HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.11.18 Agenda Packet - Regular Meeting________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City of Diamond Bar City Council
City of Diamond Bar
City Council
Agenda
Chia Yu Teng, Mayor
Steve Tye, Mayor Pro Tem
Andrew Chou, Council Member
Stan Liu, Council Member
Ruth M. Low, Council Member
City Manager Dan Fox City Attorney Omar Sandoval City Clerk Kristina Santana
Meeting Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Regular Meeting 6:30 p.m.
South Coast Air Quality Management District/Main Auditorium
21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765
WELCOME TO A MEETING OF THE DIAMOND BAR CITY COUNCIL
Meetings are open to the public, and you are invited to attend and participate.
Agendas for regular City Council meetings are available 72 hours prior to the meeting and are
posted in the City’s regular posting locations, on DBTV and on the City’s website. The City Council
may take action on any item listed on the agenda.
HOW TO ACCESS THE MEETING REMOTELY
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RESOURCES
Copies of agendas and agenda packets are on file and available for public inspection at the City
Clerk's Office at 21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765 or online at
www.diamondbarca.gov/agendas. For more information about agendas or rules of the City Council,
please email the City Clerk's office (cityclerk@diamondbarca.gov) or call 909-839-7010.
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PUBLIC INPUT
The public may provide public comment by attending the meeting in person, by sending an email, or
by logging into the teleconference. Please email public comments to the City Clerk
(cityclerk@diamondbarca.gov) by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting and indicate in the Subject
Diamond Bar City Council Agenda November 18, 2025
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City of Diamond Bar City Council
Line “FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.” Written comments will be distributed to the City Council Members,
noted for the record at the meeting, and posted on the City’s official agenda
webpage: www.diamondbarca.gov/agendas. Please note that the meeting will proceed at the
South Coast Air Quality Management District/Main Auditorium should comments by teleconferencing
become infeasible due to an internet or power outage, or due to technical problems outside the
City's control. If you wish to make certain that your comments are heard, please attend the meeting
in person or send an email by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting/hearing.
Speakers are limited to five (5) minutes per agenda item, unless the Mayor determines otherwise. The
Mayor may adjust this time limit depending on the number of people wishing to speak, the
complexity of the matter, the length of the agenda, the hour and any other relevant consideration.
Speakers may address the Council only once on an agenda item, except during public hearings,
when the applicant/appellant may be afforded a rebuttal. Any material to be submitted to the City
Council at the meeting should be submitted through the City Clerk.
Public comments must be directed to the City Council. A person who disrupts the orderly conduct of
the meeting after being warned by the Mayor or the Mayor’s designee that their behavior is
disrupting the meeting may result in the person being removed from the meeting.
LIVE MEETING NOTICE
This meeting is being video recorded and by participating you are giving your permission to be
televised. This meeting will be rebroadcast every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and alternate
Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m.
Diamond Bar City Council Agenda November 18, 2025
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City of Diamond Bar City Council
1. CALL TO ORDER: 6:30 p.m., Main Auditorium
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Teng
INVOCATION: Pastor Stephen Yap, Gateway Friends Church
ROLL CALL: Council Members Chou, Liu, Low, Mayor Pro Tem Tye, Mayor Teng
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Mayor Teng
2. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS: None.
3. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
4. PUBLIC COMMENTS:
“Public Comments” is the time reserved on each regular meeting agenda to provide an
opportunity for members of the public to directly address the Council on Consent Calendar
items or other matters of interest not on the agenda that are within the subject matter
jurisdiction of the Council. Although the City Council values your comments, pursuant to the
Brown Act, members of the City Council or Staff may briefly respond to public comments if
necessary, but no extended discussion and no action on such matters may take place. There is
a five-minute maximum time limit when addressing the City Council.
5. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS:
5.1 Planning Commission Meeting - November 25, 2025, 6:30 p.m., City Hall Windmill Room,
21810 Copley Dr.
5.2 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - November 27, 2025, 6:30 p.m., City Hall
Windmill Room, 21810 Copley Dr. - Cancelled.
5.3 City offices are closed Thursday, November 27, 2025 and Friday, November 28, 2025 in
observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, and will reopen at 7:30 a.m. on Monday,
December 1, 2025.
5.4 City Council Meeting – December 2, 2025, 6:30 p.m., South Coast Air Quality Management
District – Auditorium, 21865 Copley Dr.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR:
All items listed on the Consent Calendar are considered by the City Council to be routine and
will be acted on by a single motion unless a City Council Member or member of the public
request otherwise, in which case, the item will be removed for separate consideration.
6.1 City Council Minutes of the November 4, 2025 Regular Meeting.
Recommended Action:
Approve the November 4, 2025 Regular City Council meeting minutes.
6.2 Ratification of Check Register Dated October 29, 2025 through November 11, 2025 totaling
$2,321,565.02.
Diamond Bar City Council Agenda November 18, 2025
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City of Diamond Bar City Council
Recommended Action:
Ratify the Check Register.
6.3 Treasurer's Statement.
Recommended Action:
Approve the October 2025 Treasurer’s Statement.
6.4 Small Business Saturday Proclamation.
Recommended Action:
Adopt the Proclamation declaring November 29, 2025 as Small Business Saturday.
6.5 Appropriation of PEG Funds for the Purchase and Installation of a Dedicated Air
Conditioning Unit for the City Hall Broadcast Room.
Recommended Action:
Approve a one-time appropriation in the amount of $40,000 from the restricted Public,
Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Fund (Fund 270) for the purchase and installation of
a dedicated air conditioning unit for the City Hall Broadcast Room.
7. PUBLIC HEARINGS:
7.1 Adoption of the 2025 California Building Standards Codes (Title 24 C.C.R. PARTS 2, 2.5, 3, 4,
5, 7, 9, AND 11) with Local Amendments.
Recommended Action:
A. Open the public hearing to receive public testimony;
B. Close the public hearing; and
C. Approve for second reading by title only, waive full reading and adopt Ordinance
No. 03 (2025):
"AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR AMENDING
TITLE 15 OF THE DIAMOND BAR CITY CODE AND ADOPTING, BY REFERENCE, THE 2025
CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE, VOLUMES 1 AND 2, INCLUDING CHAPTER 1 DIVISION II,
AND APPENDICES I, AND J THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA MECHANICAL CODE,
AND THE APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA PLUMBING CODE, AND THE
APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA ELECTRICAL CODE, AND THE
APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA RESIDENTIAL CODE, INCLUDING
APPENDICES H, J, K, AND O THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING CODE,
WITHOUT THE APPENDICES THERETO, AND THE 2025 CALIFORNIA WILDLAND-URBAN
INTERFACE CODE, WITHOUT APPENDICES, TOGETHER WITH CERTAIN AMENDMENTS,
ADDITIONS, DELETIONS AND EXCEPTIONS."
8. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION:
8.1 City Council Discussion of Potential Amendments to Title 22 of The Diamond Bar City Code
("Development Code").
Recommended Action:
Diamond Bar City Council Agenda November 18, 2025
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City of Diamond Bar City Council
Provide direction regarding the initiation of a Development Code amendment process
related to live entertainment, parking standards, sign standards, entitlement procedures,
and/or other commercial standards as may be deemed appropriate.
9. COUNCIL SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE REPORTS:
10. ADJOURNMENT:
CERTIFICATION
I, Kristina Santana, MMC, City Clerk, City of Diamond Bar, hereby certify, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State
of California that the foregoing notice was posted pursuant to Government Code Section 54950 Et. Seq., not less than 72
hours prior to the meeting, at the following locations: Diamond Bar City Hall Kiosk, Diamond Bar City Hall Bulletin Board, City
website: www.diamondbarca.gov, and Diamond Bar Library.
Kristina Santana, MMC
City Clerk
Date Posted: November 13, 2025
Agenda Item #: 6.1
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM:Daniel Fox, City Manager
SUBJECT:City Council Minutes of the November 4, 2025 Regular Meeting.
STRATEGIC GOAL: Open, Engaged and Responsive Government
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the November 4, 2025 Regular City Council meeting minutes.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
BACKGROUND:
Government Code Section 36814 mandates the City Clerk to keep an accurate record of the City Council's
proceedings.
ANALYSIS:
Minutes have been prepared and are being presented for approval.
PREPARED BY:
Kristina Santana, City Clerk, City Clerk's Office
ATTACHMENTS:
1. November 4, 2025 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING
SOUTH COAST AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT/MAIN AUDITORIUM
21865 COPLEY DRIVE, DIAMOND BAR, CA 91765
NOVEMBER 4, 2025
1. CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Teng called the Regular City Council
meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the South Coast Air Quality Management District
Main Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:Mayor Pro Tem Steve Tye
INVOCATION:Pastor Tino Cordova, United Church of Christ
ROLL CALL:Council Members Andrew Chou, Stan Liu,
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Tye, Mayor Chia Yu
Teng
Absent: Council Member Ruth M. Low.
Staff present in person: Dan Fox, City Manager; Omar Sandoval, City
Attorney; Ryan McLean, Assistant City Manager; Amy Haug, Human Resources
and Risk Manager; Greg Gubman, Community Development Director; Raymond
Tao, Building Official; David Liu, Public Works Director/City Engineer; Hal
Ghafari, Public Works Manager/Assistant City Engineer; Cecilia Arellano,
Community Relations Manager; Kristina Santana, City Clerk.
Staff present telephonically:Jason Jacobsen, Finance Director; Ryan
Wright, Parks and Recreation Director.
Others present:Nancy Farias, Deputy, Diamond Bar/Walnut Sheriff’s Station.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:Mayor Teng approved the agenda as
presented.
2. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS: None.
3. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: None.
4. PUBLIC COMMENTS:
The following provided public comments:
Lee Mao, resident
Cynthia Yu, Diamond Bar Library Manager
C. Robin Smith, resident, provided comments via teleconference.
The Garispe Family, resident
CC/Santana reported that no emails were submitted for public comment.
November 4, 2025 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL
5. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS: CM/Fox presented the Schedule of
Future Events.
6. CONSENT CALENDAR:C/Chou moved, MPT/Tye seconded, to approve the
Consent Calendar. Motion carried 4-0 by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou, Liu, MPT/Tye, M/Teng
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Low
6.1 Approved October 21, 2025 City Council Closed Session and Regular
Meeting Minutes.
6.2 Ratified Check Register Dated October 15, 2025 through October 28,
2025 Totaling $1,448,174.08.
6.3 Adoption of Extra Mile Day Proclamation.
6.4 Approval of Purchase of Five (5) HPE Servers.
6.5 Approval of Resolution No. 2025-34 Approving the Award of Construction
Agreement for the Diamond Bar Boulevard Complete Streets Project –
CIP No. SI256 (Gentry Brothers, Inc.) and Approval of Amendment 2 to a
Professional Services Agreement for Construction Management and
Inspection Services (Local Agency Engineering Associates, Inc.)
7. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None.
8. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION:
8.1 Adoption of the 2025 Building Standards Codes (Title 24 C.C.R. PARTS 2,
2.5, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, AND 11) with Local Amendments.
Building Official Raymond Tao gave the staff presentation and responded
to questions.
C. Robin Smith, resident, provided comments via teleconference.
CC/Santana confirmed that no public comment emails were received for
this item.
After Council discussion, C/Liu moved, C/Chou seconded, to:
A. Hear the staff presentation and receive any public testimony;
B. Determine that the proposed ordinance does not constitute a
November 4, 2025 PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL
project and is therefore exempt from the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section
15378(b); and
C. Introduce for first reading by title only, waive full reading of
Ordinance No. 03 (2025), and set for public hearing, second
reading and adoption at the November 18, 2025 City Council
meeting:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
DIAMOND BAR AMENDING TITLE 15 OF THE DIAMOND BAR
CITY CODE AND ADOPTING, BY REFERENCE, THE 2025
CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE, VOLUMES 1 AND 2, INCLUDING
CHAPTER 1 DIVISION II, AND APPENDICES I, AND J THERETO,
THE 2025 CALIFORNIA MECHANICAL CODE, AND THE
APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA PLUMBING
CODE, AND THE APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025
CALIFORNIA ELECTRICAL CODE, AND THE APPENDICES
THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA RESIDENTIAL CODE,
INCLUDING APPENDICES H, J, K, AND O THERETO, THE 2025
CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING CODE, WITHOUT THE
APPENDICES THERETO, AND THE 2025 CALIFORNIA
WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE CODE, WITHOUT
APPENDICES, TOGETHER WITH CERTAIN AMENDMENTS,
ADDITIONS, DELETIONS AND EXCEPTIONS.
Motion carried 4-0 by the following Roll Call vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou, Liu, MPT/Tye, M/Teng
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Low
8.2 Sixth Amendment to City Manager Employment Agreement.
City Attorney Omar Sandoval gave the staff presentation.
The following provided public comments:
Mr. Garispe
CC/Santana confirmed that no public comment emails were received for
this item.
C/Chou moved, C/Liu seconded, to approve the Sixth Amendment to City
Manager Employment Agreement.
Motion carried 4-0 by the following Roll Call vote:
November 4, 2025 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chou, Liu, MPT/Tye, M/Teng
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Low
10. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND MEETING ATTENDANCE
REPORTS/COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS:
There were no Council Member reports on meetings attended at the expense of
the local agency per Government Code 53232.3(d).
11. ADJOURNMENT:With no further business to conduct, M/Teng adjourned the
Regular City Council Meeting at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
__________________________
Kristina Santana, City Clerk
The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 18th day of November, 2025.
__________________________
Chia Yu Teng, Mayor
Agenda Item #: 6.2
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM:Daniel Fox, City Manager
SUBJECT:Ratification of Check Register Dated October 29, 2025 through November 11,
2025 totaling $2,321,565.02.
STRATEGIC GOAL: Open, Engaged and Responsive Government
RECOMMENDATION:
Ratify the Check Register.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Expenditure of $2,321,565.02.
BACKGROUND:
The City has established the policy of issuing accounts payable checks on a bi-weekly basis with City Council
ratification at the next scheduled City Council Meeting. The attached check register containing checks dated
October 29, 2025 through November 11, 2025 totaling $2,321,565.02 is being presented for ratification.
ANALYSIS:
All payments have been made in compliance with the City's purchasing policies and procedures. The
attached Affidavit affirms that the check register has been audited and deemed accurate.
PREPARED BY:
Luisa Allen, Senior Accounting Technician, Finance
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Check Register Affidavit 11-18-2025
2. Check Register 11-18-2025
CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
CHECK REGISTER AFFIDAVIT
Agenda Item #: 6.3
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM:Daniel Fox, City Manager
SUBJECT:Treasurer's Statement.
