Sen. Dodd Releases Statement on Two-Year Wildfire Anniversary

NAPA – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, issued the following statement today regarding the second anniversary of the Oct. 8, 2017 wildfires:

“After the toughest times, it’s heartening to see our community come together and work so hard to rebuild,” Sen. Dodd said. “At the same time, we can’t overlook the people who are still struggling to recover. Helping our neighbors and protecting California from future infernos must to be our focus going forward. It’s been my focus for the past two years, and we’ve made considerable progress that we must continue building upon.”

The state budget, passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor in June, invests more than $2.5 billion in emergency preparedness, response and recovery to help California communities prepare for disasters. The state has budgeted millions in local property tax backfills over the last two years to support communities as they get back on their feet.

Lawmakers have introduced dozens of bills, including 14 by Sen. Dodd, in the aftermath of the North Bay wildfires. Among Sen. Dodd’s wildfire safety measures signed into law since 2017:

• Authored Senate Bill 901 and co-wrote Assembly Bill 1054, ensuring electric utilities step up and make necessary investments to compensate victims, prevent infrastructure from sparking new fires and continue to provide electricity without unfair rate increases.
• Authored a slate of related bills, most notably SB 167, which requires utilities initiating public safety power outages to plan for low-income people on life-support equipment; SB 190, which increases awareness and enforcement of defensible space requirements; SB 209, which establishes a statewide network of wildfire-weather monitoring devices; and SB 247, which improves vegetation management around power lines by placing an independent agency in charge of oversight; and SB 314, which increases civil penalties against caregivers who abandon the elderly during an emergency or natural disaster.
• Last year, in addition to SB 901, Sen. Dodd wrote SB 894, which addresses crucial lapses in wildfire insurance coverage; and SB 969, which requires all new electric garage door openers be equipped with a backup battery so they continue to operate in a power outage, and SB 1040, which ensures seniors and people with disabilities who receive In-Home Supportive Services are able to access care quickly in times of disaster, while supporting their caregivers.

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Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. More information on Senator Bill Dodd can be found at www.senate.ca.gov/dodd.