Wildfire Prevention Grants Program: identified cohesive fire communities.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text does not specify that disadvantaged communities will be prioritized for grants. It only mentions awarding additional points or prioritizing in evaluation, which is different from guaranteeing funding priority.

Wildfire Prevention Grants Program: Identified Cohesive Fire Communities

This law allows groups of residents to apply for special status if their neighborhood meets certain safety standards and provides extra funding starting from the fiscal year 2028-29.

What This Bill Does

• Allows any group of residents to apply to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for identified cohesive fire community status, defined as a neighborhood that has reached 50% home hardening certification by June 1, 2027.
• Authorizes the department to disburse up to 20% of funds appropriated for the Wildfire Prevention Grants Program starting from fiscal year 2028-29 to identified cohesive fire communities that partner with fire safe councils.

Who It Names or Affects

• Residents of California who want their neighborhood to be recognized as an identified cohesive fire community.
• The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection which will manage the grant program.
• Fire safe councils that work with communities for wildfire prevention activities.

Terms To Know

Identified cohesive fire community

A neighborhood where at least half of homes are certified as safe from wildfires by June 1, 2027.

Home hardening certification program

A program approved by the State Fire Marshal that certifies homes as being safer from wildfires.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much funding will be available for identified cohesive fire communities.
• It is unclear what happens if a neighborhood fails to reach the required certification level by June 1, 2027.

Official Summary Text

AB 1960, as amended, Bennett.
Wildfire Prevention Grants Program: identified cohesive fire communities.
Existing law requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to establish a local assistance grant program for fire prevention and home hardening education activities in California and extends eligibility for grants to, among others, local agencies, resource conservation districts, fire safe councils, the California Conservation Corps, certified community conservation corps, Native American tribes, and qualified nonprofit organizations. Existing law requires the department, on or before December 31, 2023, and annually thereafter, to post on its internet website certain information regarding hazardous fuel reduction and vegetation management projects funded or conducted by the department for the preceding fiscal year, including projects funded under the department’s Wildfire Prevention Grants Program, as provided.
Existing law requires
the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to establish a statewide program to allow qualified entities, as defined, who have completed a specific training program developed and administered by the department to support and augment the department in its defensible space and home hardening assessment and education efforts.
This bill would authorize
any group of residents to apply to the department for identified cohesive fire community status, defined as a neighborhood that has reached 50% of homes certified by any home hardening certification program approved by the State Fire Marshal on or before June 1, 2027. The bill would authorize
the department, commencing with the 2028–29 fiscal year, to disburse
up to 20% of
funds appropriated for the Wildfire Prevention Grants Program to identified cohesive
fire
communities
communities, as defined,
that partner with fire safe councils, as provided, to use for activities related to hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire prevention planning, and wildfire prevention education, among other activities. The bill would require the department, commencing with the 2028–29 fiscal year, to
award additional points
prioritize disadvantaged identified cohesive fire communities
in its evaluation of applicants for the Wildfire Prevention Grants
Program to
identified cohesive fire community grant applicants that partner with fire safe councils.
Program.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF