REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
CRISANTA GONZALEZ, Director of Emergency Management, Office of Emergency Services
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Grant Program Acceptance
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Acting as the governing body of San Bernardino County:
a. Accept the Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Grant Program (Grant Award No. 2024-0088) from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, to continue San Bernardino County’s efforts in strengthening the region’s homeland security preparedness in relation to terrorism, in the amount of $1,913,858, with a grant performance period of September 1, 2024 through May 31, 2027.
b. Approve the Subrecipient Assurances template between San Bernardino County and all grant subrecipients for the grant referenced in Recommendation No. 1.a.
c. Authorize the Director of Emergency Management to accept and execute the Subrecipient Assurances from each subrecipient identified in the grant application documents, ensuring that the subrecipients comply with all applicable terms and conditions of the grant.
2. Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District:
a. Accept the subrecipient grant award from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Grant Program, to continue San Bernardino County Fire Protection District’s efforts in strengthening the region’s homeland security preparedness in relation to terrorism, in the amount of $185,057, which is part of the $1,913,858 received by San Bernardino County for the grant referenced in Recommendation No. 1.a., with a performance period of September 1, 2024 through May 31, 2027.
b. Approve the Subrecipient Assurances with San Bernardino County for the grant referenced in Recommendation No. 2.a.
c. Authorize the Fire Chief/Fire Warden to execute the Subrecipient Assurances with San Bernardino County and any other documents necessary to secure the grant referenced in Recommendation No. 2.a., subject to review by County Counsel.
d. Direct the Fire Chief/Fire Warden to transmit the fully executed Subrecipient Assurances to the Secretary of the Board of Directors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Crisanta Gonzalez, Director of Emergency Management, 356-3998)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
Focus on Recovery and Resiliency Following Major Emergency Responses such as the December 2, 2015 Terrorist Attack (SB Strong) and the Global COVID-19 Pandemic.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Of the $1,913,858 awarded to San Bernardino County, $1,325,819 will be distributed to various County departments, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, and the Consolidated Fire Agencies. The remaining $588,039 will be distributed to the cities as reflected in the following table:
|
Subrecipients |
Allocation Amount |
|
County Departments |
|
|
Office of Emergency Services |
$95,692 |
|
Department of Public Health |
$294,286 |
|
Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator |
$553,431 |
|
Probation |
$42,500 |
|
Registrar of Voters |
$64,853 |
|
Jurisdictions |
|
|
Cities |
$588,039 |
|
Consolidated Fire Agencies |
$90,000 |
|
San Bernardino County Fire Protection District |
$185,057 |
|
Total |
$1,913,858 |
The allocation for this grant is approximately 10% less than the prior year’s allocation due to the overall nationwide reduction in the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding. No matching funds are required with this grant. Any budget adjustments pertaining to the grant will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors/Board of Directors (Board) for approval.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The HSGP is a three-year grant program offered annually to the San Bernardino County Operational Area (OA) by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), as a pass-through agency, from the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency, to strengthen the region’s homeland security preparedness in relation to terrorism. In 1995, the San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services (OES) was established as the lead agency within the OA to manage and coordinate emergency preparedness efforts among San Bernardino County’s (County) 24 cities and towns, Board and self-governed special districts, state/federal agencies, and others. The OA has annually received HSGP funds since the onset of the program and is responsible for allocating these funds to participating agencies within the OA.
As a requirement of the HSGP, the OA must appoint an Anti-Terrorism Approval Body (Approval Authority) to have “final approval of the OA’s application for the HSGP funds.” The Approval Authority must consist of a County Public Health Officer, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District’s Fire Chief/Fire Warden, the County Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, a Municipal Fire Chief selected by the OA Fire Chiefs, and a Chief of Police selected by the OA Police Chiefs. Proposed projects for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 HSGP funding were collected by OES from participating OA jurisdictions.
On January 18, 2024, to fulfill the grant application requirement, the OA’s Approval Authority met and voted to approve a list of projects for submittal. The Approval Authority met and voted again on May 15, 2024, to address the reduction in the allocation and to approve a revised list of projects for submittal.
On January 14, 2025 (Item No. 30), the Board authorized the submission of the FY 2024 HSGP grant application to Cal OES. The application requested grant funding in the amount of $1,913,858 for various projects, as approved by the OA’s Approval Authority, to continue the County’s efforts in preventing, preparing for, protecting against, responding to, and recovering from acts of terrorism.
On May 16, 2025, OES received notification from Cal OES that the FY 2024 HSGP application was approved in the requested amount of $1,913,858. Pursuant to County Policy 05-13, Board approval is needed to accept the grant award. The performance period of the FY 2024 HSGP is retroactive to September 1, 2024, through May 31, 2027, and is consistently retroactive, because the application submission due date was after the performance period start day. OES applied for the grant on February 2, 2025.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace Parsons, and Richard Luczak, Deputies County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 4, 2025; Finance (Carl Lofton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5404) on May 30, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on June 2, 2025.