Wildfires: fire hazard severity zones: post-wildfire safety areas.
Do you support it?
Want to know if it passes?
We'll email you when SB 629 moves — a committee vote, a floor vote, or a signature. Nothing else.
Free forever · unsubscribe in one click.
Your answer was recorded either way.
Which district are you in?
Your ZIP is all we need to match you to your own representatives — so we can tell you how they voted on SB 629.
You're tracking SB 629
We'll email you the moment it moves.
SB 629 — Wildfires: fire hazard severity zones: post-wildfire safety areas.
Last action — Veto sustained.
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
-
✓Introduced
-
✓In Committee
-
✓Passed Senate
-
✓Passed Assembly
-
5To Executive
-
6Enacted
This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced February 20, 2025. It awaits signature.
Vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom (Democratic) on March 02, 2026.
Next likely step: the executive signs it into law or issues a veto.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
LowHow often bills like it became law.
-
To Executive
Current position in the legislative process.
-
7 sponsors
1 primary, 6 co-sponsors signed on.
-
Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (7 D).
-
Cleared a recorded vote
Passed 10 recorded votes so far.
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
Summary
Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas of the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on specified criteria. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to periodically review the areas in the state identified as very high fire hazard severity zones, as specified. Existing law requires a local agency, within 30 days after receiving a transmittal from the State Fire Marshal that identifies those fire hazard severity zones, to make the information available for public review and comment, and to present the information in a format that is understandable and accessible to the general public, including, but not limited to, maps. Existing law requires a person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains an occupied dwelling or structure in a very high fire hazard severity zone to take certain fire risk management measures, including maintaining defensible space of 100 feet from each side of the structure, except as provided. Existing law requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal to develop a model defensible space program, as provided, that includes, but is not limited to, specified components, including enforcement mechanisms for compliance with and maintenance of defensible space requirements. Existing law includes among these enforcement mechanisms, among other things, site inspections. This bill would require the factors on which the fire severity zones are based to include areas within the perimeter of a wildfire that burned 1,000 or more acres, destroyed more than 10 structures, or resulted in a fatality, and to include areas at risk for an urban conflagration that accounts for the potential for structures to serve as a fuel source that extends the ember cast outside of wildland areas and areas where agricultural land affects fire hazard. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to publish the model and methodology used to develop the fire hazard severity zones on its internet website at least 60 days before finalizing those designations and to publish the model and methodology for specified factors whenever the State Fire Marshal reviews the fire severity zones. This bill would require the State Fire Marshal to designate any area that is within the perimeter of a wildfire described above occurring on or after January 1, 2025, as a post-wildfire safety area, as defined, and to transmit a map of the post-wildfire safety area to any local agency with jurisdiction over territory in the designated area within a specified timeframe. Within a certain timeframe following the transmission of the map by the State Fire Marshal, this bill would require the designation of a post-wildfire safety area to trigger the application of state fire protection standards, as defined, in the area. The bill would exempt any designation of a post-wildfire safety area by the State Fire Marshal from the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would require a local agency to, within 10 business days of receiving the map, post a notice at the office of the county recorder, county assessor, and city or county planning agency identifying the location of the post-wildfire safety area, and to post the map on its internet website. By requiring local agencies to take specified actions regarding post-wildfire safety areas, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The Planning and Zoning Law requires the legislative body of a city or county to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan that includes various elements, including, among others, a safety element for the protection of the community from specified risks. Existing law requires, upon the next revision of the housing element on or after January 1, 2014, the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as state responsibility areas and land classified as very high fire hazard severity zones, as defined. This bill would additionally require the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as a post-wildfire safety area. By requiring local entities to take specified actions regarding the safety elements of their general plans, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Bill Text
- Enrolled 09/18/25 - Enrolled Current pdf September 18, 2025
- Amended 09/02/25 - Amended Assembly pdf September 02, 2025
- Amended 07/16/25 - Amended Assembly pdf July 16, 2025
- Amended 07/03/25 - Amended Assembly pdf July 03, 2025
- Amended 05/01/25 - Amended Senate pdf May 01, 2025
- Amended 03/26/25 - Amended Senate pdf March 26, 2025
- Introduced 02/20/25 - Introduced pdf February 20, 2025
- SB629 View text html
Action History
-
Stricken from file.
