The Honorable Luz Rivas
Chair, Assembly Committee on Natural Resources
Legislative Office Building, 1020 N Street, Room 164
Sacramento, California 95814
RE: SB 63 (Stern) – Support
Dear Honorable Members of the California Legislature:
On behalf of the organizations listed above, we write in support of Senate Bill 63 (Stern), which will enhance fire prevention efforts by the CAL FIRE, including improved vegetation management, and apply stronger fire safety building standards to a broader range of fire zones. It will also authorize grants for community organizations that train volunteers to assist with defensible space assessments and other wildfire resiliency work.
California has seen a substantial increase in the threat of catastrophic wildfire. Nine of the ten largest wildfires in our history have occurred over the past decade, and five of those took place in 2020 alone. In this new normal of increased fire risk, coupled with drought declarations in 40 California counties, community-level planning and preparedness efforts such as defensible space and robust fire safety building standards are more important than ever.
We know risk reduction must happen at the community level because a neighbor’s poorly maintained property could be the source of wildfire spread despite the hard work and mitigation by an individual property owner. SB 63 addresses wildfire resiliency on a community scale by allowing CAL FIRE grants to fund residential vegetation management programs, support defensible space training, and provide educational outreach to the public. This will help reduce the risk of wildfire losses while allowing California to continue to grow safely.
For the above reasons, we support SB 63. We appreciate the opportunity to work together with the legislature to better protect homes, communities, and residents.
Respectfully,
California Building Industry Association
California Fire Safe Council
Personal Insurance Federation of California
American Property Casualty Insurance Association
California State Association of Counties
Southern California Edison
Stronger California