CITY MANAGER'S UPDATE
CITY MANAGER JEFF KAY  |  April 7, 2023

The City Manager's Update is a bi-weekly, digital publication, and includes current information and news, program and project updates, upcoming events, recruitment opportunities, and more!

To subscribe to receive this publication and other City information directly to your inbox, visit healdsburg.gov/subscribe.  

To view previous issues, visit healdsburg.gov/cmupdate.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY + INCLUSION:

COMMUNITY ENCUENTROS

Please join us for the final session in the series of community conversations as we build the City's diversity, equity, and inclusion plan - together.

Language interpretation, childcare, and light refreshments will be provided.

THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2023  |  6:30 - 8:30 PM

Contemporary and Historical Experiences of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander Community in Healdsburg and Sonoma County

Learn more, and view the information in Spanish, at healdsburg.gov/dei.

PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE

ADOPTION DRAFT OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT

The City of Healdsburg is updating the Housing Element of the City’s General Plan to ensure that we’re prepared to meet the housing needs of Healdsburg in the next eight years. Under State law, every City and County in California must update its Housing Element and submit it to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

The Adoption Draft is the final draft before the Housing Element is submitted to HCD for review and approval, and outlines the proposed policies, strategies, and programs to be implemented from 2023-2030.  It represents an important stage in the planning process, allowing the public to provide feedback and ensure that the final adopted version reflects the needs and priorities of the community. 

The Adoption Draft of the City of Healdsburg's Housing Element is available now for review and public input, here.

The Adoption Draft of the Housing Element is scheduled to be reviewed by the Healdsburg Planning Commission on April 11, 2023, and by the Healdsburg City Council on May 1, 2023. 

You are invited to send comments on the Adoption draft to housingelement@healdsburg.gov or directly to HCD at HousingElements@hcd.ca.gov.

2023 LOCAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN

UPDATE PROCESS

On Thursday, April 6, the City of Healdsburg announced the launch of the 2023 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) update process.

A Local Hazard Mitigation Plan:

• Identifies risks and vulnerabilities that area-specific local natural disasters pose
• Serves as a long-term strategy for reducing identified risks and associated impacts to people and property
• Provides a framework for future requests for Federal assistance

The City of Healdsburg is vulnerable to a wide range of natural disasters, including droughts, wildfires, flooding, landslides, and earthquakes.  The 2023 LHMP update process will work to reassess these and other risks outlined in the 2018 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, and provide the City with the necessary tools to prioritize future actions for reducing those risks.  

The LHMP planning process is a collaborative effort with multiple opportunities for public input, including a future community workshop.  The first opportunity for public input is the LHMP survey in order to assess the community's hazard mitigation awareness, preparedness, and priorities.

"We encourage community members to take the survey and provide their input," said Healdsburg Emergency Manager Kelsey Carreiro.  "This is an opportunity for the community to have a say in the mitigation planning process, and help us develop a plan that reflects their needs and priorities." 

The survey can be completed in English, here, and in Spanish, here, before Monday, June 12.

The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires an LHMP to be updated every five years in order for an agency to continue to receive certain forms of Federal disaster assistance.  Healdsburg's first version of an LHMP was developed in 2005 as part of a larger regional plan, and was updated in 2011.  In 2018, the LHMP update process resulted in a stand-alone Plan, which the 2023 Plan will replace.

For additional information, or if you are interested in participating in the plan update process, please contact Kelsey Carreiro, at kcarreiro@healdsburg.gov, or (707) 431-3372.

EARTH DAY 2023

CLIMATE FEST

Mark your calendar and join the City of Healdsburg and Climate Action Healdsburg for Earth Day 2023 in the Plaza on Saturday, April 22!

This free, fun-filled event will have activities for all ages, including:

• Interactive booths and information displays
• A bicycle rodeo
• Fire truck
• Electric vehicle show
• "Earth protectors" parade
• Creative crafts for kids
• And more!

To learn more about the event, please click here.

Be sure to visit the City’s Climate Mobilization Strategy booth and discuss ideas for climate action. Healdsburg Electric customers that participate in the booth activity can enter the drawing to win a free e-bike! 

For more information, visit healdsburg.gov/cms.

HEALDSBURG WATER RESTRICTIONS UPDATE

On March 24, 2023, most state-wide emergency drought regulations were lifted.  In response to the State's actions, the Healdsburg City Council voted on April 3 to approve lifting local water restrictions.  

Due to the winter rainstorms, Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma exceeded their storage targets, which is great news for the reservoirs recovering after reaching historically low levels. Conservation will continue to be important to help the groundwater aquifers recover as well. Recent years have shown how we can work together as a community to conserve water, which will be important as we prepare and become more resilient for the next drought.

It is still always important to avoid water waste and wasteful water activities are still prohibited state-wide, including:

• Outdoor watering that lets water run onto sidewalks and other areas (except incidental runoff)
• Washing vehicles without an automatic shutoff nozzle 
• Washing hard surfaces like driveways or sidewalks that do not absorb water
• Street cleaning or construction site preparation
• Filling decorative fountains, lakes, or ponds without a recirculation pump
• Outdoor watering within 48 hours after at least 1/4 inch of rainfall
• Watering decorative grass on public medians
• Watering decorative grass in commercial, industrial, and institutional areas, including common areas of homeowners’ associations (HOAs)

To learn more, please visit healdsburg.gov/water2023.

LEND A HAND AT THE 

FITCH MOUNTAIN OPEN SPACE PRESERVE!

Join Landpaths and the City of Healdsburg for a volunteer workday!

French Broom is an invasive plant that grows quickly and densely.  Left to its own devices, it will overshadow native plants in the forests and act as a fuel ladder allowing wildfire to reach into tree canopies, which can be disastrous.  

Join us on Friday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fitch Mountain Open Space Preserve to pull Broom before the next wildfire season. With your help, we can steward ecological health and wildfire resilience, the trees, native plants, animals, and insects that inhabit our beautiful mountain.

To learn more and register, click here.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

The City of Healdsburg is currently recruiting for the following positions:

Full-Time:

• Geographic Information System (GIS) Specialist
• Police Dispatcher I

Part-Time:

• Lifeguard/Swim Instructor
• Parking Enforcement Officer

To learn more about the positions and apply, please click here.

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