BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session AB 824 (Gatto) - Fire prevention activities ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: July 16, 2015 |Policy Vote: N.R. & W. 9 - 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Marie Liu | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: AB 824 would expand the Department of Forestry and Fire's (CalFire) annual report on fire prevention activities to include information regarding the coordination and cooperation with the federal government. Fiscal Impact: Initial costs of $302,000 for the first year and then $258,000 annually thereafter from the General Fund to CalFire in order to obtain the required report information. Unknown cost pressures, at least in the tens of millions of dollars, to the General Fund and the Fire Prevention Fund (special) by identifying the funding needs for forest fuel management programs. Background: Under existing law, The Board of Forestry (board) is required to identify all lands where the state has the primary financial AB 824 (Gatto) Page 1 of ? responsibility for preventing and suppressing fires. These state responsibility areas (SRAs) are generally lands that are (or were, prior to development) largely covered by trees, brush, and grass and other undeveloped lands. Under 4114 of the Pubic Resources Code, CalFire must provide wildland fire prevention and firefighting personnel and equipment within the SRA. CalFire may provide rescue, first aid, and other emergency services to the public in the SRA if the activity does not require additional funds. All habitable structures within the SRA are required to pay a Fire Prevention Fee to pay for fire prevention services within the SRA that is deposited into the State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fund. Existing law requires CalFire to report annually on its fire prevention activities in the previous year (PRC §4137). Specifically, the report is to include information such as the number of hours of fire prevention education performed, the number of defensible space inspections conducted, and the number of acres treated to reduce fuel loads. Proposed Law: This bill would expand the annual fire prevention report required under PRC §4137 to also include information about coordination and cooperation with the federal government. Specifically, the report would be required to include: Estimates of state and federal fire prevention costs to fund fire prevention activities of local organizations, such as Fire Safe Councils, who cooperate with the state and federal authorities to reduce the risk of wildfires near communities. Estimates of the funding needs for forest fuel management programs to reduce urgent fire risks near communities at high risk of wildfire. Usage of coordinated policies that promote defensible space adjacent to communities where multiple jurisdictions may engage in fire suppression activities. A map of the areas of coordination between the state and the AB 824 (Gatto) Page 2 of ? federal government. Staff Comments: To include the map of areas of coordination between the state and federal government would have minor and absorbable costs to CalFire to include in the annual report. To provide the other estimates required in the bill would require an extensive amount of data gathering and consolidation by CalFire. For example, in regards to estimating the state and federal fire prevention costs to fund local organizations, CalFire would need to identify appropriate organizations, which is a large universe, and obtain funding information from the federal government. Also, to make meaningful estimates of forest fuel management programs, CalFire would need to consolidate detailed information from its individual units about local conditions. Altogether, CalFire anticipates needing two Associate Governmental Program Analysts ongoing for a first year cost of $302,000, and the $258,000 annually ongoing. As the required information note is limited to SRA lands, the activities required by this bill could not be paid for by the SRA Fire Prevention Fund and would therefore come from the General Fund. This bill would require the annual report to have information regarding the funding needs for forest fuel management programs to reduce urgent fire risks near communities at high risk of wildfire. While these needs are exist regardless of this bill, identifying and reporting these needs will increase pressures on the state to pay for such needs, thereby creating cost pressures. As the need for fuel management in state are extensive, staff estimates that these cost pressures would at least be in the tens of millions of dollars. -- END -- AB 824 (Gatto) Page 3 of ?