Newsletter

What a positive impact the debris-removal project made for the Third District's canyon residents. In part thanks to the County’s sponsorship of a Federal grant that Chairman Wagner initiated in 2022 after much collaboration with canyon leadership. According to OC Public Works, over 9,300 tons of mud and debris were removed from the area — that's 18+ million pounds of mud, rocks, and materials were cleared away.

The district’s new Congresswoman, Young Kim, and Chairman Wagner toured the area to see what worked and take stock of what more can be done. Both representatives vow to find ways to save life and property in rural Silverado and Modjeska Canyon and look forward to serving their shared constituency at the County and Federal levels.

More on the project:

On January 11, 2022 the Board of Supervisors authorized OC Public Works to submit a request to NRCS to serve as the local sponsor for two projects identified by NRCS (collectively referred to as the Project):

Silverado Creek and Anderson Creek: debris and obstruction removal of deposited material only upstream of the County of Orange (County) owned Kitterman Bridge
Silverado Creek and Wildcat Canyon Creek: channel clearing/debris removal upstream of the County owned culvert under Silverado Canyon Road

The County was able to cover some additional areas during this project as well:

Cleared out the stockpile of debris on the Riviera across from The Abbey
Cleared material at Santiago and Olive both under the road on Santiago and upstream and downstream of the culvert
The Project decreased the potential for damage to both public and private facilities during future debris flows caused by rainstorms over the Bond Fire burn scar area.
On August 12, 2022, NRCS approved the Project for funding under their EWP program and issued a reimbursement agreement.
Construction on the Project started in September 2022.
The Project was completed November 2022 and help significantly in both the rains in November 2022 and the rains this past week, January 2023.

The tight-knit community had positive feedback overall for the project, including canyon resident Rich Pfeiffer:

"I live at ground zero for the Bond Fire and Silverado Creek repairs. OC Public Works PIO, Shannon Wider, told me the repairs got done only because Supervisor Wagner pushed for relief. ...The funds were enough to repair the creek and prevent further damage to homes, property, and the emotional well-being of our neighborhood. We completely appreciate what Supervisor Wagner and Public Works have done to make our homes safe. On an even more positive side, due to Supervisor Wagner's efforts, we are again fishing at Irvine Lake and my grandson caught his first two fish there! Just like his Dad did. Thank you." —Rich Pfeiffer, Neighborhood Block Captain

The Chairman gives OC Public Works a special shout-out for monitoring our canyon areas closely.

ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY IS A TOP-NOTCH AGENCY

Chairman Wagner serves as a Director at the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), he is actively working to ensure the best resources are in place to protect life and property in the fire-prone areas of his District. He toured one of our local fire stations, Station 22, where a sense of pride in work was abundantly clear. Several fire teams from different cities coordinate among stations so there is never a gap in service. The firefighters who work at OCFA are proud to work for an Agency that is dedicated to the highest levels of service and quality of life.

AN UPDATE FROM CAL FIRE THAT COULD IMPACT YOU

As a Director at the Fire Authority, Chairman Wagner wants to ensure all can be done to protect life and property. He also wants to ensure our residents are as engaged as possible on issues that concern their properties.

There is an update to note that will affect our community, and the time to act is now. CAL Fire last updated its fire severity map back in 2007. The maps are going to change soon with public input. The maps and their determination are not under the County's control, but we want to alert our community to this time period for public comment, from February 3 to April 4. Read more here.

Updated maps show more areas along East Orange County (our district) and how it is moving into the "Very High" category. This map shows the prior zone and what the proposed map will look like: it impacts Yorba Linda down south to Rancho Santa Margarita, including our canyon areas. Also, it may impact insurance coverage.

CAL Fire posted a list of FAQ, including “Insurance Related Questions.” One question to note:

Q: Will the new fire hazard severity zones affect my ability to get or maintain insurance?

A: Insurance companies use risk models, which differ from hazard models because they consider the susceptibility of a structure to damage from fire and other short-term factors that are not included in hazard modeling.

It is unlikely that insurance risk models specifically call out CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones as a factor, but much of the same data that is used in the fire hazard severity zone model is likely included in the insurance companies’ risk models.

However, insurance risk models incorporate many additional factors and factors that change more frequently than those that CAL FIRE includes in its hazard mapping, which is built to remain steady for the next 10+ years.

Once again, this is a friendly reminder to our community that the window to provide input is now.