IMPORTANT INFORMATION – UPCOMING EVENTS

FIRE PREVENTION:  KEEP BAY-O-VISTA SAFE FROM FIRE!

With climate change, California fires are much faster and dangerous than in the past. Bay-O-Vista is subject to high wind storms that could turn a fire into a conflagration.  We need to do what we can to safeguard and “fire harden” our homes and to prepare for the worst in the event we have to evacuate the community. The City’s 2022 Kittleson Report on evacuation capacities in the event of a disaster indicates that a fire nearby in Lake Chabot or Fairmont Ridge will require the entire community to evacuate and that Vistagrand and Benedict would be over capacity (this was before Lake Chabot Road was closed!!).   . 

• RE-OPEN LAKE CHABOT ROAD:  We need the City to reopen Lake Chabot Road now! As we have seen from the devastating L.A. fires, we need every evacuation route to be open and free from any barriers. We need the Road opened NOW with at least one-way downhill traffic, with stop signs at either end to slow down traffic until the City fixes the road permanently for two way traffic. This is a critical evacuation route for hundreds of homes.  Without it, residents will be stuck in place with a back-up of vehicles trying to get onto Benedict. Residential vehicles will be competing with ambulances needed to evacuate approximately 80 very ill patients from Kindred Hospital at the end of Benedict. The fences and bollards that exist now preventing traffic on Lake Chabot Road are not safe for evacuating residents or first responders. They could easily create a death trap for panicking residents and make access challenging or slow for first responders.  Help us get Lake Chabot Re-Opened by:

   

1. Signing a petition to the City on www.openlakechabotroad.com
2. Stay ready to come to the next important City Council meeting. We will let you know when.  We had over 100 people attend the one on September 9th and we were heard!
3. Numbers count!  We need your help to get this done! There are people that want to see Lake Chabot Road closed permanently.
4. If you would like to volunteer to help, or have any questions or concerns, please email Kat @ [email protected]

    

• GENERAL MEETING – SAFEGUARDING OUR HOMES FROM FIRE:BOVIA will hold a General Meeting in April on how to “fire harden” or safeguard ours home from fire. Find out what plants/trees you should remove and what type of landscaping is best to create a safe perimeter around your home.  We will learn about what we can do to make our houses more fire proof.
• FUNDING TO HELP REMOVE JUNIPER:  Bay-O-Vista is at risk because of the extremely flammable juniperthat was used to landscape Bay-O-Vista when it was first developed.  Many of our homes still have juniper (and rosemary which is also very flammable) growing in our yards which will send flames high up into the air where it will quickly spread to other properties. Overgrown bushes, brush and trees, particularly pine trees will add fuel to any fire. There is some funding reimbursement available from the Diablo Fire Safe Council to pay for the removal of juniper and other flammable landscaping. It takes cooperation among a number of neighbors and a plan on how to address it. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in participating.
• SAFE EVACUATION PLAN:We have a number of disabled and elderly residents, as well as young families that may need additional help in an evacuation.  A number of residents do not have smart phones on which to receive warnings. We need to identify neighbors who will need help and have a plan in place to assist them.  We also want the City to conduct an evacuation fire drill for our community, so that we can determine how we can safely evacuate from Bay-O-Vista if needed. If you or your neighbors will need assistance during an evacuation, please email [email protected] – with names, addresses and phone numbers.  Please make the subject line:  Evacuation Assistance.
• EARTHQUAKE RETROFITTING:  Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) is a program that provides up to $3000 to do earthquake retrofitting of your home.  EBB registration is now open and will remain open through February 26, 2025! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to help potect your home from the next earthquake. For more information about the EBB program, visit EarthquakeBraceBolt.com, contact Customer Service at info@CaliforniaResidentialMitigationProgram, or call 877-232-4300.

PRIVATE SECURITY FOR BAY-O-VISTA:  We lost a little steam in trying to find the right security company for our neighborhood as Re-Opening Lake Chabot Road became the most important priority for our community.  However, we are checking whether there are still City funds to help pay for flock cameras and possibly even private security (Council Member Fred Simon has introduced this idea). We will hold one more meeting with the potential private security companies to ask more questions to make a final selection of the company we think would be best.  If you want to join this next meeting and are not currently on the list, please contact Kat at [email protected] or call or text her at 510-427-3173 to provide your contact info.  (No commitment is needed at this time.)

LIGHTS ON IN BAY-O-VISTA:  One way to make your home safer at night is very simple:  KEEP YOUR OUTSIDE LIGHTS ON ALL NIGHT!!! The Police Officers who patrol our neighborhood have told us that when driving up Bay-O-Vista at night, it is always dark.  Very few houses keep their outside lights on which is a real deterrent to criminals. This is a simple and inexpensive step particularly with LED outside lights.  You can get the kind that go on only when it is dark and turn off when it is light outside so you don’t even need to think about turning them on and off; you just keep them turned on all the time.  Plus, it will help protect your home when you’re away. Motion detector lights are ok, but do not help light up a street or act as a deterrent until the criminal is on your property.  SO HELP US LIGHT UP BAY-O-VISTA AT NIGHT!!  We will inquire as to whether the City has any grant money available to help purchase outside LED lights for our residents.