STRATEGIC GOAL: Responsible Stewardship of Public Resources
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the October 2025 Treasurer’s Statement.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
BACKGROUND:
Consistent with City policy, the Finance Department presents the monthly Treasurer’s Statement to the City
Council for review and approval.
ANALYSIS:
This statement shows the cash balances with a breakdown of various investment accounts and the yield to
maturity from investments. This statement also includes an investment portfolio management report which
details the activities of investments.
PREPARED BY:
Jason Jacobsen, Finance Director, Finance
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Treasurer's Cash Report - Oct 2025
2. Treasurer's Certification & Portfolio Report - Oct 2025
CASH & INVESTMENT BALANCES
Cash Funds
General Account $2,053,318.45
Payroll Account $0.00
Change Fund - General Fund $600.00
Petty Cash Account $303.00
Cash With Fiscal Agent (US Bank 2021 Bonds) $1,548.28
Total Cash Funds $2,055,769.73
City & LAIF Invested Funds (Book Value):
Local Agency Investment Fund $8,786,854.02
City-Managed Fixed-Income Securities (0-5 year maturity) $55,144,498.03
Total Investment Funds (Book Value) $63,931,352.05
Fiscal Year-To-Date Effective Rate of Return (City Funds & LAIF) 3.78% (4 Months)
Fiscal YTD Interest Earnings (City Funds & LAIF) $850,588.88 (4 Months)
FY 2025-26 Budgeted Interest Earnings (City Funds & LAIF) $1,530,800.00 (12 Months)
Invested Funds With OPEB Trust (Managed by CalPERS/State Street) $1,086,033.74
Annualized rate of return (6/30/2016 - 6/30/2025) 5.16% ( 9 Years)
OPEB Trust Starting Balance (7/1/2025)$945,947.34
OPEB Trust FY 25-26 Contributions $88,000.00
OPEB Trust FY 25-26 Earnings $52,086.40 (4 Months)
OPEB Trust Ending Balance (9/30/2025)$1,086,033.74
GRAND TOTAL - CASH & INVESTMENTS $67,073,155.52
CITY OF DIAMOND BAR - CITY TREASURER'S CASH BALANCE REPORT
AS OF OCTOBER 31, 2025
Total Investments and Averages $63,931,352.05 100.00% 1,091 476 3.952%
TOTAL INTEREST EARNED $196,077.39 $850,588.88
City of Diamond Bar21810 Copley DriveDiamond Bar, CA(909)839-7053Investments63,931,352.05 100.00%Investments63,841,187.3464,199,237.771,091 476 3.952Current YearOctober 31196,077.39Fiscal Year To Date850,588.88Average Daily BalanceEffective Rate of Return65,393,590.17 66,725,509.393.78%3.53%Total Earnings Month Ending__________________________________________________ ____________________Jason M. Jacobsen, Finance DirectorPortfolio POOLAPReporting period 10/01/2025-10/31/2025
Agenda Item #: 6.4
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM:Daniel Fox, City Manager
SUBJECT:Small Business Saturday Proclamation.
STRATEGIC GOAL: Open, Engaged and Responsive Government
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt the Proclamation declaring November 29, 2025 as Small Business Saturday.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
BACKGROUND:
Saturday, November 29, 2025 is Small Business Saturday, a day to celebrate and support small businesses and
all they do for their communities. California has 4.2 million small businesses, which is more than any other state
in the country. Every time you pick up a coffee at your local café, grab lunch at the mom -and-pop shop or
buy a new handbag from a local store, you are making an impact in your community.
ANALYSIS:
The City of Diamond Bar proudly supports Small Business Saturday and encourages residents to shop local not
just during this recognized day, but all year long through its Keep It Local, Shop Diamond Bar First initiative. This
ongoing economic development program highlights the vital role small businesses play in strengthening the
local economy, creating jobs, and fostering community connections. By choosing to shop, dine, and do
business locally, residents help ensure Diamond Bar continues to thrive as a vibrant and prosperous community.
PREPARED BY:
Kristina Santana, City Clerk, City Clerk's Office
ATTACHMENTS:
Agenda Item #: 6.4
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
1. Small Business Saturday Proclamation
PP RR OO CC LL AA MM AA TT II OO NN
““SS MM AA LL LL BB UU SS II NN EE SS SS SS AA TT UU RR DD AA YY ””
WHEREASWHEREAS, the Diamond Bar City Council, celebrates our local small businesses and the
contributions they make to our local economy and community; and
WHEREASWHEREAS, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are 34.7 million small
businesses in the United States: small businesses represent 99.9% of firms with paid
employees; and
WHEREASWHEREAS, 68 cents of every dollar spent at a small business in the United States stays in
the local community; and
WHEREASWHEREAS, Small Business Saturday, founded in 2010, has become a national tradition
dedicated to supporting and celebrating local merchants and entrepreneurs; and
WHEREASWHEREAS, advocacy groups, as well as public and private organizations, across the
country have endorsed the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday.
WHEREASWHEREAS, City of Diamond Bar, supports our local businesses that create jobs, boost our
local economy, and preserve our communities.
NOW,NOW,THEREFORE,THEREFORE,the Diamond Bar City Council, does hereby proclaim, NovemberNovember 29,29,
20252025 as “SMALL“SMALL BUSINESSBUSINESS SATURDAY”SATURDAY”,, and urge the residents of our community, and
communities across the country, to support small businesses and merchants on Small
Business Saturday and Shop Small throughout the year.
November 18, 2025
Chia Yu Teng
Mayor
Steve Tye Andrew Chou
Mayor Pro Tem Council Member
Stan Liu Ruth M. Low
Council Member Council Member
Agenda Item #: 6.5
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM:Daniel Fox, City Manager
SUBJECT:Appropriation of PEG Funds for the Purchase and Installation of a Dedicated
Air Conditioning Unit for the City Hall Broadcast Room.
STRATEGIC GOAL: Open, Engaged and Responsive Government
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve a one-time appropriation in the amount of $40,000 from the restricted Public, Educational, and
Governmental (PEG) Fund (Fund 270) for the purchase and installation of a dedicated air conditioning unit for
the City Hall Broadcast Room.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Sufficient funds are available in the restricted PEG Fund to cover the cost of this purchase and installation. PEG
funds are fees collected from cable television operators, and may only be used for expenditures related to the
City's operation of its government access channel.
BACKGROUND:
The City Hall Broadcast Room houses a variety of recording, streaming, and broadcasting equipment that
operates continuously to keep the City’s government access channel, Diamond Bar TV (DBTV), on the air 24
hours a day via Spectrum Cable Channel 3 and Frontier FiOS Channel 47. Although City Hall is served by a
central HVAC system, the Broadcast Room requires a dedicated air conditioning unit to maintain proper
temperature during times when the central system is not in operation.
ANALYSIS:
Staff received quotes for the installation of the new system totaling an estimated $34,600, with an additional
project contingency of $5,400, for a total project cost of $40,000. A contract for this work will be issued
administratively in accordance with Chapter 3.25 (Public Projects) of the City’s Purchasing Ordinance.
PREPARED BY:
Jason Williams, Maintenance Supervisor, Public Works
Agenda Item #: 6.5
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Agenda Item #: 7.1
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM:Daniel Fox, City Manager
SUBJECT:Adoption of the 2025 California Building Standards Codes (Title 24 C.C.R.
PARTS 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, AND 11) with Local Amendments.
STRATEGIC GOAL: Safe, Sustainable and Healthy Community
RECOMMENDATION:
A. Open the public hearing to receive public testimony;
B. Close the public hearing; and
C. Approve for second reading by title only, waive full reading and adopt Ordinance No. 03 (2025):
"AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR AMENDING TITLE 15 OF THE
DIAMOND BAR CITY CODE AND ADOPTING, BY REFERENCE, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE,
VOLUMES 1 AND 2, INCLUDING CHAPTER 1 DIVISION II, AND APPENDICES I, AND J THERETO, THE 2025
CALIFORNIA MECHANICAL CODE, AND THE APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA PLUMBING
CODE, AND THE APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA ELECTRICAL CODE, AND THE APPENDICES
THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA RESIDENTIAL CODE, INCLUDING APPENDICES H, J, K, AND O THERETO,
THE 2025 CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING CODE, WITHOUT THE APPENDICES THERETO, AND THE 2025
CALIFORNIA WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE CODE, WITHOUT APPENDICES, TOGETHER WITH CERTAIN
AMENDMENTS, ADDITIONS, DELETIONS AND EXCEPTIONS."
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
BACKGROUND:
On November 5, 2025, Ordinance No. 03 (2025) was introduced to adopt the 2025 California Building Code
updates. The City Council approved the first reading by a 4-0 vote, and set the matter a public hearing and
second reading on November 18, 2025. There were no changes to the draft ordinance.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025) included in Attachment 1 is being presented for its second reading, public hearing
and adoption.
Agenda Item #: 7.1
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
ANALYSIS:
The proposed ordinance carries forward the City’s existing local amendments from the 2022 code cycle, with
no new local modifications. Assembly Bill 306 (2025) amended Health and Safety Code §§17958 et seq.,
prohibiting local jurisdictions from modifying residential construction standards except where necessary for
wildfire home-hardening requirements. The 2025 code cycle consolidates all wildfire home-hardening
requirements into a new California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Part 7, Title 24, CCR), developed in
coordination with CAL FIRE. This consolidation does not introduce new substantive requirements but streamlines
prior fire-resistance provisions previously located in multiple code parts. The local amendments proposed for
adoption are continuations of existing provisions, updated only as necessary to reflect the renumbering and
organizational changes in the 2025 California Codes.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING:
Pursuant to California Government Code 50022.3, a public hearing is required prior to the second reading of
any ordinance amending the Building Standards Codes. Pursuant to the California Government Code 50022.3
and 6066, a public hearing notice was published in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune on November 5, 2025, and
November 12, 2025.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The proposed ordinance does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),
as defined by CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b). Accordingly, the adoption is exempt from CEQA.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed and approved the Ordinance as to form.
PREPARED BY:
Raymond Tao, Building Official, Community Development
Greg Gubman, Director, Community Development
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
ORDINANCE NO. 03 (2025)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
AMENDING TITLE 15 OF THE DIAMOND BAR CITY CODE AND ADOPTING,
BY REFERENCE, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE, VOLUMES 1 AND
2, INCLUDING CHAPTER 1 DIVISION II, AND APPENDICES I, AND J
THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA MECHANICAL CODE, AND THE
APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA PLUMBING CODE, AND
THE APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA ELECTRICAL CODE,
AND THE APPENDICES THERETO, THE 2025 CALIFORNIA RESIDENTIAL
CODE, INCLUDING APPENDICES H, J, K, AND O THERETO, THE 2025
CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING CODE, WITHOUT THE APPENDICES
THERETO, AND THE 2025 CALIFORNIA WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE
CODE, WITHOUT APPENDICES, TOGETHER WITH CERTAIN AMENDMENTS,
ADDITIONS, DELETIONS AND EXCEPTIONS.
WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 50022.1 et seq., authorizes the City
of Diamond Bar to adopt by reference the 2025 California Building Code; the 2025 California
Mechanical Code; the 2025 California Plumbing Code; the 2025 California Electrical Code; the
2025 California Residential Code; the 2025 California Wildland Urban Interface Code; and the
2025 Green Building Code as set forth in the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, parts 2,
2.5, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11.
WHEREAS, pursuant to California Health and Safety Code Sections 17922, 17958,
17958.5 and 17958.7, the City may make modifications to the Title 24 building standards and
requirements that it deems reasonably necessary to protect the health, welfare and safety of
the citizens of Diamond Bar because of local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions;
and
WHEREAS, at least one copy of each of the codes and standards identified in this
Ordinance and certified as full, true and correct copies thereof by the City Clerk of the City of
Diamond Bar have been filed in the office of the City Clerk in accordance with the provisions
of California Government Code Section 50022.6; and
WHEREAS, the City introduced for first reading this Ordinance on November 4, 2025,
at which time all interested persons had the opportunity to appear and be heard on the matter
of adopting the codes and standards identified in this Ordinance as amended herein; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to California Government Code Section 6066, the City published
notice of the public hearing on November 5, 2025 and November 12, 2025 for the hearing set
forth in sections above and below; and
WHEREAS, the City held a public hearing on November 18, 2025, at which time all
interested persons had the opportunity to appear and be heard on the matter of adopting the
codes and standards identified in this Ordinance as amended herein.
WHEREAS, any and all legal prerequisites relating to the adoption of this Ordinance
have occurred; and
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WHEREAS, the State of California and the City of Diamond Bar has consistently
promoted and encouraged the use of fuel-efficient electric vehicles; and
WHEREAS, the State of California recent adopted Assembly Bill 1236, which requires
local agencies to adopt an ordinance that creates an expedited and streamlined permitting
process for electric vehicle charging systems; and
WHEREAS, creation of an expedited, streamlined permitting process for electric
vehicle charging stations would facilitate convenient charging of electric vehicles and help
reduce the City’s reliance on environmentally damaging fossil fuels; and
WHEREAS, the proposed ordinance does not constitute a project under the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as defined by CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b).
Accordingly, the adoption is exempt from CEQA.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Diamond Bar does hereby find,
determine and ordain as follows:
Section 1: Findings in Support of Modifications to Title 24 Building Standards.
The Council does expressly find and determine that the modifications to the Title 24
building standards set forth herein are reasonably necessary to protect the health, welfare and
safety of the citizens of Diamond Bar because of the following local climatic, geological or
topographic conditions.
(1) The hillsides in Diamond Bar are composed of the Puente Formation, and similar
weak geological materials, while neighboring flatland areas are composed of more
stable fill and alluvial materials. These materials may be naturally unstable or weak
in terms of physical support. These highly expansive soil conditions are vulnerable
to earth movement as well as unpredictable seismic response of buildings. The
unpredictable response from prior seismic events including Chino Hills, Northridge,
and the Whittier earthquakes have demonstrated the need for greater quality control
to ensure against poor seismic performance of multi-story structures.
(2) The City experiences diverse temperatures, which promotes expansion and
contraction of the soil. This condition is very damaging to expansive type soil.
(3) Because of the above-described climatic and geological conditions, the City of
Diamond Bar requires special engineering to support habitable structures within the
unstable soil areas and requires additional measures to be taken in connection with
excavation and grading activities.
