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Collaboration and helping private property owners were the main themes of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors’ Oct. 27 discussion about El Nino storm preparedness.
Supervisor Mindy Sotelo noted during the meeting that storms could begin as soon as the first week in November, and preparations are paramount.
Several supervisors spoke about the need for working together to ensure preparedness.
Sotelo said the county should do what it can to help special districts and private property owners.
“I just want to see us be as collaborative as we possibly can,” she said.
Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki asked what authority the county has to enter private property.
According to Public Works Administrator Adolfo Gonzalez, the county “cannot assume the liability” to enter private property but staff can provide direction and resources to private property owners, such as grants and contractors for hire.
“I’m still wondering if we can do more” to pinpoint problem areas and be proactive, Kosmicki said, noting the potential severity of the El Nino winter.
Gonzalez said that with limited resources staff is focusing on known problem areas.
Supervisor Angela Curro suggested connecting private property owners with one another for emergency preparedness and to coordinate with the Sunnyslope Water District, which is in her district.
“We need to make sure we are being equal” with private property owners and public areas, Curro said.
Given the county’s tight finances, every penny spent on storm preparation needs to be spent responsibly and reimbursed quickly, Curro said.
For special districts that have not declared a state of emergency and expect to be impacted, “I recommend it,” Curro said, adding that El Nino is an opportunity to connect with those special districts.
County Executive Officer Esperanza Colio Warren thanked county staff for their hard work and preparation. “They have been very proactive,” she said.
After San Benito County declared a local state of emergency for El Nino, the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista have done the same.
Colio Warren said staff is receiving beginner’s emergency training from the Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Services, with additional training to be scheduled.
Meanwhile, the county has created its own new Emergency Operations Center and is recruiting a deputy director of emergency services as the county is currently without any emergency services staff and leadership responsibilities are being handled by Colio Warren.
In her presentation to the supervisors, she said recruitment of the deputy director of Emergency Services was due Oct. 28, but did not elaborate.
The county’s new Emergency Operations Center is located at 471 4th Street.
“This is a big step forward,” Curro said about the center.
Amanda Duffy of the San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency said staff is in contact with potential emergency shelter sites including San Benito Farm Housing, Veterans Hall, Southside Elementary School District, North County Joint Union School District, Hollister School District, St. Francis Retreat and area hotels, as well as San Juan Aromas School District.
Agency director Tracey Belton added there has been coordination with local nonprofits including the San Benito County Community Foundation, Community Food Bank, Latino Coalition of San Benito County and American Red Cross.
According to Duffy, staff will also be contacting local animal control for pet support and housing.
“We feel very comfortable about where we’re at,” Belton said of the staff’s disaster preparedness.
Gonzalez said his staff is inspecting known flooding and drainage problem areas, grading roads and shoulders, cleaning culverts and ditches, removing debris and preparing equipment.
Areas of concern for the county, according to Gonzalez, include Mission Vineyard Road, Breen Road, San Juan Canyon Road and Carr Avenue.
Staff continues to make progress, or has completed projects, on several roads in the county, Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez spoke about New Idria Road, a project now underway which is having 98 culverts cleaned. “There’s still a lot of work to be done on that road,” Gonzalez said.
Community engagement, Gonzalez said, has come in the form of a notice of stormwater draining and clearing, as well as encouraging the public to sign up for bilingual emergency alerts.
Volunteers are being sought to help with outreach. There is also a self-serve sandbag location at the San Benito County Roads Department facility, Gonzalez said.
Curro said the volunteer program is being managed through San Benito Connect and the Seniors Council of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties.
Gonzalez said winter storm resources that are being secured include on-call contracts for critical response services, confirming contractor availability and securing heavy equipment and qualified operators.
A live, public flood preparedness dashboard is here.
County resident Lucinda Florek asked if the bridge on Lovers Lane will be cleared of debris.
“We need as much help as we can” in the Lovers Lane area, Florek said.
Florek noted that Monterey and Santa Cruz counties have collaborated for El Nino preparation, and implored the county to enter into a similar arrangement.
In response, Curro said the county can look into a joint powers agreement in the future, but noted that it “is not going to solve the El Nino problem” for this season.
Pacheco Stormwater District president Michelle Schroeder asked the county to allow the district to use FEMA funds to prepare for El Nino in North County.
The stormwater district filed an application for disaster relief from FEMA in 2023 after a levee in North County sustained damage, but because FEMA works on a reimbursement basis, the county loaned money to the stormwater district to complete the repairs.
After three years of effort, Schroeder said the district has received about $875,000 in FEMA reimbursements. She said the district “has always intended” to use the funding to pay the county back but she asked the county to amend the terms of the loan agreement and not ask for that payment back immediately so the district can embark on the El Nino work. She said the district already has easements to perform the work.
Farmer Jack Kimmish spoke about a levee by San Felipe Road that has been eroded by debris, and requested permission to clear the debris from the levee. Kimmish said the cleaning would be a “last-ditch effort” to prevent flooding as there is no time for erosion control. Kimmish said he has access to a special low-ground pressure dozer and wants to remove challenging sandbars or use them to bolster the levee.
Kosmicki credited staff for their work, noting “it looks like we are on the same page.”
Sotelo said the board previously allocated $500,000 for storm preparation and Gonzalez said the funding will be used to establish contracts.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation
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