However, a few wildfire bills of note have been introduced. Assembly Bill 38 by Jim Wood, Democrat from Santa Rosa, would require the State Fire Marshal to develop building standards for buildings in very high fire hazard zones by July 1, 2020, and require all newly constructed buildings to comply with these new standards. Assembly Bill 191 by Jim Patterson, Republican from Fresno, would exempt homes being rebuilt after wildfires from meeting certain building standards including sprinklers until January 1, 2030. Senator Dodd, a Democrat from Napa, introduced Senate Bill 209 to establish the California Wildfire Warning Center to provide a statewide network of automated weather and environmental monitoring stations conducting fire-weather forecasting and threat assessments. Budget subcommittees have begun to dissect the various nuances of the Governor’s 2019-20 State Budget. On January 31st, the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee conducted a lengthy hearing on wildfire preparedness and response. FDAC and CFCA leaders were there to support prepositioning and promoted increased overall funding for local government fire departments.
A joint powers authority formed to enable fire protection districts to protect the communities they serve. www.fasisjpa.org FDAC
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