Residents from San Diego, La Mesa appointed to new state wildfire safety advisory board

Oct. 30--SAN DIEGO -- The associate director of a fire science lab at UC San Diego and a La Mesa wildfire scientist have been appointed to the state's new Wildfire Safety Advisory Board, officials said Wednesday.

The board, comprised of independent experts, will advise a new Wildfire Safety Division within the California Public Utilities Commission on wildfire safety measures in an effort to ensure the commission better regulates the safety of investor-owned utilities.

The board is a byproduct of Assembly Bill 1054, which was designed to stabilize the financial prospects of California's three investor-owned utilities from crippling wildfire liability costs.

One state utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, filed for bankruptcy protection in January after investigators determined its equipment was responsible for the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history. Utilities can be held responsible for fire damage caused by their equipment, and PG &E officials have estimated their liabilities exceed $30 billion.

Jessica Block, of San Diego, is one of six board members. The 41-year-old heads up the WIFIRE Lab, which uses a supercomputer to help first responders figure out where a wildfire might head next. The technology was used by Southern California firefighters to battle the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Alexandra Syphard, of La Mesa, was also named to the board. The 49-year-old is chief scientist at Sage Insurance Holdings, a wildfire-focused home insurance company. She is also an adjunct professor in the Geology Department at San Diego State University Other members hail from Castaic, in the northern part of Los Angeles County, Elk Grove, a city in Sacramento County, and San Francisco.

The positions do not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. The board will meet at least quarterly throughout the state, according to state officials.

The bill also required that utilities tie executive compensation to safety performance, invest $5 billion in safety improvements, and go through a wildfire safety review and certification process annually. It also requires new inspections of utility electrical equipment.

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