(4) The City is located in a seismically active area and is in close proximity to various
active faults including the Chino, Sierra Madre, Cucamonga, Whittier, San Jacinto
and Raymond Faults. It is reasonably foreseeable that an earthquake would render
the City particularly vulnerable to devastation.
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(5) The City has extensive hillside topography, unstable geology, watershed areas,
expansive soils, and underground streams. In addition, the regional climate
alternates between extended periods of drought and brief periods of rainfall. For
these reasons, the City is susceptible to flood conditions.
(6) Because of the above-described geological conditions within the City, and the
substantial amount of freeway, railroad, and flood control facilities throughout the
community, the City, in the event of an earthquake, may be unable to dispatch an
adequate number of fire personnel and apparatus to suppress fires and conduct
rescue operations. Moreover, the conditions within Diamond Bar likewise occur in
surrounding communities, hereby rendering mutual aid assistance problematic, at
best.
(7) Due to the City's topography, numerous hillside fire hazard areas are located within
its boundaries.
(8) Climatic conditions within the community render it extremely likely that, in the event
of seasonal high winds and earthquake occurring, the County Fire Department would
be unable to suppress numerous fires occurring throughout the community.
(9) Located throughout the City, as well as in the surrounding communities, are
numerous concentrations of structures which have roofs constructed of thinly cut
pieces of wood, otherwise known as untreated shakes, as well as untreated wood
shingles. These untreated wood shakes and shingles are extremely combustible in
nature.
(10) The City is located in an area climatically classified as "arid" and prone to winds of
high velocity. Moreover, due to the arid nature of the area, the weather during the
windy periods tends to be very warm and dry. The dry weather conditions present a
significant threat of wild fire to the City's undeveloped hillsides, wild lands, and
nearby homes, and highly populated areas. The potential for rapid spread of even
small fires creates a need for increased levels of fire protection.
(11) Sound transmission controls are necessary to protect City residents from excessive
noise generated by multiple nearby freeway interchanges and large arterial streets,
among other sources.
(12) Local climate makes pool ownership desirable. Children often reside in close
proximity to swimming pools, making pool barriers necessary. This need is
increased due to potential delays in emergency rescue response resulting from the
location of hillside residences and traffic congestion.
(13) The City is in an area classified climatically as “arid” and subject to seasonal high
temperatures that will affect electrical wiring not designed to be retained for an
extended period of time.
(14) The Council does hereby further expressly find and determine that the amendments
to the Title 24 building standards, set forth herein, and as referenced below, are
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appropriate given the specific local climatic, geological or topographic conditions set
forth above.
a. CBC Sections 1505.1, 1505.1.3 and 1505.1.1 – Findings 7, 8, 9, and 10.
b. CBC Sections 1612.5 – Finding 5.
c. CBC Sections 1801.2, 1803.1, 1803.8, 1803.8.1, 1803.8.2, 1809.4, and Appendix
J – Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
d. CRC Sections R301.1.3.2, R309.1, R309.2, R337.1.3.1 – Findings 6, 7, 8, 9, and
10.
e. CRC Section R342 – Finding 1.
f. CRC Section R341 – Finding 11.
g. CRC Section R602.10.8 – Finding 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
h. CBC Section 3109.4.1 and CRC R343 – Finding 12.
i. CPC Section 722.6 – Finding 3.
j. CEC Section 590.3 – Finding 13.
The following local conditions apply to the California Building Code Amendments:
(15) The City is located in a seismically active area and is in close proximity to various
active faults including the Chino, Sierra Madre, Cucamonga, Whittier, San Jacinto
and Raymond Faults. It is reasonably foreseeable that an earthquake would render
the City particularly vulnerable to devastation.
(16) The City has extensive hillside topography, unstable geology, watershed areas,
expansive soils, and underground streams. In addition, the regional climate
alternates between extended periods of drought and brief periods of rainfall. For
these reasons, the City is susceptible to flood conditions.
(17) Because of the above-described geological conditions within the City, and the
substantial amount of freeway, railroad, and flood control facilities throughout the
community, the City, in the event of an earthquake, may be unable to dispatch an
adequate number of fire personnel and apparatus to suppress fires and conduct
rescue operations. Moreover, the conditions within Diamond Bar likewise occur in
surrounding communities, hereby rendering mutual aid assistance problematic, at
best.
(18) Due to the City's topography, numerous hillside fire hazard areas are located within
its boundaries.
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(19) Climatic conditions within the community render it extremely likely that, in the event
of seasonal high winds and earthquake occurring, the County Fire Department would
be unable to suppress numerous fires occurring throughout the community.
(20) Located throughout the City, as well as in the surrounding communities, are
numerous concentrations of structures which have roofs constructed of thinly cut
pieces of wood, otherwise known as untreated shakes, as well as untreated wood
shingles. These untreated wood shakes and shingles are extremely combustible in
nature.
(21) The City is located in an area climatically classified as "arid" and prone to winds of
high velocity. Moreover, due to the arid nature of the area, the weather during the
windy periods tends to be very warm and dry. The dry weather conditions present a
significant threat of wild fire to the City's undeveloped hillsides, wildlands, and nearby
homes and highly populated areas. The potential for rapid spread of even small fires
create a need for increased levels of fire protection.
The Council does hereby further expressly find and determine that the amendments to the Title
24 building standards, set forth herein, are appropriate given the specific local climatic,
geological or topographic conditions set forth above.
Section 2: Title 15 (Building and Construction Safety), Chapter 15.00, Division 2.
Administration Code is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced to read as follows:
DIVISION 2. - ADMINISTRATION CODE
Sec. 15.00.110. Chapter 1, Division II of the California Building Code (Scope
and Administration) – Adopted.
Sec. 15.00.120. Amendments to Chapter 1, Division II of the California
Building Code (Scope and Administration).
Sec. 15.00.130. Penalties for violation of division.
Secs. 15.00.140. – 15.00.300. Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.110. Chapter 1, Division II of the California Building Code (Scope
and Administration) – Adopted.
Except as amended by Section 15.00.120, Chapter 1, Division II of the 2025 California
Building Code, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as though fully
set forth in this Division and shall constitute the Administration Code of the City.
Sec. 15.00.120. Amendments to Chapter 1, Division II of the California Building
Code (Scope and Administration).
(1)Section 104.6 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
104.4 Right of entry. The building official, or their duly authorized
representative, shall have the authority to enter any building or premises for the
purpose of investigation of the existence of suspected or reported damage or
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defects which constitute an immediate danger to human life or an immediate
hazard to public safety or health. Except in emergency situations, the building
official, or their authorized representative, shall not enter any building or premises
without the consent of the owner or occupant thereof, unless they possesses a
warrant authorizing entry and search of the premises. No person shall hinder or
prevent the building official, or their authorized representative, while in the
performance of the duties herein described as emergency situations or while in
possession of a warrant, from entering upon and into any and all premises under
their jurisdiction, at all reasonable hours, for the purpose of inspecting the same
to determine whether or not the provisions of the Chapter and all other applicable
laws or ordinances pertaining to the protection of persons or property are
observed therein.
(2)Section 105.1 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
105.1 Permits required. Except as specified in Section 105.2, no building or
structure regulated by this Code shall be used, erected, constructed, enlarged,
altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, occupied, maintained, converted
or demolished unless a separate permit for each building or structure has first
been obtained from the building official. All signs affixed to any building or
structure and not otherwise requiring a permit hereunder shall require a building
permit.
(3)Section 105.2 of the California Building Code is amended to restate exemptions
1, 4, and 9 as follows:
105.2 Work exempt from permit.
1. One story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds,
playhouses and similar uses, provided (a) the floor area is not greater than
120 square feet (11 m²); (b) the structure does not exceed 8 feet (2.44 m)
in height; (c) the structure has no plumbing or electrical installations or
fixtures; and (d) the structure is separated from any other accessory
structures by a minimum distance of 6 feet (1.83 m)
4. Retaining walls that are not over 3 feet (914 mm) in height measured from
the bottom of footing to the top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge
or impounding flammable liquids.
9. Prefabricated swimming pools, spas, or hot tubs accessory to Group R,
Division 3 Occupancy that are less than 24 inches deep (610 mm), are not
greater than 5,000 gallons (18 925 L) and are installed entirely above
ground.
(4)Section 105.3 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
105.3 Application for permit. Application for a permit to perform the work shall
be made in writing to the building official and shall fully describe said work. Plans,
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engineering calculations, diagrams, and other data, including specifications and
schedules, may be required to determine whether the installation as described
will be in conformance with the requirements of this Title. If it is found that the
installation as described will conform to all legal requirements, and if the applicant
has complied with the provisions of this Title, a permit for such installation shall
be issued. No deviation may be made from the installation described in the permit
and plan without the prior written approval of the building official.
(5)Section 105.3.2 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
105.3.2 Expiration of plan review. Applications for which no permit is issued
within one-hundred-eighty (180) days following the date of filing shall expire by
limitation, and plans and other data submitted for review may thereafter be
returned to the applicant or destroyed by the building official. The building official
may extend the time for action by the applicant for a period not exceeding 180
days upon request by the applicant showing that circumstances beyond the
control of the applicant have prevented action from being taken. No application
shall be extended more than once. In order to renew action on an application
after expiration, the applicant shall resubmit plans and pay a new plan review fee.
Where applicable, CA Health and Safety Code 18938.5 to 18938.6 shall apply.
(6)Section 105.5 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
105.5 Expiration. Except as set forth in Section 105.5.1 and 105.5.2, every
permit issued shall expire by limitation and become null and void as follows:
(i) Every permit issued by the building official under the provisions of this
Code shall expire and become null and void unless the work authorized
by such permit is commenced within twelve (12) months after permit
issuance, and if a successful inspection has not been obtained from the
building official within one-hundred-eighty (180) days from the date of
permit issuance or the last successful inspection. A successful inspection
shall mean a documented passed inspection by the city building inspector
as outlined in Section 110.6. The building official may extend the time for
action by the applicant in writing for a period not exceeding one-hundred-
eighty (180) days beyond the latest expiration limit upon written request
by the applicant, filed with the building official prior to expiration of the
original permit. Where applicable, CA Health and Safety Code 18938.5 to
18938.4 shall apply but shall not negate the requirement for a successful
inspection.
(ii) In the event of permit expiration and before work for which such permit
was required can be commenced or recommenced, a new permit shall first
be obtained (hereafter, a “renewal permit”). The applicant must pay all
applicable renewal fees, in the amount then established by resolution of
the City Council. If a renewal permit is applied for, the building official shall
have the discretion to request a site inspection prior to its issuance and a
miscellaneous inspection fee shall be paid by the applicant prior to
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inspection. The inspection fee shall be as specified by resolution of the
City Council. In addition, the applicant may be required to resubmit plans
and specifications, when deemed necessary by the building official to
verify compliance with the building codes, ordinances, regulations,
standards, and laws in effect at the time the renewal permit is applied for.
(iii) Upon issuance of a renewal permit, the building official may allow the
applicant to commence or recommence such work from the last successful
inspection of record under the original permit. When an expired building
permit includes expired sub-permits, activation of the renewal permit shall
activate all subsequent expired sub-permits. All work to be performed
under a renewal permit must be completed in accordance with the building
codes, ordinances, regulations, standards, and laws in effect on the date
of issuance of the renewal permit.
(iv) Demolition permits shall expire by limitation and shall become null and
void if the work authorized by such permits is not substantially commenced
within 45-days of the date such permit was issued or as otherwise
specified by the building official.
(7)Section 105.5.2 is added to the California Building Code to read as follows:
105.5.2 Expiration of permit for unlawful structure. Notwithstanding any
provision of Section 105.5, if a building permit was issued in order to bring an un-
permitted structure or other unlawful, substandard, or hazardous condition into
compliance with any applicable law, ordinance, rule or regulation, such permit
shall expire by limitation and become null and void 90 days after the date on
which the permit was issued if all work has not been completed and final
inspection approved by the building inspector per Section 110.3.12 prior to the
close of the 90 day period. The building official may extend the validity of the
permit for a period not exceeding 90 days beyond the initial 90 day limit upon
written request by the applicant filed with the building official prior to the expiration
date of the original permit. Where a project cannot reasonably be completed
within the timeframes listed in this Section, an applicant may request in writing,
prior to issuance of permit or prior to expiration of permit, building official approval
of a longer period not to exceed 360 days in total, inclusive of all available
extensions.
(8)Section 105.8 is added to the California Building Code to read as follows:
105.8 Qualifications of permittee. No person shall be issued a permit under
this Chapter until evidence of a valid California Contractor's License and Workers’
Compensation Insurance is presented to the building official.
EXCEPTION: Owner-builder permit may be issued for specified occupancies in
accordance with California law.
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(9)Section 109.1 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
109.1 Permit fees. The fees required in this Chapter shall be paid to the City
of Diamond Bar for all work for which a permit is required by this Title.
(10)Section 109.4 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
109.4 Work commencing before permit issuance. Failure to obtain a permit
and to pay fees therefore before commencing work shall be deemed evidence of
violation of the provisions of this Chapter. A penalty, as established by resolution
of the City Council, shall be assessed for work commenced before a permit is
issued. Whenever any work for which a permit is required under the provisions
of this Chapter has been commenced without the authorization, a special
investigation may be required before a permit will be issued for any such work.
In addition to any regular permit fee and/or any penalty fee, the said investigation
fee shall be collected as established by resolution of the City Council.
(11)Section 109.6 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
109.6 Fee refunds. The building official shall collect such fees as are required
to be paid by this Chapter and shall make no refund of fees paid except in
accordance the provisions of this Section and in no event after one hundred
eighty (180) days have elapsed from the date of the issuance of the permit. All
requests for refund of fees paid shall be made in writing to the building official
and shall be made in accordance with the procedures and refund schedule
established by resolution of the City Council.
(12)Section 109.7 is added to the California Building Code read as follows:
109.7 Plan review fees. When a plan or other data is required to be submitted
for review and approval by the building official pursuant to this Chapter, a plan
review fee shall be paid at the time of submittal of such plan or other data. Said
plan review and recheck fees shall be established, and may be amended from
time to time, by resolution of the City Council.
(13)Section 110.3.4.2 is added to the California Building Code to read as follows:
110.3.4.2 Accessibility rough inspection. Accessibility rough inspections
shall be made at the same time with rough frame inspections outlined in Section
110.3.4. Framing shall be verified for accessible dimensions and site access
features shall be prepared, non-accessible features demolished, and
measurements verified for installation of curb ramps, slope of surfaces, future
concrete or asphalt installation, signage locations prepared, discrepancies
between plans and site conditions resolved, and any other accessible features
as determined by the building official.
