Fire safety and prevention: wildfires: fire adapted communities: Office of the State Fire Marshal: community wildfire preparedness and mitigation.

(1) Existing law establishes in the Natural Resources Agency the Department of Conservation. This bill would establish in the department the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program to support regional leadership to build local and regional capacity and develop, prioritize, and implement strategies and projects that create fire adapted communities and landscapes by improving ecosystem health, community wildfire preparedness, and fire resilience. The bill would require, among other things, the department, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, to provide block grants to regional entities, as defined, to develop regional strategies that develop governance structures, identify wildfire risks, foster collaboration, and prioritize and implement projects within the region to achieve the goals of the program. The bill would require the department, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, to provide block grants to eligible coordinating organizations, as defined, to support the statewide implementation of the program through coordination of and technical assistance to regional entities, as well as to support forest health and resilience efforts across regions and throughout the state. The bill would also require the department to publish and update information on program implementation, as specified, on its internet website. (2) Existing law establishes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in the Natural Resources Agency and establishes the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection within the department. Existing law requires the department to administer fire prevention programs and activities and requires the state board to adopt regulations implementing minimum fire safety standards. Existing law establishes within the department the Office of the State Fire Marshal and requires the office to foster, promote, and develop ways and means of protecting life and property against fire and panic. This bill would establish in the office the Deputy Director of Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation and would require the deputy director to be responsible for fire preparedness and mitigation missions of the department, as specified. The bill would require the deputy director and any subordinate employee to be primarily assigned to the responsibilities established above and would require them to be the lowest priority employees of the department for purposes of fire incident support duties. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal, on or before January 1, 2023, to provide the Legislature with a report identifying known personnel and resource shortfalls in implementing programs and activities overseen by the deputy director, as described above. The bill would require the office to establish a specified advisory committee and a certain program relating to wildfire mitigation, as provided. This bill would transfer and delegate certain duties related to fire safety and wildfire prevention from the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the State Fire Marshal, as provided. The bill would require the office to have access to all resources of the department in carrying out its mission. (3) Existing law makes promulgation of specified regulations and the update of a fuels management guidance document relating to ember-resistant zones contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature for these purposes, as provided. Existing law requires the performance of specified tasks relating to ember-resistant zones contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose. This bill would delete the contingency language described above. (4) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 51177 and 51182 of the Government Code, Section 13108.5 of the Health and Safety Code, and Section 4291 of the Public Resources Code proposed by SB 63 to be operative only if this bill and SB 63 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 51178 and 51178.5 of the Government Code proposed by both SB 63 and AB 642 to be operative only if this bill and either SB 63 or AB 642, or both, are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The bill would also incorporate additional changes to Section 8386.3 of the Public Utilities Code proposed by SB 694 to be operative only if this bill and SB 694 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.