California leaders introduce Safe Homes Act to address wildfire and insurance crises

By Mia MacGregor

May 1 - (The Insurer) - California leaders have introduced the California Safe Homes Act (Assembly Bill 888), aimed at enhancing the safety of homes against wildfires and improving access to insurance.

The Act, sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, successfully passed the Assembly Insurance Committee on Wednesday with a 16-0 vote.

It will allocate funds for various mitigation efforts such as installing fire-safe roofing, creating defensible space within the first five feet of a home (known as zone 0) and implementing community-level wildfire protection strategies.

The initiative builds on the California Department of Insurance’s Safer from Wildfires approach, which outlines wildfire safety actions aimed at reducing wildfire risk before disaster strikes.

“Investing in mitigation is crucial to overcoming this insurance crisis. We are not powerless in this fight. We need to equip consumers with the resources to undertake necessary work,” said Lara.

The California Safe Homes Act will be heard next in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.