REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 10, 2026
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Transportation
SUBJECT
Title
Emergency Contracting Procedures Finding- 2025 December Adverse Weather Event
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Find that the local emergency proclaimed by the Director of Emergency Services on December 25, 2025, and ratified by the Board of Supervisors on December 29, 2025 (Item No. 1), created an immediate need for emergency repair work on various public roads and which is necessary to prevent or mitigate the loss or impairment of life, health, property, and essential public services.
2. Find that there is substantial evidence that damage to various public roads caused by the 2025 December Adverse Weather event, in the Wrightwood and Pinon Hills areas, constitutes an emergency pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 22050, that will not permit a delay resulting from a competitive solicitation for bids, and that the action is necessary to respond to the emergency and to complete the necessary repairs (Four votes required).
3. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Works to accept the emergency repair work set forth in Recommendation No. 2 when 100% complete and to execute and file the Notices of Completion.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Department of Public Works (Department) is funded by Gas Tax revenue, fee revenue, and other federal, state, and local funding. The Department’s Emergency repairs include, but are not limited to, removal and repair of damaged culverts, restoration of the roadway and shoulders, repair of appurtenant roadway structures, installation of reinforced concrete dip crossing, placement of rock slope protection, and asphalt repairs along storm-damage segments. Emergency work will be funded by Gas Tax. Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in the 2025-2026 Road Operations budget (6650002000); however, this item will impact the Department’s ability to perform routine maintenance work on other roads since the emergency repairs were not included in the budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Beginning on December 24, 2025, the start of an extreme weather event (2025 December Adverse Weather event) impacted various sections of San Bernardino County (County) and Los Angeles County. This event produced conditions of peril to the safety of persons and property within the County, in the form of infrastructure damage from extreme weather.
Due to the extensive damage resulting from this weather event, on December 25, 2025, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), while serving as the Director of Emergency Services, proclaimed the existence of a local emergency. On December 29, 2025 (Item No. 1) the Board of Supervisors (Board) ratified the action taken by the CEO.
As a result of this December 2025 Adverse Weather Event, public roads within the Wrightwood and Pinon Hills areas sustained significant damage. The 2025 December Adverse Weather event caused roadway washouts, erosion, undermining, and structural damage, resulting in conditions necessitating immediate emergency repair, roadway closures, and restricted access for Cardinal Road, Lone Pine Canyon Road, Swarthout Canyon Road, Phelan Road, and Oasis Road.
Since the 2025 December Adverse Weather event, the Department has assessed the damage and identified multiple emergency repair and replacement needs necessary to restore safe and reliable access for the public and for emergency response services, including, but not limited to:
Cardinal Road Culvert Emergency Replacement Project
The Cardinal Road Culvert Emergency Project is located in Wrightwood near the intersection of Highway 2 and Cardinal Road. The existing two 36-inch corrugated metal pipes for drainage and associated rock protection were damaged during the 2025 December Adverse Weather event. The proposed design replaces the two 36-inch pipes with double reinforced concrete box culverts and rock slope protection meeting current Caltrans standards, improving long-term traffic safety, and providing a more long-term resilient solution. This project has been found to be exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A Notice of Exemption was prepared and filed with the Clerk of the Board on January 26, 2026.
Lone Pine Canyon Road Emergency Project
The Lone Pine Canyon Road Emergency Project is located on Lone Pine Canyon Road in the Wrightwood area. The road is currently closed due to a damaged roadway segment, caused by the 2025 December Adverse Weather event, restricting access for residents within the closure limits and for emergency responders. The design plans and emergency work include removing and replacing undermined asphalt pavement and installing rock slope protection to prevent future erosion and improve roadway stability. This project has been found to be exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Notice of Exemption was approved on February 3, 2026.
Swarthout Canyon Road Emergency Project
The Swarthout Canyon Road Emergency Project is located on Swarthout Canyon Road in Wrightwood area. The road remains closed to the public, with access limited to residents and emergency services due to damage caused by the 2025 December Adverse Weather event. This four-mile dirt roadway was washed out, along with four 36-inch metal corrugated drainage pipes. The proposed repair design includes constructing a concrete dip crossing as a more long-term resilient solution. This project has been found to be exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Notice of Exemption was approved on February 3, 2026.
Phelan Road Emergency Repair Project
The Phelan Road Emergency Repair Project is located on Phelan Road at Sheep Creek Wash in the Pinon Hills area. The 2025 December Adverse Weather event caused damage to guardrails on both sides of the roadway at the wash crossing, as well as deterioration of the existing concrete slope lining, facing stone, and grouted rock slope protection upstream and downstream of the bridge. The proposed work includes replacing the damaged guardrails with new systems incorporating asphalt-concrete dikes and replacing the concrete slope lining, facing stone, and grouted rock slope protection with new armoring and rock slope protection. Additional work includes installing concrete cut-off walls and cement-treated base to mitigate surface erosion in the vicinity of the structure. This project has been found to be exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Notice of Exemption was approved on February 5, 2026.
Oasis Road Guardrail Emergency Project
The Oasis Road Guardrail Emergency Project is located at the Oasis Road bridge crossing the California Aqueduct in the Pinon Hills area. The existing guardrail near the southwest corner of the bridge was washed out by the 2025 December Adverse Weather event. The design plan and emergency work includes replacing guardrail pursuant to current Caltrans’ standards. This project has been found to be exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Notice of Exemption was approved on February 6, 2026.
Pursuant to Public Contract Code Sections 22035 and 22050, there is substantial evidence that the damage caused by the 2025 December Adverse Weather event to these roads constitutes an emergency requiring immediate action, and that the emergency will not permit a delay resulting from a formal competitive solicitation for bids, that immediate action is necessary to respond to the emergency, and formal bidding would impair the County’s ability to promptly restore safe travel and essential public services. Accordingly, the Department recommends that the Board find that an emergency exists under Public Contract Code Section 22050, that immediate repair work is necessary to respond to that emergency, and that the emergency will not permit a delay resulting from a formal competitive solicitation of bids.
PROCUREMENT
To ensure timely emergency response, upon the Board making the required findings, by a four-fifths vote, that substantial evidence exists pursuant to Public Contract Code Sections 22035 and 22050 that the emergency will not permit the delay associated with a formal competitive solicitation of bids, the Department will utilize its existing on-call construction contracts to perform the emergency repair work. These contracts were previously procured in accordance with applicable competitive procurement requirements and allow the County to respond expeditiously to emergency conditions.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Aaron Gest, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 12, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Kathleen Gonzalez, Administrative Analyst, 387-5412) on February 23, 2026.