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(14)Section 113.1 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
113.1 Appeals. A decision of the building official regarding the interpretation or
implementation of any provision of this Chapter or the Code adopted hereby shall
be final and shall become effective forthwith upon the service of the decision by
the building official, in writing, upon the permittee. For the purposes of this
section, service upon the permittee shall mean either personal delivery or
placement in the United States Mail, postage prepaid, and addressed to the
permittee at his last known business address; provided, however, that the
permittee may, within ten (10) days after the effective date of the decision of the
building official, file an appeal with the City Clerk, in writing, specifying the reason
or reasons for the appeal and requesting that the Board of Appeals review the
decision of the building official.
(15)Section 113.3 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
113.3 Board of Appeals. The City Council shall act as the Board of
Appeals in making a final determination of any appeal filed in accordance with
the provisions of Section 113.1. The City Clerk shall schedule a hearing on the
appeal at reasonable times at the convenience of the Board of Appeals, but not
later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the written appeal. The permittee may
appear in person before the Board or be represented by an attorney and may
introduce evidence to support his claim. The building official shall transmit to the
Board all records, papers, documents, and other materials in support of his
decision and shall provide a copy thereof to the permittee appealing the decision
of the building official. The permittee appealing the decision of the building official
shall cause, at his own expense, any tests or research required by the Board to
substantiate his claim to be performed or otherwise carried out. The Board may
continue such appeal hearing from time to time as deemed necessary by the
Board. The Board may, by resolution, affirm, reverse or modify in whole or in
part, any appealed decision, determination, or interpretation of the building
official. A copy of the resolution adopted by the Board shall be mailed to the
permittee and the Board's decision shall be final upon the mailing, by United
States Mail, postage prepaid, to the permittee's last known address of record.
The determination of value or valuation under any of the provisions of this
Chapter shall be made by the building official whose determination shall be final.
The value is to be utilized in computing the permit and plan review fees
established pursuant to this Chapter shall be the total value of all work for which
the permit is issued including, by way of illustration and not by limitation,
construction and finish work, painting, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating, air-
conditioning, elevators, fire-extinguishing systems, and all other permanent
equipment.
Sec. 15.00.130. Penalties for violation of division.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, or corporation to violate any
provision, or to fail to comply with any of the requirements, of this Division. Any person,
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firm, partnership, or corporation violating any provision of this Division or failing to
comply with their requirements shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) or by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or by both such fine and
imprisonment. Each such person, firm, partnership, or corporation shall be deemed
guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or any portion thereof during which
any violation of any of the provisions of this Division or the Codes adopted hereby is
committed, continued or permitted by such person, firm, partnership, or corporation, and
shall be deemed punishable therefore as provided in this Division.
Secs. 15.00.140 – 15.00.300. Reserved.
SECTION 3: Title 15 (Building and Construction Safety), Chapter 15.00, Division 3.
Building Code is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced to read as follows:
DIVISION 3. - BUILDING CODE
Sec. 15.00.310. California Building Code – Adopted.
Sec. 15.00.320. Amendments to the California Building Code.
Sec. 15.00.330. Penalties for violation of division.
Secs. 15.00.340. – 15.00.500. Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.310. California Building Code – Adopted.
Except as amended by Sections 15.00.120 and 15.00.320, the 2025 California
Building Code (Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), and Appendix I
(Patio Covers), and J (Grading) thereto, based on the 2024 International Building Code
published by the International Code Council, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein
by reference as though fully set forth in this Division and shall constitute the Building
Code of the City. A copy of such Code has been deposited in the office of the City Clerk
and shall be, at all times, maintained by the City Clerk for use and examination by the
public.
Sec. 15.00.320. Amendments to the California Building Code.
(1)Section 1505.1 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
1505.1 Roof covering requirements. The roof covering or roofing assembly
on any structure regulated by this Code shall as specified in Table 1505.1 and as
classified in Sections 1505.2 to 1505.8. Roofing shall be secured or fastened to
the supporting roof construction and shall provide weather protection for the
building at the roof.
(2)Section 1505.1.1 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
1505.1.1 Roof coverings within high fire hazard severity zones. Unless
governed by more stringent requirements of this Code, buildings within any area
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designated as a Very-High Fire Hazard Zone shall have a fire-retardant roof
covering that is at least a Class A, as specified below:
(i) Section 1505.1.1 is applicable to the entire roof covering of new buildings,
to the entire roof covering of existing buildings where twenty-five percent
(25%) or more of the roof area is replaced within any one-year period, and
any roof covering applied in the alteration, repair or replacement of the
roof of every existing structure.
(ii) The installer of the roof covering shall provide certification of the roof
covering classification to the building owner and, when requested, to the
inspection authority having jurisdiction.
(3)Section 1505.1.2 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
1505.1.2 Roof coverings within all other areas. The entire roof covering
of every existing structure where more than 25 percent of the total roof area is
replaced within any one-year period, the entire roof covering of every new
structure, and any roof covering applied in the alteration, repair or replacement
of the roof of every existing structure, shall be a fire-retardant roof covering that
is at least Class C.
(4)Section 1612.5 is added to the California Building Code to read as follows:
1612.5 Flood hazard. Buildings and other structures (including walls and
fences) are not permitted in an area determined by the City Engineer to be subject
to flood hazard by reason of inundation, overflow, or erosion.
The placement of the building and other structures (including walls and fences)
on the building site shall be such that water or mud flow will not be a hazard to
the building or adjacent property.
EXCEPTION: This prohibition shall not apply when provision is made to eliminate
such flood hazard to the satisfaction of the City Engineer by providing adequate
drainage facilities, by protective walls, suitable fill, raising the floor level of the
building, a combination of these methods, or by other means. Provisions must be
determined by an engineering analysis, prepared in accordance with standard
engineering practice by a registered design professional, that demonstrates the
proposed work will not result in any increase in the level of the base flood.
(5)Section 1801.2 is added to the California Building Code to read as follows:
Section 1801.2 Seismic hazard zone maps. Special studies zones maps within
the City of Diamond Bar prepared under Sections 2622 and 2623 of the California
Public Resources Code which show traces of earthquake faults are hereby
declared to be, on the date of official issue, a part of this Code, and may be
referred to elsewhere in this Code. Special studies zones maps revised under
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the above Sections of the California Public Resources Code shall, on the date of
their official issue, supersede previously issued maps which they replace.
Copies of each of the above maps shall be available for examination by the public
at the Department of Public Works, Department of Community Development, and
the Office of the City Clerk.
(6)Section 1803.1 of the California Building Code is amended by the addition of a
second paragraph to read as follows:
The City Engineer in the case of an application for a grading permit or if the
Building Official determines necessary, may require an engineering geology or
geotechnical engineering report, or both, where in his opinion such reports are
essential for the evaluation of the safety of the site. The engineering geology or
geotechnical engineering report or both shall contain a finding regarding the
safety of the building site for the proposed structure against hazard from
landslide, settlement or slippage and a finding regarding the effect that the
proposed building or grading construction will have on the geologic stability of
property outside of the building site. Any engineering geology report shall be
prepared by a certified engineering geologist licensed by the State of California.
Any geotechnical engineering report shall be prepared by a civil engineer
qualified to perform this work, such as a geotechnical engineer experienced in
soil mechanics. When both an engineering geology and geotechnical
engineering report are required for the evaluation of the safety of a building site,
the two reports shall be coordinated before submission to the City Engineer
and/or Building Official. Any finding regarding the safety of the building site and
the effect that the proposed building or grading construction will have on the
geologic stability of property outside of the building site must be substantiated
with sufficient data and analyzed in a manner consistent with the current industry
standard of care and must be concurred with by the City Engineer and/or Building
Official who may rely on the opinion of independent geotechnical reviewers.
(7)Section 1803.8 is added to the California Building Code to read as follows:
1803.8 Geologic hazards. No building or grading permit shall be issued under
the provisions of this Section 1803 when the City Engineer finds that property
outside the site of the proposed work could be damaged by activation or
acceleration of a geologically hazardous condition and such activation or
acceleration could be attributed to the proposed work on, or, change in use of,
the site for which the permit is requested. For the purpose of this Section,
geologically hazardous condition does not include surface displacement due to
earthquake faults.
(8)Section 1803.8.1 is added to the California Building Code to read as follows:
1803.8.1 Work requiring a building or grading permit by this Code is not
permitted in an area determined by the City Engineer to be subject to hazard from
landslide, settlement, or slippage. These hazards include those from loose
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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debris, slope wash and the potential for mud flows from natural slopes or graded
slopes. For the purposes of this Section, landslide, settlement, or slippage does
not include surface displacement due to earthquake faults.
(9)Section 1803.8.2 is added to the California Building Code to read as follows:
1803.8.2 Subject to the conditions of Section 1803.8, permits may be issued in
the following cases:
(i) When the applicant has submitted an engineering, geology and/or
geotechnical engineering report or reports complying with the policies and
provisions of City Engineer which report or reports show that the hazard
will be eliminated prior to the use or occupancy of the land or structures
by modification of topography, reduction of subsurface water, buttressing,
a combination of these methods, or by other means.
(ii) When the applicant has submitted an engineering geology and/or
geotechnical engineering report or reports complying with the policies and
provisions of the City Engineer which report or reports contain sufficient
data to show that the site appears to be in no danger for the intended use.
(10)Section 1809.4 of the California Building Code is amended to read as follows:
1809.4 Foundations on expansive soil. Unless otherwise specified by a
registered geotechnical engineer, foundation systems within the City of Diamond
Bar are considered to be on expansive soil and shall be constructed in a manner
that will minimize damage to the structure from movement of the soil. Slab-on-
grade and mat-type footings for buildings located on expansive soils may be
designed in accordance with the provisions of Section 1808.6.2 or such other
engineering design based upon geotechnical recommendation as approved by
the Building Official. Where such an approved method of construction is not
provided, foundations and floor slabs shall comply with the following
requirements:
(i) Depth of foundations below the natural and finish grades shall be not less
than 24 inches for exterior and 18 inches for interior foundations.
(ii) Exterior walls and interior bearing walls shall be supported on continuous
foundation.
(iii) Foundations shall be reinforced with at least two continuous one-half-inch
diameter deformed reinforcing bars top and bottom. Two bars shall be
placed within four inches of the bottom of the foundation and two within
four inches of the top of the foundation.
(iv) Concrete floor slabs on grade shall be cast on a four-inch fill of coarse
aggregate or on a moisture barrier membrane. The slabs shall be at least
three and one-half inches thick and shall be reinforced with welded wire
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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mesh or deformed reinforcing bars. Welded wire mesh shall have a cross-
sectional area of not less than five-hundredths square inch per foot each
way. Reinforcing bars shall have a diameter of not less than three-eighths
inch and be spaced at intervals not exceeding 24 inches each way.
(v) The soil below an interior concrete slab shall be saturated with moisture
to a depth of 18 inches prior to casting the concrete.
(11)Section 3109.3 of the California Building Code is added to read as follows:
3109.3 Barrier Height and clearances. The top of the barrier shall be not less
than 60 inches (1524 mm) above grade measured on the side of the barrier that
faces away from the swimming pool. The vertical clearance between grade and
the bottom of the barrier shall be not greater than 2 inches (51 mm) measured on
the side of the barrier that faces away from the swimming pool. Where the top of
the pool structure is above grade, the barrier is authorized to be at ground level
or mounted on top of the pool structure, and the vertical clearance between the
top of the pool structure and the bottom of the barrier shall be not greater than 4
inches (102 mm). Residential swimming pools barriers shall be completely
enclosed by a barrier complying with Sections 3109.4.1.1 through 3109.4.3
below:
3109.3.1 Openings. Openings in the barrier shall not allow passage of a 4-inch-
diameter (102 mm) sphere.
3109.3. 2 Solid barrier surfaces. Solid barriers which do not have openings
shall not contain indentations or protrusions except for normal construction
tolerances and tooled masonry joints.
3109.3. 3 Closely spaced horizontal members. Where the barrier is composed
of horizontal and vertical members and the distance between the tops of the
horizontal members is less than 45 inches (1143 mm), the horizontal members
shall be located on the swimming pool side of the fence. Spacing between vertical
members shall be not greater than 13/4 inches (44 mm) in width. Where there are
decorative cutouts within vertical members, spacing within the cutouts shall be
not greater than 13/4 inches (44 mm) in width.
3109.3.4 Widely spaced horizontal members. Where the barrier is composed
of horizontal and vertical members and the distance between the tops of the
horizontal members is 45 inches (1143 mm) or more, spacing between vertical
members shall be not greater than 4 inches (102 mm). Where there are
decorative cutouts within vertical members, spacing within the cutouts shall be
not greater than 13/4 inches (44 mm) in width.
3109.3.5 Chain link dimensions. Mesh size for chain link fences shall be not
greater than a 21/4-inch square (57 mm square) unless the fence is provided with
slats fastened at the top or the bottom that reduce the openings to not more than
13/4 inches (44 mm).
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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3109.3.6 Diagonal members. Where the barrier is composed of diagonal
members, the opening formed by the diagonal members shall be not greater than
13/4 inches (44 mm).
3109.3.7 Gates. Access doors or gates shall comply with the requirements of
Sections 3109.4.1.1 through 3109.4.1.6 and shall be equipped to accommodate
a locking device. Pedestrian access doors or gates shall open outward away from
the pool and shall be self-closing and have a self-latching device. Doors or gates
other than pedestrian access doors or gates shall have a self-latching device.
Release mechanisms shall be in accordance with Sections 1010.1.9 and
1109.13. Where the release mechanism of the self-latching device is located less
than 54 inches (1372 mm) from the bottom of the door or gate, the release
mechanism shall be located on the pool side of the door or gate 3 inches (76 mm)
or more, below the top of the door or gate, and the door or gate and barrier shall
be without openings greater than 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) within 18 inches (457 mm)
of the release mechanism.
3109.3.8 Dwelling wall as a barrier. Where a wall of a dwelling serves as part
of the barrier, one of the following shall apply:
1. Doors with direct access to the pool through that wall shall be equipped with
an alarm that produces an audible warning when the door or its screen, if
present, are opened. The alarm shall be listed and labeled in accordance with
UL 2017. In dwellings not required to be Accessible units, Type A units or
Type B units, the deactivation switch shall be located 54 inches (1372 mm) or
more above the threshold of the door. In dwellings required to be Accessible
units, Type A units or Type B units, the deactivation switch shall be located
not higher than 54 inches (1372 mm) and not less than 48 inches (1219 mm)
above the threshold of the door.
