Memo To: Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Councilmembers , City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Deputy City Manager, and City Attorney From: Eric Matikosh CC: M. Crowder , L. Morales , L. Langer Date: May 13, 2026 Re: Public Comment Correspondence for Agenda Item F.2. on the City Council Meeting Agenda for May 18, 2026 Attached please find Public Comment Correspondence received for Agenda Item F.2. on the City Council Meeting Agenda for May 18, 2026 . F.2. SB 79 APPLICABILITY AND LOCAL RESPONSE OPTIONS [J. HEILMAN]: City Clerk ’s Division CAUTION - EXTERNAL SENDER. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the source of this email and know the content is safe.From: Eric Matikosh To: Eric Matikosh Subject: FW: Item F2 SB 79 APPLICABILITY AND LOCAL RESPONSE OPTIONS [J. HEILMAN] - SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP relating to WeHo Heights and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 4:56:14 PM From: elyse.eisenberg@gmail.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 2:30 PM To: Melissa Crowder ; Public Comment Subject: FW: Item F2 SB 79 APPLICABILITY AND LOCAL RESPONSE OPTIONS [J. HEILMAN] - SB 79Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP relating to WeHo Heights and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) Please make sure this comment is part of the public comment record for Monday’s City Council meeting, Item F2 SB 79 APPLICABILITY AND LOCAL RESPONSE OPTIONS [J. HEILMAN] Thank you. From: elyse.eisenberg@gmail.com Sent: Monday, May 11, 2026 3:35 PM To: Chelsea Byers < cbyers@weho.org >; John Erickson < jerickson@weho.org >; Danny Hang ; Heilman John < jheilman@weho.org >; Lauren Meister < lmeister@weho.org >; Jackie Rocco < jrocco@weho.org >; Nick P. Maricich < nmaricich@weho.org >; Jennifer Alkire ; Melissa Crowder < MCrowder@weho.org >; Council@weho.org ; Ric Abramson ; Public Comment WeHo < publiccomment@weho.org > Cc: Bruce Brown ; Richard Gitterman < richardgitterman@aol.com >; Bjorn Johnson < bjornjohnson@sbcglobal.net >; Gene Smith < genersmith99@hotmail.com >; Richard G. Wight < rwight@ucla.edu >; Laura Friedman < replaurafriedman@mail8.housecommunications.gov >; Rick Chavez Zbur < Assemblymember.Zbur@Outreach.assembly.ca.gov >; Robert Oliver ; Joshua Marin-Mora < Joshua.MarinM@asm.ca.gov > Subject: SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP relating to WeHo Heights and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) TO: Councilmembers, City Manager, Planning Staff Re: SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP relating to WeHo Heights and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) On behalf of the WeHo Heights Neighborhood Association and its Board of Directors, copied above, we are formally asking the City of West Hollywood to submit a SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP before the July 1, 2026 deadline in order to protect the most dense neighborhoodin WeHo from increasing its density and further putting the residents in danger. We recommend using the same language that the City of LA is proposing in their SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance proposal to protect their hillside communities which are in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ). https://planning.lacity.gov/plndoc/Staff_Reports/2026/05-14- 2026/CPC_2026_1798_MSC__CPC_2026_1797_CA.pdf The City of LA’s proposal is supported by our mutual state representatives, Congressperson Laura Friedman and State Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur. We see this as an important and urgent Public Safety issue, entirely distinct from other neighborhoods’ issues with SB 79. The City of West Hollywood has incorporated updated CalFire Hazard Severity Zone maps into its community development and safety regulations following their release in March 2025, and following a 30 day public comment period by WeHo residents via Engage WeHo, including in particularresidents of WeHo Heights who expressed grave concerns about their safety in the inevitable event of wildfire disasters if new high density housing is permitted in this already densely populated hillside neighborhood with restricted evacuation access due to steep, narrow streets and diagonallyparked vehicles that impede ingress/egress. The City of WeHo has previously supported downzoning this neighborhood from R4 to R4A duringthe implementation of the West Hollywood General Plan 2035 on September 19, 2011, and the subsequent Zone Map Amendments finalized in late 2011. The R4A zone was instituted to better control density and ensure new projects match the specific scale and character of residentialneighborhoods, as noted in the City's Residential Zoning Districts policy. We respectfully request that this zoning continue to be the ruling guideline for development