HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 9007
City of Palo Alto (ID # 9007)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 3/19/2018
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Council Donation to North Bay Fire Relief
Title: Approval of a Donation of $25,000 From the City Council Contingency
Fund to Support North Bay Fire Relief, Resilience and Recovery
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Fire
Recommendation
Approve a donation of $25,000 from the City Council Contingency to support North Bay Fire
relief, resilience and recovery. The recommended recipients and amounts are:
1. The Sonoma County Resilience Fund, administered by the Community Foundation of Sonoma
County (Recommended donation: $15,000);
2. The Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund, administered by the Napa Valley Community
Foundation (Recommended donation: $5,000); and
3. The Disaster Fund for the Redwood/Potter Fires administered by the Community Foundation of
Mendocino County (Recommended donation: $5,000).
Background
On November 13, 2017, Councilmembers Karen Holman and Lydia Kou, and then-Vice Mayor Liz
Kniss proposed donating $25,000 from the City Council Contingency to the Redwood Credit
Union’s North Bay Fire Relief Fund. As of February 15, 2018, the North Bay Fire Relief Fund
discontinued taking donations and recommended three nonprofit and community groups
serving the mid and long term recovery needs:
Sonoma County Resilience Fund:
With 34 years of experience in philanthropy, the Community Foundation of Sonoma
County has made strategic and impactful grants to support the well-being of the county.
To date they have given out more than $200 million dollars to Sonoma County
organizations addressing issues such as housing, hunger, economic well-being and
mental health.
Recovery from these fires will take years, and the Sonoma County Resilience Fund was
created to address the mid to long-term needs of those impacted by these devastating
fires.
City of Palo Alto Page 2
Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund
The Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund is managed by Napa Valley Community
Foundation and was established with a $10 million lead gift from Napa Valley Vintners
following the 2014 South Napa Earthquake. Since the October 2017 fires, nearly $14
million has been contributed by 20,000 individual, corporate and foundation donors in
California, the US and abroad. Thus far, $4 million has been distributed from the Fund to
provide 15,000 fire survivors with services and nearly 1,900 households with direct cash
assistance.
The Disaster Fund for the Redwood/Potter Fires
Administered by the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, the Disaster Fund
for the Redwood/Potter Fires has raised $2.1 million from thousands of donors in the
four months since the fires broke out. Business and private sponsorship has covered the
1.5% administrative fee enabling 100% of the funds raised to go to those affected by the
fires.
As repopulation and recovery continue, the Fund will address longer-term needs such as
temporary housing, replacement of essential household items and medical care or
counseling. Housing is a major concern since the City of Ukiah only had a 1% vacancy
rate and people will need temporary housing, so they can remain in the community.
From October 8 to October 31, 2017, a series of wind-driven wildfires burned 245,000 acres
primarily in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino Counties. The Northern California fires killed 44
people and hospitalized at least 185, making the week of October 8, 2017, the deadliest week
of wildfires in California history. In total, the fires destroyed an estimated 8,900 structures,
including 6,200 homes.
In response to this devastation, the City Council expressed sympathy and a desire to support
our neighboring communities. Council contacted colleagues in the impacted areas seeking a
way to assist.
Staff is recommending the donation amounts based upon the proportion of damage and need
in the counties. There was significantly more damage in Sonoma County than Napa and
Mendocino Counties.
Council has made similar donations from their contingency fund and these donations comply
with City Policy and past practice.
Resource Impact
Funding in the amount of $225,000 is currently available in the City Council Contingency. This
action will reduce the Contingency to $200,000 in Fiscal Year 2018 which can be used to
support other funding needs, subject to City Council approval.