What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed an executive order to launch key initiatives to continue adapting to future extreme firestorm events in urban communities and leading the way to build a more resilient state.

Sacramento, California - Adding to California’s nation-leading fire safety  standards, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order to further improve community hardening and wildfire mitigation strategies to neighborhood resilience statewide. A copy of the executive order is available here.

We are living in a new reality of extremes. Believe the science – and your own damn eyes: Mother Nature is changing the way we live and we must continue adapting to those changes. California’s resilience means we will keep updating our standards in the most fire-prone areas. - Governor Gavin Newsom

The executive order issued by Governor Newsom does the following:

• Directs the State Board of Forestry to accelerate its work to adopt regulations known as “Zone 0,” which will require an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of structures located in the highest fire severity zones in the state.
• Tasks the Office of the State Fire Marshal with releasing updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for areas under local government responsibility, adding 1.4 million new acres of land into the two higher tiers of fire severity, which will update building and local planning requirements for these communities statewide.
• Requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to work with local, federal and tribal partners on improvements to the Federal resource ordering system for wildfire response. 

Protecting homes 

Science has shown that combustible material within the immediate five feet of a structure contributes the greatest risk of embers directly or indirectly igniting the home. “Zone 0” regulations under development for new and existing construction would require an ember-resistant zone within the immediate 5-feet of structures in local area Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Local Responsibility Areas, and Fire Hazard Severity Zones in State Responsibility Areas.

Zone 0 regulations would move forward this year in tandem with financial assistance and relief for homeowners, proposed in the Governor’s January Budget, and to be augmented by the California Conservation Corps supporting work in vulnerable communities and in coordination with local Fire Safe Councils. While it is anticipated that the regulations would apply to new construction upon taking effect, requirements for existing homes would likely be phased in over three years to allow homeowners to prepare and prioritize mitigations and secure financial assistance.

Research suggests that the cost of building a home with Zone 0 mitigations already incorporated adds little to no cost to building a comparable home without those features. 

Updating fire hazard severity areas

To ensure future resiliency against urban firestorms, local government planners and developers will have to factor in wildfire-hardening requirements in building planning, design, and construction within nearly 2.3 million acres of land in areas where local governments are responsible for wildfire prevention and response, known as local responsibility areas.

The release of updated Fire Hazard Severity Zones for Local Responsibility Area maps would identify new areas where new development is required to adhere to the highest standards of wildfire resilient building codes and land-use planning. These new zones and maps would add approximately 1.4 million new acres of land into the two higher tiers of fire hazard severity. Specifically, they would expand current wildfire building resiliency requirements in the High-Fire Hazard Severity Zone to approximately 1.16 million new acres, and they would expand both current wildfire building and local planning resiliency requirements in the Very High- Fire Hazard Severity Zone to approximately 247,000 new acres. 

The release of these updated zones and maps, which are expected to be released one region at a time beginning in Northern California, would begin a 120-day clock for local government jurisdictions to adopt local ordinances incorporating the State Fire Marshal’s recommendations.

The release of these Local Responsibility Area maps would follow last year’s release of equivalent updated zones and maps in the State Responsibility Area, and follow months of planning discussions, including consultation with insurance providers who have developed their own models to determine risk, premiums and coverage that are independent of the state’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps.

Investing in wildfire prevention

Overall, the state has more than doubled investments in wildfire prevention and landscape resilience efforts, providing more than $2.5 billion in wildfire resilience since 2020, with an additional $1.5 billion from the 2024 Climate Bond to be committed beginning this year for proactive projects that protect communities from wildfire and promote healthy natural landscapes. Of note, since 2021, the State has made strategic investments in at least 61 fuels reduction projects near the Palisades and Eaton fire perimeters through projects treated over 14,500 acres.

The Newsom Administration has invested $2 billion to support CAL FIRE operations, a 47% increase since 2018, which has helped build CAL FIRE from 5,829 positions to 10,741 in that same period, and the Administration is now implementing shorter workweeks for state firefighters to prioritize firefighter well-being while adding 2,400 additional state firefighters to CAL FIRE’s ranks over the next five years. 

Augmenting technological advancements and pre-deployment opportunities 

The Newsom Administration has also overseen the expansion of California’s aerial firefighting fleet, including the addition of more than 16 helicopters with several equipped for night operations, expanded five helitack bases, and assumed ownership of seven C-130 air tankers, making it the largest fleet of its kind globally. 

California is also leveraging AI-powered tools to spot fires quicker, has deployed the Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS) to provide real-time mapping of wildfires, and has partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense to use satellites for wildfire detection and invested in LiDAR technology to create detailed 3D maps of high-risk areas, helping firefighters better understand and navigate complex terrains. 

In anticipation of severe fire weather conditions in early January 2025, Cal OES approved the prepositioning of 65 fire engines, as well as more than 120 additional firefighting resources and personnel in Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, and CAL FIRE moved firefighting resources to Southern California including 45 additional engines and six hand crews to the region. 

During the wildfires, California was able to mobilize more than 16,000 personnel including firefighters, National Guard servicemembers, California Highway Patrol officers and transportation teams to support the response to the Los Angeles firestorms, and more than 2,000 firefighting apparatus composed of engines, aircraft, dozers and water tenders to aid in putting out the fires. 

What they’re saying: 

• Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, original author of the Mental Health Services Act: “Twenty years ago, I never could have dreamed that we would have the strong leadership we have today, committing billions and making courageous policy changes that question the conventional wisdom on mental health. Now, with the passage of Proposition 1. California is delivering on decades old promises to help people living with brain-based illnesses, to live better lives, to live independently and to live with dignity in our communities. This is a historic moment and the hard work is ahead of us.“
• Senator Susan Eggman (D-Stockton), author of Senate Bill 326: “Today marks a day of hope for thousands of Californians who are struggling with mental illness – many of whom are living unhoused. I am tremendously grateful to my fellow Californian’s for passing this important measure.  And I am very appreciative of this Governor’s leadership to transform our behavioral health care system!”
• Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), author of Assembly Bill 531: “This started as an audacious proposal to address the root cause of homelessness and today, Californians can be proud to know that they did the right thing by passing Proposition 1. Now, it’s time for all of us to get to work, and make sure these reforms are implemented and that we see results.”

Bigger picture: Transforming the Mental Health Services Act into the Behavioral Health Services Act and building more community mental health treatment sites and supportive housing is the last main pillar of Governor Newsom’s Mental Health Movement – pulling together significant recent reforms like 988 crisis line, CalHOPE, CARE Court, conservatorship reform, CalAIM behavioral health expansion (including mobile crisis care and telehealth), Medi-Cal expansion to all low-income Californians, Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (including expanding services in schools and on-line), Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative, Veterans Mental Health Initiative, Behavioral Health Community Infrastructure Program, Behavioral Health Bridge Housing, Health Care Workforce for All and more.

More details on next step here