June 15, 2019 - Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) has voiced its continued support for Senate Bill 209, authored by Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa).  SB 209 establishes a centralized state wildfire warning center to monitor fire-weather and threat conditions statewide and oversee deployment of a network of automated weather stations in areas not covered by an electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility’s weather network. 

The center would also coordinate with electrical corporations and local publicly owned electrical utilities to determine where to deploy weather monitoring stations in high fire threat areas.

RCRC believes that increasing the amount and improving the quality of information on weather conditions will help guide decisions on how to manage fire threats, better preposition scarce resources, and coordinate responses to active fire events.  RCRC also believes that more information on weather conditions will enable publicly owned electrical utilities to better tailor de-energization events to avoid unnecessary service disruptions.

RCRC’s letter can be accessed here.  SB 209 currently awaits action in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee.
Source: Rural County Representatives of California

Related: California Lawmakers Approve Senator Dodd’s Wildfire Bills