In recent years, our region has been devastated by catastrophic wildfires. Residents like you have shared firsthand anecdotes and valuable feedback to first responders and community leaders. Together, we have been combing through these ideas to increase our resiliency against future natural disasters.
During the Mountain Fire Community Meeting held at Rancho Campana High School in Camarillo, I shared with you my personal, vested interest in finding out how to keep more water for our firefighters in our systems as much as possible.
Assemblymember Bennett speaks to audience at Mountain Fire Community Meeting held at Rancho Campana High School in Camarillo, CA.
That's why I introduced AB 367 and a companion bill AB 372 that requires water purveyors in Ventura County to meet minimum standards for backup power to operate wells and pumps in case of a power shutoff.
AB 367 requires water districts to:
- top off their water tanks after notification from Ventura County Emergency Services,
- ensure prompt backup power is available to keep pumps working after power shutoffs,
and - fire harden appropriate water pumps and backup generators.
AB 372 is a financing companion bill that opens opportunities to water purveyors to acquire permanent backup generators by allowing these purchases to qualify for Prop 4 Climate Bond funding.
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin is a principal co-author of this bill. She said "After each fire, we learn a little more about how to be better prepared. This bill is an important first step toward ensuring our water supplies are more resilient and ready to fight the next fire."
"Assemblymember Bennett has worked with us, the fire department, water districts and cities to develop this bill. It improves the standards for water district preparation for Ventura County's wind driven wildfires. It will pay real dividends in the future with fewer homes being lost," said Patrick Maynard, Director of Emergency Services of Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
The 2017 Thomas Fire was the largest fire in California history. Eight years later, the Thomas Fire is now the ninth largest fire in CA history. The home insurance crisis was serious but will soon become unmanageable in California if we do not find a way to decrease our losses when wildfires sweep into our communities. I strongly believe we have to have an "Everybody On Board" approach to our future. The State does not have unlimited resources, but the need we have is enormous. If we don't prioritize our wildfire prevention dollars, I'm afraid we will not make a dent in terms of the home losses we may have in the future. Collectively, home insurance rates will become more and more of a detriment to a California's quality of life, and the economic quality of the state. My plan for the budget as chair of Sub. 4 is only the beginning of this effort.