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Red Flag Warnings / Declarations / Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) / National Weather Service / Protocols and Procedures / 2025 Windstorm and Wildfire Recovery

Council File 25-0006-S35

Under review — the City Attorney has drafted an ordinance to tighten open-flame rules at parks in fire-prone areas, switching from seasonal dates to a year-round ban triggered by fire danger ratings. It's now waiting for the Ad Hoc Committee to weigh in.

Introduced
2025-01-14
Last changed
2026-08-03
Status
open
Expires
2028-08-03
Committee
Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery
Mover
NITHYA RAMAN
Second
YSABEL JURADO
References
City Attorney Report: R26-0445

Brief

Councilmembers Raman and Yaroslavsky moved to establish coordinated procedures for responding to National Weather Service Red Flag Warnings and Particularly Dangerous Situation alerts as part of 2025 windstorm and wildfire recovery efforts. The motion directs the city to align emergency protocols with these weather alerts. Council adopted the item unanimously 15-0 on May 13, 2026. A City Attorney report was subsequently referred to the Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery in August 2026 for continued oversight.

Full summary

In the wake of 2025 windstorm and wildfire events, Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Katy Yaroslavsky introduced this motion to establish clear protocols and procedures for city emergency response triggered by National Weather Service Red Flag Warnings and Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) declarations. The substantive goal is to ensure that LA's emergency management systems are synchronized with meteorological alerts issued by the federal weather service, improving warning times and response coordination during high-risk fire and wind events. The motion was initially referred to the Public Safety Committee in January 2025 but was rerouted to the Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery given its connection to broader post-wildfire recovery work. Neighborhood councils including Bel Air-Beverly Crest, Los Feliz, and Arroyo Seco submitted community impact statements, signaling local concern about emergency preparedness in fire-prone communities. After reports from the Emergency Management Department and multiple rounds of committee review, the Ad Hoc Committee approved an amended version in April 2026. Council Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez moved a floor amendment on May 13, 2026 to delete recommendation No. 4 from the committee's report entirely before final passage. The full Council then adopted the item as amended unanimously 15-0, and the action was finalized on May 15, 2026. The most recent development is a City Attorney draft ordinance, submitted August 3, 2026, now pending before the Ad Hoc Committee. That ordinance would amend Section 63.44.P of the Municipal Code to extend the existing seasonal ban on open flames at parks in high fire hazard zones into a year-round prohibition triggered by conditions rather than the calendar. Under current law, open flames are banned at such parks only between April 1 and November 1. The proposed change would ban them any time the Los Angeles Fire Department's daily fire danger rating reaches Very High or Extreme, regardless of the date. The City Attorney's office, led by Hydee Feldstein Soto, has determined the ordinance is categorically exempt from CEQA review and has circulated the draft to the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Los Angeles Police Department for comment. The draft ordinance now awaits further action by the Ad Hoc Committee.

Activity (23)

  • 2026-08-03 City Attorney document(s) referred to Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery.
  • 2026-08-03 Document submitted by City Attorney, dated August 3, 2026.
  • 2026-05-15 Council action final.
  • 2026-05-13 Council adopted item as amended, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2026-05-13 Council adopted item as amended by , subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2026-05-08 Council continued item to May 13, 2026 .
  • 2026-05-05 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on May 8, 2026.
  • 2026-04-08 Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery approved as amended .
  • 2026-04-06 Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery scheduled item for committee meeting on April 8, 2026.
  • 2025-11-17 Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery continued item to date to be determined.
  • 2025-11-14 Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery scheduled item for committee meeting on November 17, 2025.
  • 2025-09-17 Emergency Management Department document(s) referred to Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery.
  • 2025-09-17 Document submitted by Emergency Management Department, dated September 16, 2025.
  • 2025-09-09 Community Impact Statement submitted by Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-02-20 Community Impact Statement submitted by Los Feliz Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-02-20 Community Impact Statement submitted by Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-02-19 Council action final.
  • 2025-02-18 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2025-02-14 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on February 18, 2025.
  • 2025-02-06 Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery approved item(s) .
  • 2025-02-05 Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery scheduled item for committee meeting on February 6, 2025.
  • 2025-01-27 Corrected Referral per Council President to change referral to Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery.
  • 2025-01-14 Motion referred to Public Safety Committee.

Documents (23)

Council votes (1)

  • 2026-05-13 Vote — 15-0-0 · Regular

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