The City of Irvine is proud to announce it was one of 11 cities to receive Helen Putnam Awards for Excellence from the League of California Cities at its Annual Conference and Expo September 22–24 in Sacramento, California.

Established in 1982, the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence program recognizes outstanding achievements by California's 482 cities and seeks to recognize and promote the outstanding efforts and innovative solutions by city governments. Award recipients have made unique contributions to community residents and businesses that have resulted in lower costs or more effective delivery of services.

The City of Irvine received two awards for its wildfire preparedness efforts — specifically its updated all-hazard evacuation map — and IrvineREADY!, the City’s web-based platform that allows planning, building, and engineering applications to be submitted online.

The City’s updated all-hazard evacuation map includes 116 evacuation zones for at-risk communities along the wildland open space. The all-hazard evacuation map has been crucial in helping residents prepare for ongoing wildfire risks and was a major factor in helping the community safely and successfully evacuate during the Silverado Fire in 2020.

IrvineREADY! provides residents and businesses the opportunity to digitally submit and process planning and building applications, engineering review, and permits. In March 2020, the City was able to migrate 100% of its permit and entitlement process online thanks in part to IrvineREADY!, ensuring business continuity while keeping City staff, customers, and the design community safe during COVID-19 precautions. Nearly 3,000 customers have sought zoning approvals or building permits for 8,000 projects since IrvineREADY! launched, and more than $1.1 billion of new development and reinvestment have been processed through the system.

Irvine's efforts to contribute to environmental sustainability and improve community members' lives through the IrvineREADY! platform were highlighted in a recent Western City article and League of California Cities video. Read the article here, and watch the video here.

“I’m incredibly proud of the innovation displayed by both our Public Safety Department and Community Development Department in order to receive these prestigious Helen Putnam Awards for Excellence,” said Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “The City is proud to provide life-saving measures for residents during challenging times, and will continue to seek to improve the quality of life in Irvine, ensure efficient and effective delivery of services, and implement innovative solutions for our residents.”

For more information about awards received by the City of Irvine, visit cityofirvine.org/awards.