2. The pool shall be equipped with a power safety cover that complies with
ASTM F1346.
3. Other means of protection, such as self-closing doors with self-latching
devices, which are approved, shall be accepted so long as the degree of
protection afforded is not less than the protection afforded by Item 1 or 2
above.
3109.3.9 Pool structure as barrier. Where an above-ground pool structure is
used as a barrier or where the barrier is mounted on top of the pool structure, and
the means of access is a ladder or steps, then the ladder or steps either shall be
capable of being secured, locked or removed to prevent access, or the ladder or
steps shall be surrounded by a barrier that meets the requirements of Sections
3109.4.1.1 through 3109.4.1.8. Where the ladder or steps are secured, locked or
removed, any opening created shall not allow the passage of a 4-inch-diameter
(102 mm) sphere.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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3109.4.1 Indoor swimming pools. Walls surrounding indoor swimming pools
shall not be required to comply with 3109.4.1.8.
3109.4.2 Prohibited locations. Barriers shall be located so as to prohibit
permanent structures, equipment or similar objects from being used to climb the
barriers.
(12)Section J101.2 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J101.2 Flood hazard areas. Unless the applicant has submitted an engineering
analysis, prepared in accordance with standard engineering practice by a
registered design professional, that demonstrates the proposed work will not
result in any increase in the level of the base flood, grading excavation and
earthwork construction, including fills and embankments, shall not be permitted
in floodways that are in flood hazard areas established in Section 1612.3 or in
flood hazard areas where design flood elevations are specified but floodways
have not been designated.
(13)Section J101.3 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J101.3 Hazardous conditions. Whenever the City Engineer determines that
any existing excavation, embankment or fill has become a hazard to life and limb,
or endangers property, structures, or adversely affects the safety, use or stability
of a public way or drainage channel, the owner of the property upon which the
excavation, embankment or fill is located, or other person or agent in control of
said property, upon receipt of notice in writing from the City Engineer shall within
the period specified therein repair, reconstruct or remove such excavation,
embankment or fill so as to eliminate the hazard in conformance with the
requirements of this Code.
(14)Section J101.4 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J101.4 Maintenance of protective devices and rodent control. The owner
of any property on which grading has been performed pursuant to a permit issued
under the provisions of this Code, or any other person or agent in control of such
property, shall maintain in good condition and repair all drainage structures and
other protective devices and burrowing rodent control when shown on the grading
plans filed with the application for grading permit and approved as a condition
precedent to issuance of such permit.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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(15)Section J101.5 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J101.5 Correlation with other sections. The provisions of this chapter are
independent of the provisions of Division 9, Building and Property Rehabilitation
Code of Title 15 of the Diamond Bar City Code.
(16)Section J102.1 of Appendix J of the California Building Code is revised by adding
the following definitions:
BUILDING OFFICIAL. Whenever in Appendix J the term “Building Official” is
used, said term shall mean, and all powers and duties to be exercised by the
Building Official shall be vested in, the City Engineer of the City of Diamond Bar.
CIVIL ENGINEER. A professional engineer registered in the State of California
to practice in the field of civil engineering works and shall include the civil
engineer of record or project engineer.
CIVIL ENGINEERING. The application of the knowledge of the forces of nature,
principles of mechanics and the properties of materials to the evaluation, design
and construction of civil engineering works.
DESIGN ENGINEER. The Civil Engineer responsible for the preparation of the
grading plans for the site grading work.
ENGINEERING GEOLOGIST. Shall mean a person experienced and
knowledgeable in engineering geology and holding a valid certificate of
registration as a geologist issued by the State of California.
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER. See “Soils Engineer.”
GEOTECHNICAL HAZARD. An adverse condition due to landslide, settlement,
and/or slippage. These hazards include but are not limited to loose debris,
slopewash, and mud flows from natural or graded slopes.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT. A person holding a valid certificate of registration
as a landscape architect issued by the State of California.
SOILS ENGINEER (GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER). A civil engineer
experienced and knowledgeable in the practice of soils (geotechnical)
engineering and holding a valid certificate of registration as a soils (geotechnical)
engineer issued by the State of California and shall include the soils engineer of
record or project soils engineer.
SOILS ENGINEERING (GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING). The application of
the principals of soils mechanics in the investigation, evaluation, and design of
civil engineering works involving the use of earth materials and the inspection or
testing of construction thereof.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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(17)Section J103.1 of Appendix J of the California Building Code is amended to read
as follows:
J103.1 Permits required. Except as exempted in Section J103.2, no person
shall do any grading without first obtaining a grading permit from the City
Engineer. A separate permit shall be required for each site, and may cover both
excavations and fills, except that a grading permit may be issued for a site to
include incidental minor work outside the site on contiguous property, provided
that the owner of such contiguous property has filed with the City Engineer written
consent to the work. Such consent shall include a statement that the owner will
irrigate and maintain planted slopes and maintain drains located within his
property and the owner will hold the City of Diamond Bar free and clear of any
liability for damages to the proposed work. A grading permit does not include the
construction of retaining walls or other structures.
(18)Section J103.3 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J103.3 Other permits required and jurisdiction of other agencies.
J103.3.1 Other permits required. Permits issued under the provisions of
Appendix J convey no right to erect any foundation, structure or building,
or construct any swimming pool, spa or hot tub, or do any plumbing work,
or do any electrical work. Regular foundation, structure or building;
swimming pool, spa or hot tub; plumbing; electrical or other permits shall
be secured for all such work.
J103.32 Jurisdiction of other agencies. Permits issued under the
provisions of Appendix J shall not relieve the owner of the responsibility
for securing permits, licenses or approvals that may be required from other
departments or divisions of the governing agencies.
(19)Section J103.4 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J103.4 Grading designation. Grading involving any fill intended to support
structures, or grading for the development of more than one lot or parcel, or
grading in excess of 50 cubic yards, or grading which includes excavation or fill
in excess of 5 feet in depth or height shall be performed in accordance with the
approved grading plan prepared by a civil engineer, and shall be designated as
“engineered grading”. All other grading shall be designated as “regular grading”
unless the permittee chooses to have the grading performed as “engineered
grading” or unless the City Engineer determines that special conditions or
unusual hazards exist, in which case grading shall be designated as and conform
to the requirements of “engineered grading”.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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(20)Section J104.5 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J104.5 Issuance. The provisions of Section 105.3 of Chapter 1, of the California
Building Code as duly adopted, are applicable to grading permits. The City
Engineer may require that grading operations and project designs be modified if
delays occur which incur weather-generated problems not considered at the time
the permit was issued.
The City Engineer may require professional inspection and testing by the soils
engineer. When the City Engineer has cause to believe that geologic factors may
be involved, the grading will be required to conform to “engineered grading”.
The City Engineer may require bonds in such form and amounts as may be
deemed necessary to ensure that the work, if not completed in accordance with
the approved plans and specifications, will be corrected to eliminate hazardous
conditions.
In lieu of a surety bond, the applicant may file a cash bond or instrument of credit
with the City Engineer in an amount equal to that which would be required in the
surety bond.
(21)Section J104.6 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J104.6 Denial of permit.
J104.6.1 Flood and geologic hazards. The City Engineer shall not
issue a grading permit in any case where he finds that the work, as
proposed by the applicant, is likely to adversely affect the stability of
adjoining property or result in the deposition of debris on any public way
or interfere with any existing drainage course or be in any area determined
to be subject to flood or geologic hazard under provisions of Section 116
of Chapter 1 of the 2019 California Building Code, as duly adopted and
amended.
EXCEPTION 1: This prohibition shall not apply when provision is made to
eliminate such flood or geologic hazard to the satisfaction of the City
Engineer under the provisions of Section 116 of Chapter 1 of the 2019
California Building Code, as duly adopted and amended.
EXCEPTION 2: This prohibition shall not apply when grading work in an
existing drainage course and is designed to meet all requirements for
grading in drainage courses under the City’s Hillside Management
Ordinance and provision is made to the satisfaction of the City Engineer
to adequately collect, convey and discharge flows through the project
without increasing erosion or deposition of debris or adversely affecting
upstream or downstream properties.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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104.6.2 Land use. The City Engineer shall not issue a grading permit
for any work on the site unless the proposed uses shown on the grading
plan for the site will comply with the provisions of Title 22 of the Diamond
Bar City Code entitled “Development Code”.
(22)Section J104.7 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J104.7 Import and export of earth materials in excess of 10,000 cubic
yards.
J104.7.1 Transport over public maintained streets. In addition to
other provisions of this Code, the following requirements shall apply when
earth materials in excess of 10,000 cubic yards are to be exported from or
imported to a grading site by transporting such materials over a publicly
maintained street.
(i) The point of access to the public street shall be located as approved
by the City Engineer.
(ii) Special safety precautions, including, but not limited to, the access
road approach grade and alignment to the public street, sight distance at
the intersection with the public street and traffic control devices may be
required by the City Engineer.
J104.7.2 Zoning ordinance compliance. No grading permit shall be
issued for the import or export of more than 10,000 cubic yards of earth
material to or from a grading site where such work would be classified as
an “off-site transport grading project” as defined in Title 22 of the Diamond
Bar City Code, entitled “Development Code”, unless the project is in
conformance with Title 22.
(23)Section J105.3 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J105.3 Transfer of responsibility. If the civil engineer, the soils engineer, or
the engineering geologist of record is changed during grading, the work shall be
stopped until the replacement has agreed in writing to accept their responsibility
in the area of technical competence for approval upon completion of the work. It
shall be the duty of the permittee to notify the City Engineer in writing of such
change prior to the recommencement of such grading.
(24)Section J109.5 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J109.5 Overflow protection. Berms, swales or other devices shall be provided
at the top of cut or fill slopes steeper than five horizontal to one vertical to prevent
surface waters from overflowing onto and damaging the face of the slope.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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Gutters or other special drainage controls shall be provided where the proximity
of runoff from buildings or other structures is such as to pose a potential hazard
to slope integrity.
(25)Section J110.3 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J110.3 Temporary erosion control precautions. Grading operations shall be
planned to avoid the rainy season, October 15 through April 15 of the following
calendar year. Grading permits shall only be issued when a plan for erosion
control and silt retention has been approved by the City Engineer.
J110.3.1 The City Engineer shall not issue a grading permit for any work to be
commenced between October 15 of any year and April 15 of the following
calendar year, unless detail plans for such work include the details of protective
measures, including desilting basins or other temporary drainage control
measures, or both, as may be necessary to protect the adjoining public and
private property from damage by erosion, flooding or deposition of debris which
may originate from the site or result from such grading operations.
All protective measures shall be installed before grading has begun.
All erosion control measures shall comply with any adopted National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) policies and standards of the City.
J110.3.2 Where a grading permit is issued and grading work commenced after
April 15 and before October 15 of any year and the plans for such work do not
include details of the protective measures described in J110.3.1, and it appears
that the grading and installation of the permanent drainage devices as authorized
by the permit will not be completed by October 15, then, on or before October 15
the owner of the site on which the grading is being performed shall file or cause
to be filed with the City Engineer revised detail plans which include details of the
protective measures described in, and in all other respects follow, the provisions
of J110.3.1.
J110.3.3 Effect of noncompliance. Should the owner fail to submit detail plans
or to provide the protective measures required by Sections J110.3.1 and J110.3.2
by the date specified therein, it shall be deemed that a default has occurred under
the conditions of the grading permit security. Thereupon the City Engineer may
enter the property for the purpose of installing, by City forces or other means, the
drainage and erosion control devices shown on the approved detail plans, or if
there are no approved detail plans, as may be deemed necessary to protect
adjoining property from storm damage, or the City Engineer may cause the owner
of the site to be prosecuted as a violator of this Code, or he may take both actions.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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(26)Section J110.4 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J110.4 Permanent erosion control.
J110.4.1 Planting and irrigation. The surface of all manufactured
slopes shall be protected against damage by erosion by the installation of
a permanent irrigation system and planting with ground cover, shrubs
and/or trees which provide satisfactory long term erosion control. Planting
and plant materials shall be specified and installed in accordance with the
Hillside Management Ordinance of the City of Diamond Bar. The irrigation
system shall provide adequate coverage and the proper application rate
to maintain the appropriate moisture for the establishment and proper
growth of the plantings installed, but the irrigation shall not saturate the
slopes or cause erosion.
J110.4.2 Planting and irrigation plans and specifications. For
grading which includes cut slopes more than 5 feet in height; or fill slopes
supporting structures of more than 3 feet in height; or natural slopes
disturbed more than 10 feet in surficial extent by the grading operations
planting and irrigation plans and specifications shall be submitted for
approval of the City Engineer and/or the Community Development
Director. For all manufactured slopes more than 20 feet in height or natural
slopes disturbed more than 20 feet in surficial extent by grading operations
plans shall be prepared and signed by a civil engineer or landscape
architect.
J110.4.3 Rodent control. All manufactured slopes steeper than four
horizontal to one vertical within a grading project adjacent to undeveloped
or unoccupied land shall be protected from potential slope damage by a
preventative program of burrowing rodent control.
(27)Section J112 is added to Appendix J of the California Building Code to read as
follows:
J112 Completion of work.
J112.1 Final reports. Upon completion of the rough grading work and at
the final completion of the work, the following reports and drawings and
supplements thereto are required for engineered grading or when
professional inspection is performed for regular grading, as applicable.
(i) An as-built grading plan prepared by the licensed civil engineer
retained to provide such services showing original ground surface
elevations, as-graded ground surface elevations, lot drainage
patterns, and the locations and elevations of surface drainage
facilities and of the outlets of subsurface drains. As-constructed
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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locations, elevations and details of subsurface drains shall be
shown as reported by the soils engineer.
Civil engineers shall state that to the best of their knowledge work
within their area of responsibility was done in accordance with the
final approved grading plan.
(ii) A report prepared by the licensed soils engineer retained to provide
such services including locations and elevations of field density
tests, summaries of field and laboratory tests, other substantiating
data, and comments on any changes made during grading and their
effect on the recommendations made in the approved soils
engineering investigation report. Soils engineers shall submit a
statement that, to the best of their knowledge, the work within their
area of responsibilities is in accordance with the approved soils
engineering report and applicable provisions of this Chapter.
(iii) A report prepared by the licensed engineering geologist retained to
provide such services including a final description of the geology of
the site and any new information disclosed during the grading and
the effect of same on recommendations incorporated in the
approved grading plan. Engineering geologists shall submit a
statement that, to the best of their knowledge, the work within their
area of responsibility is in accordance with the approved
engineering geologist report and applicable provisions of this
Chapter.
