Transcript Highlights:

• TNC believes in regionally appropriate wildfire solutions.
• Both California Earthquake Authority's SB 254 wildfire study and the new draft of the California wildfire
• I am very much in support of wildfire mitigation.
• So SB 1370 will essentially function as wildfire, like literally textbook wildfire maladaptation.
• Lisa Tanaka, South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Summary: The committee heard a series of Senate bills on environmental, climate, recycling, wildfire, outdoor access, and clean transportation policy. SB 958 would clarify CEQA treatment of impacts tied solely to increased building height, and SB 1230 would increase penalties and create CalRecycle support tools for repeat commercial illegal dumping. SB 1341 would revise how processing fees are calculated for bag-in-a-box wine under California’s recycling program. All three measures received due-pass recommendations to Appropriations, with roll calls showing majority support and the bills left open for absent members. Members then took up SB 1300, which would create a more permanent legislative role in California’s international climate cooperation and establish a climate secretariat at UC; SB 1370, which would codify and streamline wildfire fuel-reduction permitting with added safeguards, geographic and size limits, and pesticide-related amendments; and SB 1260/1268, which would codify the Outdoors for All initiative and the Deputy Secretary for Access position at the Natural Resources Agency. Each drew support from environmental, utility, business, and local-government witnesses, while SB 1370 also drew opposition from environmental and advocacy groups concerned about reduced CEQA review and herbicide use. The committee discussed amendments at length, especially on SB 1370, and all three measures advanced with due-pass recommendations. The committee also heard SB 1213, the Clean Truck Transparency Act, requiring baseline pricing disclosure for medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission trucks tied to state incentives and directing agencies to explore alternative financing. Support came from clean-air, business, and environmental groups, and the trucking/manufacturing opposition moved to neutral after amendments; the bill advanced on a due-pass vote. Finally, SB 1075, the Clean Air Promise, sought to strengthen AB 617 implementation and clarify community emission reduction planning, but it generated substantial opposition from air districts, business groups, and others over enforceability, funding, and the distinction between formal SERPs and community L-SERPs. The author described additional pending amendments to narrow L-SERP provisions, and the bill also received a due-pass recommendation to Appropriations.

Transcript Highlights:

• On grid reliability and wildfire funding.
• We manage our own resources and budget.
• Ultimately, the challenge is not simply to manage today's rates, but to manage the underlying costs that
• Within this wildfire safety mission, we are responsible for evaluating electrical corporations' wildfire
• Within this wildfire safety mission, we are responsible for evaluating electrical corporations' wildfire

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• Will Abrams on behalf of the Utility Wildfire Survivor Coalition.
• However, one of the largest contributors is wildfire expenses.
• IOUs are responsible for wildfire mitigation plans, or WMPs.
• Wildfires and all Californians deserve that basic accountability.
• But I know that there were audits done on wildfire spend.

Committee: House Utilities and Energy

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, the Senate Emergency Management Committee will come to order.
• Former Assemblymember Jim Wood here on behalf of Fire Aside, a technology-based wildfire management and
• risk management company, in support of the bill. ...on behalf of Fire Aside, a technology-based wildfire
• management and risk management company, in support of the bill.
• Can't manage what you don't measure.