-
Veto sustained.
-
In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
-
Vetoed by the Governor.
-
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
-
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
-
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 29. Noes 3. Page 3040.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
-
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 59. Noes 18. Page 3426.) Ordered to the Senate.
-
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
-
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
-
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (August 29).
-
August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
-
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
-
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 4.) (July 14).
-
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
-
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (June 30).
-
Referred to Coms. on E.M and NAT. RES.
-
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
-
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 29. Noes 3. Page 1455.) Ordered to the Assembly.
-
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
-
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 1207.) (May 23).
-
Set for hearing May 23.
-
May 19 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
-
Set for hearing May 19.
-
May 12 hearing postponed by committee.
-
Set for hearing May 12.
-
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
-
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 969.) (April 30).
-
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 11. Noes 1. Page 830.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.
-
Set for hearing April 30.
-
Set for hearing April 22.
-
Re-referred to Coms. on G.O. and L. GOV.
-
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.
-
Referred to Com. on RLS.
-
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
-
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Sponsors
- Henry I. Stern · Cosponsor
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas · Cosponsor
- Eloise Gómez Reyes · Cosponsor
- Sasha Renée Pérez · Cosponsor
- Caroline Menjivar · Cosponsor
- Dave Cortese · Cosponsor
- Maria Elena Durazo · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 6 co-sponsors · 115 not signed on · 22 voted No
Sponsors (1)
- Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic
Co-sponsors (6)
- Stern, Henry I. Democratic
- Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola Democratic
- Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic
- Pérez, Sasha Renée Democratic
- Menjivar, Caroline Democratic
- Cortese, Dave Democratic
Not signed on (115)
115 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 115 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Total | 29 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| % of votes cast | 73% | 8% | 0% | 20% |
How each member voted (40)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Allen, Benjamin | Democratic | Yea |
| Archuleta, Bob | Democratic | Yea |
| Arreguín, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Ashby, Angelique V. | Democratic | Yea |
| Becker, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| Blakespear, Catherine S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Cabaldon, Christopher | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Cervantes, Sabrina | Democratic | Yea |
| Cortese, Dave | Democratic | Yea |
| Durazo, Maria Elena | Democratic | Yea |
| Gonzalez, Lena A. | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Grayson, Timothy S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Hurtado, Melissa | Democratic | Yea |
| Laird, John | Democratic | Yea |
| Limón, Monique | Democratic | Yea |
| McGuire, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| McNerney, Jerry | Democratic | Yea |
| Menjivar, Caroline | Democratic | Yea |
| Padilla, Stephen C. | Democratic | Yea |
| Pérez, Sasha Renée | Democratic | Yea |
| Reyes, Eloise Gómez | Democratic | Yea |
| Richardson, Laura | Democratic | Yea |
| Rubio, Susan | Democratic | Yea |
| Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola | Democratic | Yea |
| Stern, Henry I. | Democratic | Yea |
| Umberg, Thomas J. | Democratic | Yea |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah | Democratic | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Alvarado-Gil, Marie | Republican | Not Voting |
| Choi, Steven S. | Republican | Not Voting |
| Dahle, Megan | Republican | Not Voting |
| Grove, Shannon | Republican | Not Voting |
| Jones, Brian W. | Republican | Nay |
| Niello, Roger W. | Republican | Not Voting |
| Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie | Republican | Nay |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Not Voting |
| Strickland, Tony | Republican | Nay |