J112.2 Notification of completion. The permittee shall notify the City
Engineer when the grading operation is ready for final inspection. Final
approval shall not be given until all work including installation of all
drainage facilities and their protective devices, and all erosion-control
measures have been completed in accordance with the final approved
grading plan, and the required reports have been submitted.
Sec. 15.00.330. Penalties for violation of division
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, or corporation to violate any
provision, or to fail to comply with any of the requirements, of this Division. Any person,
firm, partnership, or corporation violating any provision of this Division or failing to
comply with their requirements shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) or by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or by both such fine and
imprisonment. Each such person, firm, partnership, or corporation shall be deemed
guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or any portion thereof during which
any violation of any of the provisions of this Division or the Codes adopted hereby is
committed, continued or permitted by such person, firm, partnership, or corporation, and
shall be deemed punishable therefor as provided in this Division.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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Secs. 15.00.340 – 15.00.500. Reserved.
SECTION 4: Title 15 (Building and Construction Safety), Chapter 15.00, Division 4.
Mechanical Code is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced to read as follows:
DIVISION 4. - MECHANICAL CODE
Sec. 15.00.510. California Mechanical Code – Adopted.
Sec. 15.00.520. Amendments to the California Mechanical Code.
Sec. 15.00.530. Penalties for violation of division.
Secs. 15.00.540. – 15.00.700. Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.510. California Mechanical Code – Adopted.
Except as amended by Section 15.00.520, the 2022 California Mechanical Code
(Part 4 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) and the appendices thereto,
based on the 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code published by the International Association
of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by
reference as though fully set forth in this Division and shall constitute the Mechanical
Code of the City. A copy of such Code has been deposited in the office of the City Clerk
and shall be, at all times, maintained by the Clerk for use and examination by the public.
Sec. 15.00.520. Amendments to the California Mechanical Code
(1)Section 101.6 is added to the California Mechanical Code to read as follows:
101.6 Conflicts with Administration Code. Where conflicts between Chapter
1, Division II of this Mechanical Code and the Administration Code occur, the
Administration Code shall prevail. The purpose of Chapter 1 Division II of the
Mechanical Code is to supplement the Administration Code.
(2)Section 104.5 of the California Mechanical Code is amended to read as follows:
104.5 Fees. Refer to Administration Code Section 109.
(3)Section 107.0 of the California Mechanical Code is amended to read as follows:
107.0 Board of Appeals. Refer to Administration Code Section 113.
Sec. 15.00.530. Penalties for violation of division.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, or corporation to violate any
provision, or to fail to comply with any of the requirements, of this Division. Any person,
firm, partnership, or corporation violating any provision of this Division or failing to
comply with their requirements shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) or by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or by both such fine and
imprisonment. Each such person, firm, partnership, or corporation shall be deemed
guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or any portion thereof during which
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
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any violation of any of the provisions of this Division or the Codes adopted is hereby
committed, continued or permitted by such person, firm, partnership, or corporation, and
shall be deemed punishable therefor as provided in this Division.
Secs. 15.00.540 – 15.00.700. Reserved.
SECTION 5: Title 15 (Building and Construction Safety), Chapter 15.00, Division 5.
Plumbing Code is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced to read as follows:
DIVISION 5. - PLUMBING CODE
Sec. 15.00.710. California Plumbing Code – Adopted.
Sec. 15.00.720. Amendments to the California Plumbing Code.
Sec. 15.00.730. Penalties for violation of division.
Secs. 15.00.740. – 15.00.900. Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.710. California Plumbing Code – Adopted.
Except as amended by Section 15.00.720, the 2025 California Plumbing Code
(Part 5 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) and the appendices thereto,
based on the 2024.1. Uniform Plumbing Code published by the International Association
of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by
reference as though fully set forth in this Division and shall constitute the Plumbing Code
of the City. A copy of such Code has been deposited in the office of the City Clerk and
shall be, at all times maintained by the City Clerk for use and examination by the public.
Sec. 15.00.720. Amendments to the California Plumbing Code.
(1)Section 101.4.1 is added to the California Plumbing Code to read as follows:
101.4.1 Conflicts with Administration Code. Where conflicts between Chapter
1, Division II of this Plumbing Code and the Administration Code occur, the
Administration Code will prevail. The purpose of Chapter 1, Division II of the
Plumbing Code is to supplement the Administration.
(2)Section 104.5 of the California Plumbing Code is amended to read as follows:
104.5 Fees. Refer to Administration Code Section 109.
(3)Section 722.6 is added to the California Plumbing Code to read as follows:
722.6 No such excavation shall be left unattended at any time unless the
permittee shall have first provided a suitable and adequate barricade to assure
public safety.
Sec. 15.00.730. Penalties for violation of division.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
27
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, or corporation to violate any
provision, or to fail to comply with any of the requirements, of this Division. Any person,
firm, partnership, or corporation violating any provision of this Division or failing to
comply with their requirements shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) or by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or by both such fine and
imprisonment. Each such person, firm, partnership, or corporation shall be deemed
guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or any portion thereof during which
any violation of any of the provisions of this Division or the Codes adopted hereby is
committed, continued or permitted by such person, firm, partnership, or corporation, and
shall be deemed punishable therefor as provided in this Division.
Secs. 15.00.740 – 15.00.900. Reserved.
SECTION 6: Title 15 (Building and Construction Safety), Chapter 15.00, Division 6.
Electrical Code is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced to read as follows:
DIVISION 6. - ELECTRICAL CODE
Sec. 15.00.910. California Electrical Code – Adopted.
Sec. 15.00.920. Amendments to the California Electrical Code.
Sec. 15.00.930. Penalties for violation of division.
Secs. 15.00.940. – 15.00.1100. Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.910. California Electrical Code – Adopted.
Except as amended by Section 15.00.920, the 2025 California Electrical Code
(Part 3 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), and the appendices thereto,
based on the 2023 National Electrical Code published by the National Fire Protection
Association, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as though fully set
forth in this Division and shall constitute the Electrical Code of the City. A copy of such
Code has been deposited in the office of the City Clerk and shall be, at all times,
maintained by the Clerk for use and examination by the public.
Sec. 15.00.920. Amendments to the California Electrical Code.
(1)Section 89.101.7.4 is added to the California Electrical Code to read as follows:
89.101.7.4 Conflicts with Administration Code. Where conflicts
between Article 89 of this Electrical Code and the Administration Code occur, the
Administration Code shall prevail. The purpose of Article 89 of the Electrical Code
is to supplement the Administration Code.
(2)Section 89.108.4.2 of the California Electrical Code is amended to read as
follows:
89.108.4.2 Fees. Refer to Administration Code Section 109.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
28
(3)Section 89.108.8 of the California Electrical Code is amended to read as follows:
89.108.8 Appeals Board. Refer to Administration Code Section 113.
(4)Section 590.3(B) of the California Electrical Code is amended to read as follows:
590.3(B) 30 Days. Temporary electrical power and lighting installations shall be
permitted for a period not to exceed 30 days for holiday decorative lighting and
similar purposes.
Sec. 15.00.930 Penalties for violation of division.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, or corporation to violate any
provision, or to fail to comply with any of the requirements, of this Division. Any person,
firm, partnership, or corporation violating any provision of this Division or failing to
comply with their requirements shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) or by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or by both such fine and
imprisonment. Each such person, firm, partnership, or corporation shall be deemed
guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or any portion thereof during which
any violation of any of the provisions of this Division or the Codes adopted hereby is
committed, continued or permitted by such person, firm, partnership, or corporation, and
shall be deemed punishable therefor as provided in this Division.
Secs. 15.00.940 – 15.00.1100. Reserved.
SECTION 7: Title 15 (Building and Construction Safety), Chapter 15.00, Division 12.
Residential Code is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced to read as follows:
DIVISION 12. – RESIDENTIAL CODE
Sec. 15.00.3210. California Residential Code – Adopted.
Sec. 15.00.3220. Amendments to the California Residential Code.
Sec. 15.00.3230. Penalties for violation of division.
Sec. 15.00.3210. California Residential Code – Adopted.
Except as otherwise provided by this Title, Sections 102 to 116 of the
Administration Code, Section 1207 of Chapter 12, and Appendix J of the 2025 California
Building Code (Part 2 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations) are hereby
adopted and incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth in this Division,
and shall be known as Sections R102 to 116 of Chapter 1, Section 1207 of Chapter 12,
and Appendix J of the 2025 California Residential Code (Part 2.5 of Title 24 of the
California Code of Regulations).
Except as amended by Section 15.00.3220, the 2025 California Residential Code
(Part 2.5 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), and Appendices H (Patio
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
29
Covers), J (Existing Buildings and Structures), K (Sound Transmission), and O
(Automatic Vehicular Gates) thereto, based on the 2024 International Residential Code
published by the International Code Council, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein
by reference as though fully set forth in this Division and shall constitute the Building
Code of the City. A copy of such Code has been deposited in the office of the City Clerk
and shall be, at all times, maintained by the City Clerk for use and examination by the
public.
Sec. 15.00.3220. Amendments to the California Residential Code.
(1)Section R301.1.3.2 of the California Residential Code is amended to read as
follows:
R301.1.3.2 Wood frame structures. The building official shall require
construction documents to be approved and stamped by a California licensed
architect or engineer for all dwellings of wood frame construction more than two
stories and basement in height located in Seismic Design Category A, B or C.
Notwithstanding other sections, the law establishing these provisions is found in
Business and Professions Code sections 5537 and 6737.1.
The building official shall require construction documents to be approved and
stamped by a California licensed architect or engineer for all dwellings of wood
frame construction more than one story in height or with a basement located in
Seismic Design Category D0, D1, or D2.
(2)Sections R309.1 and R309.2 of the California Residential Code are revised by
amending the exception to these two Sections to add exception 3 to read as
follows:
Exception 3: An automatic residential fire sprinkler system shall not be required
for additions or alterations to existing buildings that are not already provided with
an automatic residential fire sprinkler system unless the addition or alteration
affects more than 90% of an existing structure located within a Very High Fire
Hazard Severity Zone. In that instance, modifications to more than 90% of the
existing structure shall be considered a new structure and shall require the
installation of an automatic residential fire sprinkler system and meet Fire Zone
requirements.
(3)Section R337.1.3 of the California Residential Code is amended to restate
exemption 5 as follows:
5. Additions to and remodels of buildings originally constructed prior to the
applicable application date that do not affect more than 90% of the existing
structure. Modifications to more than 90% of the existing structure shall
be considered a new structure.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
30
(4)Section R341 is added to the California Residential Code to read as follows:
R341 Sound Transmission Control. Criteria for sound transmission control
between dwelling units and outside noise shall be as provided in the California
Building Code. Refer to Section 1206 of the California Building Code for criteria
where sound transmission applies.
(5)Section R342 is added the California Residential Code to read as follows:
R342 Structural Tests and Inspections. Structural test and inspection
requirements which are omitted from the California Residential Code are
intended to refer to the California Building Code.
When structural tests and special inspections are required due to the methods of
construction the tests and inspections shall be performed and documented as
required in Chapter 17 of the California Building Code.
(6)Section R343 is added to the California Residential Code to read as follows:
R343 Pool Barrier Requirements. Pool barrier criteria are not explicitly located
within the California Residential Code and are intended to refer to the California
Building Code.
Where any body of water over 18” occurs, refer to California Building Code
Section 3109 for pool barrier requirements.
(7)Section R403.1.4.1 of the California Residential Code is amended to read as
follows:
R403.1.4.1 Foundations on Expansive Soil. Unless otherwise specified by a
registered geotechnical engineer, foundation systems within the City of Diamond
Bar are considered to be on expansive soil and shall be constructed in a manner
that will minimize damage to the structure from movement of the soil. See
Building Code Section 1809.4 for requirements.
(8)Section R602.10 of the California Residential Code is amended by the addition
of an exception to read as follows:
R602.10 Wall bracing.
EXCEPTION: Construction documents shall be designed in accordance with
engineered design by a California licensed architect or engineer per the California
Building Code for dwellings of wood frame construction more than one story.
(9)Section R602.10.8, item 1, of the California Residential Code is amended to read
as follows:
R602.10.8 Braced wall panel connections.
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
31
1. Parallel rafters or roof trusses shall be attached to the top plates of braced
wall panels through solid blocking and framing anchors or equal each bay.
No gaps or voids from the roof sheathing through the entire connection
shall occur.
Sec. 15.00.3230 Penalties for violation of division.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, or corporation to violate any
provision, or to fail to comply with any of the requirements, of this Division. Any person,
firm, partnership, or corporation violating any provision of this Division or failing to
comply with their requirements shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) or by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or by both such fine and
imprisonment. Each such person, firm, partnership, or corporation shall be deemed
guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or any portion thereof during which
any violation of any of the provisions of this Division or the Codes adopted hereby is
committed, continued or permitted by such person, firm, partnership, or corporation, and
shall be deemed punishable therefore as provided in this Division.
SECTION 8: Title 15 (Building and Construction Safety), Chapter 15.00, Division 13.
Green Building Code is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced to read as follows:
DIVISION 13. – GREEN BUILDING CODE
Sec. 15.00.3240. California Green Building Code – Adopted.
Sec. 15.00.3250. Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.3260. Penalties for violation of division.
Sec. 15.00.3240. California Green Building Code – Adopted.
Except as amended by Section 15.00.3250, the 2025 California Green Building
Code (Part 11 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), without appendices, is
hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth in this
Division and shall constitute the Green Building Code of the City. A copy of such Code
has been deposited in the office of the City Clerk and shall be, at all times, maintained
by the City Clerk for use and examination by the public.
Separate waste diversion ordinances outlined in Chapter 8.16 of Title 8 and landscape
ordinances contained in Chapter 22.26 of Title 22 shall remain effective and in full force
notwithstanding the adoption of the California Green Building Code.
Sec. 15.00.3250. Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.3260. Penalties for violation of division.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, or corporation to violate any
provision, or to fail to comply with any of the requirements, of this Division. Any person,
firm, partnership, or corporation violating any provision of this Division or failing to
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
32
comply with their requirements shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) or by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months or by both such fine and
imprisonment. Each such person, firm, partnership, or corporation shall be deemed
guilty of a separate offense for each and every day or any portion thereof during which
any violation of any of the provisions of this Division or the Codes adopted hereby is
committed, continued or permitted by such person, firm, partnership, or corporation, and
shall be deemed punishable therefore as provided in this Division.
SECTION 9: Title 15 (Building and Construction Safety), Chapter 15.00, Division 14.
