Title
Grant: Annual Federal Funds for California Task Force Seven (CA-TF7) Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Team
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00395
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution: 1) authorizing the City Manager or designee to accept federal funds and/or equipment in the amount awarded for CA-TF7 US&R while withholding consent to and objecting to terms that are vacated or enjoined by court orders in Santa Clara County et al. v. Noem et al., 3:25-cv-08330-WHO (N.D. Cal.), Illinois v. FEMA, 1:25-cv-00206 (D.R.I.), San Francisco v. Trump, 3:25-cv-01350 (N.D. Cal.), or any other applicable court order, including, but not limited to Sections C.IX, C.XVII, and C.XXXI of the FY 2025 DHS Standard Terms and Conditions and any materially similar terms via any other method of incorporation (e.g., Articles in Notice of Award, Notice of Funding Opportunity), with the city’s acceptance of the grant and any future draw-downs or reimbursement requests in no way reflecting acceptance of those enjoined terms; 2) establishing the CA-TF7 US&R Operating Grant Project (G12502410); 3) authorizing the City Manager or designee to establish revenue and expenditure budgets in G12502410 in an amount up to $1,497,311 or the final grant award amount, including authorized supplemental funding awards, in the Operating Grant Fund (Fund 2702); and 4) accepting all eligible CA-TF7 US&R grant-related expenditures beginning September 1, 2025.
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Contact
Contact: Chris Costamagna, Fire Chief, (916) 808-2200, ccostamagna@sfd.cityofsacramento.org; Patrick Costamagna, Fire Assistant Chief (US&R Program Manager), (916) 808-1609, pcostamagna@sfd.cityofsacramento.org; Fire Department
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Presenter
Presenter: None
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Resolution
3-Award Letter
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The City of Sacramento is the sponsoring agency for the CA-TF7 US&R Team. Each year, the City applies for federal funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support the operation of CA-TF7. On August 12, 2025, the City of Sacramento Fire Department submitted an application to DHS/FEMA to receive this annual funding to support CA-TF7. On September 25, 2025, DHS/FEMA authorized an award amount of $1,497,311 with a performance period of September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2028. The terms of the award contain new terms not contained in awards from previous years. The legality of several of those new terms are disputed in ongoing litigation in Santa Clara County et al. v. Noem et al., 3:25-cv-08330-WHO (N.D. Cal.), Illinois v. FEMA, 1:25-cv-00206 (D.R.I.), and San Francisco v. Trump, 3:25-cv-01350 (N.D. Cal.) in which the City of Sacramento is either a party disputing the new terms or is similarly situated to a disputing party in the given litigation. In December 2025, via email and through the United States FEMAGO electronic system, city staff informed the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA that the city would be accepting the award, subject to the city’s ongoing objection to the new terms being litigated.
This report is recommending that the City Council authorize the City Manager or designee, the Fire Chief, to accept the awarded funds for the 2025 annual federal funding, with an anticipated performance period of 36 months (extensions may occur as authorized by FEMA). As stated above, and per FEMA, the award amount of funding for CA-TF7 is to be $1,497,311 however, the FEMA program office can provide supplemental funding as available for each grant award.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: Acceptance of federal US&R funding is consistent with City Council action relative to state and federal grant awards.
The US&R grant funds will provide federal funds that will be used to staff, train, and equip a regional/national emergency response team.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: The proposed activity is not a project pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2). The activity is a continuing administrative or maintenance activity, such as the purchases for supplies, personnel-related actions, general policy, and procedure making, and is not subject to CEQA. CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: There are no sustainability considerations applicable to the acceptance of federal funding reimbursing DHS/FEMA-directed activities.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: None.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The City of Sacramento Fire Department is the sponsoring agency for the CA-TF7 US&R Team. The team also includes numerous participating agencies from the Greater Sacramento area and various affiliated personnel. The US&R grant helps foster regional interagency collaboration and increased effectiveness in the Sacramento Operational Area.
The City of Sacramento Fire Department is responsible for organizing, equipping, and maintaining the specialized equipment cache, training task force personnel, and mobilizing the team upon activation. Staff recommends authorization for the City Manager or designee, to accept any funds and/or equipment awarded to continue the operation of CA-TF7.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: The approval and adoption of the attached Resolution does not impact the General Fund, nor is there any obligation on the part of the City for matching funds. The CA-TF7 US&R grant funds will be used for expenses, including but not limited to: personnel costs, training, storage and maintenance, and purchase of supplies and equipment, in order to maintain a state of readiness and to meet the grant reporting and audit requirements. Staff is recommending that the CA-TF7 US&R Operating Grant Project (G12502410) be established with revenue and expenditure budgets in an amount up to $1,497,311 in the Operating Grant Fund (Fund 2702) and include any possible supplemental funding awarded by the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue program office.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Staff will follow the local business enterprise guidelines when purchasing any supplies or services under this cooperative agreement.
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