We live in wildfire country. That's not a reason to be afraid. It's a reason to be prepared. And preparation isn't something you do after an emergency. It's something you build before one ever arrives.
One of the hardest lessons communities learn too late is that when a real emergency hits, the systems you didn't invest in are the ones that fail you. Power goes out. Water pressure drops. Traffic signals go dark. Response times slow down. The goal over these last four years has been to make sure that when Thousand Oaks faces its next major emergency, the city keeps functioning.
We've built two municipal microgrids at the civic center and emergency services campus. Solar and battery systems that keep critical infrastructure running independently for up to 72 hours. Traffic signals stay on. Emergency services stay operational. The city doesn't stop working just because the grid does. I voted to secure $1.85 million in federal FEMA hazard mitigation funding to back that investment, putting federal dollars to work on local resilience.
On water, I voted as Mayor Pro Tem to approve a multi-year capital program investing $9 million in local water infrastructure, including storage upgrades, pressure improvements in high-elevation zones, and redundancy systems that maintain fire suppression capability during regional supply disruptions. When fire crews need water in the hills, it needs to be there. That vote was about making sure it will be. I also made the motion to secure an additional $1.38 million in federal FEMA funding for a backup power system at the Lang Ranch pump station, keeping water delivery reliable for hillside neighborhoods when the grid goes down.
I made the motion to adopt the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code with local amendments, setting stronger building standards for properties in our highest-risk fire zones. Homes built and rebuilt to that standard are more likely to survive.
We also coordinated with Conejo Recreation and Park District on fuel management across our open spaces. I voted to fund multi-year weed abatement contracts removing combustible vegetation from hillsides and city-owned parcels, and we continued working with county partners on defensible space enforcement in our highest-risk corridors.
What's next.
We're pursuing additional microgrids at community facilities and working with state and county partners to expand defensible space buffers along our most vulnerable hillside corridors. Preparedness isn't a one-time project. It's a commitment. The work we've done has made this city more resilient. The work ahead will make it more resilient still.