Submitted By: City Manager
Prepared By: Andy Hall, City Manager/Director of Emergency Services
Adam Atamian, Community Development Director
Subject:
title
PROCLAMATION OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY RELATED TO TROPICAL STORM RACHEL; CONTINUATION OF THE LOCAL EMERGENCY RELATED TO HURRICANE MARIE; AND CONFIRMATION OF THE CITY MANAGER AS DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
body
Summary:
California Government Code Section 8630 authorizes the City Council to proclaim a local emergency and requires the City Council to review the need for continuing each local emergency at least once every 60 days and terminate it at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant. San Clemente Municipal Code Section 8.12.050 establishes the office of Director of Emergency Services, who is appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council.
On September 15, 2026, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 26-160 following the coastal impacts associated with Hurricane Marie. The proclamation was intentionally drafted broadly to address the then-current damage and anticipated weather and tidal impacts during the upcoming El Niño season. Since that action, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the Orange County Operational Area have advised local jurisdictions that emergency proclamations, incident documentation, and potential reimbursement should be maintained on an incident-specific basis. Under that direction, Hurricane Marie and Tropical Storm Rachel are treated as separate incidents, and the broader El Niño weather pattern is not treated as a single disaster incident.
The proposed Resolution therefore accomplishes two separate actions: (1) proclaims a new local emergency arising from Tropical Storm Rachel; and (2) renews and continues the local emergency previously proclaimed through Resolution No. 26-160 for the continuing impacts and recovery activities associated with Hurricane Marie. El Niño remains relevant as the seasonal weather pattern within which these incidents are occurring but is not independently proclaimed as a disaster incident by the proposed Resolution.
The proposed Resolution also confirms and continues the City Manager as the City's Director of Emergency Services pursuant to San Clemente Municipal Code Section 8.12.050 and directs City departments to separately document damage, response and recovery activities, and expenses attributable to each incident.
Tropical Storm Rachel resulted in additional coastal impacts, including further damage to the San Clemente Pier, continued beach sand loss and erosion, coastal flooding concerns, and additional protective and maintenance activities. These impacts are distinct from the damage and costs attributable to Hurricane Marie and should be documented separately for emergency management and potential assistance purposes.
Each local emergency will remain subject to the review requirements of Government Code Section 8630. Staff will return to the City Council no later than 60 days from the applicable review or proclamation date, as necessary, to consider whether each emergency should remain in effect.
Background:
On September 15, 2026, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 26-160 after Hurricane Marie generated damaging wave and tidal conditions along the San Clemente coastline. The incident resulted in damage to the San Clemente Pier, coastal flooding and erosion, impacts to beach access and other public infrastructure, and emergency protective measures. On September 17, 2026, the County of Orange separately proclaimed a local emergency related to Hurricane Marie in support of impacted coastal jurisdictions, including San Clemente.
Resolution No. 26-160 was drafted to address both the immediate impacts then occurring and anticipated weather and tidal events during the upcoming El Niño season. That approach was intended to provide continuity through a potentially active winter. Subsequent guidance from Cal OES and the Orange County Operational Area, however, indicates that individual named storms and other qualifying events should be treated as separate incidents for proclamation, documentation, and potential reimbursement purposes.
Tropical Storm Rachel constitutes a separate incident from Hurricane Marie. Although both events occurred during the same broader El Niño weather pattern and produced similar coastal hazards, the damage, emergency protective work, staff activities, and associated costs attributable to Tropical Storm Rachel should be identified and tracked separately from those attributable to Hurricane Marie.
Current impacts and areas of concern associated with Tropical Storm Rachel include, but are not limited to:
• Additional loss of structural bracing and other damage to the San Clemente Pier.
• Continued sand loss and erosion throughout the City's beaches.
• Coastal flooding and potential inundation affecting residential properties and structures.
• Increased vulnerability of the Beach Trail, coastal access points, and other public infrastructure.
• Additional debris, clearing, and maintenance needs at storm drain and water retention facilities.
• Continued need for emergency protective measures, including sand berms and sandbags, to reduce the risk of flooding, erosion, and infrastructure damage.
The City continues to implement protective measures, monitor coastal and weather conditions, assess damage, and coordinate response and recovery activities. These efforts require staff time, equipment, materials, contracting, and other financial resources. Departments should maintain records in a manner that clearly assigns damage, work performed, and costs to the appropriate incident.
Incident-specific documentation is important because assistance programs administered through the County, Cal OES, FEMA, or other agencies may establish separate incident periods, eligibility determinations, or reimbursement requirements. Separate local emergency proclamations do not guarantee reimbursement, but they provide a clearer administrative record supporting the City's requests for assistance and cost recovery.
For Hurricane Marie, the City Council is conducting a review of the existing local emergency before the 60-day deadline established by Government Code Section 8630. Because repair, restoration, cost documentation, and other recovery activities remain ongoing, the proposed Resolution finds that a continuing need exists and continues and extends Resolution No. 26-160. For incident-tracking purposes, the City will administer that proclamation as the Hurricane Marie local emergency.