Summary: The Senate Emergency Management Committee heard several wildfire, disaster recovery, and behavioral health bills. AB 1960 would allow Cal Fire wildfire prevention grants to fund community-level home hardening projects, and AB 1964 would require the State Fire Marshal to survey the number of homes needing upgrades to very high fire-hardening standards and estimate the cost. Supporters for both bills included Fire Aside, Megafire Action, the Orange County Fire Authority, and the Nature Conservancy; there was no opposition. Committee members praised the community-focused approach and the need to better measure progress on home hardening. The committee also heard AB 2385, which would clarify state law so local governments can create local reconstruction agencies and plan disaster recovery in advance, with model ordinances and technical assistance from state agencies. The League of California Cities supported the bill, saying it would help cities and counties recover more quickly and orderly after disasters; members cited the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendations and urged preserving the bill’s authorities. No opposition was heard. AB 2093, a cleanup and governance bill for California’s 988 crisis response system, would address implementation problems from AB 988, including unclear leadership, coordination gaps between 988 and 911, and funding structure issues. The Steinberg Institute and several behavioral health and advocacy organizations supported the measure, while the County Behavioral Health Directors Association opposed unless amended. After discussion, the committee voted to pass the consent calendar and all four bills—AB 1960, AB 1964, AB 2093, and AB 2385—to the Appropriations Committee, with each measure ultimately reported out on unanimous or near-unanimous votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• Many of them have wildfire...
• </c> Indian Affairs but dnr's Wildfire Indian Affairs but dnr's Wildfire response<00:25:50.159><c> is
• </c> Partners availability for Wildfire Partners availability for Wildfire planning<00:25:55.279><c>
• </c> implementing their Community Wildfire implementing their Community Wildfire protection<00:27:03.799
• </c> Wildfire suppression for the Wildfire Wildfire suppression for the Wildfire preparedness<00:30:21.120

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• County District Attorney to combat scammers targeting wildfire victims.
• So what are we doing now in the aftermath of these wildfires?
• So during and after the wildfires, During and after the wildfires, again, our priority has been to ensure
• I believe a public wildfire model would provide numerous benefits, including I believe a public wildfire
• By the way, this model on wildfire would be the first in the country.

Summary: The committee first heard AB 597, a bill to strengthen consumer protections for disaster survivors who use public adjusters. The author and the Department of Insurance said the measure would cap public adjuster fees at 15% for claims tied to declared disasters, require clearer contracts, prohibit solicitation during emergency conditions, and allow consumers to rescind contracts that were solicited during prohibited periods. Insurance industry groups supported the bill, while public adjuster representatives opposed it as written but said they were willing to work on revisions. The committee approved the bill and re-referred it to Appropriations; the roll call was ultimately recorded as 16-0. The committee then held its fourth oversight hearing on the Department of Insurance’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy, with Commissioner Ricardo Lara giving an extensive update on wildfire-related market reforms and consumer protections. He said the recent Southern California wildfires had not derailed the strategy and described actions including advance claim payments, a one-year moratorium on residential non-renewals in affected areas, a new fraud strike team, smoke-damage claim guidance, additional living expense protections, and a consumer claims tracker. He reported more than $12.1 billion in claims paid, over 37,000 claims filed, and more than 7,000 survivors assisted directly. He also discussed related bills and reforms, including AB 597, SB 495, SB 547, SB 429, SB 616, AB 888, and AB 2026. Members questioned the commissioner about the Fair Plan’s growing exposure, the $1 billion assessment, rate increases, non-renewals, underinsurance, and whether the reforms would actually stabilize the market. Lara said the assessment was already approved, that policyholders would not be hit with one large bill because insurers have two years to recover costs, and that the department was pushing insurers to use catastrophe modeling and reinsurance tools in exchange for commitments to write more policies in wildfire-distressed areas. He said the department expects to see market stabilization by 2026, though he emphasized the timeline depends on insurer participation, implementation of the new regulations, and future disaster activity. Members generally expressed support for the goals of the strategy while pressing for clearer expectations for consumers and faster action on mitigation and market reform.

Transcript Highlights:

• As we all know, California has been battling devastating wildfires in recent years.
• management... ...management, or ESVM, to mean vegetation management that reduces catastrophic wildfire
• This definition does not change how vegetation management for wildfire mitigation is conducted.
• And so vegetation management, which often needs to be done for wildfire fuels reduction, can cause disturbance
• And so this is something where we need to get as much vegetation management done as possible.