in thisneighborhood. Restricting development within hillside fire restriction areas ensures that areas most vulnerable to fire risk with steep and narrow streets and ingress/egress challenges are shielded from added housing capacity that would create safety risks, while still allowing for redevelopment withinadjacent urbanized flatlands that will strengthen structural resilience. As the City is aware, we have already had several major fires in this neighborhood, two alone in Horn Plaza which each caused over $1 million in damages. There was another on March 9 th on St Ives Drive which borders WeHo Heights. These were not caused by wildfires for which the neighborhood is at even greater risk as evidenced by the Evacuation Notice we received during the January 2025 citywide fires. In each of these fires, Emergency Access Vehicles have difficulty getting through ournarrow, steep streets, often allowing only a single fire engine into the area with additional vehicles parking on Sunset and individual Emergency Responders dragging hundred pounds of equipment up the steep streets. To increase the density of the neighborhood, preventing easy escape during panicked times, is not sustainable and puts every resident at extreme risk. Listed below are sections of LA City’s proposal which are relevant to our case. We request the City’s immediate and urgent support for this proposal. Thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent matter. Sincerely, WeHo Heights Board of DirectorsElyse Eisenberg (Chair) Richard Wight (Treasurer) Bruce Brown (Clark)Richard Gitterman (Shoreham) Bjorn Johnson (Clark) Gene Smith (Larrabee) Elyse Eisenberg Chair, WeHo Heights NAC: 310 490 9416 wehoheights@gmail.com www.wehoheights.com From the City of LA’s DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING RECOMMENDATION REPORT - https://planning.lacity.gov/plndoc/Staff_Reports/2026/05-14- 2026/CPC_2026_1798_MSC__CPC_2026_1797_CA.pdf With the additional local capacity created by the Low-Rise Ordinance, the SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance (Exhibit 1) … codifies the permanent exemptions from SB 79 for sites within Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) (page 6) Reducing MIIP eligibility criteria when related to VHFHSZ (page 29)which would reduce areas eligible for MIIP once State CAL FIRE maps are locally adopted if unaddressed (page 29) Map 7: The Low-Rise Ordinance Proposes that Fire Restriction Areas (where VHFHSZ and HillsideAreas Overlap) preclude eligibility for the MIIP (page 30) The proposed Low-Rise Ordinance builds off of the MIIP eligibility framework, which excludes development in areas with high environmental risk where residential growth would not facilitate thecreation of healthy and resilient communities (page 43) This eligibility limitation ensures areas with greater environmental vulnerabilities are restricted from program eligibility, including areas egress issues and substandard streets (page 43)The SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance promotes climate resilience and reduced disaster risk through enacting temporary exemptions from full SB 79 implementation for sites within VHFHSZ (page 44)The ordinance proposes updating MIIP eligibility from excluding any site within the VHFHSZ to excluding sites that are within both the VHFHSZ and a Hillside Area, newly defined as a Fire Restriction Area. (page 73)The Fire Restriction Area eligibility update therefore complies with Policy 1.1.8 by considering hazard information in decisions about future land use, (page 73) Wildfire (Impair Emergency Response Plan, Exacerbate Wildfire Risks in State Responsibility Area or VHFHSZ, Require Infrastructure that may Exacerbate Fire Risk, Expose People or Structures to Significant Risks in State Responsibility Area or VHFHSZ, and Expose People or Structures toSignificant Risks Involving Wildland Fires) (page 94) Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones GSC 65912.161(b)(1)(D) Sites located within a VHFHSZ, as determined by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are considered eligible for temporaryexemption. The model identifies sites located in a VHFHSZ considers these sites eligible for temporary exemption from SB 79 and indicates so with a “Yes” value, for temporary exemption. (page 183)The program’s goals are to … Exclude hazard areas such as areas at risk of sea level rise and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ). (page 221) Should the City choose to pursue a Delayed Effectuation Ordinance, which would temporarily“delay” effectuation of the bill (until approx. 