Silicon Valley lawmaker has plans to help high fire risk communities

One local lawmaker wants to put high fire risk communities at the forefront of wildfire prevention and mitigation, with federal help.

Congressman Sam Liccardo is launching a regional partnership between the federal government and local cities to support wildfire prevention efforts. The partnership aims to strengthen multi-jurisdictional communication in the face of climate change, while also ensuring communities are primed for federal dollars despite President Donald Trump’s fiscal cuts.

Local communities will shoulder more burden when it comes to fighting wildfires with the federal government slashing grant money, Liccardo said at a Wednesday news conference in Los Gatos. He said the partnership is a way to be proactive against the cuts, adding it will focus on regional projects the federal government can help with, such as speeding up environmental clearance and permitting. The partnership begins Aug. 29 and will focus on Liccardo’s Congressional District 16, which stretches from Pacifica to San Jose.

“Whether it’s next month or perhaps with the next Congress, one way or another, we’re going to be at the front of the line,” Liccardo said at the news conference. “The communities that are ready for this funding are the ones that get the funding and move first.”

The partnership could help Los Gatos, a town with some of the highest fire risk in Santa Clara County. Approximately 25% of the town’s homes are in the wildland-urban interface, an area susceptible to fire because of its mix of developed and rural sectors. Los Gatos doesn’t have its own fire department and relies on the county fire department and federal grants to prevent and mitigate wildfires.

Mayor Matthew Hudes said the partnership is significant to him because he started his public service in emergency management. Hudes said Los Gatos likely received some funding this year from the Federal Emergency Management Agency because of Liccardo’s efforts. The town has invested its own dollars into fire prevention, including $1 million partially for an emergency preparedness manager position.

“It’s not a matter of if, but when (fire comes),” Hudes told San José Spotlight. “The threat is only increasing with the climate. It’s the No. 1 priority now, with public safety.”

The collaboration is also important to Los Gatos resident Jak Van Nada. He lives in the wildland-urban interface on the edge of Novitiate Park and has already stuccoed his house, switched to a steel roof and moved flammable materials at least five feet away from his home to prevent fire.

Van Nada said while federal help is needed to support local efforts, fire safety comes down to residents educating themselves on how to protect their homes.

“The (town is) setting up the system and they’re setting up the structure,” he said at the news conference. “The rest is up to the neighbors and I just don’t think the neighbors understand how urgent this has to be.”

Santa Clara County has innovative tools Liccardo’s partnership could support, including sensors that use artificial intelligence to locate fires early and large machines known as BurnBots that clear dry brush.
Seth Chalet, CEO of nonprofit Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, said a regional approach to fire mitigation is critical. His nonprofit works with the AI sensors.

“There’s not one silver bullet (for fire prevention),” he told San José Spotlight. “It’s going to take a symphony of different technologies.”

Liccardo said community collaboration is key to the partnership.

“What’s important is that we are all talking about what we can do to help ourselves and help our neighbors,” he told San José Spotlight.

Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.