Committee: House Natural Resources

Summary: The Assembly Natural Resources Committee met with an initial quorum delay, then approved a consent calendar including SB 234, SB 484, and SB 839. The committee then heard SB 88, which would direct state agencies to support biomass utilization and biochar/low-carbon energy strategies; supporters argued it would reduce wildfire and agricultural burning emissions and create rural economic opportunities, while opponents said woody biomass energy is dirty, costly, and harmful to forests and public health. The bill was amended and passed to Appropriations on a due-pass vote. The committee next considered SB 653, defining “environmentally sensitive vegetation management” to support wildfire fuel reduction projects that also protect biodiversity. Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District and the California Invasive Plant Council supported the measure as a voluntary framework with no new mandates, and a committee member requested to be added as a coauthor. The bill passed to the floor. SCR 50, urging the state to define maladaptation and better evaluate climate resilience policies and investments, was also adopted with no opposition. Later, the committee heard SB 567, a pilot program to convert idle oil and gas wells into gravity-based energy storage wells. Supporters said it could help meet energy storage needs and accelerate well plugging, while the Water Replenishment District opposed unless amended, seeking protections for groundwater basins and stronger leak-notification requirements. Despite those concerns, the bill passed to Appropriations. Finally, SB 831 clarified the Geological Survey’s role in mapping geologic hazards, including those tied to climate change such as post-fire debris flows, subsidence, and coastal erosion; it received support from CalCIMA and passed to Appropriations. The committee concluded by recording votes on absent members and closing the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Our federal forests need to be managed to reduce wildfire impacts and effects.
• Studies have shown that prevention work such as forest management reduces the severity of wildfires and
• reduces the severity of management reduces the severity of wildfires<00:12:49.360><c> and</c><00:12:
• c> tended</c> management, timber management has tended management, timber management has tended to<00
• management and in preventing uh wildfires<00:46:03.359><c> and</c><00:46:03.599><c> when</c><00:46:03.839

Bills: HB0078 , SF0012 , SF0013 , SF0052 , SF0069 , SF0070

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• Management agencies and private landowners to better manage our forests and answer the question: do forest
• treatments reduce wildfire severity?
• practices that could help land managers.
• There's one in California to address wildfires directly.
• They are managing their invasive species and reducing fire risk.

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Care for homes, for pets during the wildfires.
• We have a wildfire recovery page on the website.
• But I think it’s a hard terrain to manage sometimes.
• I'm a regional manager in Region 4, which covers all of L.A.
• I'm a wildfire survivor from the 2017 PG&E Tubbs fire.

Summary: The joint Senate and Assembly labor committees held a hearing on the Los Angeles wildfires and their impact on workers, employers, and recovery efforts. Chairs and members emphasized that rebuilding should prioritize worker safety, equity, local hiring, and strong labor standards rather than simply moving quickly or relying on the lowest bidder. They also stressed the need to learn from past disasters and to create a more coordinated state response for future emergencies. Worker advocates described how domestic workers, day laborers, firefighters, and other frontline workers were affected by the fires. Testimony focused on workers being trapped in evacuation zones, lacking timely information in Spanish, losing jobs and income, and facing exposure to toxic debris without adequate PPE. Speakers called for expanded outreach and education, stronger Cal/OSHA enforcement, broader occupational safety coverage for domestic workers and day laborers, recall and transfer rights, childcare and transportation support, and a centralized disaster relief system that can quickly deliver cash aid and equipment regardless of immigration status. Firefighter Derek Irwin said California firefighters face serious carcinogenic exposure and urged continued funding for the firefighter cancer prevention and research program, along with a long-term state health monitoring and research effort similar to the World Trade Center Health Program. Building trades and labor representatives argued that cleanup and rebuilding should be done through community workforce agreements, prevailing wage, apprenticeship requirements, and local hire provisions, and said the state already has trained workers available. They also said federal debris-removal work through the Army Corps has limited the state’s ability to impose some standards, but that state and local funding or subsidies should trigger labor requirements. Employer and business representatives described major losses to property, inventory, revenue, and jobs, especially in Altadena and nearby areas. The Altadena Chamber said it is coordinating recovery resources, while a construction business owner said small local firms are being shut out of disaster contracts and proposed a more accessible procurement process for local and minority businesses. LAEDC presented preliminary estimates of billions in property damage and business disruption, tens of thousands of potential job losses, and a recovery timeline of five to ten years, warning that low-income communities will be disproportionately affected and that workforce retraining and upskilling will be needed alongside the broader economic recovery.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have incident management teams that we work side by side with the Division of Emergency Management
• So moving forward, we talked about our wildfire response.
• I mentioned we manage 38 state forests with one ranch.
• Again, it's vital to manage that resource.
• Again, it's vital to manage that resource.

