Press Release

As Wildfires Rage Throughout California, Stern Measures Focusing on Prevention, Preparation, and Resiliency Moving Forward

SACRAMENTO – As dozens of wildfires continue to rage throughout California, measures by Senator Henry Stern (D-Calabasas) to help Californians reduce the likelihood of such blazes in the future and better protect themselves when wildfires ignite moved to the Assembly and Senate floors. 
 
“Millions of acres of land have burned across the state in the past three years, and nearly 400,000 of those have gone up in smoke in just the past four days,” said Senator Henry Stern (D-Calabasas), chairman of the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee.  “As the events of this week have once again reminded us, we need to invest in fire prevention and protection just as much as we invest in battling these blazes.” 
  
SB 1348, which passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee Thursday on a 13-4 vote, is an omnibus fire prevention and protection measure that, among other things: 

  • Requires CalFire to identify moderate and high severity fire zones; 
  • Directs the Building Standards Commission to extend its tough ignition-resistant building standards to cover moderate and high fire hazard severity zones;  
  • Authorizes CalFire to award grants to finance residential vegetation management programs, including defensible space training, and public wildfire resistance education outreach; and 
  • Helps organizations and trained volunteers in their fire prevention efforts by providing funding for them to assist people with defensible space and home hardening assessments.  

The bill is supported by, among others, the City of Thousand Oaks, Napa Community Firewise Foundation, Pacific Forest Trust, and The Nature Conservancy. 
 
“Anyone who doesn’t think climate change is real just needs to pick up a newspaper or open their social media feed,” continued Stern.  “The combination of extreme heat, wind, and drought-like conditions was a ticking time bomb waiting to be ignited.  This week’s devastation has reminded us once again to focus our legislative efforts on fire preparation and prevention.  SB 1348 will empower our communities to protect themselves from future fires.  Going forward, much more investment and state action is direly needed to prepare for California’s seemingly endless fire season.” 
 
AB 2213 (Limón-Stern), which passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on a bi-partisan 7-0 vote, makes it easier for fire officials to reach out to elderly Californians and those with special needs who may need assistance during a fire emergency.  The bill allows county social services agencies to share the phone numbers and email addresses of elderly and disabled residents with fire and other emergency service agencies so they can more easily contact and, if necessary, help evacuate those people during a fire, public safety power shutoff (PSPS) or other emergency.   
 
Supported by the California Assisted Living Association, California Commission on Aging, California 
Emergency Services Association, City of Thousand Oaks, Disability Rights California, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and the Arc/United Cerebral Palsy California Collaboration, AB 2213 now moves to the Senate floor. 
 
Two other related Stern-authored measures moved forward Thursday as well:  

  • SB 596 (Stern) requires county social services agencies to let people applying for certain benefits know they may also be eligible for a local utility’s medical baseline program.  Under this program, those who meet certain income thresholds are entitled to lower priced electricity and receive advanced notice of PSPS events that are often triggered by wildfires.  The bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee on bi-partisan 18-0 vote and moves to the Assembly Floor. 
  • SB 1320 (Stern) directs the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to conduct a California-specific climate change assessment to determine the costs and risks faced by Californians if the state fails to begin addressing the climate emergency. Supported by the California Environmental Justice Alliance, the California League of Conservation Voters, Climate Resolve, Clean Power Campaign, Environment California, E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), Natural Resource Defense Council, and the Sierra Club, the bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee today on an 13-4 vote and moves next to the Assembly floor.   

“The climate crisis threatens the foundations of California’s prosperity.  If we can’t get ahead of this existential threat, we’re putting ourselves on the path to bankruptcy,” said Stern. “It’s time to pinpoint where our potentially trillion-dollar crisis will cut the deepest – and where we can invest now to save money and lives for decades to come.” 

Contact: Evan.Goldberg@sen.ca.gov or (916) 616-9811