Good morning, everyone.

I'd like to call to order the December 1st meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Transportation Planning Committee meeting.

Will the clerk please call the role to establish quorum?

Supervisor Miley.

Supervisor Hauber.

Here.

Okay, everyone, we have an action packed full agenda today.

Our first item is our director of public works, Daniel Wildesenbet, recommending that we adopt the 2025 California Building Standards Code.

Mr.

Wildesenbett, the floor is yours.

All right, good morning.

This is uh a pretty standard, straightforward administrative procedure.

Uh the state uh adopts uh a building code every three years, which uh requires uh counties and uh other jurisdictions to uh follow through by uh January 1st of uh the adoption year that they are promoting.

In this case, uh we have to adopt uh the new triennual update by January 1st.

So we like to bring this item to you just in case you have any kind of questions, uh, and then go to the board uh for full adaption uh at the next meeting.

Basically, the current triannual update has one change that was proposed by the state, uh, that is uh the California wildland urban interface code.

This is a new component of Title 24.

Uh, as you know that uh we the state experienced a lot of wildfires, and in order to kind of mitigate the impact of wildfires, this new wild wildlife uh wildland and urban interface code is adopted by the state, and we will be incorporating that in the new uh adapted ordinance that when we go uh ahead and do that for the county.

Uh otherwise everything else remained the same as the current code.

Uh we basically follow the same state standard, uh, state languages and adapt various uh, you know, appendices that are uh specific to Alameda County based on geographic and geologic condition and climatic conditions, but those are all state languages that we directly adapt into uh into the code.

Uh there's one code language that we have adapted historically that is not maybe you might say a little stringent than the state.

That is because of the seismic nature of uh our environment.

Uh, we have what we call uh anomatic shutoff valve for gas gas valves.

Uh so right now you want to build a new home uh and have a gas facility, you'll have to install an automatic shut-off valve in case of seismic events, which is as you know, gas is the primary cause of fire during uh earthquake type of incident.

So that's the only basic fundamental difference between uh what we are proposing uh and the state standards.

Uh otherwise it's going to be exactly the same as what we have now, uh, plus the wildland urban uh interface uh new code that's been adapted as part of title 24.

I'd be happy to answer any question and Alan Tam, our building official is also available online.

I'll go first go to public comment.

Do we have any speakers on this item?

Anyone wishing to speak on this item?

We have no speakers on item one.

Yeah, I'll close public comment on item one, bring it back for questions.

Supervisor Miley, any questions?

Any questions from staff?

Uh, okay.

Um, it seems to me that having a requirement for gas shutoff, automatic gas shutoff, given that we are prone in California to have earthquakes, including our area, that that's a prudent and wise decision.

So just so I am clear, it's not part of the state code, but we are implementing that above and beyond the state code because we think it's the right thing to do for Alameda County.

That's what I think I heard.

Is that right, Daniel?

Yes, that is correct.

Dr.

Julia, your predecessor is the one who insisted in having that code in in the county ordinance.

Uh the language is available in the state code, but it is optional at the state level.

But at the county level, uh, highly at the time uh wanted to make sure that uh we need to have that auto shut off because of fire hazard associated with it.

Could you speak a little bit more about the wildlife urban interface changes that the state is asking us to do?

I grant I think what I heard you say, the state is requiring it, so we don't have much to say about it.

We're adopting it because we need to, but could you describe more of what it's going to do?

I think it will just specify the type of material, you know, roofing material, uh, fire protection uh type of uh building materials that we have to adapt in case we are building in an environment that is subject to uh wildlife fire.

And and uh as you can see in recent fire history, a lot of homes uh pretty much uh you know, uh blow up uh when when fire comes up, and it's it really is uh also requiring a defensive space that the fire department usually supports.

They're like the the court asks for a defensive space between the homes and and uh vegetation uh provide fire access.

These are the things that is standardizes in the current code.

Uh it has been a standard practice, uh generally speaking, to have uh that kind of protection, provide fire access, provide various uh measures, uh, and uh provide this amber resistive construction materials, uh, since the ambers are the one that kind of create this chain reaction of fire.

So uh it really is uh uh a timely uh code adjustment, I think.

Do you think that um the changes are uh drastic enough or enough of a change?

Do you think we should be going out to the community and sharing with them what these new codes are so that they're aware, or do you think it's been our practice long enough to where people already know, and this is just making it clear what what we already do?

I think the latter, I think it's it's uh, you know, usually these kind of things, as you know, the building stuff is targeted to professionals like the architects, uh the landscape architects, the building architects, engineers.

So uh they are familiar with these requirements, but other community, I think fire departments and others have been uh both Califire and our own fire department has been promoting uh these fire safety measures.

That that are very much commonsensical, but uh, you know, that's something that if necessary at uh uh any other community meeting that can be mentioned as a fire prevention or protection measures rather than uh precaution rather than just a building a building code update.

I think the building code update is more targeted to the professionals that are designing some of these things.

Very good.