Committee: Senate Agriculture

Summary: The Senate Committee on Agriculture received a presentation from Florida Forest Service Director Rick Dolan on the agency’s wildfire response, forest management, and emergency support roles. He described the service’s four regions and 14 districts, its year-round wildfire response, use of bulldozers, helicopters, and drones, and the current high fire danger due to drought conditions. Dolan also highlighted prescribed burning, fuels mitigation, state forest management, the pine seedling nursery, and the agency’s role in hurricane response and incident management. Members asked about equipment loans and whether more prescribed burning could reduce wildfire impacts; Dolan said Florida already leads the nation in prescribed fire and emphasized public education and fuels reduction. The committee then considered and unanimously reported favorably Senate Bill 386, which creates a farm-equipment consumer protection process similar to a lemon law, allowing purchasers to seek repair or replacement of defective major farm equipment at no cost. The committee also took up Senate Bill 290, the Agriculture and Consumer Services omnibus bill. The bill would modernize fair association rules, preempt local bans on gas- and diesel-powered farm and landscape equipment, allow surplus of certain state-owned lands for bona fide agricultural use while excluding parks, forests, and wildlife lands, create a veterinary loan repayment program, make Farmers Feeding Florida permanent, expand Forest Service training opportunities, criminalize signal-jamming devices, increase penalties for CDL and English-proficiency exam cheating, restrict certain door-to-door solicitation, protect food safety inspectors, clarify biosolids rules, and add criminal and vendor-list penalties for contractors who fail to pay subcontractors. The committee adopted three amendments to align dates and technical language and to authorize native seed research and marketing through the Florida Wildlife Foundation. Testimony on SB 290 included support from several industry groups, concerns from the Home Builders Association about the new contractor-payment criminal penalties, and opposition from a citizen worried about the new surplus-land process for conservation lands. Despite concerns, CS/SB 290 was reported favorably. Finally, the committee unanimously recommended confirmation of the appointees listed on tabs 4 and 5, and then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• This is an important step for California in terms of managing wildfire risk.
• California is losing too many homes and communities to wildfire.
• wildfire risk mitigation actions to develop a wildfire risk baseline and forecast. to address risk from
• Catastrophic wildfire imposes enormous cost on the state of California and our residents.
• Everyone must do their part to keep Californians safe from wildfire. All right, thank you.

Committee: House Emergency Management

Transcript Highlights:

• Avoided wildfire emissions is an interesting one.
• It involves trading credits for reducing wildfire risk.
• Avoided wildfire emissions is an interesting one.
• It involves trading credits for reducing wildfire risk.
• The wildfire fund work will be taken up in week two.