2030), only certain types of sites are eligible to be “paused”, including those that meet development minimums, are located in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ),… (page 339)Table 2. Topic Areas for Modification to Upzoning - Remove incentives in all VHFHSZs (page 342) Due to the expansion of VHFHSZs by the State in 2025, the Department recommends restricting incentive access in areas that are both VHFHSZ and Hillside Area (page 356)Table 4. Topic Areas for Modification to Upzoning - Do not expand incentives in all VHFHSZs (page 365) The present Upzoning Options propose an eligibility criteria of where VHFHSZ and Hillside Areasoverlap for three reasons: 1) Hillside Areas present unique evacuation concerns; (page 367) Establishment of a new definition for Fire Restriction Areas, which encompasses areas within the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) and within a Hillside Area. (page 423) We also reference the Public Comment in its entirety regarding setbacks from Ann O’Connor, page 427, in their document. CAUTION - EXTERNAL SENDER. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the source of this email and know the content is safe.From: Eric Matikosh To: Eric Matikosh Subject: FW: SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP relating to WeHo Heights and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 4:55:08 PM From: elyse.eisenberg@gmail.com Sent: Monday, May 11, 2026 3:35 PM To: Chelsea Byers ; John Erickson ; Danny Hang; John Heilman ; Lauren Meister ;Jackie Rocco ; Nick Maricich ; Jennifer Alkire ; Melissa Crowder ; City Council Web Email Address ; Ric Abramson ; Public Comment Cc: Bruce Brown ; Richard Gitterman ; Bjorn Johnson ; Gene Smith ; Richard G. Wight ; Laura Friedman ; Rick Chavez Zbur ; Robert Oliver ; Joshua Marin-Mora Subject: SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP relating to WeHo Heights and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) TO: Councilmembers, City Manager, Planning Staff Re: SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP relating to WeHo Heights and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) On behalf of the WeHo Heights Neighborhood Association and its Board of Directors, copied above, we are formally asking the City of West Hollywood to submit a SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance TODAP before the July 1, 2026 deadline in order to protect the most dense neighborhoodin WeHo from increasing its density and further putting the residents in danger. We recommend using the same language that the City of LA is proposing in their SB 79 PhasedImplementation Ordinance proposal to protect their hillside communities which are in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ). https://planning.lacity.gov/plndoc/Staff_Reports/2026/05-14- 2026/CPC_2026_1798_MSC__CPC_2026_1797_CA.pdf The City of LA’s proposal is supported by our mutual state representatives, Congressperson Laura Friedman and State Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur. We see this as an important and urgent Public Safety issue, entirely distinct from other neighborhoods’ issues with SB 79. The City of West Hollywood has incorporated updated CalFire Hazard Severity Zone maps into its community development and safety regulations following their release in March 2025, and followinga 30 day public comment period by WeHo residents via Engage WeHo, including in particular residents of WeHo Heights who expressed grave concerns about their safety in the inevitable event of wildfire disasters if new high density housing is permitted in this already densely populatedhillside neighborhood with restricted evacuation access due to steep, narrow streets and diagonally parked vehicles that impede ingress/egress. The City of WeHo has previously supported downzoning this neighborhood from R4 to R4A during the implementation of the West Hollywood General Plan 2035 on September 19, 2011, and the subsequent Zone Map Amendments finalized in late 2011. The R4A zone was instituted to bettercontrol density and ensure new projects match the specific scale and character of residential neighborhoods, as noted in the City's Residential Zoning Districts policy. We respectfully request that this zoning continue to be the ruling guideline for development in this neighborhood. Restricting development within hillside fire restriction areas ensures that areas most vulnerable to fire risk with steep and narrow streets and ingress/egress challenges are shielded fromadded housing capacity that would create safety risks, while still allowing for redevelopment within adjacent urbanized flatlands that will strengthen structural resilience. As the City is aware, we have already had several major fires in this neighborhood, two alone in Horn Plaza which each caused over $1 million in damages. There was another on March 9 th on St Ives Drive which borders WeHo Heights. These were not caused by wildfires for which the neighborhood is at even greater risk as evidenced by the Evacuation Notice we received during the January 2025 citywide