September 17, 2019

The Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor, State of California State Capitol, First Floor Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: Senate Bill 190 (Dodd) – REQUEST FOR SIGNATURE

Dear Governor Newsom:

On behalf of the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC I respectfully request your signature on Senate Bill 190. SB 190, authored by Senator Bill Dodd, creates a model defensible space program for local governments and requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to provide training resources for local building officials, builders, and fire service personnel to improve building fire safety standards. RCRC is an association of thirty-seven rural California counties, and the RCRC Board of Directors is comprised of elected supervisors from those member counties.

RCRC member counties have suffered the vast majority of the State’s most catastrophic wildfire events in the last decade. While California has begun numerous programs to address the State’s wildfire problem, including various forest management programs as part of your Senate Bill 901 in 2018, there is still an urgent short-term need for programs that have immediate impacts on public safety, including advancing home hardening and defensible space practices to improve community protection efforts. Local governments in the most fire prone areas often lack the resources and training capability to appropriately impact their residents’ wildfire prevention practices without assistance from statewide programs.

By requiring the OSFM to create a model defensible space program, local governments can tailor the program to fit their community needs within the parameters of their fiscal capabilities. RCRC hopes to engage in the development of such a program to ensure that rural county socioeconomic concerns are considered. RCRC also welcomes additional training and resources for local building officials, builders, and fire service personnel who might not otherwise have access to training and information on the most updated Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Safety Building Standards.

1215 K Street, Suite 1650, Sacramento, CA 95814 | www.rcrcnet.org | 916.447.4806 | Fax: 916.448.3154

ALPINE AMADOR BUTTE CALAVERAS COLUSA DEL NORTE EL DORADO GLENN HUMBOLDT IMPERIAL INYO LAKE LASSEN MADERA MARIPOSA MENDOCINO MERCED MODOC MONO MONTEREY NAPA NEVADA PLACER PLUMAS SAN BENITO SAN LUIS OBISPO SHASTA SIERRA SISKIYOU SONOMA SUTTER TEHAMA TRINITY TULARE TUOLUMNE YOLO YUBA The Honorable Gavin Newsom Senate Bill 190 September 17, 2019 Page 2

Again, RCRC respectfully requests your signature on SB 190.

Sincerely,

PAUL A. SMITH Vice President Governmental Affairs

cc: The Honorable Bill Dodd, Member of the State Senate The Honorable Jim Nielsen, Member of the State Senate The Honorable Andreas Borgeas, Member of the State Senate The Honorable Marc Levine, Member of the State Assembly The Honorable Rudy Salas, Member of the State Assembly The Honorable James Gallagher, Member of the State Assembly The Honorable Tom Lackey, Member of the State Assembly The Honorable Chad Mayes, Member of the State Assembly The Honorable Timothy Grayson, Member of the State Assembly