East Bay Wildfire Coalition of Governments

A collaborative effort to mitigate the risk of wildfire in the East Bay Hills.

Photo credit: Julia Sumangil Photography

Launched in April 2024, the East Bay Wildfire Coalition of Governments (EBWC) is a regional consortium of elected officials representing cities, counties and fire districts committed to safeguarding our communities and natural landscapes in the East Bay Hills.

Welcome to the temporary website for the EBWC. Come here for meeting notices and materials, background information, and updates.

Who we are

Member Jurisdiction Represented by:
Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato-Bas
Fire Chief William McDonald
Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia (Chair)
Fire Chief Lewis Broschard
City of Berkeley Councilmember Shoshana O'Keefe
Fire Chief David Sprague
City of El Cerrito Councilmember Lisa Motoyama
Fire Chief Eric Saylors
City of Hercules Councilmember Alex Walker-Griffin
City of Oakland Councilmember Janani Ramachandran
Fire Chief Damon Covington
City of Pinole Mayor Maureen Toms
City of Richmond Councilmember Soheila Bana
Fire Chief Aaron Osorio
Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District Board Vice Chair Marie Bowman
Fire Chief Rebecca Ramirez

The following jurisdictions have adopted and signed the Memorandum of Understanding for Coordination of Wildfire Prevention Activities to Protect the East Bay Hills in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

Each Member Jurisdiction appoints one elected official representative. Fire Chiefs advise their respective elected officials and participate in EBWC meetings.

  • Regional agencies advise the EBWC and participate in meetings.

    • University of California at Berkeley

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

    • East Bay Regional Parks District

    • East Bay Municipal Utility District

    • East Bay FireSafe Councils

  • The EBWC covers western Alameda and Contra Costa Counties containing areas designated as High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

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  • Recognizing that wildfire does not respect jurisdictional boundaries, the East Bay Wildfire Coalition of Governments (EBWC) is a regional consortium of elected officials representing cities, counties and fire districts committed to safeguarding our communities and natural landscapes in the East Bay Hills of the San Francisco Bay Area.

    We support proactive, science-based, ecologically sound and data-driven approaches to resiliency. Through preparedness, community engagement, education, and collaboration, we support mitigating the increasing threat of cata-strophic wildfires due to the climate crisis.

    1. Strengthen building and fire codes and adherence.

    2. Support science-driven regional vegetation management priorities.

    3. Advocate for local, county and state legislation.

    4. Support evacuation and response programs.

    5. Secure new funding for regional priorities.tem description

  • Education: Create community engagement program to inform property owners, and decision-makers, about the value of home hardening and defensible space including “zone zero”

    Legislation: Support adoption of state, county and local ordinances to promote consistent region-wide risk reduction measures in wildfire hazard zones

    Funding: Promote and support a regional assistance program for qualified homeowners to help establish ember-resistant zones within five feet of structures, or “zone zero”

  • Funding: Promote implementation of best practices for various vegetative types, raise funds for situational analyses, plans for a CEQA-compliant, ecologically-sound, region-wide vegetation management plan

    Project management: Apply for grants, distribute funding and support activities

  • Work began in 2019 when a small group of East Bay community leaders concluded that wildfire prevention efforts could not be successful on a city-by-city or fire district basis alone. Volunteers from local organizations, including Oakland Firesafe and Claremont Canyon Conservancy, solicited political and community support, raising enough money to retain a professional consulting firm (Placeworks) and legal adviser (Hanson Bridgett) which drafted the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

    On April 29th 2024, the EBWC convened for the first time. As of August 2024, 10 local governing bodies have joined the coalition. The EBWC now continues to meet on a regular basis (see the “Meetings” section for more details).

  • The EBWC members decided on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide 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. 

    The MOU can be signed by counties (Alameda and Contra Costa), all cities and towns, and all fire districts with jurisdiction in the East Bay Hills.

BACKGROUND - What is the EBWC?

Meetings

EBWC meetings are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. All meetings are held at the El Cerrito City Hall.

UPCOMING MEETINGS: To be announced

PAST MEETINGS:

February 27, 2025

Meeting 5: November 14, 2024

Meeting 4: October 21, 2024

Meeting 3: September 23, 2024

Meeting 2: July 8, 2024

Meeting 1: April 29, 2024 

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