Wildland-Urban Interface Code is hereby added and read as follows:
DIVISION 14. – WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE
Sec. 15.00.3280. Wildland-Urban Interface Code – Adopted.
Sec. 15.00.3290. Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.3300. Penalties for violation of division.
Sec. 15.00.3280. Wildland-Urban Interface Code – Adopted.
Except as amended by Section 15.00.3290, the 2025 California Wildland-Urban
Interface Code (Part 7, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), without
appendices, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Wildland-
Urban Interface Code of the City. A copy of such Code has been deposited in the office
of the City Clerk and shall be, at all times, maintained by the City Clerk for use and
examination by the public.
The City Council hereby designates Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones as
recommended by the Director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection and as shown on the map titled Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in
Local Responsibility Area (LRA) for Diamond Bar prepared by the Fire and Resource
Assessment Program (FRAP), dated March 24, 2025. This map shall be retained on file
in the office of the Building Official and made available for public inspection.
Sec. 15.00.3290. Amendments to the Wildland-Urban Interface Code.
Reserved.
Sec. 15.00.3300. Penalties for violation of division.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, or corporation to violate any
provision, or to fail to comply with any of the requirements, of this division. Any person,
firm, partnership, or corporation violating any provision of this division or failing to comply
with the requirements shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction
thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $1,000.00 or by imprisonment not
exceeding six months or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each such person, firm,
partnership, or corporation shall be deemed guilty of a separate offense for each and
every day or any portion thereof during which any violation of any of the provisions of
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
33
this division or the code adopted hereby is committed, continued or permitted by such
person, firm, partnership, or corporation, and shall be deemed punishable therefor as
provided in this division.
SECTION 10: Any inconsistencies between the Building Code, Residential Code,
Electrical Code, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code, Wildland-Urban Interface Code, Green
Building Standards, as adopted by this Ordinance, and the 2025 California Building Code,
Residential Code, Electrical Code, Mechanical Code, Plumbing Code, Wildland-Urban
Interface Code, Green Building Standards, as set forth in Parts 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 11,
respectively, of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, are changes, modifications,
amendments, additions or deletions thereto authorized by California Health and Safety
Sections 17958.5 and 17958.7.
SECTION 11: To the extent the provisions of this Ordinance are substantially the same
as previous provisions of the Diamond Bar City Code, these provisions shall be construed as
continuations of those provisions and not as new enactments.
SECTION 12: If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or
phrase of this Ordinance or any part hereof or exhibit hereto is for any reason held to be invalid,
such invalidity shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance or any
part thereof or exhibit thereto. The City Council of the City of Diamond Bar hereby declares
that it would have passed each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause
or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections,
subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid.
SECTION 13: This ordinance shall take effect on the 1st day of January, 2026.
PASSED AND ADOPTED, at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of
Diamond Bar on the 18th day of November, 2025.
CITY OF DIAMOND BAR
__________________________
Chia Yu Teng, Mayor
Ordinance No. 03 (2025)
34
ATTEST:
I, Kristina Santana, City Clerk of the City of Diamond Bar, California, do hereby certify that the
foregoing Ordinance was introduced at the regular meeting of the City Council held on the 4th
day of November, 2025, and was duly passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City
Council held on the 18th day of November, 2025, by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS:
__________________________
Kristina Santana, City Clerk
Agenda Item #: 8.1
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO:Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM:Daniel Fox, City Manager
SUBJECT:City Council Discussion of Potential Amendments to Title 22 of The Diamond
Bar City Code ("Development Code").
STRATEGIC GOAL: Open, Engaged and Responsive Government
RECOMMENDATION:
Provide direction regarding the initiation of a Development Code amendment process related to live
entertainment, parking standards, sign standards, entitlement procedures, and/or other commercial standards
as may be deemed appropriate.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
If direction to proceed is given, consultant and attorneys' fees will be incurred. Such costs are not yet known.
BACKGROUND:
At the November 4, 2025, City Council meeting, Mayor Teng expressed interest in initiating amendments to the
Development Code aimed at promoting economic development and supporting the business community.
Direction is requested from the majority of the Council regarding whether to initiate the Development Code
amendment process to evaluate such items as live entertainment, parking standards, sign standards,
entitlement procedures, and other commercial standards.
Any amendments to the Development Code would require public hearings before both the Planning
Commission and the City Council.
ANALYSIS:
If there is interest in proceeding, the amendments may be pursued either as separate ordinances addressing
each topic individually, or collectively as part of a comprehensive update. Staff anticipates utilizing the
Economic Development Committee and/or holding study sessions with the Planning Commission and City
Council to define the scope and priorities of any proposed amendments prior to scheduling formal public
hearings.
Agenda Item #: 8.1
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
Topics of Interest
Live Entertainment
In 2010, the City Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 01(2010)U and Ordinance No. 02(2010), which are
provided as Attachments 1 and 2 to this report. These ordinances were enacted in response to an increasing
number of complaints about the secondary impacts of amusement, entertainment, and other congregation
uses in commercial and office zoning districts—particularly live entertainment.
The Council may wish to consider options for permitting live entertainment under certain conditions or settings.
It is anticipated that any amendments of this nature could be prepared by staff using in-house resources.
Parking Standards
The City’s parking regulations, contained in Development Code Chapter 22.30 (Attachment 3), have not
undergone a comprehensive review since incorporation. Revising these standards would be a complex and
time-intensive process, especially in light of recent State laws that allow residential development on
commercial property with reduced parking requirements.
If the Council expresses interest, consultant services specializing in parking demand analysis would likely be
required, increasing the time and cost associated with preparing the amendments.
During the Council discussion, it would be helpful to identify any specific provisions or constituent complaints
related to the City’s parking standards—such as the number of required spaces for certain uses, minimum
landscape areas, or other standards perceived as overly restrictive or outdated.
Sign Standards
The City’s sign regulations (Attachment 4), like the parking standards, have not been comprehensively
reviewed since incorporation. Updating these standards would also be a complex and time-intensive process.
Because recent court rulings—including those by the U.S. Supreme Court—have clarified the constitutional
limits of local sign regulation, a comprehensive update would help ensure continued compliance with
applicable case law.
Any such update would likely require specialized consultant assistance in commercial signage design, along
with significant review by the City Attorney to ensure legal defensibility.
As with parking standards, any examples of current standards that are perceived as business-unfriendly would
be useful as staff begins developing a scope of work for amending the Sign Code, if such direction is given.
Entitlement Process
The City’s land use and development permit procedures are established in Development Code Article IV.
Common entitlements for commercial uses include Zoning Clearances, Plot Plan Review, Development
Review, and Conditional Use Permits.
Potential amendments to streamline or clarify these procedures could be prepared using in-house resources.
Staff will be available at the meeting to respond to specific questions about the City’s entitlement and
permitting processes.
Agenda Item #: 8.1
Meeting Date: November 18, 2025
PREPARED BY:
Greg Gubman, Director, Community Development
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Ordinance No. 01 (2010)U - Urgency ordinance amending zoning regulations for live entertainment
2. Ordinance No. 02 (2010) - Permanent ordinance amending zoning regulations for live entertainment
3. Development Code Chapter 22.30 - Parking and Loading Standards
4. Development Code Chapter 22.36 - Sign Standards
1
Kristina Santana
From:Smitha c <smitha.chowda@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, November 14, 2025 7:34 PM
To:Chia Teng; Steve Tye; Ruth Low; Andrew Chou; Stan Liu
Cc:Kristina Santana; Kristina Santana
Subject:PUBLIC COMMENT: City Council Meeting Nov. 18, 2025, Public Hearing Item 7.1 -
OPPOSE ZONE ZERO
Attachments:CFAC and LAFDReport.pdf; zone0councilletter917.pdf
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
**DO NOT open unknown links or any attachments without confirming with IS or the sender directly.**
CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening
attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
PUBLIC COMMENT: City Council Meeting Nov. 18, 2025,
Public Hearing Item 7.1 - OPPOSE ZONE ZERO
Dear Diamond Bar City Council,
I am deeply concerned about the new Zone Zero / Defensible Space rules now being advanced under
AB 1455.
Many months ago, I joined a UCLA study group that has been tracking the rulemaking process of the
State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Most participants — including city officials — were
unaware of these meetings until recently. The outreach has been minimal at best.
What we discovered is alarming. Members of the insurance industry appeared to be heavily involved in
shaping these rules. It was frustrating, confusing, and frankly disturbing to see how little voice residents
had in a process that could so profoundly affect our homes and neighborhoods.
It has become clear that Zone Zero is being shaped as a tool for insurance companies, not
homeowners. The approach is one-size-fits-all — requiring residents to strip vegetation within five feet
of structures without regard for local conditions or science.
Even more concerning, AB 1455 now grants emergency powers to insurers to raise rates, deny claims,
or cancel policies without oversight, even when homeowners comply fully with Defensible Space
requirements. Many residents mistakenly believe that following these rules guarantees coverage or
lower premiums it does not.
Scientific studies also show that Zone Zero may not make homes safer. In fact, excessive vegetation
removal can increase wildfire risk by raising local temperatures and removing natural fire buffers.
2
I strongly support effective building and safety codes , but I was surprised to learn that the upcoming
building code updates quietly include Zone Zero requirements within the Wildland–Urban Interface
section with no clear explanation to residents. This lack of transparency is not acceptable.
I respectfully ask: What will Diamond Bar do to protect homeowners living in fire-prone areas?
Please review the Los Angeles City Council letter opposing Zone Zero and the supporting report from
their Public Safety Committee. Their analysis concludes that the policy is unscientific, inequitable, and
driven by insurance politics.
Diamond Bar has the power and the duty to stand with its residents. I urge the City Council to take a
public position opposing Zone Zero, as Los Angeles has done, and to advocate for local control, scientific
review, and homeowner protection.
Thank you for your time and leadership. This is a critical moment to protect our community from policies
that serve corporations, not citizens.
Sincerely,
Smitha C
Diamond Bar Resident
#StopZone0 #DiamondBar #InsuranceFairness #FireSmartNotFireScorched
links to details below if you want to know more...
https://www.citywatchla.com/neighborhood-politics/31662-zone-0-and-the-death-of-local-control-sacramentos-fire-experiment-in-our-
yards
1
Kristina Santana
From:Megan Li <megangrace@g.ucla.edu>
Sent:Sunday, November 16, 2025 11:15 AM
To:Kristina Santana
Subject:Public Comment for Item 8.1 of council meeting on 11/28/25
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
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To whom it may concern,
Please consider the removal of Sec. 22.42.075 from the Diamond Bar MC. Live music is currently a draw
for the people of Diamond Bar to frequent other local cities (karaoke bars in Rowland Heights, singer-
songwriters at the Haven in West Covina, jazz at Cedar Creek Inn in Brea.) These attractions thus detract
from Diamond Bar's economy.
It is clear that this law is antiquated and was likely targeted at events that are no longer relevant.
Additionally, this law has not been well-enforced. Open Mic nights have been happening inside of
restaurants since at least 2017. These are loudly publicized, and yet no one is trying to shut them down.
Sincerely,
Megan Li | Diamond Bar Resident of 25 years
1
Kristina Santana
From:Cynthia Robin Smith <diamondbarbeautiful@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, November 18, 2025 3:20 PM
To:Kristina Santana
Subject:Public Comment Input Attached
Attachments:How the Insurance Industry Is Rewriting California’s Wildfire Rules — Starting in Your
Backyard.pdf
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
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RE: Please Copy & Disseminate to City Council Tonight
Public Comment Agenda# 7.1
Dear Kristina,
Part of my input this evening, includes the attached article.
"How the Insurance Companies are Rewriting CA Wildfire Laws"
Is it possible to copy it for each council member for them tonight PLUS make one sample copy to display
at the reception table?
I would appreciate it.
Thank you.
Cynthia Robin Smith
Cynthia Robin Smith, Urban Ecology-Conservation Strategist, Educator, Author
California Native Trees, Landscapes; Wildlife Habitat & Watershed Conservation
Diamond Bar Beautiful Project: Restoring Nature at Home
Conejo Ridge Native Garden, Outdoor Classroom, Designer, Director
Urban Ecological Conservation Strategies Co-Op
Zone Zero Watchdog Group
324 S. Diamond Bar Blvd., #230
Diamond Bar CA 91765
951-675-6760 Mobile
11/18/25, 3:14 PMCityWatch LA - How the Insurance Industry Is Rewriting California’s Wildfire Rules — Starting in Your Backyard
Page 1 of 13https://www.citywatchla.com/state-watch/31793-how-the-insuranc…E4yMjIe3RGuCYSjH05fb3J44hpJFX5e5cZQ_aem_uQ9dgFfIoYapaAdxTIWHcg
How the Insurance Industry Is
Rewriting California’s Wildfire
Rules — Starting in Your
Backyard
DIANA NICOLE / NOVEMBER 10 2025
11/18/25, 3:14 PMCityWatch LA - How the Insurance Industry Is Rewriting California’s Wildfire Rules — Starting in Your Backyard
Page 2 of 13https://www.citywatchla.com/state-watch/31793-how-the-insuranc…E4yMjIe3RGuCYSjH05fb3J44hpJFX5e5cZQ_aem_uQ9dgFfIoYapaAdxTIWHcg
BOARDOFFORESTRY
BIG
INSURANCE
ZONE
RICARDD
LARA
Comments
VIEWPOINT - Even before the ;res that turned Los Angeles neighborhoods to ash this
year, California’s insurance industry had already seized control of the state’s wild;re
narrative. Their message was simple: we can’t keep insuring homes unless you let us
rewrite the rules.
FacebookTwitterEmailShare
11/18/25, 3:14 PMCityWatch LA - How the Insurance Industry Is Rewriting California’s Wildfire Rules — Starting in Your Backyard
Page 3 of 13https://www.citywatchla.com/state-watch/31793-how-the-insuranc…E4yMjIe3RGuCYSjH05fb3J44hpJFX5e5cZQ_aem_uQ9dgFfIoYapaAdxTIWHcg
Governor Gavin Newsom and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara obliged. In
September 2023, they announced what was hailed as an “historic compromise” — a
deal that would supposedly stabilize the market by letting insurers charge higher
rates in exchange for writing policies in high-risk areas.
But as the New York Times investigation, “California Promised Insurance Relief, But
Delivered Loopholes” revealed last week, the compromise was a mirage. Behind
closed doors, insurers quietly negotiated exemptions that gutted the deal’s central
promise. They can now raise premiums and o[oad billions in costs to ratepayers
while avoiding most of the communities actually designated by the State Fire
Marshal as high-risk.
