Bill Text: CA SB470 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Water: Urban Water Community Drought Relief program: Small Community Drought Relief program: high fire hazard and very high fire hazard severity zones.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2024-01-25 - Veto sustained. [SB470 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB470-Introduced.html

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 470

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Introduced by Senator Alvarado-Gil

February 13, 2023

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An act relating to wildfires.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 470, as introduced, Alvarado-Gil. Wildfires: grant eligibility: high fire hazard and very high fire hazard severity zones.

Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, as provided.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation that would direct state agencies and departments to ensure grant eligibility for projects that reduce the risk of wildfire for entire neighborhoods and communities through water delivery system improvements for fire suppression purposes in high fire hazard severity zone or very high fire hazard severity zone communities, as designated by the State Fire Marshal or by a local agency.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) California’s rural landscapes and communities have been ground zero for large-scale environmental and economic devastation during the past decades by virtue of the Angora, Caldor, Camp, Complex, and Dixie Fires.

(b) Aging infrastructures combined with insufficient resources to prepare for adequate wildfire response has left many rural communities at high risk for future unchecked fire activity.

(c) Postfire costs associated with the destruction inflicted upon communities, such as Grizzley Flats, Paradise, and Greenville, have been in the tens of billions of dollars.

(d) Congress has taken affirmative fiscal action by budgeting for funding last year and is poised to repeat that action this year as witnessed in House Report 117-400 to invest in fire prevention activities in the Tahoe Basin and elsewhere through projects such as water delivery system improvements for expanded water flow and fire hydrant installation.

(e) While California is taking the necessary actions to mitigate the intensity and frequency of fire in the rural parts of the state, local governments need state support for necessary investments to prepare for fire.

SEC. 2.

 It is the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation that would direct state agencies and departments, including, but not limited to, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Office of Emergency Services, and the state’s conservancies responsible for the administration of grant funds to local agencies, state agencies, joint powers authorities, and tribes, to ensure grant eligibility for projects that reduce the risk of wildfire for entire neighborhoods and communities through water delivery system improvements for fire suppression purposes in high fire hazard severity zone or very high fire hazard severity zone communities, as designated by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 4201) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code or by a local agency pursuant to Chapter 6.8 (commencing with Section 51175) of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code.