Hollister Fire Department Battalion Chief Charlie Bedolla backed off a proposed weed abatement ordinance for San Benito County following criticism from residents. Bedolla said the current ordinance will still work when it comes to reducing wildfire risk throughout the county.
During the San Benito County Board of Supervisors meeting April 25, Bedolla presented his proposed amendments to the county’s municipal code Section 1. Paragraph (C) and (D) of section 19.37.120 regarding weed abatement.
Among the changes he suggested were that no weeds should be allowed to grow more than three feet high on parcels of five acres or less. Larger parcels would need 30-foot fuel breaks in crisscross patterns that would essentially divide property into 2.5-acre sections. Active pasture and crop lands would have needed to have 15-foot fuel breaks and tree litter would need to be removed from around the base of trees. (Bedolla’s full proposal is attached as pdf)
Five San Benito County residents spoke out against the change, citing undue burden and environmental concerns.
San Juan Bautista resident Valerie Egland, addressing the supervisors, said she understood the need to prevent fires but was concerned about the time needed to follow the amendments and their cost to residents.
Chris Powell, an attorney with Mitchell Chadwick representing Granite Rock, read from a letter he sent to the supervisors regarding the amendments, saying they were not trying to diminish policies and understood the concern about fire abatement. However, he said he believed the proposal had a lot of flaws. He said the crisscross pattern “would have enormous expense and environmental impacts.”
Powell added California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) considerations such as air quality and noise impacts could come into play by disking and mowing such large areas, and that such activities might require an environmental impact report. He also said it could put an undue burden on landowners of larger pieces of land. (Powell’s letter is attached).
Powell’s comments were followed by a call from Donald Wirz, president of the San Benito County Farm Bureau. He too expressed the same concerns, adding that he would be willing to work with stakeholders to help put together a better plan.
John Eade, who runs cattle ranches in Panoche Valley, said his “land out there is covered with endangered species” and he cited the amount of money spent on CEQA when Edison Electric built a solar farm in Panoche Valley several years ago.
Russell Tobias, who spoke on behalf of the San Benito County Cattlemen’s Association said, “My family ranches over in Tres Pinos and believe me we don’t like the idea of wildfires any greater than the rest of anybody else in this community does,” he said. “And we take it very seriously when it comes to trying to maintain our property. We would just like to see, going forward, everybody be happy with the resolution on this kind of initiative, give everybody a practical approach toward maintaining their property without requiring too much oversight or mandates.”
After receiving this feedback Bedolla conceded that “the county does have a nice robust weed abatement policy” already that would continue to work without his amendments. He cited section 1.06.030 regarding public nuisance.
The code states that any condition that is a visual blight is unlawful and a public nuisance.
Among those are overgrown, dead, decayed, deceased or hazardous trees and vegetation that can attract rodents and other nuisances or constitute a fire hazard or is dangerous to the public safety and welfare.
Bedolla also said his greatest concern is in areas that are unmaintained and near dense housing. He said he is currently putting his attention on Ridgemark, Stonegate, Heatherwood Estates and their neighbors.
Taking into consideration the public’s concerns and Bedolla’s opinion, Supervisors Kollin Kosmicki, Bea Gonzales and Mindy Sotelo agreed that a future meeting with stakeholders could be arranged and the board unanimously agreed to leave things as is.
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