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May 1, 2025 - SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Wednesday, state and community leaders supported a bold new initiative to confront California’s worsening wildfire and insurance crises: the California Safe Homes Act (Assembly Bill 888). Driven by years of extensive community outreach and unprecedented stakeholder engagement, the Act represents a transformative step toward wildfire resilience and insurance affordability. The California Safe Homes Act passed the Assembly Insurance Committee on a 16-0 vote.

“Investing in mitigation is crucial to overcoming this insurance crisis. We are not powerless in this fight. We need to equip consumers with the resources to undertake necessary work,” stated Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, the sponsor of the California Safe Homes Act. “We have traveled across every region of the state, listened to thousands of Californians, collaborated with local communities and firefighters, and consulted with insurance leaders from other states and countries. One thing is clear: wildfire safety works—and we must scale it like never before.”

“Investing in proven safety measures to make California safer from wildfires is essential to protecting lives, homes, and access to insurance,” said Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, author of the California Safe Homes Act. “AB 888 is a step in the right direction to assist California residents and create more resilient communities throughout our state.”

The California Safe Homes Act is designed to make homes safer from wildfires while increasing access to insurance. The Act will fund critical mitigation efforts, including:

  • Fire-safe roofing
  • Defensible space within the first five feet of a home, also known as “zone 0”
  • Community-level wildfire protection strategies

These are some of the most impactful and costly measures, and homeowners have consistently told the Department of Insurance they want to do this work but simply cannot afford it. California Safe Homes puts money back in people’s hands to pay for these essential projects.

The initiative builds on Safer from Wildfires—developed by the Department of Insurance—which lays out 10 proven, achievable wildfire safety actions. It is the first plan of its kind in the nation, created proactively to reduce wildfire risk before disaster strikes.

“Protecting homes before a hurricane ever happens has helped bring affordable insurance back to Alabama. Natural disasters like windstorms, earthquakes, or wildfires will come no matter what we do. That means you must find ways to build stronger before the event so you will have less damage after the event,” said Alabama Insurance Commissioner Mark Fowler, who told the committee about the success of the Strengthen Alabama Homes grant program. “It’s actually a pretty simple concept. AB 888 will help you pave that way.”

“I have sought clear, workable examples from beyond our borders,” said Commissioner Lara. “Through my leadership in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and visits to other states, I have observed successful strategies in action. Disaster mitigation programs are the cornerstone of our National Climate Resilience Strategy, effectively protecting homes against perils, stabilizing markets, and providing consumers with more options. I’m honored to welcome Commissioner Mark Fowler, a leader and visionary in this field.”

Leaders from across sectors are supporting the bill — including nonprofits like United Policyholders and community officials.

“Through our work with our own defensible space grant program, we have witnessed homeowners who invest in these safety improvements not only better protect their homes but also gain access to more affordable insurance options — a lifeline in communities where coverage is increasingly difficult to secure,” said Jen Goodlin, Executive Director of the Rebuild Paradise Foundation which has worked directly with hundreds of homeowners rebuilding in wildfire-prone areas. “Families who participated in our program and created a non-combustible zone 0 — the critical first five feet of defensible space around their homes — have received the reward of insurability and peace of mind. This bill would greatly benefit not just Paradise, but our Upper Ridge community of Magalia — this area has limited resources and significant wildfire fuel — by providing the support needed to make critical safety improvements. AB 888 offers hope for communities like ours, helping ensure a safer, more resilient future.”

“Creating defensible space and hardening our homes against wildfire is a shared responsibility, but for many homeowners, the cost is simply too high,” said Tanya Harlow, Fire Safe Coordinator, El Dorado County Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience. “California Safe Homes will provide much-needed support to help make our communities more resilient to wildfire.”

“We have worked with thousands of people in California and across the country to be prepared before a disaster ever happens. Home hardening and defensible space are proven ways to reduce wildfire risk and keep homes insured, and homeowners need help making these improvements,” said Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders, whose Wildfire Risk Reduction and Asset Protection program (WRAP) is a national model for community education. “The California Safe Homes Act puts money in people’s hands to do to their part and rewards those taking action to protect themselves and their neighbors.”

"As we speak, the City of Berkeley is in the process of adopting new Zone Zero requirements for more than 1,800 residents who live in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. We don't want cost to be a barrier that prevents homeowners from making these critical improvements,” said Berkeley City Councilmember Brent Blackaby. “The Calfornia Safe Homes Act will help finance this defensible space and home-hardening work at scale, which will make each homeowner safer, make their neighborhood safer, and make all of Berkeley safer."

The California Safe Homes Act will be heard next in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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