PREPARED BY: GRIFFEN DEMPSEY DATE OF MEETING: 04/28/2026
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDER AMENDING THE SAFETY AND NOISE ELEMENT OF THE SAN PABLO GENERAL PLAN 2035 TO ADOPT THE SAN PABLO ANNEX OF THE 2024 LOCAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN INTO THE SAFETY AND NOISE ELEMENT AS PART OF THE ADOPTING RESOLUTION AS REQUIRED BY ASSEMBLY BILL 2140. THIS IS A CITY INITIATED PROJECT AND IT APPLIES TO THE ENTIRE SAN PABLO PLANNING AREA
CEQA: This amendment to the Safety and Noise Element of the General Plan was previously evaluated in the Addenda to the 2030 General Plan EIR (certified on April 18, 2011) prepared for the General Plan Update 2035 (adopted on July 7, 2025), which found that there would not be any new or additional significant environmental impacts due to adoption of the General Plan Update, including the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Label
Location: San Pablo Planning Area includes the corporate limits and adjacent unincorporated areas in Rollingwood and Hasford Heights.
APN: All APNs in Planning Area
Zoning: Refer to San Pablo and Contra Costa County zoning maps
CEQA: An Addendum to the 2030 General Plan EIR (certified on April 18, 2011) was prepared for the General Plan 2035 and adopted on July 7, 2025. This Addendum evaluated potential impacts related to an amendment to the Safety and Noise Element, including adoption of the 2024 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Addendum included updated analysis of traffic and vehicle miles travelled, noise, and air quality and greenhouse gas emissions and concluded that no additional environmental review was required pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15162.
Owner: City of San Pablo
Applicant: City of San Pablo
Staff Contact: Griffen Dempsey, Associate Planner
Recommendation
Conduct public hearing; adopt Resolution
Body
REQUESTED ACTION
This is a City-initiated request to have the Planning Commission conduct a public hearing and provide a recommendation on the adoption of an amendment to the Safety and Noise Element of the San Pablo General Plan 2035 (the “Amendment”). The amendment would expressly incorporate the San Pablo Annex of the Contra Costa County 2024 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (the “LHMP”) into the Safety Element as required by Assembly Bill 2140.
The Planning Commission should hold a public hearing, take public comment on the Amendment, and make a recommendation to the City Council on adoption of the Amendment. The City Council will also hold a public hearing and provide opportunity for public comment on the Amendment at its regular meeting on May 18, 2026. The adopted San Pablo General Plan 2035 is available at the City of San Pablo website at this location: <https://www.sanpabloca.gov/2903/General-Plan>
The San Pablo Annex of the Contra Costa County Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is available at this location:
<https://www.sanpabloca.gov/2583/_-Local-Hazard-Mitigation-Plan>
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
In 2011, the City of San Pablo certified the Final EIR for the San Pablo General Plan 2030 (“2011 EIR”) and adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations related to significant and unavoidable transportation impacts. In July 2025, the City updated General Plan 2030 and adopted General Plan 2035, which included implementation of the LHMP as part of the Safety and Noise Element (see SN-I-33). When approving General Plan 2035, the City adopted an Addendum to the 2011 EIR. This Addendum included updated analysis of traffic and vehicle miles traveled, noise, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. The Addendum determined that there were no substantial changes proposed by the San Pablo General Plan 2035 or the circumstances in which the plan would be undertaken that would require major revisions to the 2011 EIR, that there were no mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible that would in fact be feasible, and that the General Plan 2035 would be consistent with and within the scope of the 2011 EIR in accordance with CEQA Guidelines section 15162.
The 2011 EIR for the San Pablo General Plan 2030 is available for viewing at these links:
<https://www.sanpabloca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/565/San-Pablo-GP-FEIR--021011?bidId=>
The Addendum for the San Pablo General Plan 2035 is available at this link:
<https://www.sanpabloca.gov/2804/General-Plan-Housing-Element-Update>.
