| Last Version Text |
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
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<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_ASSEMBLY</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2025-04-01</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:ActionDate>2025-04-08</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member DeMaio</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Name>DeMaio</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title>An act to add Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 4138) to Chapter 1 of Part 2 Division 4 of the Public Resources Code, relating to wildfire.</ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>wildfire</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Wildfire: vegetation management.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and requires the department to be responsible for, among other things, fire protection and prevention, as provided. Existing law describes state responsibility areas as areas of the state in which the financial responsibility of preventing and suppressing fires has been determined by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to be primarily the responsibility of the department. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to classify lands within state responsibility areas into fire hazard severity zones and, by regulation, designate fire hazard severity zones and assign to each zone a rating reflecting the degree of severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in the zone, as provided. Existing law also requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas of the state
that are local responsibility areas where a local government or district is responsible for fire protection as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on specified criteria. Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, as described above.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would, on or before January 1, 2028, and every 2 years thereafter, require the department or a local entity to conduct an assessment, as provided, of all
undeveloped public lands for which it is primarily responsible for preventing and suppressing fires to ensure that the public land is not a severe fire hazard. The bill would require this assessment to be posted on the department’s and local entity’s internet website and would require a local entity conducting the assessment to submit its assessment to the department.
The bill would require all of these lands, on or before January 1, 2028, to have 200-foot firebreaks on all borders with private property.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would, when the state or a local government acquires private
undeveloped land, require the department or a local entity that is primarily responsible for preventing and suppressing fires on that land to create a plan on how the land will be managed with regard to fire prevention, and to report the cost of keeping the land managed. The bill would require the department and the local entity to post this information on its respective internet website and would require a local entity preparing this information to submit it to the department.</html:p>
<html:p>To
the extent that this bill would impose new duties on local government agencies, the bill would create a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
<html:p>The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
<ns0:LocalProgram>YES</ns0:LocalProgram>
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<ns0:ImmediateEffect>NO</ns0:ImmediateEffect>
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<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>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 4138) is added to Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 4 of the
<ns0:DocName>Public Resources Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:LawHeading id="id_EFF8C158-03E2-4304-9B2A-A9AC331C88A8" type="ARTICLE">
<ns0:Num>3.5.</ns0:Num>
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<ns0:LawHeadingText>Force State and Local Government to Be Firewise Neighbors Act</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:Num>4138.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>For purposes of this article, the following terms shall apply: </html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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“Fire break” means a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop brush fire or wildfire.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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“Local entity” means a city, county, city or county, or other local jurisdiction with fire prevention and suppression authority.
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<html:p>
(c)
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“Public land” means undeveloped land under the control of the department or a local entity.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
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“Severe fire hazard” means land designated as a moderate, high, or very high fire
hazard severity zone as identified by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 4202 of this code and Section 51178 of the Government Code or as identified by a local agency pursuant to Section 51179 of the Government Code.
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<ns0:Num>4138.5.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Force State and Local Government to Be Firewise Neighbors Act.</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>4139.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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(1)
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On or before January 1, 2028, and every two years thereafter, the department or a local entity shall conduct an assessment on all public lands for which it is primarily responsible for preventing and suppressing fires pursuant Sections 4102 and 4125 to ensure that the public land is not a severe fire hazard.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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The assessment shall include all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
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Information on the vegetation
management plan, including, but not limited to, what and how often vegetation management is currently being done.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
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Information on the cost of vegetation management described in subparagraph (A).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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The department and the local entity shall post the assessment pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) on its respective internet website. If a local entity prepares the assessment, the local entity shall also submit its assessment to the department.
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<ns0:Num>4139.5.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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When the state or a local government acquires private undeveloped land, the department or a local entity that is primarily responsible for preventing and suppressing fires pursuant to Section 4125 shall, within one year of acquisition, do both of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
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Create a plan on how the land will be managed with regard to fire prevention.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Report the cost of keeping the land managed.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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The department or the local entity shall post the information pursuant to subdivision (a) on its respective internet website. If a local entity prepares the information, the local entity shall also submit this information to the department.
</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_C4F19EBD-4212-42AD-8370-5FEFEE51C883">
<ns0:Num>4140.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_4C6E81C0-AF78-4D68-8C26-E4ECD92FE1D5">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>On or before January 1, 2028, all public lands shall have a 200 foot firebreak on all borders with privately owned land. </html:p>
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</ns0:LawHeading>
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</ns0:BillSection>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_3281A821-4909-4865-8A62-5F0D8AF8B534">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.</html:p>
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</ns0:Bill>
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|
| Last Version Text Digest |
Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and requires the department to be responsible for, among other things, fire protection and prevention, as provided. Existing law describes state responsibility areas as areas of the state in which the financial responsibility of preventing and suppressing fires has been determined by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to be primarily the responsibility of the department. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to classify lands within state responsibility areas into fire hazard severity zones and, by regulation, designate fire hazard severity zones and assign to each zone a rating reflecting the degree of severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in the zone, as provided. Existing law also requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas of the state that are local responsibility areas where a local government or district is responsible for fire protection as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on specified criteria. Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, as described above. This bill would, on or before January 1, 2028, and every 2 years thereafter, require the department or a local entity to conduct an assessment, as provided, of all undeveloped public lands for which it is primarily responsible for preventing and suppressing fires to ensure that the public land is not a severe fire hazard. The bill would require this assessment to be posted on the department’s and local entity’s internet website and would require a local entity conducting the assessment to submit its assessment to the department. The bill would require all of these lands, on or before January 1, 2028, to have 200-foot firebreaks on all borders with private property. This bill would, when the state or a local government acquires private undeveloped land, require the department or a local entity that is primarily responsible for preventing and suppressing fires on that land to create a plan on how the land will be managed with regard to fire prevention, and to report the cost of keeping the land managed. The bill would require the department and the local entity to post this information on its respective internet website and would require a local entity preparing this information to submit it to the department. To the extent that this bill would impose new duties on local government agencies, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. |