The number of homeowners forced onto the state’s last-resort FAIR Plan has nearly
doubled, premiums have soared, and coverage has shrunk. So much for relief.
The Pattern of Capture
This is not a one-off failure; it’s a pattern. California’s wild;re and insurance policy
apparatus has become a textbook case of regulatory capture — a system in which
the regulated industry quietly dictates the terms of its own oversight.
We are watching the same pattern unfold right now at the California Board of
Forestry and Fire Protection, the state agency writing the controversial “Zone 0”
defensible-space regulations. Like the insurance deal, these rules are being sold as
science-based ;re protection. In reality, they mirror the industry’s risk-modeling
language and shift liability from insurers to homeowners.
What the Times uncovered about insurance regulation is the same playbook driving
Zone 0: a policy born in crisis, negotiated in private, framed as reform, and delivered
as a giveaway.
The Slow-Roll Strategy
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Even as AB 1455 — the law that enshrines Zone 0, fast-tracks it through emergency
regulation, exempts it from environmental review, and gives insurers new leverage
over homeowners — nears its December 31 due date, the Board’s Zone 0 chair has
announced the rule won’t be completed on time.
That’s not bureaucratic sluggishness — it’s strategy. By kicking the can down the
road, the Board avoids a political ;restorm while allowing the insurance industry to
shape public behavior.
Insurers are already using Safer from Wild;res scoring and premium incentives to
enforce a de facto Zone 0 through the insurance marketplace. When the Board ;nally
adopts its regulation, it will merely codify the insurer’s rulebook.
In other words, the public delay disguises a private acceleration: homeowners are
being pressured into compliance by their insurers long before the state acts. This is
what regulatory capture looks like in slow motion — a policy written by the industry,
tested on the public, and later sancti;ed by the state.
The Insider Example
The capture isn’t hypothetical.
One of the Zone 0 committee Board members, Jose Lopez, even ;lmed a YouTube
video at his own Southern California home showcasing his personal “Zone 0
conversion.” In it, he walks viewers through the “tremendous amount of trees and
lower plants” he removed, and the insurance discount he received as a result —
boasting that his 8 feet of gravel yard and metal mesh privacy fencing retro;ts helped
him leave the state’s FAIR Plan for a private policy that “guarantees” him insurance.
That might seem harmless until you realize Mr. Lopez is helping write the very rules
that will govern these same requirements statewide. When a regulator publicly
markets his own property as a model for compliance, and ties that compliance to
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insurance savings, he is no longer a neutral deliberator — he’s a living advertisement
for the policy he’s supposed to evaluate.
And the guarantee he promises doesn’t exist. No, Zone 0 does not guarantee
insurance — no matter how extensive or expensive. Insurers can still drop
homeowners, raise rates, or deny coverage altogether. In fact, Zone 0 can just as
easily become a tool to deny claims: a single potted plant, a handful of windblown
leaves, broom or out-of-place garden chair ;ve feet from your house at the time of a
;re could be cited as “noncompliance.”
What Zone 0 truly guarantees is cost — to the homeowner who pays for the retro;ts,
to the landscape that’s destroyed in the process, and to the public trust that’s eroded
when regulators sell policy as marketing.
It’s a telling window into how California’s wild;re governance has blurred the line
between regulator and regulated. Industry messaging isn’t merely induencing the
process; it’s speaking through the people inside it.
The Manufactured Science
If the Lopez example shows how capture works at the individual level, what has been
happening at the Board’s meetings reveals it on an institutional scale.
The academic faces of wild;re policy whose research portfolios are densely
interwoven with insurance-industry funded projects, present their familiar
“demonstration models” to the public — the same narrow simulations and
reductionist slides that have been repeated for months and paraded as science.
The Board’s November featured presentation was funded by the Gordon and Betty
Moore Foundation, a philanthropy that invests heavily in “;re resilience” research
aligned with insurance-industry risk modeling. The event featured Yana Valachovic,
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the Board’s designated technical advisor on Zone 0 and a University of California
Cooperative Extension forester who collaborates with the Insurance Institute for
Business and Home Safety (IBHS).
Yet the demonstration she presented — conducted with Dave Winnacker, founder of
XyloPlan, a private consulting ;rm that models a wild-;re risk scoring system for the
insurance industry — bore little resemblance to real-world conditions.
In Valachovic’s demonstration, a dame torch was used to ignite a stack of wooden
shipping pallets meant to simulate a neighboring house, producing a bon;re of direct
dame contact rather than an ember storm like the storms experienced in the 2025
Palisades and Eaton ;res. Although she claimed the purpose was to show “radiant
heat,” Zone 0 is legally de;ned as an ember-resistant zone.
The use of pallets, open dame, and redective foil-wrapped around a potted hedge
highlights the experiment’s arti;ciality — a stage-managed exercise in junk science
that does more to advance the insurance industry’s narrative than to inform sound
public policy.
The Moore Foundation’s funding of such demonstrations — which explicitly link
home-hardening models to insurance availability — reinforces a feedback loop that
blurs the line between public policy and market strategy.
Taken together, the pattern is unmistakable: The presenters are linked to insurance-
driven wild;re initiatives; The funding source (the Moore Foundation) acts as a
philanthropic intermediary for private-sector interests; The message mirrors the
insurer narrative that vegetation — not breakdowns in emergency response — is the
primary hazard.
This is not independent science; its industry marketing disguised as research, paid
for by a foundation that launders private induence into the language of public safety.
California’s wild;re policy pipeline now runs straight from insurer models, through
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foundation funding, into state regulation.
The Secret Tour
Just days before that meeting, on October 24, the Board of Forestry arranged a
private tour of Los Angeles with a small, hand-picked group of “stakeholders.” No
public notice, no livestream, no opportunity for broader participation — only a curated
audience and a predetermined message.
According to one participant’s notes, the delegation included Board Chair Terry
O’Brien, Executive Ojcer Tony Andersen, Rules Manager Jane Van Susteren, CAL
FIRE’s John Morgan, LA City and County ;re ojcials, and familiar names like Yana
Valachovic — who again pushed for a plant-free Zone 0 — along with community
representatives from Brentwood, UCLA, Mandeville Canyon, Resource Conservation
District of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Theodore Payne Foundation.
The group toured neighborhoods from Brentwood to Altadena, discussing which
plants should be removed. One attendee described how ojcials “pointed at plants
and trees for removal” while residents tried to defend them. Valachovic reportedly
declared that even green, healthy plants posed a danger, holding up a handful of
fallen dry leaves under a tree as proof. The conversation repeatedly returned to total
clearance — no plants, and “move your potted plants” on red dag days.
When the talk turned to insurance, Valachovic admitted that insurers will have their
own rules regardless of State policy. Perhaps the most revealing moment came
when Executive Ojcer Tony Andersen turned to the group and said quietly,
“We need to show we’re doing something.”
That single sentence captured the essence of the state’s wild;re bureaucracy: policy
as theater, not governance.
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This “tour” wasn’t about listening — it was about optics. The Board could now claim it
had met with community members, checked the box of stakeholder engagement, and
gathered “on-the-ground perspectives.” Transparency has been replaced with
choreography, and participation reduced to props in the state’s performance of
accountability.
The Tyranny of Politeness
How does this happen? Through what social theorists call the Tyranny of Politeness
— the culture of “civility” that values comfort over truth and harmony over justice.
The idea has roots in colonial history. European powers imposed their own codes of
“proper” conduct to silence colonized peoples: anger became “uncivilized,” passion
“irrational.”
Today, that same dynamic persists in modern governance. Agencies invite
“stakeholder engagement,” perform listening sessions, and praise constructive tone
— all while ensuring that nothing truly disruptive is heard.
California’s wild;re bureaucracy has perfected this art. The Board’s Zone 0 meetings,
like the state’s insurer negotiations, function less as deliberation than as
performance. Stakeholders are encouraged to be courteous, concise, and
collaborative. But every polite comment, every carefully worded letter, becomes
evidence that the public was consulted.
Civility becomes the camoudage of capture.
When Politeness Becomes Complicity
The Los Angeles Times recently exposed how this culture of deference plays out on
the ground:
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“Fire;ghters Urged Mass Altadena Evacuations. It Took Three Hours for Command to
Act.” “Texts Reveal Fire;ghters Warned Palisades Blaze Could Reignite.”
In both cases, front-line crews sounded urgent alarms while command structures
hesitated — valuing order over responsiveness, procedure over truth. The same
pathology governs Sacramento’s relationship with industry: decision-makers fear
disruption more than disaster.
The Board’s polite stakeholder process will produce the same outcome. Once Zone 0
is adopted, homeowners will pay the price, while regulators will congratulate
themselves for their “balanced” approach. Politeness will have done its job: keeping
everyone calm as the house burns.
The Real Emergency
California’s leaders continue to speak of “crisis mode,” but the crisis they’re
managing isn’t ;re — it’s political legitimacy. Having ceded policy design to insurers,
they now depend on the appearance of fairness to maintain public trust. The polite
stakeholder becomes a crucial prop in that performance.
Meanwhile, the New York Times analysis shows the material consequences: insurers
dumping tens of thousands of policies in the very ZIP codes that later burned;
companies rewarded for abandoning customers; ratepayers now covering insurers’
reinsurance costs and FAIR Plan losses — a subsidy disguised as reform.
If this were any other industry, we would call it what it is: a transfer of public wealth to
private power.
Breaking the Spell of Politeness
I’ve spent more than two decades in community advocacy and have seen this pattern
before. Agencies that have already chosen a side rely on public restraint to ;nish the
job. When residents stay measured and “reasonable,” their very politeness becomes
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the proof of consensus.
To break that cycle, we must stop confusing diplomacy with progress. We don’t need
to be louder — we need to be truer. That means calling out the insurance industry’s
role in drafting public policy, rejecting the false narrative of stakeholder partnership,
and demanding transparency in every arena where the state claims to act on our
behalf.
The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have now provided the evidence. The
question is whether Californians will have the courage to act on it. Politeness has
bought us higher premiums, weaker coverage, and a policy regime that destroys
shade, habitat, privacy and property rights. It’s time to stop being grateful for our seat
at the table and start naming the harm being done.
The truth is not impolite. It’s the ;rst act of resistance.
(Diana Nicole is an ecological horticulturist and community advocate in Los Angeles.
She writes about Are policy and landscapes that actually work for Are safety at
dianaznicole.com. Previous columns are available at the citywatchla archives.)
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Diana Nicole −⚑
3 days ago
I want to dag something important from a recent conversation I had with a lawmaker's
staffer about insurability. We know homeowners are being dropped because of wild;re risk —
that part is 100% true. However, insurers in California are not using the State’s Wild;re
Hazard Severity Map to make those decisions. They rely on their own internal ;re-risk maps
and proprietary models, which the public never sees.
https://www.reinsurancene.ws/consumer-watchdog-opposes-proposal-for-black-box-
models-in-wild;re-risk-
prediction/#:~:text=Consumer%20Watchdog%20opposes%20Californian%20Insurance,all%2
0factors%20affecting%20insurance%20prices
That creates a fundamental problem when people try to link Zone 0 to insurance availability,
because Zone 0 only applies inside the State-designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone
(VHFHSZ). If insurers aren’t using that map — and they aren’t — then Zone 0 compliance
cannot logically guarantee coverage. You can live outside the VHFHSZ and still be dropped,
G
1
D
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Reply
cannot logically guarantee coverage. You can live outside the VHFHSZ and still be dropped,
or live inside it, fully comply with Zone 0, and still lose insurance. The two systems don’t talk
to each other.
To be clear: I am not saying insurers ignore defensible space. Some insurance providers
absolutely look at it. But insurers already use clearance for underwriting, for rate-setting, and
sometimes to deny claims by arguing non-compliance — and they have done so long before
Zone 0 existed. They don’t need Zone 0 to take those actions but Zone 0 certainly provides a
convenient tool to the insurance deniability toolbox.
This is why it’s important not to condate vegetation rules with insurability. Insurance is the
most critical issue for people living in the ;re zones, but the drivers of the crisis are
corporate: exposure limits, reinsurance costs, catastrophe modeling, and ;nancial decisions
at the company level. Even if every homeowner removed every plant around their homes
tomorrow, the insurance crisis would still continue — because it’s not tied to Zone 0, it’s tied
to insurers’ own models.
0 0
Diana Nicole
Reply
−⚑
3 days ago
The link to the New York Times article referenced at the top of this article is broken. Please
try this link. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/us/los-angeles-california-;re-insurance-
regulations.html
0 0
Robin Smith −⚑
6 days ago
Real investigative journalism, these days, falls to those rare, principled folks who care and
who DO the work--usually without fame or fortune; fear or favor.
Getting to the "true-truth" is the only hope we have of ;nding a safe path forward.
Thank you Diana, for caring . . .and for sharing your wisdom and insight.
⥅
D
⥅
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Kristina Santana
From:Golden Springs Plaza Admin <admin@thegoldenspringsplaza.com>
Sent:Tuesday, November 18, 2025 4:16 PM
To:Kristina Santana
Subject:Request for Consideration of Updates to Signage, Monument Height, and Business
License Policies
**DO NOT open unknown links or any attachments without confirming with IS or the sender directly.**
CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening
attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
Dear City Council Members,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to respectfully request the City’s consideration of
several updates to current commercial property regulations that have become increasingly
challenging for building owners and tenants.
1. Building Signage for Stand-Alone Office/Medical Buildings
We kindly request that the City allow exterior building signage for individual
tenants within stand-alone office and medical buildings. Clear tenant identification
is essential for patient and client navigation, and this update would greatly improve
visibility and accessibility.
2. Monument Sign Height for Shopping Centers
For multi-tenant shopping centers, we ask that the City reevaluate the current 5-foot
height restriction on monument signs. This limitation does not provide adequate
street visibility for most tenants. Allowing additional height would support tenant
success and improve business exposure.
3. Multiple Business Licenses per Unit
We also request that the City consider allowing multiple business licenses within a
single tenant unit. Since COVID, the office market has shifted significantly toward
co-working, executive suite, and shared office concepts. Limiting each unit to one
business license no longer reflects current business models and creates operational
challenges. Additionally, most tenants today work remotely from home or spend
the majority of their time in the field instead of onsite at the office, so allowing
multiple business licenses would not negatively affect parking availability.
2
Thank you very much for your time and consideration. We appreciate the City’s
partnership in supporting local businesses and helping commercial properties remain
competitive.
Warm regards,
Alicia Yu
GCM Asset LLC
626-831-7188