California bill would give homeowners cash to fireproof their properties

As California begins requiring homeowners to take steps to protect their properties from wildfires, a new state bill aims to offer cash for mitigation efforts, including clearing vegetation and installing fire-resistant roofing.

Assembly Bill 888, dubbed the California Safe Homes Act, would provide the grant funding to low- and middle-income property owners in fire-risk areas. The state insurance department would distribute the grants.

"Investing in mitigation is crucial to overcoming this insurance crisis," said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in a statement this week. "We are not powerless in this fight. We need to equip consumers with the resources to undertake necessary work."

The bill comes as the state grapples with how to persuade insurance companies to continue doing business in California amid increasingly destructive wildfire seasons. Over the past decade, insurers have dropped hundreds of thousands of homeowners across the state. Some companies, including State Farm and Allstate, have also stopped writing new home insurance policies anywhere in California.

To make fire-risk communities safer and potentially more insurable, Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year signed an executive order requiring many homeowners to create a 5-foot "ember-resistant" zone around their houses. Newsom ordered state officials to finalize the rules by the end of the year.

If approved, AB 888 would give homeowners money to comply with the order and fund other mitigation measures. It would add to the list of state grants already available to help clear flammable brush and vegetation and fireproof homes.

The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, a Democrat from Los Angeles County, would not directly affect homeowner insurance rates. However, the state requires insurers to offer discounts to property owners for wildfire mitigation measures, such as forming community groups to ensure their homes are fire-safe.

If the bill is approved, it would then be up to lawmakers to decide how to fund it. It hasn't been determined how much grant money individual homeowners could receive. Cities and counties would also be able to apply for the grants for community-wide fire prevention efforts.

For a homeowner to be eligible for a grant, their property would need to be insured and in a ZIP code that overlaps with a high or very high fire zone, as listed by CalFire. That includes cities throughout the Bay Area.

A homeowner's income would also need to be no higher than the low-income limit for their county, as defined by the state housing department. In Santa Clara County, for example, a family of four earning up to $159,550 a year would qualify as low-income and be eligible.

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