6b) Discussion and Possible Action Including Direction to Staff to Author a Hazardous Vegetation and Rubbish Abatement Ordinance
(Sponsor: Supervisor Brown)
I'm disabled and lost two homes 20 ace burned I have not been able to rebuild yet it's taken me until this year to even think of getting it cleared I did start with our road entrance I burned all that I could on burn days. I have done what I can . I am no were close to be done this law will harm my life. I already have money problems. It's not fare. Give people more time please
I strongly support this wise ordinance to regulate hazardous vegetation so as to mitigate the level of destruction that would occur in the fire season. Definitely a must in our county.
Homeowner in Brooktrails, such as ourselves, have been diligently working on our lots to protect them from potential fire hazards. Unfortunately, vacant lots next door and near us have not. A wildfire would consume those lots in minutes -- and our homes with it. Please protect our property by ensuring that vacant lots in all parts of the county are compliant with fire abatement requirements. Thank you!
-- Dan Ramsey (DanRamsey.com), 27721 Poppy Drive, Willits, CA 95490
I support the hazardous vegetation and rubbish abatement ordinance. I would like the ordinance to include language that allows for grants and donations, to assist property owners in cleanup. Thank you, Dolly Riley
Dead trees threatening structures are one thing; removing all dead trees on large parcels without any funding support is not a well thought out proposal, rather a way to collect fines for revenue. PG&E was only willing to remove trees close to a road. Many large parcel owners are land rich and cash poor. Limbing up trees dead or alive that are beyond 100' defensible space but still close enough to structures to be of concern makes more sense than total removal of all dead trees.
We strongly support Carre Brown proposal re: vegetation removal from properties in the county.
Wooded subdivisions such as Brooktrail need this desperately.
Absentee owners make it difficult, as they often do not understand what it's like out here.
We do wonder what it would take to enforce that activity.
The threat of fire is real and more prevention efforts are needed. However some landowners need assistance rather than this heavy handed government regulatory stick. It has potential for abuse by disgruntled neighbors. A one size fits all ordinance will create confusion.
I support this ordinance to help make the residents of Mendocino County as safe as possible from a catastrophic wildfire event. I live in the Brooktrails subdivision which has limited evacuation routes and abating the hazardous vegetation on the vacant lots will help reduce the severity of the next wildfire, saving lives and property.
I support Supervisor Carre Brown in her effort to make our communities safer with this timely ordinance proposal. It makes complete sense to work together in every way we can to mitigate disaster. We all need to do the necessary work to prevent fires on our properties and when failing to do so, our community must have recourse to ensure safety for all. I also understand that there may be people among us who will have difficulty with the financial responsibilities that this ordinance implies.
The more the County can do to encourage property owners to reduce fuel loads on their land, the better. This ordinance coupled with a publicity/education campaign to raise awareness of the simple things that can be done for fire and harm reduction is vital to our community--particularly for people living in areas that have not yet been devastated by wildfires.
re 6b) Discussion and Possible Action Including Direction to Staff to Author a Hazardous Vegetation and Rubbish Abatement Ordinance
I propose the following provision be included within any ordinance drafted:
For any property owner or member of the public who wishes to remove gorse and other noxious vegetation from their own property or the county property adjacent to a county right of way, all coastal zone permitting processes, fees, and regulations will be waived.
Please, please do create this ordinance. After nearly having our house burn down in 2017, saved only by a neighbor and the fire department, we have struggled with a neighbor who leases out their pasture to a tree service. Tons of wood stacked up that is super dry and would burn hot. Reaching out to the tree service is of no avail. Fire Department has educated but cannot enforce. We can't sleep at night because of living next to a giant tinderbox of huge logs, piles of wood chips, lots of brush!
We encourage the Board to develop and pass an ordinance to strengthen enforcement of abatement of hazardous vegetation and rubbish. This is particularly needed for properties where the resident or owner has not taken fire-safe measures by clearing thiese materials. Such properties are fire hazards to surrounding properties as well, since embers from one location often travel great distances during high winds and result in starting fires on many other homes and properties.
Since my property burned in the 2017 wildfire that devastated Redwood Valley, my family has spent years clearing our land of fuel including trees that were killed by the fire but not completely consumed. Our property is surrounded on three sides by properties where the owners have done nothing to reduce the fuel load. It puts all of us at risk for the next fire and apparently they don't care. This proposed ordinance is good common sense and desperately needed to safeguard our county's future.
This ordinance will send a message to each of us that there is personal responsibility to live in rural areas adjacent to wild land. Here in the Deerwood community, we have significant cooperation making great strides in the past 2 years working together, and with our elected officials to become prepared, and stay active to help us all live a little wiser up here. On this subject, what goes on in a neighbor's backyard affects me and my family's safety. Each district of MC faces this threat.
A huge hindrance to fire safety in our communities is uncleared, dry vegetation - whether that be in open land, or on a landowner's property. With the current fire patterns, many people have addressed this, but unfortunately others have ignored this strong advice. One neighbor with a non-hardscaped property can literally be the match head for an entire neighborhood. Having a fire fuel abatement to enforce clean up is the ONLY WAY to get cooperation. If Sonoma County can do this, so can we.
