Prepared, Safe, and Healthy Berkeley for All

Help shape a new vision for a fair, resilient, and thriving Berkeley community.

Stay informed as the City updates the Disaster Preparedness and Fire Safety Element and creates a new Environmental Justice Element for the General Plan. These plans guide how the City prepares for and responds to disasters and climate-related changes while also ensuring an equitable community for every Berkeleyan.

Project overview

The City of Berkeley has been working with the community for more than two years to develop a new Environmental Justice Element and update the Disaster Preparedness and Safety Element to the City’s General Plan.

Berkeley faces a diverse range of hazards, including earthquakes, wildfires, flooding, and extreme heat, many of which are being intensified by climate change and require coordinated and proactive planning. The Disaster Preparedness and Safety Element brings these efforts together under a single framework, linking hazard mitigation, emergency response, and long-term climate change resilience policies.

The Environmental Justice (EJ) Element advances health equity, considers longstanding patterns of environmental harm, and strengthens community resilience. The EJ Element provides a framework to reduce pollution burdens, improve access to essential services, expand opportunities for civic participation, and safeguard the cultural identity of communities most affected by historical and ongoing inequities.

Berkeley received a grant from the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) Adaptation Planning Grant Program to support this project.

The City partnered with the Ecology Center for equitable community outreach for this project. They helped guide the planning and development by holding community meetings, doing focus groups, conducting interviews, and taking surveys in our City’s most vulnerable locations.

Guided by the requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 1000, SB 1035, and informed by extensive community engagement, these two draft elements are available for public review and comment through November 15, 2026. The associated California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document is available for public review and comment through October 26, 2026.

Provide Public Comment

Review the Draft Elements

Public comment for the Draft Elements is open through November 15, 2026

There are two ways to provide public comment on the Draft Elements:

Submit your feedback through this comment form, or
Email your comments to: PreparedSafeHealthy@berkeleyca.gov

Review the associated California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document

CEQA Document: Initial Study-Negative Declaration

Public comment for the CEQA document is open through October 26, 2026

There are two ways to provide public comment on the CEQA document:

Email your comments to: apearson@berkeleyca.gov, or
Mail your comments to: Alene Pearson, Planning and Development Department, 1947 Center Street, 2nd Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704

Project Timeline

The process of creating the draft Elements has taken more than two years and involved deep partnership with the community. The draft documents are currently available for public review. The team plans to bring final drafts to the Planning Commission and the City Council in early 2027.

The public review period for the CEQA IS-ND document is through October 26, 2026.
The public review period for the Safety and Environmental Justice Elements is through November 15, 2026.
In early 2027, the Planning Commission will review final drafts and make recommendations to the City Council.
The City Council will then review the plans and environmental reports before deciding whether to approve them.