The Safety Element is one of the State-required components of the City’s General Plan. State law requires that the Safety Element be consistent with other General Plan Elements, including the Housing Element and the Land Use and Circulation Elements. The Safety Element is intended to complement, and not compete with, the other General Plan Elements. As an example, the policies in the Safety Element establish the policies and programs necessary to ensure that new housing sites as planned for in the Housing Element are protected from earthquake hazards.
The Safety Element will be updated concurrently with the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) update. A Local Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies local disaster hazards, assess the possibility of these hazards occurring and estimates potential costs, and identifies actions to mitigate disaster losses. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires plan revisions to be reviewed and approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) every five years. Santa Monica’s existing plan was last approved in October 2016. The Santa Monica Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is actively coordinating the City’s process for LHMP updates and mitigation planning efforts, in sync with the Safety Element planning team. The Safety Element will integrate the risk reduction and emergency response strategies identified in the LHMP.
The Safety Element and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan updates will complement and build upon the adaptation strategies in the City’s adopted 2019 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) as well as the City’s Local Coastal Plan to provide an integrated approach to building a safe and resilient community.