| Valladares, Suzette Martinez | Republican | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 58 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 0 | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 59 | 18 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 74% | 23% | 0% | 4% |
How each member voted (80)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Ávila Farías | — | Yea |
| Addis, Dawn | Democratic | Yea |
| Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Ahrens, Patrick | Democratic | Yea |
| Alvarez, David | Democratic | Yea |
| Arambula, Joaquin | Democratic | Yea |
| Bains, Jasmeet | Democratic | Yea |
| Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca | Democratic | Yea |
| Bennett, Steve | Democratic | Yea |
| Berman, Marc | Democratic | Yea |
| Boerner, Tasha | Democratic | Yea |
| Bonta, Mia | Democratic | Yea |
| Bryan, Isaac G. | Democratic | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Caloza, Jessica | Democratic | Yea |
| Carrillo, Juan | Democratic | Yea |
| Connolly, Damon | Democratic | Yea |
| Elhawary, Sade | Democratic | Yea |
| Fong, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| Gabriel, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Garcia, Robert | Democratic | Yea |
| Gipson, Mike A. | Democratic | Yea |
| González, Mark | Democratic | Yea |
| Haney, Matt | Democratic | Yea |
| Harabedian, John | Democratic | Yea |
| Hart, Gregg | Democratic | Yea |
| Irwin, Jacqui | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Jackson, Corey A. | Democratic | Yea |
| Kalra, Ash | Democratic | Yea |
| Krell, Maggy | Democratic | Yea |
| Lee, Alex | Democratic | Yea |
| Lowenthal, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| McKinnor, Tina | Democratic | Yea |
| Muratsuchi, Al | Democratic | Yea |
| Nguyen, Stephanie | Democratic | Yea |
| Ortega, Liz | Democratic | Yea |
| Pacheco, Blanca | Democratic | Yea |
| Papan, Diane | Democratic | Yea |
| Patel, Darshana R. | Democratic | Yea |
| Pellerin, Gail | Democratic | Yea |
| Petrie-Norris, Cottie | Democratic | Yea |
| Quirk-Silva, Sharon | Democratic | Yea |
| Ramos, James C. | Democratic | Yea |
| Ransom, Rhodesia | Democratic | Yea |
| Rivas, Robert | Democratic | Yea |
| Rodriguez, Celeste | Democratic | Yea |
| Rodriguez, Michelle | Democratic | Yea |
| Rogers, Chris | Democratic | Yea |
| Rubio, Blanca E. | Democratic | Yea |
| Schiavo, Pilar | Democratic | Yea |
| Schultz, Nick | Democratic | Yea |
| Sharp-Collins, LaShae | Democratic | Yea |
| Solache, Jr., José Luis | Democratic | Yea |
| Soria, Esmeralda | Democratic | Yea |
| Stefani, Catherine | Democratic | Yea |
| Valencia, Avelino | Democratic | Yea |
| Ward, Christopher M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Wicks, Buffy | Democratic | Yea |
| Wilson, Lori D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Zbur, Rick Chavez | Democratic | Yea |
| Alanis, Juan | Republican | Nay |
| Castillo, Leticia | Republican | Nay |
| Chen, Phillip | Republican | Nay |
| Davies, Laurie | Republican | Nay |
| DeMaio, Carl | Republican | Nay |
| Dixon, Diane | Republican | Nay |
| Ellis, Stan | Republican | Nay |
| Flora, Heath | Republican | Not Voting |
| Gallagher, James | Republican | Nay |
| Gonzalez, Jeff | Republican | Nay |
| Hadwick, Heather | Republican | Nay |
| Hoover, Josh | Republican | Nay |
| Johnson, Natasha | Republican | Nay |
| Lackey, Tom | Republican | Nay |
| Macedo, Alexandra | Republican | Nay |
| Patterson, Joe | Republican | Nay |
| Sanchez, Kate | Republican | Nay |
| Ta, Tri | Republican | Nay |
| Tangipa, David J. | Republican | Nay |
| Wallis, Greg | Republican | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 73% | 27% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (15)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrens, Patrick | Democratic | Yea |
| Arambula, Joaquin | Democratic | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Caloza, Jessica | Democratic | Yea |
| Elhawary, Sade | Democratic | Yea |
| Fong, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| González, Mark | Democratic | Yea |
| Pacheco, Blanca | Democratic | Yea |
| Pellerin, Gail | Democratic | Yea |
| Solache, Jr., José Luis | Democratic | Yea |
| Wicks, Buffy | Democratic | Yea |
| Dixon, Diane | Republican | Nay |
| Sanchez, Kate | Republican | Nay |
| Ta, Tri | Republican | Nay |
| Tangipa, David J. | Republican | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 64% | 29% | 0% | 7% |
How each member voted (14)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Bryan, Isaac G. | Democratic | Yea |
| Connolly, Damon | Democratic | Yea |
| Garcia, Robert | Democratic | Yea |
| Haney, Matt | Democratic | Yea |
| Kalra, Ash | Democratic | Yea |
| Muratsuchi, Al | Democratic | Yea |
| Pellerin, Gail | Democratic | Yea |
| Schultz, Nick | Democratic | Yea |
| Wicks, Buffy | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Zbur, Rick Chavez | Democratic | Yea |
