Heard

Sign InJoin Heard

Legislative record

SB 973STATE · CaliforniaIntroduced

Wildfire County Coordinator Program.

Existing law establishes the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force and requires the task force to develop a comprehensive implementation strategy to track and ensure the achievement of the goals and key actions identified in the state's Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, as provided. Existing law requires, on or before March 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter, the task force to update the action plan. The Budget Act of 2025 provided for a community hardening program in the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection that includes home hardening certification and a wildfire county coordinator program, appropriated $9,500,000 to the department to make available to the California Fire Safe Council for the Wildfire County Coordinator Program, and required the county coordinators to prioritize home hardening, defensible space, planning, and education for community-level wildfire mitigation efforts. This bill would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to establish the California Wildfire Preparedness Program to (1) establish recommended guidance for the use of available wildfire risk modeling and analysis tools by organizations, as specified, (2) develop guidance and tools related to wildfire risk assessments, (3) support the development or updating of county-level wildfire risk assessments, (4) maintain oversight authority for the Wildfire County Coordinator Program, as provided, and (5) develop guidance and templates for the creation or revision of county-level wildfire preparedness prioritization and implementation plans, and accompanying guidance for integrating these plans with related wildfire resilience programs, as provided. This bill would provide in code for the Wildfire County Coordinator Program to support countywide coordination of and capacity for community wildfire mitigation, prevention, preparedness, and recovery activities, as specified. The bill would require the department to enter into an agreement with the California Fire Safe Council to administer and deliver the program. The bill would require the program to, among other things, establish capacity in participating counties to plan and execute specified activities in support of the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan and collect data on local mitigation and preparedness activities, including costs and outcomes, as provided.

Voted 9/2/2026View source

Roll-call record

How representatives voted

37 yea·0 nay

Docket history

Action history

  1. 6/30/2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
  2. 6/23/2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on E.M with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (June 22). Re-referred to Com. on E.M.
  3. 6/9/2026From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
  4. 6/1/2026Referred to Coms. on NAT. RES. and E.M.
  5. 5/26/2026In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
  6. 5/26/2026Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 4448.) Ordered to the Assembly.
  7. 5/18/2026Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
  8. 5/14/2026Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
  9. 5/14/2026From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 4259.) (May 14).
  10. 5/8/2026Set for hearing May 14.