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<ns0:Id>20250SB__089498AMD</ns0:Id>
<ns0:VersionNum>98</ns0:VersionNum>
<ns0:History>
<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-01-15</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_SENATE</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-03-09</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:LegislativeInfo>
<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
<ns0:SessionNum>0</ns0:SessionNum>
<ns0:MeasureType>SB</ns0:MeasureType>
<ns0:MeasureNum>894</ns0:MeasureNum>
<ns0:MeasureState>AMD</ns0:MeasureState>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Allen</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Principal coauthor: Senator Becker)</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Coauthors: Senators Pérez and Stern)</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_OPPOSITE">(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bennett and Rogers)</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:Authors>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Allen</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Becker</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Pérez</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Stern</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Bennett</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Rogers</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to amend Sections 26001 and 26002 of, and to add Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 26090) to Division 16 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to wildfire mitigation. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>wildfire mitigation</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Wildfire resiliency: financial assistance.</ns0:Subject>
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<ns0:DigestText>
<html:p>Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to enter into a joint powers agreement, as specified, with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop and administer a comprehensive wildfire mitigation program, that, among other things, encourages cost-effective structure hardening and retrofitting that creates fire-resistant homes, businesses, and public buildings.</html:p>
<html:p>Existing law establishes the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority to provide alternative methods of financing in providing and promoting the establishment of facilities using alternative methods and sources of energy and facilities needed for the development and commercialization of advanced transportation technologies, as provided.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would establish the California Wildfire Resilience Loan Program and would require the authority to administer the program to provide financial assistance for projects and activities to reduce wildfire-related risks and losses, including home hardening and defensible space improvements, as provided, and would make related
changes.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
<ns0:LocalProgram>NO</ns0:LocalProgram>
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<ns0:ImmediateEffect>NO</ns0:ImmediateEffect>
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<ns0:Urgency>NO</ns0:Urgency>
<ns0:TaxLevy>NO</ns0:TaxLevy>
<ns0:Election>NO</ns0:Election>
<ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>NO</ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>
<ns0:BudgetBill>NO</ns0:BudgetBill>
<ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>NO</ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_FDA753BD-5745-4C6C-BAAB-0F440618FD4A">
<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Wildfire losses impose substantial public costs, including loss of life, displacement, infrastructure damage, increased disaster spending, and destabilization of housing and insurance markets.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Wildfires additionally can cause significant increases to air pollution and levels of greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Investments in wildfire risk reduction, including home hardening and defensible space, provide significant public benefits that extend beyond individual property owners.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Lack of access to affordable upfront capital is a significant barrier preventing widespread adoption of these measures.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority has demonstrated capacity to administer statewide financing programs that leverage public participation to unlock private capital, successfully increasing adoption of other property improvement activities.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
It is the intent of the Legislature to authorize the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority to establish a wildfire mitigation loan program for wildfire resilience improvements, and
to authorize participation by public and private partners, including utilities, insurers, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic entities, and the federal government, where the participation advances public safety, market stability, and resilience objectives.
</html:p>
</ns0:Content>
</ns0:BillSection>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_288B80E0-7D91-4C73-A152-296BF4531E90">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 26001 of the
<ns0:DocName>Public Resources Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Num>26001.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_BEBD00F3-743D-44C3-92E1-AAE4D38AEEE1">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
It is essential that the state, in cooperation with the federal government, use all practical and commercially feasible means to promote the prompt and efficient development of energy sources that are renewable or
that more efficiently use and conserve scarce energy resources.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The promotion of sustainable and renewable energy sources, implementation of measures that increase the efficiency of the use of energy, and advanced transportation technologies that reduce the degradation of the environment and lessen the state’s dependence of fossil fuels, and protect the health, welfare, and safety of the people of this state are in the public interest and serve a public purpose.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
It is essential to the public safety, economic stability, and general welfare of the state
to promote investments that reduce wildfire-related risk and losses, including home hardening and defensible space improvements.
