REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 10, 2026
FROM
MOE YOUSIF, Interim Director, Project and Facilities Management Department
VICTOR TORDESILLAS, Deputy Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
SUBJECT
Title
Continuation of Emergency Project Necessary to Recover from Fire at 364 North Mountain View Avenue
End
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Continue the finding, first made by the Board of Supervisors on August 19, 2025, that there is substantial evidence that the fire at 364 North Mountain View Avenue on July 1, 2025, created an emergency pursuant to Public Contract Code section 22050, requiring immediate action to prevent or mitigate the threat to life, health, property and essential public services, necessitating fire remediation services at 364 North Mountain View Avenue, which will not permit the delay resulting from a formal competitive solicitation of bids to procure remediation and construction services and delegating authority, originally by Resolution on August 19, 2025, to the Chief Executive Officer to direct the Purchasing Agent to issue purchase orders and/or execute contracts, in a total amount not to exceed $3,000,000, for any remediation, construction, and modifications of internal and external structures related to the fire, finding the issuance of these purchase orders and/or contracts is necessary to respond to this emergency pursuant to Public Contract Code sections 22035 and 22050 (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Moe Yousif, Interim Director, 387-5000)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item may result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). At this time, it is anticipated that insurance proceeds will reimburse the costs associated with fire remediation. In the event that the estimated fire remediation costs for the 364 North Mountain View Fire Recovery Project (Project) (WBSE 10.10.1958) exceeds the anticipated insurance proceeds or the insurance claim is denied, a recommendation for Discretionary General Funding will be presented to the Board of Supervisors (Board) for consideration at a future meeting. The Project and Facilities Management Department (PFMD) will closely monitor and evaluate remediation and construction costs associated with the fire.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On July 1, 2025, the County experienced severe property loss from a major fire that swept through the structure located at 364 North Mountain View Avenue, in San Bernardino. This historically registered building is County-owned and was previously occupied by the Public Defender’s Office and was vacant during the time of the fire.
On August 19, 2025 (Item No. 44), the Board found there is substantial evidence that immediate action is necessary to prevent or mitigate the loss of impairment to life, health, property and essential public services posed by the fire at 364 North Mountain View Avenue, which constitutes an emergency pursuant to Public Contract Code sections 22050 and 22035, requires immediate fire remediation activities, without the delay from a formal competitive solicitation of bids to procure remediation and construction services for the Project.
Direct procurement will be needed for Project remediation and potential construction services, including industrial hygienist vendors, structural engineering services, structural remediation of damaged structural members, and roof repairs. It is currently unknown whether the building is salvageable, and one of the Project’s purposes is to make that determination.
Following the Board’s finding that there was an emergency, PFMD has since procured structural engineering and architectural services through an existing on-call contract to assess the damage caused by the fire. The Assessment Report was received by the County on September 23, 2025, and has been reviewed by PFMD. On February 18, 2026, updated cost proposals associated with the scope of work identified in the Assessment Report were received and are currently under review to finalize the remediation cost estimate.
The initial structural and architectural findings in the fire assessment report indicate that the observed fire damage is primarily non-structural in nature and, while additional investigation will be required once the ceilings are removed, the building’s overall integrity remains sound. As a historic building listed as part of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP No. 97001632), particular attention was paid to the character-defining features of the building for feasibility of repair and retention or replacement of these elements.
The fire and heat caused significant non-structural damage to the southwest portion of the building including furniture, fixtures, and equipment, finishes, doors, and partitions. Steam, soot, and smoke damage were observed throughout the remainder of the interior spaces. A portion of the exterior glazing and clay tile roofing were broken as part of the efforts to extinguish the fire. While glazing was damaged, the exterior steel windows did not warp and can be remediated with cleaning and new glazing.
PFMD is currently working with the Department of Risk Management (Risk Management) to further evaluate the report and coordinate for appropriate action with the insurance carrier. Risk Management developed a site clean-up plan (Procedure 5) with Pacific EH & S Services, Inc as required by South Coast Air Quality Management District for abatement work.
A continuation of the emergency is recommended as immediate action is required to repair the damaged building. Emergencies related to Public Contract Code sections 22050 and 22035, once ordered, must be affirmed at each subsequent meeting until terminated. The recommended action will meet this requirement.
PROCUREMENT
On July 2, 2025, PFMD requested a quote from Perkins Eastman Architects DPC via an on-call contract for structural engineering and architectural services to assess the damage caused by the fire. A quote in the amount of $40,408 was received on September 2, 2025. The corresponding purchase order was issued on September 8, 2025.
To support the insurance claims process and clearly define the scope of remediation work, PFMD solicited bid proposals from two contractors based on the original site assessments. Following review by the insurance carrier, the initial proposals were evaluated, and a second site walk was recommended to further refine scope and pricing.
PFMD conducted a rebid site walkthrough on February 11, 2026, with BELFOR USA Group Inc., doing business as BELFOR Property Restoration, and Brickley Construction Company Inc., doing business as Brickley Environmental. Requests for Information were due by 4:00 p.m. on February 13, 2026, and final proposals were submitted to PFMD by 3:00 p.m. on February 18, 2026. Risk Management and PFMD are currently reviewing the proposals in coordination with the County’s insurance carrier to determine appropriate path forward. Any resulting agreement will require approval by the Chief Executive Officer prior to contractor execution. Upon approval, the Purchasing Department will issue the necessary purchase orders to engage the appropriate contractors to perform required remediation and reconstruction services.
Emergencies related to Public Contract Code sections 22035 and 22050, once ordered, must be affirmed at each subsequent meeting until terminated.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Kaleigh Ragon, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 10, 2026; Risk Management (Stephanie Mead, Staff Analyst II, 386-9044) on February 9, 2026; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on February 9, 2026; Project and Facilities Management (Sarah Riley, Chief of Project Management, 387-5115) on February 10, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Yael Verduzco, Principal Administrative Analyst, 387-5285, and Ivan Ramirez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4020) on February 17, 2026.