Governor Signs Senator Cortese’s Wildfire Resilience Package

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law Senator Dave Cortese’s (D–Silicon Valley) landmark wildfire resilience package to strengthen California’s prevention, preparedness, and insurance transparency efforts. The package includes SB 653 and SB 429, two bills that advance the state’s response to increasingly destructive wildfires.

 “This package ensures that our vegetation management projects protect biodiversity, our homes meet the highest fire safety standards, and our insurance system is transparent and fair for families across California,” said Senator Cortese, who also serves as Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.

SB 429, authored by Senator Cortese and sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom and will create a transparent model to simulate property damage from major wildfires and generate risk scores for every property in the state. This will help inform insurance pricing, guide homeowners in risk mitigation, and make California safer in the face of increasing wildfire threats.

“The new, first-in-the-nation public wildfire catastrophe model will allow communities and residents to understand their property’s risk scores so they can do everything possible to reduce wildfire risks,” said Senator Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley). “The model will help inform insurance rates and educate communities about wildfire risks.”

SB 653 defines and promotes environmentally sensitive vegetation management to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk while protecting native plants and wildlife. It directs state agencies to use science-based standards and avoid introducing invasive, fire-prone species. This bill was sponsored by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

Senator Dave Cortese represents Senate District 15, which encompasses San Jose and much of Santa Clara County in the heart of Silicon Valley. Visit Senator Cortese’s website: https://sd15.senate.ca.gov