East County News Service

Photo: Palisades Fire, courtesy of Lakeside Fire Dept. which helped battle the catastrophic wildfire in Los Angeles County in January

February 11, 2025 (Washington D.C.) -- As Southern California recovers from devastating wildfires, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, has introduced a package of three bipartisan bills to bolster fire resilience and proactive mitigation efforts.

The package includes the Wildfire Emergency Act, to support forest restoration, wildfire mitigation, and energy resilience; the Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act, to authorize the removal of trees or other vegetation within existing electrical utility corridors; and the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act, to further incentivize homeowners to proactively protect their homes from disasters.

The package of bipartisan bills comes as Southern California begins the recovery from one of the worst natural disasters in state history. The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County burned over 57,000 acres and destroyed over 16,200 structures, claiming the lives of at least 29 victims, according to Cal-Fire.  

“The devastating fires in Southern California are a harsh reminder of the importance of proactive fire mitigation efforts to keep families and homes safe,” said Senator Padilla. “As these disasters become more frequent and more extreme, we need to find smarter solutions to strengthen fire resilience across the country. From expediting the removal of hazardous fuels near power lines, to supporting our wildland firefighting forces, to hardening homes and energy facilities, these commonsense bills would help reduce the threats of catastrophic fires to California communities.”

“Montanans see firsthand the effects that catastrophic wildfires have on our communities. These bipartisan bills will streamline forest management processes to mitigate the root causes of wildfires, improve community and home hardening efforts, and support our brave firefighters. I’ll work every day for more solutions to keep our state safe,” said Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), co-lead of the Wildfire Emergency Act and the Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act.

“This commonsense legislation takes a critical step toward empowering individuals and communities to better protect themselves from the devastating effects of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene,” said Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-lead of the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act. “By excluding qualified catastrophe mitigation payments from income tax, we are incentivizing property owners to make the necessary improvements that reduce damage and save lives. This proactive approach to disaster preparedness not only helps families rebuild faster but strengthens our resilience in the face of future disasters.”

“We have seen how natural disasters have devastated communities around the country, and we must ensure we have the resources and programs in place to respond. Homeowners should not face additional taxes for wanting to protect their homes and our bipartisan legislation will provide the needed tax relief to help affected Americans recover from these disasters,” said Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), co-lead of the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act.

“Louisianans understand the impact of devastating storms, but with the help of state and local programs, we have tools to rebuild and return to wholeness,” said Dr. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), co-lead of the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act. “If communities need tax relief, let’s give it to them!”

Wildfire Emergency Act

This sweeping legislation, co-led by Senator Daines, would reduce the threat of destructive wildfires through forest restoration, firefighter training, energy resilience retrofits, and wildfire-hardening home modifications in low-income communities. This bipartisan bill would take numerous steps to ensure that the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are better able to mitigate the risk and impact of wildfires. 

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Provide the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) with a pilot authority to leverage private financing to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration projects. The USFS would be able to expand up to 20 existing collaborative forest restoration projects using this pilot authority.
• Authorize funding for programs to expand the forest conservation and wildland firefighting workforce.
• Establish an energy resilience program at DOE to ensure that critical facilities remain active during wildfire disruptions, authorizing up to $100 million for necessary retrofits.
• Expand an existing DOE weatherization grant program to provide up to $13,000 to low-income households to make wildfire-hardening retrofits, such as ember-resistant roofs or gutters.
• Expedite the placement of wildfire detection equipment on the ground, such as sensors or cameras, as well as the use of space-based observation.
• Establish a prescribed fire-training center in the West and authorize grants to support training the next generation of foresters and firefighters.

• Authorize up to $50 million to support community grants of up to $50,000 for locally focused land stewardship and conservation.

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

Full text of the bill is available here.

Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act

This bill, co-led by Senator Daines, would allow the U.S. Forest Service to approve the removal of hazardous trees and other vegetation near power lines on federal forest lands without requiring a timber sale, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires through easier material removal. The legislation advanced last year through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as part of the Promoting Effective Forest Management Act of 2023.

Three of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California history — the 2017 Thomas Fire, the 2018 Camp Fire and the 2021 Dixie Fire — were started by electrical equipment. Together, these wildfires burned more than 1.2 million acres, destroyed more than 15,000 homes, and killed 87 people.

Currently, the USFS allows utility companies to cut down trees and branches in existing utility corridors, but some forest managers interpret the law to forbid removal of the material off the land. This creates uncertainty and can lead to an unnecessary buildup of dead, dry fuels directly under utility lines. This bill would help reduce the risk of wildfires on forest lands by ensuring the clearing of existing corridors and give certainty to utilities.

The legislation would also require any utility that sells marketable forest products from hazardous trees removed near power lines to return any proceeds to the USFS.

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

Full text of the bill is available here.

Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act

This bipartisan legislation, co-led by Senators Tillis, Cassidy, and Schiff would provide a tax exemption on payments from state-based programs for homeowners to proactively harden their homes against natural disasters.

Specifically, the bill excludes from gross income calculations any qualified catastrophe mitigation payment made under a state-based catastrophe loss mitigation program. Qualifying payments are defined as any amount received and used for improvements to an individual’s property for the sole purpose of reducing the damage that would be done by a windstorm, earthquake, flood, or wildfire.

