SUMMARY:

Overview:
Approval of this item would express the Board of Supervisors’ opposition to the United States Department of
Homeland Security’s removal of the San Diego region from the list of eligible regions to receive funding in 2007 under
the new distribution plan for the Urban Area Security Initiative and ask that our County be placed on the permanent list
of eligible regions.

Recommendation(s):

VICE CHAIRMAN ROBERTS AND SUPERVISOR JACOB:
Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to draft a letter for the Chairman’s signature to the United States Department of Homeland Security and San Diego’s Congressional delegation expressing our Board’s opposition to the United States Department of Homeland Security’s removal of the San Diego region from the list of eligible regions to receive funding in 2007 under the new distribution plan for the Urban Area Security Initiative and ask that our County be placed on the permanent list of eligible regions.

Fiscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact related to this action.

BACKGROUND:
September 11, 2001 will always be remembered as a tragic day in American history. As we all painfully know, terrorists hijacked four airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and an open field in Pennsylvania killing thousands of innocent people. Some of these terrorists called San Diego their home, opening our eyes and showing us that these cowards may live anywhere.

On January 3, 2006, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the availability of $765 million in direct funding for high threat urban areas as part of the 2006 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). The UASI provides resources for critical and unique equipment, training, planning, and exercise needs of select high-threat urban areas.

Unfortunately, the $765 million allocation for this program represents a $90 million reduction from this year’s program. As a result, the number of regions available for funding has been reduced. While the San Diego region is listed as eligible for sustainment funding in 2006, the DHS recently announced that San Diego might be dropped from eligibility in 2007 unless a compelling need is shown.

Funding from the UASI is allocated to communities facing the greatest risk and demonstrating the greatest need in order to receive the highest return to our nation’s security. The DHS uses a risk-based formula that considers three primary variables: consequence, vulnerability, and threat. Other factors considered in correlation with this formula are the presence of international borders, population and population density, the location of critical infrastructure, formal mutual aid cooperation, law enforcement investigations, and enforcement activity.

The City of San Diego is the 7th largest city in the country. The County of San Diego is the 6th largest county in the country according to the U.S. Census. In fact, the population of San Diego County is greater than that of 18 states. Located within our county are many at-risk installations and communities, which make our region especially vulnerable to a terrorist attack.

First, San Diego County is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. In 2005, San Diego County was the destination for more than 27 million visitors. Part of our tourism industry includes our cruise ship terminals where 650,000 cruise ship passengers are expected to come through in 2006. With venues such as the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, LEGOLAND, and the Wild Animal Park, which collectively attracted well over 10 million visitors in 2005, it’s not difficult to find vulnerability and dense populations.

Second, our county is also home to the San Ysidro port of entry, the busiest border crossing in the world with over 50 million people crossing into San Diego County and the United States every year.

Third, also located in San Diego County is the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which is a part of California’s critical infrastructure. This station provides power to more than 15 million people in Southern California and has been the target of terror threats in the past.

Lastly, San Diego County is home to one of the largest military installations in the world. While this might be viewed as a security asset, military installations can also be a target for terrorists, evidenced by the bombing of the USS Cole on October 12, 2000.

It is for these compelling reasons we ask for your support and urge you to join us in opposing the United States Department of Homeland Security’s removal of the San Diego region from the list of eligible regions to receive funding in 2007 under the new distribution plan for the Urban Area Security Initiative and ask that our County be placed on the permanent list of eligible regions.

Respectfully submitted,

RON ROBERTS Vice Chairman, Fourth District

DIANNE JACOB Supervisor, Second District