Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, May 02, 2017
Special Orders of the Day
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION NO. 17-042 TO SUPPORT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT IN ADOPTING MORE RESTRICTIVE BUILDING STANDARDS INTEGRATED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY ORDINANCE NO. 2017-0003 WITHIN JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY OF CARSON
PUBLIC HEARING TO INTRODUCE ORDINANCE NO. 17-1617, AMENDING THE CARSON MUNICIPAL CODE ADOPTING BY REFERENCE THE 2017 LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE CODE, TITLE 32 (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
Adoption of Resolution No. 17-042 (Exhibit No. 1) will demonstrate the City Council’s support of the Los Angeles County Fire Protection District and their efforts to adhere to the State of California health and safety law requirements which govern the safeguarding of life and property from fire and explosion hazards and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the occupancy of buildings and premises within the City of Carson.
Adoption of Ordinance No. 17-1716 (Exhibit No. 2) will demonstrate the City Council’s compliance with California State law requiring that the City of Carson’s Fire Code contain the standards that are published in the California Building Standards Code and that local codes must be operative by January 1, 2017.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. OPEN the Public Hearing, TAKE public testimony, CLOSE the Public Hearing.
2. WAIVE further reading and ADOPT Resolution No. 17-042, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA TO SUPPORT MORE RESTRICTIVE BUILDING STANDARDS OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT ORDINANCE NO. 2017-0003.
3. WAIVE further reading and INTRODUCE Ordinance No. 17-1617, “AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA MAKING AMENDMENTS TO THE CARSON MUNICIPAL CODE BY ADOPTING BY REFERENCE TITLE 32 OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY CODE, AS AMENDED, INCORPORATING THE 2016 EDITION OF THE CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE.
1.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
If no action is taken, the California Fire Code would become the operative code in the City of Carson; all previous local and County amendments would be void.
IV. BACKGROUND
The attached resolution adopts the Los Angeles County Fire Protection District Fire Code as the City's Fire Code and ratifies the building standards, relating to fire and life safety, which are more restrictive than those adopted by the State Fire Marshal and contained within the California Building Standards Code. California law requires building standards adopted by local jurisdictions that are more restrictive than those adopted by the state to be enacted by ordinance within 180 days after the state adopts and publishes the California Building and Fire Code. The California Health and Safety Code Section 13869.7 authorizes the Fire District to adopt such standards but requires ratification by the legislative body where the standards will apply.
Similarly restrictive building standards are contained in the existing Fire Protection District Fire Code and have been in effect and are an integral part of the District’s fire protection plan. Modifications were recently adopted on January 24, 2017 and are contained in the current Ordinance.
California Health and Safety Code Section 13869.7 requires the Fire District and each city to make and to file findings that support the need for more restrictive building standards based on local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions. Those findings from the Ordinance adopted by the Board of Supervisors are contained in Exhibit 3. The County and District Fire Code Summary of Changes are shown in Exhibit 4. It describes the changes in the 2017 County/District Fire Code from the existing 2014 Fire Code.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Resolution No. 17-042 (pgs. 3-4)
2. Ordinance No. 17-1617 (pg. 5)
3. Findings in Support of Adoption of More Restrictive Building Standards (pgs. 6-20)
4. County and District Fire Code Summary of Changes (pg. 21)
Prepared by: Randall Sancho, District Engineer