FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 2026
CONTACT: Jason Scalese (916) 651-4614

Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee Advances Senator Alvarado-Gil’s SB 1162

Sacramento, CA – The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee advanced SB 1162 (Alvarado-Gil R-Jackson), a targeted measure to align California’s wildfire mitigation investments with communities facing the most severe homeowner insurance crisis. The bill moves forward with strong bipartisan momentum with Senator Alvarado-Gil affirming her leadership on FAIR Plan reform.

“SB 1162 is simple, practical, and long overdue. It directs CAL FIRE and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force to prioritize fuel reduction and vegetation management in wildland-urban interface (WUI) zones that have seen the largest spikes in FAIR Plan policies,” said Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil. “By focusing limited state resources where wildfire risk and insurance instability are hitting hardest, we can reduce future losses, encourage private insurers to return, and give families peace of mind.”

She also recognized her co-authors, Senator Megan Dahle (R-Bieber), Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa), and Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), for their partnership and early support. “Each of my co-authors brought critical perspectives that strengthened this legislation. Their collaboration has been invaluable.”

BILL SUMMARY:

SB 1162 directs CAL FIRE to prioritize wildfire hazard reduction in WUI zones with the largest increases in FAIR Plan policies. The California FAIR Plan is the state’s insurer of last resort, providing basic fire coverage to homeowners who cannot obtain insurance from private companies due to high wildfire risk. Since 2019, FAIR Plan policies have more than tripled in counties including Nevada, San Bernardino, El Dorado, and Los Angeles, clear evidence that wildfire risk is driving insurers out of the market.

The bill aligns state fuel reduction, forest health projects, and community mitigation with insurance availability data, fixing a key gap in the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. As part of Senator Alvarado-Gil’s broader Wildfire Risk Reduction and Insurance Affordability Package, SB 1162 will reduce future wildfire losses, create conditions for private insurers to return, use taxpayer dollars more efficiently, and ease the burden on homeowners facing limited and expensive insurance options. The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Senator Alvarado-Gil remains committed to working with colleagues in both houses to send a strong, bipartisan package to the Governor’s desk this year.

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