BACKGROUND
The City’s General Plan is a state-required long-range policy document that provides guidance to decision makers regarding the allocation of resources, and the future physical form and character of development for the City outlining a long-range vision and provides steps to achieve this vision in the form of goals and policies. State law identifies seven required elements (e.g., land use, circulation, housing, conversation, open space, noise, and safety) along with several provisionally mandatory or optional elements that may be included (e.g., environmental justice).
The City previously adopted a comprehensive General Plan entitled San Pablo General Plan 2030, which was adopted on April 18, 2011.
In 2024, the City adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element (adopted March 18, 2024 and certified by the State on May 20, 2024), along with the adoption of a new Environmental Justice and Community Health Element and required amendments to the Safety and Noise Element to reflect updates to evacuation routes required by Housing Element revisions, pursuant to Government Code Section 65302(g).
In order to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) and certain other recovery funds, the City is required to prepare a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan to plan for and lessen the impacts of specified natural hazards pursuant to the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-390). These plans must be updated every five years. Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2140, cities can also be considered for additional state cost-sharing on eligible public projects by formally adopting their current, FEMA-approved LHMPs into the Safety Element of their General Plan.
The City worked with a consortium of other communities to develop the Contra Costa County 2024 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, which was an update to a prior iteration of the County’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The San Pablo Annex to the Contra Costa County 2024 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (i.e. the City’s LHMP) was adopted by the City Council on April 7, 2025 by Resolution 2025-043 and approved by FEMA on April 22, 2025.
In July 2025, the City approved General Plan 2035, a comprehensive update to the General Plan. The Safety and Noise Element included requires implementation of the LHMP and includes a link to the document (see page 9-24 and SN-I-33). When approving General Plan 2035, the City adopted an Addendum to the 2011 EIR. The Addendum thus evaluated the potential impacts associated with implementation of the LHMP even though the full text of the LHMP was not formally included part of General Plan 2035.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) reviewed the City’s adoption of the LHMP and requested that the City amend General Plan 2035 to formally adopt the LHMP as part of the Safety Element. No amendments to the actual text of the Safety and Noise Element are proposed at this time; instead, the proposed Amendment involves formally adding the LHMP to the Safety and Noise Element as an appendix.
The City has already performed the required tribal consultation under SB 18 and AB 52 conducted for the San Pablo General Plan Update 2035, which included the LHMP. The consultation process commenced with initial outreach on December 8, 2022 to all Tribes identified by the Native American Heritage Commission. Pursuant to this process, the City consulted with the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, who expressed an interest in being consulted on future development projects. The City did not receive any comments from any Tribe related to the LHMP.
PROPOSED GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT
To achieve compliance with AB 2140, the City proposes to add the LHMP as an appendix to the Safety and Noise Element of General Plan 2035. The proposed resolution specifies that the LHMP is now formally part of the Safety and Noise Element.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY REQUIREMENTS
The General Plan and all Elements thereof are required to be internally consistent and to contain goals and policies that are compatible. State Law also prohibits the City from amending the mandatory elements of the General Plan (including the Housing Element, Safety Element, and Environmental Justice Element) more than 4 times per year and requires any amendment to the General Plan to be in the public interest. The proposed Amendment is in the public’s interest in that it will provide access to additional recovery funds in the event of a disaster. The Noise and Safety Element has not yet been amended in 2026. (Note that a second amendment to the Noise and Safety Element is being prepared to address other requirements related to fire hazard areas and evacuation routes).
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission review the attached Resolution; hold a public hearing to receive public comment; provide feedback to staff; and adopt the Resolution recommending that the San Pablo City Council amend the Safety and Noise Element of the San Pablo General Plan 2035 to formally incorporate the LHMP.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Resolution PC26-06, incorporating LHMP into Safety and Noise Element
B. Resolution 2025-043, adopting the San Pablo Annex of the LHMP
C. Resolution 2025-097, adopting San Pablo General Plan Update 2035
D. AB 2140 Fact Sheet
E. E-mail communication from Cal OES, dated August 14, 2025.
F. Proof of Publication