Proposed legislation to overhaul California's wildfire response has citizens and lawmakers at odds — here's why

California has been plagued by wildfires that have burned through 906,000 acres just this year, and experts note they may continue through November.

In the midst of this, proposed legislation to change the rules governing how fire hazard severity zones are handled has politicians, fire professionals, and communities at odds. 

What's happening?

For decades, California has had a fire mapping system that denotes certain fire risk areas as "moderate," "high" or "very high," which influences development and building standards accordingly, as a deep-dive by the Los Angeles Times explained. 

Now, with the proposed Senate Bill 610, the state is looking to have these potentially at-risk areas designated as simply "wildfire mitigation areas," which would all have the same fire hardening precautions dictated by a single state official.

"While there are a lot of technical pieces to this, and a lot of thoughts and opinions, I truly believe that our ability to create a single wildfire code and apply it consistently in those areas that are at a hazard for wildfires will make a difference," state fire marshal Daniel Berlant said, per the article.

There's a lot of back and forth among people on all sides of the issue, with state officials saying that mapping is inconsistent and outdated and that local governments could "weaponize" the maps to limit housing developments in certain areas. 

Opponents of the bill claim that politicians are "bowing to building industry pressure," trying to wrest power from local governments, and ignoring the warnings of scientists about the express dangers in some areas. 

Why is the issue so important?

It seems unanimous, regardless of which side people take, that updated legislation is a necessary step in safeguarding people and infrastructure from the damaging effects of wildfires across the state.

California is especially vulnerable after a series of wetter months triggered a lot of growth and then severe drying heat made it all more susceptible to ignition. 

Wildfire risk factors include temperature, soil moisture, and potential fuel such as trees, grass, and shrubs, all of which are closely tied to climate variability. Forecasts show that a 1 degree Celsius average annual rise in temperature can increase burn areas by 600% in certain forest areas. 

To make matters worse, some insurance companies have walked away from the state after worsening fires, leaving future and current developments at increased financial risk. 

What can be done about wildfires?

Nearly 85% of wildfires are started by humans, whether it's through negligence, equipment use and malfunction, or intentional acts of arson. But their severity is influenced by the changing climate, from rising temperatures to extreme weather. 

We need to start a conversation and work together to both reduce Earth-warming pollution and deal with the issues that emerge from its deleterious effects on our planet.

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