City Manager Alan Flora, acting as the city’s director of emergency services, issued the declaration on Friday.
The declaration follows one for all of Lake County issued on Monday by Sheriff Rob Howe.
The city did not immediately respond to a question about estimates of damage to public infrastructure.
The Clearlake City Council is expected to ratify the declaration when it meets on Thursday.
The full proclamation follows.
PROCLAMATION BY THE CITY OF CLEARLAKE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY SERVICES DECLARING A LOCAL EMERGENCY FOR WINTER STORMS
WHEREAS, City of Clearlake Municipal Code Section 2-11.6 empowers the Director of Emergency Services (City Manager) to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when the city is affected or likely to be affected by a public calamity and the City Council is not in session; andWHEREAS, Government Code Section 8550 et seq., including Section 8558(c), authorize the City Manager to proclaim a local emergency when the City is threatened by conditions of disaster or extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the City that are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the City; and
WHEREAS, starting on February 2, 2024 a winter storm resulted in high winds and heavy rain; and
WHEREAS, these conditions have caused a loss of stability to trees and hillsides, including significant damage to property, infrastructure and public safety within the city limits; and
WHEREAS, the mobilization of local resources, ability to coordinate interagency response, accelerate procurement of vital supplies, use mutual aid, and allow for future reimbursement by the state and federal governments will be critical to successfully responding to the impacts of the winter storms; and
WHEREAS, the City Manager, as the City’s Director of Emergency Services, has the power to declare a local emergency as authorized by Government Code section 8630 and Clearlake Municipal Code section 2-11.6.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED by the City Manager of the City of Clearlake as follows:
A. A local emergency exists based on the existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property, as detailed in the recitals set forth above.
B. The area within the City which is endangered and/or imperiled.
C. During the existence of this local emergency, the powers, functions, and duties of the emergency organization of this City shall be those prescribed by state law and by ordinances, resolutions, and orders of this City, including but not limited to the City of Clearlake Emergency Operations Plan.
D. The City Council shall review and ratify this proclamation within seven (7) days as required by state law, and if ratified, shall continue to exist until the City Council proclaims the termination of this local emergency. The City Council shall review the need for continuing the local emergency as required by state law until it terminates the local emergency, and shall terminate the local emergency at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant.
E. That a copy of this proclamation be forwarded to the Director of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services requesting that the Director find it acceptable in accordance with State Law; that the Governor of California, pursuant to the Emergency Services Act, issue a proclamation declaring an emergency in the City of Clearlake; that the Governor waive regulations that may hinder response and recovery efforts; that recovery assistance be made available under the California Disaster Assistance Act; and that the State expedite access to State and Federal resources and any other appropriate federal disaster relief programs.
DATED: February 9, 2024
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Alan D. Flora
Director of Emergency Services