I'm disabled and lost two homes 20 ace burned I have not been able to rebuild yet it's taken me until this year to even think of getting it cleared I did start with our road entrance I burned all that I could on burn days. I have done what I can . I am no were close to be done this law will harm my life. I already have money problems. It's not fare. Give people more time please
I strongly support this wise ordinance to regulate hazardous vegetation so as to mitigate the level of destruction that would occur in the fire season. Definitely a must in our county.
Homeowner in Brooktrails, such as ourselves, have been diligently working on our lots to protect them from potential fire hazards. Unfortunately, vacant lots next door and near us have not. A wildfire would consume those lots in minutes -- and our homes with it. Please protect our property by ensuring that vacant lots in all parts of the county are compliant with fire abatement requirements. Thank you!
-- Dan Ramsey (DanRamsey.com), 27721 Poppy Drive, Willits, CA 95490
I support the hazardous vegetation and rubbish abatement ordinance. I would like the ordinance to include language that allows for grants and donations, to assist property owners in cleanup. Thank you, Dolly Riley
Dead trees threatening structures are one thing; removing all dead trees on large parcels without any funding support is not a well thought out proposal, rather a way to collect fines for revenue. PG&E was only willing to remove trees close to a road. Many large parcel owners are land rich and cash poor. Limbing up trees dead or alive that are beyond 100' defensible space but still close enough to structures to be of concern makes more sense than total removal of all dead trees.
We strongly support Carre Brown proposal re: vegetation removal from properties in the county.
Wooded subdivisions such as Brooktrail need this desperately.
Absentee owners make it difficult, as they often do not understand what it's like out here.
We do wonder what it would take to enforce that activity.
Hal Wagenet
Sherwood Rd, Willits
The threat of fire is real and more prevention efforts are needed. However some landowners need assistance rather than this heavy handed government regulatory stick. It has potential for abuse by disgruntled neighbors. A one size fits all ordinance will create confusion.
I support this ordinance to help make the residents of Mendocino County as safe as possible from a catastrophic wildfire event. I live in the Brooktrails subdivision which has limited evacuation routes and abating the hazardous vegetation on the vacant lots will help reduce the severity of the next wildfire, saving lives and property.
I do not support this. How do people pay for this? It should not be suddenly sprung on property. What about elderly. Its outrageous.
I support Supervisor Carre Brown in her effort to make our communities safer with this timely ordinance proposal. It makes complete sense to work together in every way we can to mitigate disaster. We all need to do the necessary work to prevent fires on our properties and when failing to do so, our community must have recourse to ensure safety for all. I also understand that there may be people among us who will have difficulty with the financial responsibilities that this ordinance implies.
The more the County can do to encourage property owners to reduce fuel loads on their land, the better. This ordinance coupled with a publicity/education campaign to raise awareness of the simple things that can be done for fire and harm reduction is vital to our community--particularly for people living in areas that have not yet been devastated by wildfires.
re 6b) Discussion and Possible Action Including Direction to Staff to Author a Hazardous Vegetation and Rubbish Abatement Ordinance
I propose the following provision be included within any ordinance drafted:
For any property owner or member of the public who wishes to remove gorse and other noxious vegetation from their own property or the county property adjacent to a county right of way, all coastal zone permitting processes, fees, and regulations will be waived.
Please, please do create this ordinance. After nearly having our house burn down in 2017, saved only by a neighbor and the fire department, we have struggled with a neighbor who leases out their pasture to a tree service. Tons of wood stacked up that is super dry and would burn hot. Reaching out to the tree service is of no avail. Fire Department has educated but cannot enforce. We can't sleep at night because of living next to a giant tinderbox of huge logs, piles of wood chips, lots of brush!
We encourage the Board to develop and pass an ordinance to strengthen enforcement of abatement of hazardous vegetation and rubbish. This is particularly needed for properties where the resident or owner has not taken fire-safe measures by clearing thiese materials. Such properties are fire hazards to surrounding properties as well, since embers from one location often travel great distances during high winds and result in starting fires on many other homes and properties.
I would like to join my neighbors in supporting an abatement ordinance. Thank you, Cherie Alton, Wildwood Rd. Deerwood.
Since my property burned in the 2017 wildfire that devastated Redwood Valley, my family has spent years clearing our land of fuel including trees that were killed by the fire but not completely consumed. Our property is surrounded on three sides by properties where the owners have done nothing to reduce the fuel load. It puts all of us at risk for the next fire and apparently they don't care. This proposed ordinance is good common sense and desperately needed to safeguard our county's future.
This ordinance will send a message to each of us that there is personal responsibility to live in rural areas adjacent to wild land. Here in the Deerwood community, we have significant cooperation making great strides in the past 2 years working together, and with our elected officials to become prepared, and stay active to help us all live a little wiser up here. On this subject, what goes on in a neighbor's backyard affects me and my family's safety. Each district of MC faces this threat.
A huge hindrance to fire safety in our communities is uncleared, dry vegetation - whether that be in open land, or on a landowner's property. With the current fire patterns, many people have addressed this, but unfortunately others have ignored this strong advice. One neighbor with a non-hardscaped property can literally be the match head for an entire neighborhood. Having a fire fuel abatement to enforce clean up is the ONLY WAY to get cooperation. If Sonoma County can do this, so can we.