Summary: The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee opened its 2026 session with committee housekeeping, member introductions, and a reminder that schedules are set a week in advance and amendments must be submitted by the prior day’s deadlines. Chair Reeves emphasized solution-oriented, collaborative, and respectful participation, then outlined that the committee would focus on three interim reports relevant to its work this session: municipal water efficiency, ecosystem services, and food policy. The first presentation, from the William D. Ruckelshaus Center and WSU, reviewed Washington’s municipal water efficiency statute and regulation. Presenters said interviewees largely agreed on the need for better data collection, more technical assistance for smaller systems, and more state funding for both agency staffing and water system infrastructure. Most opposed shifting oversight of the conservation program from the Department of Health to Ecology, and the report recommended keeping oversight at DOH while improving collaboration across agencies and tribes. The presenters also urged broader statewide water planning, more consistent reporting using the AWWA water audit method instead of leakage percentage, re-evaluating the 500-connection threshold, and addressing outdoor water use, rebates, reuse, and public education. Members asked about creating a new office for water oversight, but the presenters said that idea was generally viewed as too costly and impractical under current budget conditions. DNR then presented its 2025 ecosystem services work group report. The department described ecosystem services markets it studied, including regulatory and voluntary forest carbon, avoided wildfire emissions, and water leasing, with lower potential identified for blue carbon, biodiversity, and water quality markets. DNR said about 15,000 acres of state forest land may have carbon-market potential, but emphasized that the analysis was broad and not project-specific, so the report recommends pilots, continued market monitoring, use of third-party developers, and clarification of authority through House Bill 2170. Committee members asked about economic feasibility, timber tradeoffs, and how success would be defined, and DNR said those questions would be better addressed in future, more detailed project-level work. The final presentation covered the Food Policy Forum’s 2025 report to the legislature. Speakers described broad consensus recommendations on food security, local foods in schools, farm-to-food-bank programs, a state farm bill, commercial access, and food system infrastructure. They highlighted pressures on agriculture from development, flooding, drought, water shortages, and the need to preserve farmland and support farmers, food banks, and local procurement systems. The committee chair thanked the presenters and noted that several related bills and policy proposals would be heard later in session. No votes were taken; the meeting concluded after the presentations and brief member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• Wildfire mitigation and resilience.
• experts, but we're modeling wildfire and wildfire risk every six hours every day of the year.
• We're looking at wildfire spread.
• We're having wildfire town halls with local fire, state forestry, other groups to talk about wildfire
• wildfires.

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Environmental Protection Agency if a wildfire occurs on federally managed land that affects Arizona.
• ...if a wildfire occurs on federally managed land that affects Arizona.
• First of all... ...if a wildfire occurs on federally managed land.
• , particularly wildfires on federally managed lands, the agency currently does have authority and the
• This bill instead mandates submissions every time a wildfire occurs on federally managed land, even when

Committee: Senate Senate Natural Resources Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee approved the minutes from February 27 and March 3, 2026, then heard House Bill 2013, which would require ADEQ to submit an exceptional event demonstration to EPA when a wildfire on federally managed land affects Arizona air quality. The sponsor said the bill would help Arizona’s ozone/nonattainment situation by ensuring wildfire-related exceedances are excluded from official counts. Sierra Club opposed the mandate as duplicative and costly, and ADEQ said it was neutral but concerned about requiring submissions that may not meet EPA’s regulatory-significance standard and could take about 200 staff hours each. HB 2013 received a do-pass recommendation by a 5-3 vote. The committee also approved House Bill 2156, appropriating $250,000 to the Livestock Compensation Fund, after testimony from opponents raising transparency, conflict-of-interest, and funding concerns; supporters argued ranchers need help with depredation losses. HB 2156 passed 5-3. House Bill 2113, which would require RUCO to intervene in utility rate cases when a proposed residential rate increase is 100% or more, drew testimony from the sponsor about rural customers facing large increases and from RUCO saying it lacked the staff and budget to take on the added workload. The chair and sponsor discussed adding an appropriation or lowering the threshold, but no amendment was ready. Opponents argued the bill would divert RUCO from larger cases, while supporters emphasized protecting rural ratepayers. The committee gave HB 2113 a do-pass recommendation, 6-2. House Concurrent Memorial 2011, urging Congress to delist the Mexican gray wolf and return management to states and local authorities, was supported by the sponsor and ranching-focused testimony citing livestock losses, while opponents said the species remains endangered and recovery should stay science-based. HCM 2011 passed 5-3. The committee then considered House Bill 2026, which would let ADWR evaluate water availability for certain developments by looking only at the proposed source or sources, even if water is commingled in a delivery system. ADWR was neutral but warned that commingled systems make it difficult to track actual water use and could weaken groundwater safeguards; opponents said the bill could enable double counting or more pumping. HB 2026 received a do-pass recommendation, 5-3. House Bill 2056, which appropriates $100,000 for a feasibility study of brackish groundwater desalination sites, was supported by the sponsor as a way to explore additional water supplies; ADWR was neutral but said the study would be new for the agency and that brackish water is still regulated as groundwater. HB 2056 passed 5-3. House Bill 2098, modernizing Pinal County Water Augmentation Authority bonding and financing authority, drew support from Pinal County representatives and passed unanimously, 8-0. Finally, House Concurrent Resolution 2057, supporting a geothermal permitting roadmap and coordination among agencies, was backed by industry advocates as a way to unlock Arizona’s geothermal potential and also passed unanimously, 8-0.