fires. In each of these fires, Emergency Access Vehicles have difficulty getting through ournarrow, steep streets, often allowing only a single fire engine into the area with additional vehicles parking on Sunset and individual Emergency Responders dragging hundred pounds of equipment up the steep streets. To increase the density of the neighborhood, preventing easy escape during panicked times, is not sustainable and puts every resident at extreme risk. Listed below are sections of LA City’s proposal which are relevant to our case. We request the City’s immediate and urgent support for this proposal. Thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent matter. Sincerely, WeHo Heights Board of DirectorsElyse Eisenberg (Chair) Richard Wight (Treasurer)Bruce Brown (Clark) Richard Gitterman (Shoreham) Bjorn Johnson (Clark) Gene Smith (Larrabee) Elyse Eisenberg Chair, WeHo Heights NAC: 310 490 9416 wehoheights@gmail.com www.wehoheights.com From the City of LA’s DEPARTMENT OF CITY PLANNING RECOMMENDATION REPORT - https://planning.lacity.gov/plndoc/Staff_Reports/2026/05-14- 2026/CPC_2026_1798_MSC__CPC_2026_1797_CA.pdf With the additional local capacity created by the Low-Rise Ordinance, the SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance (Exhibit 1) … codifies the permanent exemptions from SB 79 for sites within Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ) (page 6) Reducing MIIP eligibility criteria when related to VHFHSZ (page 29)which would reduce areas eligible for MIIP once State CAL FIRE maps are locally adopted if unaddressed (page 29) Map 7: The Low-Rise Ordinance Proposes that Fire Restriction Areas (where VHFHSZ and HillsideAreas Overlap) preclude eligibility for the MIIP (page 30) The proposed Low-Rise Ordinance builds off of the MIIP eligibility framework, which excludes development in areas with high environmental risk where residential growth would not facilitate thecreation of healthy and resilient communities (page 43) This eligibility limitation ensures areas with greater environmental vulnerabilities are restricted from program eligibility, including areas egress issues and substandard streets (page 43)The SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance promotes climate resilience and reduced disaster risk through enacting temporary exemptions from full SB 79 implementation for sites within VHFHSZ (page 44)The ordinance proposes updating MIIP eligibility from excluding any site within the VHFHSZ to excluding sites that are within both the VHFHSZ and a Hillside Area, newly defined as a Fire Restriction Area. (page 73)The Fire Restriction Area eligibility update therefore complies with Policy 1.1.8 by considering hazard information in decisions about future land use, (page 73) Wildfire (Impair Emergency Response Plan, Exacerbate Wildfire Risks in State Responsibility Area orVHFHSZ, Require Infrastructure that may Exacerbate Fire Risk, Expose People or Structures to Significant Risks in State Responsibility Area or VHFHSZ, and Expose People or Structures to Significant Risks Involving Wildland Fires) (page 94)Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones GSC 65912.161(b)(1)(D) Sites located within a VHFHSZ, as determined by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are considered eligible for temporary exemption. The model identifies sites located in a VHFHSZ considers these sites eligible fortemporary exemption from SB 79 and indicates so with a “Yes” value, for temporary exemption.(page 183) The program’s goals are to … Exclude hazard areas such as areas at risk of sea level rise and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ). (page 221) Should the City choose to pursue a Delayed Effectuation Ordinance, which would temporarily “delay” effectuation of the bill (until approx. 2030), only certain types of sites are eligible to be“paused”, including those that meet development minimums, are located in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (VHFHSZ),… (page 339) Table 2. Topic Areas for Modification to Upzoning - Remove incentives in all VHFHSZs (page 342)Due to the expansion of VHFHSZs by the State in 2025, the Department recommends restricting incentive access in areas that are both VHFHSZ and Hillside Area (page 356) Table 4. Topic Areas for Modification to Upzoning - Do not expand incentives in allVHFHSZs (page 365) The present Upzoning Options propose an eligibility criteria of where VHFHSZ and Hillside Areas overlap for three reasons: 1) Hillside Areas present unique evacuation concerns; (page 367)Establishment of a new definition for Fire Restriction Areas, which encompasses areas within the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) and within a Hillside Area. (page 423) We also reference the Public Comment in its entirety regarding setbacks from Ann O’Connor, page 427, in their document.