For Tropical Storm Rachel, the proposed Resolution independently proclaims a new local emergency and requests that the Orange County Board of Supervisors proclaim a County local emergency related to Tropical Storm Rachel. The County has already proclaimed a separate local emergency related to Hurricane Marie, so no duplicative County proclamation is requested for that incident.
San Clemente Municipal Code Section 8.12.050 creates the office of Director of Emergency Services and provides for appointment by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council. To remove any ambiguity regarding emergency authority, the proposed Resolution confirms and continues the appointment of the City Manager as Director of Emergency Services for administration of the existing Hurricane Marie emergency and the new Tropical Storm Rachel emergency. In that capacity, the Director will exercise the coordination and emergency authorities provided in Chapter 8.12 of the Municipal Code.
The proposed Resolution also authorizes the Director of Emergency Services to activate the Emergency Operations Center at Level 3 or a higher level when conditions and operational needs warrant, and to adjust staffing or deactivate the EOC when appropriate. This preserves operational flexibility and does not require continuous EOC activation solely because a local emergency proclamation remains in effect.
The City will continue monitoring weather forecasts, tidal conditions, beach erosion, and infrastructure damage while coordinating with City departments, the Orange County Operational Area, public safety partners, regional agencies, and affected residents. Future storms or other events will be evaluated separately to determine whether an additional incident-specific local emergency proclamation is warranted.
In accordance with Government Code Section 8630, the City Council must review the need for continuing each local emergency at least once every 60 days and terminate each emergency at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant. The Hurricane Marie and Tropical Storm Rachel emergencies will therefore be reviewed separately based on the conditions and recovery activities associated with each incident.
Considerations Identified by Staff:
Maintaining separate local emergency records for Hurricane Marie and Tropical Storm Rachel is consistent with current Cal OES and Orange County Operational Area direction and will provide a clearer basis for documenting eligible response, protective, repair, and recovery costs. The existence of a local emergency does not, by itself, establish eligibility for reimbursement under any State or Federal program.
The ongoing El Niño weather pattern remains important from the planning context because additional storms, elevated tides, large surf, flooding, and erosion may occur during the coming months. However, future incidents should be evaluated and documented individually rather than presumed to fall under a single season-long emergency proclamation.
Confirming the City Manager as Director of Emergency Services clarifies the chain of authority for the City's emergency organization and ensures continuity between the Hurricane Marie and Tropical Storm Rachel emergency operations, consistent with Chapter 8.12 of the San Clemente Municipal Code.
Regardless of whether outside financial assistance becomes available, continued monitoring, incident-specific documentation, coordination, and timely protective measures remain necessary to protect public infrastructure and private property and to support recovery from both incidents.
Council Options:
• Adopt by a four-fifths vote Resolution No. 26-163 proclaiming a local emergency related to Tropical Storm Rachel; finding a continuing need for and continuing and extending the local emergency related to Hurricane Marie under Resolution No. 26-160; confirming the City Manager as Director of Emergency Services; directing incident-specific documentation and cost tracking; and requesting a County local emergency proclamation related to Tropical Storm Rachel.
• Continue the item and provide additional direction to staff.
• Take no action.
Environmental Review/Analysis:
The proposed Resolution is an administrative action and does not, by itself, approve or commit the City to a specific physical project; therefore, it is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Specific emergency protective, repair, or recovery actions will be evaluated separately for CEQA compliance, including the applicability of statutory or categorical emergency exemptions where appropriate.
Fiscal Impact:
Adoption of the Resolution will not, by itself, create a new fiscal appropriation. The City is incurring and may continue to incur costs associated with emergency protective measures, maintenance, repair, recovery, and staff response to Hurricane Marie and Tropical Storm Rachel. Separate incident documentation may support requests for County, State, or Federal assistance, but availability and eligibility for reimbursement are not guaranteed. Subsequent actions may need to be presented to the City Council for consideration.
Potential Action(s):
recommendation
If the City Council finds the information in this report warrants the Proclamation of a local emergency, the City Council should adopt by a four-fifths vote Resolution 26-163 to accomplish the following:
1. Proclaiming a local emergency related to Tropical Storm Rachel;
2. Finding a continuing need for and continuing and extending the local emergency related to Hurricane Marie established by Resolution No. 26-160;
3. Confirming and continuing the City Manager as Director of Emergency Services pursuant to San Clemente Municipal Code Section 8.12.050;
4. Directing separate incident documentation and expense tracking; and
5. Requesting that the Orange County Board of Supervisors proclaim a County local emergency related to Tropical Storm Rachel.
end
Attachments:
1. Proposed Resolution 26-163
2. Signed Resolution 26-160
Notification:
Orange County Board of Supervisors and Orange County Emergency Management Division
California Governor's Office of Emergency Services
Senator Strickland
Assemblymembers Davies and Dixon