Transcript Highlights:

• Kuha, and manager AA. Thank you. On Kuha, and manager AA. Thank you.
• </c><00:41:04.160><c> We</c> co-chair and Awa manager. Thank you. We co-chair and Awa manager.
• Thank you. on this and AA's manager.
• </c> deposited into the Maui Wildfire deposited into the Maui Wildfire Settlement<00:58:54.400><c> Trust
• </c> Elephante, co-chair Awa as manager. Elephante, co-chair Awa as manager.

Transcript Highlights:

• So this is just my way of managing expectations in the future that it's not likely that a supplemental
• This was a program that was operating, and their managers were all retiring, and so they approached us
• Communities become more self-sufficient and successful when they can manage their own lands.
• Communities become more self-sufficient and successful when they can manage their own lands.
• plan or a notice of intent to manage the land as forest land or timber land.

Bills: SB6003 , HB2353 , HB2431 , HB1983

Committee: Senate Ways & Means

Keywords: capital budget, funding, infrastructure, state projects, budget allocation, HB 2353, predesign thresholds, capital construction, major capital projects, Office of Financial Management, OFM, Washington state, state agencies, infrastructure planning, construction costs, inflation adjustment, capital facilities, project review, allotments, lease approval

Transcript Highlights:

• At the same time, aerial wildfire operations face significant challenges.
• management response.
• Including wildfire response.
• management response.
• AND RISK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Assemblymember Deja Ransom, Chair of the Emergency Management Committee.
• As we all know California is in the midst of a truly unprecedented wildfire crisis.
• All of the weapons we have to keep wildfires small.
• The power is inevitably shut off when wildfires hit now. That's always the case.
• The residents, when these wildfires hit, we've had so many hit in my district that when these wildfires

Committee: House Emergency Management

Transcript Highlights:

• on August 8, 2023, from the requirements of a special management area minor permit or special management
• on August 8, 2023, from the requirements of a special management area minor permit or special management
• Management requirements of a special Management Area<00:08:58.519><c> Minor</c><00:08:58.880><c> permit
• permit or special Management Area Minor permit or special Management Area<00:09:01.079><c> use</c><00
• </c> flood plane management flood plane management standards<00:09:54.839><c> glad</c><00:09:55.040><

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met in decision-making only session and took up a series of bills, mostly approving them with amendments. SB 1032 on campaign finance passed with amendments to change the certification process for business entities, add a severability-type provision if foreign-influence conditions are struck down, and note a related Minnesota federal case. SB 401 on firearms passed with amendments to exclude shotguns, grandfather legally registered devices in place as of the effective date, and add committee report findings; SB 382 on procurement confidentiality passed as is; SB 598 extending deadlines for administrative driver’s license revocation review decisions passed as is; SB 771 on HHFDC board leadership passed as is; and SB 1318 clarifying water pollution enforcement jurisdiction passed as is. The committee also approved SB 1657 with an amendment removing authority to condemn public property, SB 1102 with an amendment making the Fire Council the source of nominees for the aircraft rescue fire fighting chief, and SB 100 with amendments replacing the original substance with a prohibition on fingerprinting nonprofit liquor-license board members during background checks and limiting the bill to counties under 500,000 population. SB 170 and SB 1296, both related to special management area exemptions for affordable housing and disaster-related reconstruction, passed with amendments incorporating Office of Planning, Sustainable Development, and Attorney General changes to narrow and clarify the exemptions. Finally, SB 363, a cleanup bill related to firearm parts and ghost gun laws, was considered with amendments that deleted a proposed new penalty section, revised existing firearms statutes, removed an unnecessary definition, and expanded penalties to include indeterminate imprisonment terms. Despite the amendments, the measure was not adopted because the Vice Chair voted no. The committee then adjourned and announced a later joint hearing with Ways and Means.