15.04.050 Findings.
The city council of the city of Wasco finds and declares that the additions, modifications, and changes made to the codes are necessary for the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare due to climatic, geological, or topographical conditions. These amendments are authorized under Health and Safety Code Sections 18941.5 and 17958 and are identified as follows:
A. Express Finding Number 1 – Climatic.
1. The city of Wasco is in the seventy miles per hour wind zone; this results in frequent movement and shifting of buildings, structures, and associated systems serving those facilities.
2. The city of Wasco receives an average rainfall of seven or more inches per year. Heavy storms are very infrequent and precipitation events from a given storm are typically minimal.
3. The city of Wasco is susceptible to extended periods of Tule fog. These conditions cause loss of visibility. This condition often results in multiple vehicle accidents which will commit emergency resources for extended periods of time, as well as create driving difficulties for emergency equipment resulting in delayed response times to fires and other emergencies.
B. Express Finding Number 2 – Geological.
1. The city is located in seismic zone 4. Built-in fire protection and other safety measures, such as limitations of building height, stories, areas, and the anchoring of the structure to the foundation would provide a higher level of safety for building occupants, emergency responders, and property. This is even more critical in high occupancy (assembly) buildings where the potential loss of life is very high. Minor earthquakes occur causing movement and shifting of buildings, structures, and associated systems serving those facilities.
C. Express Finding Number 3 – Topographical.
1. The city of Wasco drops in elevation plus or minus fifty feet from the east to the northwest of the natural flow of the land. (Ord. 721 §3, 2022).