BILL NUMBER: SB 263	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Gaines

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2015

   An act to amend Section 4210 of the Public Resources Code,
relating to fire prevention.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 263, as introduced, Gaines. Fire prevention: state
responsibility areas.
   Existing law makes certain findings and declarations regarding
fire protection of the public trust resources on lands in state
responsibility areas, including that the costs of fire prevention
activities aimed at reducing the effects of structures in state
responsibility areas should be borne by the owners of the structures.

   This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to this law.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 4210 of the Public Resources Code is amended to
read:
   4210.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) Fire protection of the public trust resources on lands in the
state responsibility areas remains a vital interest to California.
Lands that are covered in whole or in part by a diverse plant
community prevent excessive erosion, retard runoff, reduce
sedimentation, and accelerate water percolation to assist in the
maintenance of critical sources of water for environmental,
irrigation, domestic, or industrial uses.
   (b) The presence of structures within state responsibility areas
can pose an increased risk of fire ignition and an increased
potential for fire damage within the state's wildlands and
watersheds. The presence of structures within state responsibility
areas can also impair  wild land   wildland
 firefighting techniques and could result in greater damage to
state lands caused by wildfires.
   (c) The costs of fire prevention activities aimed at reducing the
effects of structures in state responsibility areas should be borne
by the owners of  these   the  structures.
   (d) Individual owners of structures within state responsibility
areas receive a disproportionately larger benefit from fire
prevention activities than that realized by the state's citizens
generally.
   (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that the economic burden
of fire prevention activities that are associated with structures in
state responsibility areas shall be equitably distributed among the
citizens of the state who generally benefit from those activities and
those owners of structures in the state responsibility areas who
receive a specific benefit other than that general benefit.
   (f) It is necessary to impose a fire prevention fee to pay for
fire prevention activities in the state responsibility areas that
specifically benefit owners of structures in the state responsibility
areas.