California Lawmakers Unveil 13-Bill Wildfire Prevention Package

California legislators announced a 13-bill wildfire prevention package Wednesday aimed at addressing the state's escalating megafire crisis through home hardening, beneficial fire programs and new firefighting technologies.

The joint legislative effort, unveiled by Megafire Action and a group of lawmakers, comes as communities devastated by recent wildfires continue struggling to recover.

Sen. Ben Allen, who represents the Pacific Palisades and Malibu communities devastated by wildfires last January, described the ongoing hardship facing his constituents.

Sen. Josh Becker introduced SB 973, which would direct CAL FIRE to develop standardized wildfire risk assessment guidelines and formally expand the wildfire county coordinator program. That initiative, a partnership between CAL FIRE and the California Fire Safe Council since 2021, has secured more than $104 million for local mitigation projects and reached nearly 1 million residents with wildfire resilience education.

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