California, North Carolina, and Louisiana are among the states that provide funding to homeowners who take steps to protect their homes from natural disasters. These improvements can include removing trees, bushes, and other fire-prone vegetation close to homes that contribute to wildfires, strengthening foundations to protect against earthquakes, and installing fortified roofs to withstand hurricanes.

However, homeowners are currently required to pay federal taxes on these payments, unnecessarily limiting money available for critical disaster-related upgrades. This fix will bring parity to the tax treatment of disaster mitigation efforts and ensure taxpayers are able to put the full amount of these payments toward securing their homes.

Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are cosponsoring the legislation.

Full text of the bill is available here.

 Last month, Padilla introduced another package of three bipartisan bills to strengthen wildfire resilience and rebuilding efforts through legislation including the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, the Fire Suppression and Response Funding Assurance Act, and the Disaster Housing Reform for American Families Act. His legislation to strengthen FEMA’s wildfire preparedness and response efforts, the FIRE Act, became law in 2022.

East County News Service

Photo, right:  Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County

February 11, 2025 (San Diego) – Congressman Darrell Issa, a San Diego Republican, has introduced the “Green Tape Elimination Act” that seeks to prevent wildfires by exempting all fuel reduction activities on federal lands from these environmental regulations for 10 years.

• The National Environmental Policy Act
• The Endangered Species Act
• The National Historic Preservation Act
• The Clean Air Act
• The Migratory Bird Treaty Act
• The Migratory Bird Conservation Act 
  

"For years, environmental rules have become regulatory ‘green tape’ — locking in dangerous conditions and contradicting common sense reforms," said Rep. Issa. “That’s why this is no time for tinkering around the edges. We can’t wait for the next deadly disaster."

The environmental regulations that would be waived are intended to protect wildlife habitat, natural resources, clean air, historic sites, and recreational uses on public lands such as national parks, national forests, and federal wildlife refuges.

Issa's bill would provide a decade for firefighters to clear brush, cut shrubs, prescribe control burns, and utilize other strategies to stop the fires we know will occur in the future.

San Diego County is home to multiple federal lands including Cleveland National Forest, Bureau of Land Management properties, and federal wlidlife refuges. California has many forested federal lands, including Yosemite National Park.

East County News Service

February 10, 2025 (Lemon Grove) - On Saturday, February 1, the spirit of community and compassion was on full display as Lemon Grove nonprofit organizations joined forces at Treganza Park for a heartfelt fundraiser supporting fire relief efforts in Los Angeles. Over $2,100 was raised, according to a press release from organizers.

By Levi Sumagaysay, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  The Eaton Fire burns in the community of Altadena. Firefighters were unable to get water from hydrants that ran dry, as homes and businesses burned, on Jan. 8, 2025. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters

February 4, 2025 (Los Angeles) - State Farm, the largest insurer for California homeowners, this week asked the state to approve “emergency” rate increases for insurance policy holders, saying the recent Los Angeles County fires have imperiled its finances. 

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Lakeside Fire Department, which has sent firefighters to battle the Palisades wildfire

January 11, 2025 (Los Angeles) – After days of massive destruction and widespread evacuations, firefighters are finally making progress on four remaining wildfires in the Los Angeles area.  At least 13 people have died in the fires, which have destroyed an estimated12,000 structures, the Los Angeles Times reports.

At least 90 firefighters from San Diego County have been dispatched to help fight the L.A. fires, including Lakeside Fire Department, which posted photos on social media of the Palisades Fire that their firefighters have been battling since Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands remain evacuated, as firefighters slowly make progress toward controlling fires fueled initially by hurricane-force winds.

Here are the latest updates from Cal Fire and L.A.-based news outlets:

The Palisades Fire has burned 22,600 acres and is now 11% contained. The wildfire has ravaged Pacific Palisades, portions of Malibu, and homes along Pacific Coast Highway.  Current evacuation orders include much of Brentwood, Encino,Calabasas, Sansta Monica,Malibu and Pacific Palisades.  This fire has damaged or destroyed around 5,300 homes; another 12,000  structures are still threatened.

The Eaton Fire has scorched14,117 acres and is 15% contained. Around 7,000 structures have been damaged or lost, according to fire officials, in Pasadena and Altadena.

The Kenneth Fire is now 80% contained after burning 1,052 acres near the Los Angeles and Ventura county lines. All evacuation warnings have been lifted.

Evacuation orders have also been lifted for the Hurst Fire, which burned approximately 779 acres in the Sylmar area.  The Hurst Fire is now 76% contained.

At least two other fires have been fully contained, including a blaze that threatened portions of Hollywood.

Firefighters have come from across the region and as far away as Canada and Mexico. Canada has deployed 250 firefighters, while Mexico has sent at least 101 “bomberos” or firefighters to L.A.  Numerous inmate firefighters are also help to control the conflagrations.

After Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state emergency, President Joe Biden cancelled a planned trip to Italy to meet with the pope in order to get aid to California. President Biden announced that the federal government will cover “100 percent of all the costs” to fight fires in Los Angeles County, higher than the 75% customarily granted by the federal government to states during disasters.

It is unclear whether President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will continue to provide aid to California, since Trump has previously threatened to withhold disaster aid from states that didn’t vote for him.  Asked if he is confident that the Trump team members will continue to send disaster aid to California,  Biden responded, ”I pray to God they will,” Politico reports.