Bill Full Text
Home
-
Bills
-
Bill
-
Authors
-
Dates
-
Locations
-
Analyses
-
Organizations
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<ns0:MeasureDoc xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:ns0="http://lc.ca.gov/legalservices/schemas/caml.1#" xmlns:ns3="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="1.0" xsi:schemaLocation="http://lc.ca.gov/legalservices/schemas/caml.1# xca.1.xsd">
<ns0:Description>
<ns0:Id>20250SB__089999INT</ns0:Id>
<ns0:VersionNum>99</ns0:VersionNum>
<ns0:History>
<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-01-20</ns0:ActionDate>
</ns0:Action>
</ns0:History>
<ns0:LegislativeInfo>
<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
<ns0:SessionNum>0</ns0:SessionNum>
<ns0:MeasureType>SB</ns0:MeasureType>
<ns0:MeasureNum>899</ns0:MeasureNum>
<ns0:MeasureState>INT</ns0:MeasureState>
</ns0:LegislativeInfo>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senator Grove</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Coauthors: Senators Alvarado-Gil, Dahle, Jones, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Richardson, Seyarto, and Valladares)</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:Authors>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Grove</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Alvarado-Gil</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Dahle</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Jones</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Niello</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Ochoa Bogh</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Richardson</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Seyarto</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Valladares</ns0:Name>
</ns0:Legislator>
</ns0:Authors>
<ns0:Title> An act to add Section 4772 to the Public Resources Code, relating to fire prevention. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>fire prevention</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Fire prevention: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force: wildfire smoke.</ns0:Subject>
</ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:DigestText>
<html:p>Existing law requires the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, established by former Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., to develop a comprehensive implementation strategy to track and ensure the achievement of the goals and key actions identified in the state’s “Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan,” as provided. Existing law requires, on or before March 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter, the task force to update the action plan.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would require the task force, on or before July 1, 2028, and in cooperation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the State Department of Public Health, to assess the health costs and impacts of high-severity wildfire smoke using existing wildfire smoke and health data, as provided. The bill would require the task force, in developing this assessment, to, among other things,
develop a model to determine the approximate health benefits of achieving the goals identified in the action plan and make recommendations on how the action plan can increase its health benefits. The bill would authorize the task force to enter into contracts with an independent group to assist with this assessment. The bill would require the task force to include this assessment and additional actions to reduce the health impact of smoke in the next update to the action plan, as provided. </html:p>
</ns0:DigestText>
<ns0:DigestKey>
<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
<ns0:LocalProgram>NO</ns0:LocalProgram>
</ns0:DigestKey>
<ns0:MeasureIndicators>
<ns0:ImmediateEffect>NO</ns0:ImmediateEffect>
<ns0:ImmediateEffectFlags>
<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>
</ns0:ImmediateEffectFlags>
</ns0:MeasureIndicators>
</ns0:Description>
<ns0:Bill id="bill">
<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_15D24168-FE96-4BDE-9CB1-47D3BB4B887B">
<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"/>
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has published several studies that consistently indicated that exposure to wildfire PM 2.5 increased the risk of emergency room visits and hospital admissions related to respiratory issues, particularly among people of color, elderly populations, outdoor workers, children, and other vulnerable populations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Rural and tribal populations, who are generally physically closest to wildfires, often lack resources such as easy access to health care, food and emergency supply centers, and multiple means of transportation that can help them
escape fire more quickly.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Findings suggested that PM 2.5 during the wildfire periods may contain more toxic chemical constituents than during nonwildfire periods. For instance, wildfire often straddles the wildland-urban interface, meaning plastics, finished wood products, and other human-made materials from homes can burn and let off volatile organic compounds that are especially toxic to humans.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
According to the Bay Area Council, wildfires across California in 2018 produced $7,800,000,000 in estimated health costs in the San Francisco Bay area, a rise in hospital admissions, and an increase in polluted air.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
According to the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, by some measures, increased wildfire smoke has reversed gains in air quality created by improved emission standards in transportation and
other sectors in parts of California. Evidence also suggests that smoke’s public health effects are even more significant than the tragic burns and deaths caused directly by wildfire in California.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
It is the intent of the Legislature to better understand the health costs and impacts associated with high-severity wildfire smoke to better value the importance of investing in achievement of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan goals established pursuant to Article 11 (commencing with Section 4770) of Chapter 10 of Part 2 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code.
</html:p>
</ns0:Content>
</ns0:BillSection>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_B37D7BAA-3DF3-4DD1-B5F6-B511A13F8B21">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:ActionLine action="IS_ADDED" ns3:href="urn:caml:codes:PRC:caml#xpointer(%2Fcaml%3ALawDoc%2Fcaml%3ACode%2F%2Fcaml%3ALawSection%5Bcaml%3ANum%3D'4772'%5D)" ns3:label="fractionType: LAW_SECTION" ns3:type="locator">
Section 4772 is added to the
<ns0:DocName>Public Resources Code</ns0:DocName>
,
<ns0:Positioning>immediately following Section 4771.6</ns0:Positioning>
, to read:
</ns0:ActionLine>
<ns0:Fragment>
<ns0:LawSection id="id_86575186-B1E7-46BE-8D70-DD9BF94E0D16">
<ns0:Num>4772.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_5EBAF177-C4FF-48A4-A504-041CDA7511D9">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
On or before July 1, 2028, the task force, in cooperation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the State Department of Public Health, shall assess the health costs and impacts of high-severity wildfire smoke using existing wildfire smoke and health data, including, but not limited to, data from local, state, federal, and academic sources. In developing this assessment, the task force shall do all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Estimate the number of emergency room visits and deaths from the smoke of high-severity wildfires in California since July 1, 2018.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Develop a cost estimate for the health care costs of the smoke of high-severity wildfires in California
since July 1, 2018.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Develop a model to determine the approximate health benefits, both for cost and human health impacts, of achieving the goals identified in the state’s “Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.”
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Make recommendations on how the “Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan” can increase its health benefits.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The task force may enter into contracts with an independent group to assist with the assessment required pursuant to subdivision (a).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The task force shall include the assessment required in subdivision (a) and additional actions to reduce the health impact of wildfire smoke in the first update, pursuant to Section 4771, to the state’s “Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan” that occurs after the completion
of the assessment.
</html:p>
</ns0:Content>
</ns0:LawSectionVersion>
</ns0:LawSection>
</ns0:Fragment>
</ns0:BillSection>
</ns0:Bill>
</ns0:MeasureDoc>