A first-in-the-nation bill that would establish low-interest loans to help Californians pay for wildfire retrofitting has been sent to Gov. Newsom.
SB 894, introduced by state Sen. Ben Allen, D-Pacific Palisades, received unanimous, bipartisan support from the Senate and Assembly before advancing to the governor's desk Thursday.
The measure aims to lower the cost of home-hardening renovations that supporters say can save lives and property but remain out of financial reach for many residents.
"We've held a lot of conversations and demonstrations on how residents can make their homes safer from wildfire, but some of the renovations are too costly and out of reach for many Californians," Allen said. "It's time to lower this financial barrier, so more of us can take the steps that have been shown to save lives and property."
If signed into law, the bill would create a program to provide low-interest loans for wildfire retrofitting. It is modeled after California's GoGreen energy-finance platform, which provides state-backed loans for energy-efficient home upgrades and has expanded access to improvements that would otherwise be unaffordable for many working families.
The proposal reaches Newsom as debate over home hardening intensifies. Insurance premiums continue to rise because of increased fire risk, and Zone Zero regulations were recently finalized for communities most at risk of wildfire.
"Many of us are now being asked to make expensive home hardening upgrades in order to maintain or even find homeowners insurance," Allen said. "While the home improvements are shown to provide significant savings on the backend, the upfront costs are still difficult to meet. I'm grateful for my colleagues' support on SB 894 that will meaningfully improve resilience and affordability across California."
Newsom has until Sept. 30 to act on the bill.
Edited by SMDP Staff