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Governor Signs Into Law Three Emergency Preparedness Bills From Santa Barbara Legislator

The Thomas Fire burning outside of Ventura on December 5th, 2017

The Governor signed into law three bills from a Santa Barbara legislator intended to help improve emergency preparedness.

SB 1260 sets the stage for more controlled burns to reduce the brush and forest fire danger. SB 821 allows counties to automatically enroll residents in emergency telephone notification programs. People who don’t want to participate can still opt out. Under the current system, people must voluntarily opt in to be a part of the notification system.

And, SB 917 clarifies that if a debris flow, mudslide, or flooding is the result of a brush fire, people without flood insurance will still be covered if they have fire insurance.

All three bills were authored by Democratic State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara in the wake of the Thomas Fire, and Montecito debris flow.