| Alanis, Juan | Republican | Nay |
| Ellis, Stan | Republican | Nay |
| Flora, Heath | Republican | Nay |
| Hoover, Josh | Republican | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 71% | 29% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Arambula, Joaquin | Democratic | Yea |
| Bains, Jasmeet | Democratic | Yea |
| Bennett, Steve | Democratic | Yea |
| Calderon, Lisa | Democratic | Yea |
| Ransom, Rhodesia | Democratic | Yea |
| DeMaio, Carl | Republican | Nay |
| Hadwick, Heather | Republican | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Total | 29 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| % of votes cast | 73% | 8% | 0% | 20% |
How each member voted (40)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Allen, Benjamin | Democratic | Yea |
| Archuleta, Bob | Democratic | Yea |
| Arreguín, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Ashby, Angelique V. | Democratic | Yea |
| Becker, Josh | Democratic | Yea |
| Blakespear, Catherine S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Cabaldon, Christopher | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Cervantes, Sabrina | Democratic | Yea |
| Cortese, Dave | Democratic | Yea |
| Durazo, Maria Elena | Democratic | Yea |
| Gonzalez, Lena A. | Democratic | Yea |
| Grayson, Timothy S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Hurtado, Melissa | Democratic | Yea |
| Laird, John | Democratic | Yea |
| Limón, Monique | Democratic | Yea |
| McGuire, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| McNerney, Jerry | Democratic | Yea |
| Menjivar, Caroline | Democratic | Yea |
| Padilla, Stephen C. | Democratic | Yea |
| Pérez, Sasha Renée | Democratic | Yea |
| Reyes, Eloise Gómez | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Richardson, Laura | Democratic | Yea |
| Rubio, Susan | Democratic | Yea |
| Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola | Democratic | Yea |
| Stern, Henry I. | Democratic | Yea |
| Umberg, Thomas J. | Democratic | Yea |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah | Democratic | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Alvarado-Gil, Marie | Republican | Not Voting |
| Choi, Steven S. | Republican | Not Voting |
| Dahle, Megan | Republican | Not Voting |
| Grove, Shannon | Republican | Not Voting |
| Jones, Brian W. | Republican | Nay |
| Niello, Roger W. | Republican | Not Voting |
| Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie | Republican | Nay |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Not Voting |
| Strickland, Tony | Republican | Nay |
| Valladares, Suzette Martinez | Republican | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 71% | 0% | 0% | 29% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Cabaldon, Christopher | Democratic | Yea |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Grayson, Timothy S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Richardson, Laura | Democratic | Yea |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Dahle, Megan | Republican | Not Voting |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 71% | 0% | 0% | 29% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Cabaldon, Christopher | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Caballero, Anna M. | Democratic | Yea |
| Grayson, Timothy S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Richardson, Laura | Democratic | Yea |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Dahle, Megan | Republican | Not Voting |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 71% | 0% | 0% | 29% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Arreguín, Jesse | Democratic | Yea |
| Cabaldon, Christopher | Democratic | Yea |
| Durazo, Maria Elena | Democratic | Yea |
| Laird, John | Democratic | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Choi, Steven S. | Republican | Not Voting |
| Seyarto, Kelly | Republican | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 73% | 7% | 0% | 20% |
How each member voted (15)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Archuleta, Bob | Democratic | Yea |
| Ashby, Angelique V. | Democratic | Yea |
| Blakespear, Catherine S. | Democratic | Yea |
| Cervantes, Sabrina | Democratic | Yea |
| Hurtado, Melissa | Democratic | Not Voting |
| Padilla, Stephen C. | Democratic | Yea |
| Richardson, Laura | Democratic | Yea |
| Rubio, Susan | Democratic | Yea |
| Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola | Democratic | Yea |
| Wahab, Aisha | Democratic | Yea |
| Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah | Democratic | Yea |
| Dahle, Megan | Republican | Not Voting |
| Jones, Brian W. | Republican | Not Voting |
| Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie | Republican | Nay |
| Valladares, Suzette Martinez | Republican | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 629 do?
- Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas of the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on specified criteria. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to periodically review the areas in the state identified as very high fire hazard severity zones, as specified. Existing law requires a local agency, within 30 days after receiving a transmittal from the State Fire Marshal that identifies those fire hazard severity zones, to make the information available for public review and comment, and to present the information in a format that is understandable and accessible to the general public, including, but not limited to, maps. Existing law requires a person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains an occupied dwelling or structure in a very high fire hazard severity zone to take certain fire risk management measures, including maintaining defensible space of 100 feet from each side of the structure, except as provided. Existing law requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal to develop a model defensible space program, as provided, that includes, but is not limited to, specified components, including enforcement mechanisms for compliance with and maintenance of defensible space requirements. Existing law includes among these enforcement mechanisms, among other things, site inspections. This bill would require the factors on which the fire severity zones are based to include areas within the perimeter of a wildfire that burned 1,000 or more acres, destroyed more than 10 structures, or resulted in a fatality, and to include areas at risk for an urban conflagration that accounts for the potential for structures to serve as a fuel source that extends the ember cast outside of wildland areas and areas where agricultural land affects fire hazard. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to publish the model and methodology used to develop the fire hazard severity zones on its internet website at least 60 days before finalizing those designations and to publish the model and methodology for specified factors whenever the State Fire Marshal reviews the fire severity zones. This bill would require the State Fire Marshal to designate any area that is within the perimeter of a wildfire described above occurring on or after January 1, 2025, as a post-wildfire safety area, as defined, and to transmit a map of the post-wildfire safety area to any local agency with jurisdiction over territory in the designated area within a specified timeframe. Within a certain timeframe following the transmission of the map by the State Fire Marshal, this bill would require the designation of a post-wildfire safety area to trigger the application of state fire protection standards, as defined, in the area. The bill would exempt any designation of a post-wildfire safety area by the State Fire Marshal from the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would require a local agency to, within 10 business days of receiving the map, post a notice at the office of the county recorder, county assessor, and city or county planning agency identifying the location of the post-wildfire safety area, and to post the map on its internet website. By requiring local agencies to take specified actions regarding post-wildfire safety areas, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The Planning and Zoning Law requires the legislative body of a city or county to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan that includes various elements, including, among others, a safety element for the protection of the community from specified risks. Existing law requires, upon the next revision of the housing element on or after January 1, 2014, the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as state responsibility areas and land classified as very high fire hazard severity zones, as defined. This bill would additionally require the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as a post-wildfire safety area. By requiring local entities to take specified actions regarding the safety elements of their general plans, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
- Who sponsors SB 629?
- SB 629 is sponsored by Stern, Henry I. (Democratic), Smallwood-Cuevas, Lola (Democratic), Reyes, Eloise Gómez (Democratic), Pérez, Sasha Renée (Democratic), Menjivar, Caroline (Democratic), Cortese, Dave (Democratic), and Durazo, Maria Elena (Democratic).
- What is the current status of SB 629?
- This bill has been sent to the executive. Introduced February 20, 2025. It awaits signature.
- Where can I track SB 629?
- Track SB 629 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
Make your voice heard on SB 629
Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.
Stay ahead of SB 629
Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously
One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.
Track this bill →