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<ns0:BillSection id="id_20C26F90-0346-41B6-9A01-74A1D471BB2E">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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Section 26002 of the
<ns0:DocName>Public Resources Code</ns0:DocName>
is amended to read:
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<ns0:Fragment>
<ns0:LawSection id="id_1A585691-28B9-4C3E-8C0A-FDAA1AC5A639">
<ns0:Num>26002.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_2E0744CC-5526-438D-8CD7-2A634A6B9A6B">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>It is the purpose of this division to advance the state’s goals of reducing the levels of greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the deployment of sustainable and renewable energy sources, implementing measures that increase the efficiency of the use of energy, creating high-quality employment opportunities, increasing the adoption of wildfire resilience improvements that reduce wildfire-related risk and losses, and lessening the state’s dependence on fossil fuels and to that end to provide an alternative method of financing in providing and
promoting the establishment of
all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Facilities using alternative methods and sources of energy.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Facilities needed for the development and commercialization of advanced transportation technologies.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Facilities, projects, improvements, and measures intended to reduce wildfire risk, enhance structural survivability, or improve community resilience to wildfire.
</html:p>
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<ns0:BillSection id="id_EADB94AF-6B6F-4ACF-81D7-CD3205DC9940">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 4.</ns0:Num>
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Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 26090) is added to Division 16 of the
<ns0:DocName>Public Resources Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:LawHeading id="id_AFE60646-B126-475B-A758-2281EBDF217C" type="CHAPTER">
<ns0:Num>5.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawHeadingVersion id="id_744784FC-8DBB-46B7-8FE9-BADE46D4D227">
<ns0:LawHeadingText>California Wildfire Resilience Loan Program</ns0:LawHeadingText>
</ns0:LawHeadingVersion>
<ns0:LawSection id="id_0FD7476D-1D7F-4E66-B933-12197A21AE9D">
<ns0:Num>26090.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_5EB78ED9-48CE-4C13-A6F7-07E57D6648CE">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>The California Wildfire Resilience Loan Program is hereby established to be developed and administered by the authority to achieve all of the following goals:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Reducing local and statewide wildfire losses through wildfire resilience improvements to residential, multifamily, mixed-use, nonprofit, or small business property.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Improving insurability and resilience of communities vulnerable to wildfire risk.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Increasing the defensible space around and hardening of residential, multifamily, mixed-use, nonprofit, or small business property to mitigate wildfire risk, thereby reducing the emission of greenhouse gases from wildfires
and associated air pollution.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Reduce the upfront and overall cost to eligible property owners of obtaining private financing for wildfire resilience improvements and expand access of eligible property owners to private financing tools for wildfire resilience improvements.
</html:p>
</ns0:Content>
</ns0:LawSectionVersion>
</ns0:LawSection>
<ns0:LawSection id="id_E68A0E0C-BF55-4C7D-A2A3-2E9342F5B5C6">
<ns0:Num>26091.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_A6743ED3-BA33-4FC1-9F64-EB529CA2E7A6">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Subject to the availability of funding, the California Wildfire Resilience Loan Program may include, but not be limited to, establishment of a loan loss reserve, interest rate buy-downs, and other credit enhancements.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Eligible wildfire resilience improvements under the program shall include, but not be limited to, any of the following improvements as informed by guidance from the Office of the State Fire Marshal in consultation with the Office of Emergency Services and the Department of Insurance:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Home hardening, including ignition-resistant features, vegetation management, and defensible space treatments, including, but not limited to,
any of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(i)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Risk mitigation identified in Section 2644.4.5 or 2644.9 of Title 10 of California Code of Regulations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(ii)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Risk mitigation identified in Chapter 7A (commencing with Section 701A.1) of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(iii)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Defensible space activities identified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 1299) of Subchapter 3 of Chapter 7 of Division 1.5 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Smoke mitigation retrofits.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Other risk reduction measures.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Guidance specified in paragraph (1) may reference actions identified in regulations by any relevant state agency,
including regulations adopted by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, but shall not be construed to limit the authority’s discretion to approve activities that exceed state standards.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Financial assistance under the program may be made available to eligible properties throughout the state and shall not be limited by land classification, jurisdiction, or hazard severity zone.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The authority may establish partnerships or referral arrangements with state agencies, local governments, community-based organizations, insurers, lenders, contractors, or other entities for purposes that may include, but are not limited to, identifying and referring eligible applicants, aggregating demand, and facilitating bulk purchasing or group contracting arrangements.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The authority may, in consultation with the State
Fire Marshal, establish procedures for preassessments or postcompletion verifications of improvements financed through the program for purposes that may include program integrity, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Upon appropriation by the Legislature or upon the availability of funds from any source, the authority may enter into agreements to design, develop, maintain, and operate a public-facing internet website for the program.
</html:p>
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