) | View Article |
Remembering the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Firestorm (Brian Kranas, The Oaklandside, October 19, 2021) | View Article |
Survivors’ stories captured in new ABC6 documentary ‘Firestorm’ (Juan Carlos Guerrero and Brandon Behle, ABC7 News, October 20, 2021) | View Article |
© 2021 East Bay Hills Wildfire Prevention and Vegetation Management Joint Powers Agency Formation Committee