May 24, 2019 - SACRAMENTO – The Senate yesterday approved a pair of wildfire safety bills from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that will help prevent and prepare for future blazes by encouraging people to clear brush around homes and by creating an early warning system to tell Californians when conditions are ripe for fires.

“Getting a handle on the destructive fires we’ve seen across our state over the past few years is an absolute priority,” Sen. Dodd said. “These are much-needed and commonsense proposals that will go a long way to addressing this growing threat. The approach of fire season underscores the need for immediate action. We can’t sit back and watch our state burn.”

The following bills passed the Senate today:

Senate Bill 190 would assist in wildfire prevention and response by increasing awareness of and compliance with requirements for vegetation buffer zones.

SB 209 would establish the California Wildfire Warning Center, a statewide network of automated weather and environmental monitoring stations conducting fire-weather forecasting and threat assessment to aid in wildfire prevention and response.

“California must respond to the increased wildfire threat and Sen. Dodd’s legislation is a big step toward making our state more safe,” said Stephen Akre, chief of the Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority. “The improvements in defensible space and wildfire weather warning systems are critical measures.  I applaud his efforts.”

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Senator Bill Dodd represents California’s 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Sacramento, and Contra Costa counties. You can learn more about Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.
Source: Senator Bill Dodd

Related: California Lawmakers Approve Senator Bill Dodd’s Wildfire Vegetation Management Plan