Pacific Palisades Lawmaker Awaits Newsom Action On Wildfire Loan Bill

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — State Sen. Ben Allen, D-Pacific Palisades, awaited action Wednesday from Gov. Gavin Newsom on legislation that would establish a state-backed low-interest loan program to help homeowners pay for wildfire- hardening improvements.

Senate Bill 894 received unanimous bipartisan approval from the Legislature and was sent to Newsom Thursday. The governor has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the measure.

"We've held a lot of conversations and demonstrations on how residents can make their homes safer from wildfire, but some of the renovations are too costly and out of reach for many Californians," Allen said. "It's time to lower this financial barrier, so more of us can take the steps that have been shown to save lives and property."

The proposal is modeled after California's GoGreen energy-finance program, which provides financing for energy-efficiency improvements, according to Allen's office.

The legislation comes amid increased attention to home hardening in wildfire-prone communities and rising homeowners insurance costs. State officials also recently finalized so-called Zone Zero regulations governing vegetation and combustible materials in the area immediately surrounding structures in high-risk wildfire areas.

"Many of us are now being asked to make expensive home hardening upgrades in order to maintain or even find homeowners insurance," Allen said. "While the home improvements are shown to provide significant savings on the backend, the upfront costs are still difficult to meet. I'm grateful for my colleagues' support on SB 894 that will meaningfully improve resilience and affordability across California."

The bill received unanimous support in both the Senate and Assembly before being sent to Newsom, according to Allen's office.

City News Service