HomeMy WebLinkAboutAB 888 (Calderon) California Safe Homes Grant Program - City of SLO - SupportCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114, slocity.org
June 17, 2025
The Honorable Lisa Calderon
Member, California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Suite 4650
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 888 (Calderon) – California Safe Homes Grant Program
Notice of SUPPORT
Dear Assemblymember Calderon,
The City of San Luis Obispo is pleased to express our strong support for AB 888 (Calderon), which
would establish the California Safe Homes Grant Program within the California Department of
Insurance to provide critical funding for wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts, including
retrofitting homes with fire-safe roofs and creating ember-resistant defensible space.
San Luis Obispo, like many communities in California, faces significant wildfire risk due to its proximity
to wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas. In recent years, our region has experienced near-misses
from wildfires, including the 2020 Avila Fire and other incidents that threatened homes, critical
infrastructure, and the environment. The impacts of climate change, combined with prolonged
drought and increasing fuel loads, have only heightened the threat to our community.
Our residents and local government have made significant investments in home hardening,
defensible space, and community-wide vegetation management to enhance wildfire resilience.
However, many homeowners, particularly those on fixed incomes or in older housing stock, struggle
to afford the upfront costs associated with replacing roofs, clearing Zone Zero ember-resistant areas,
and implementing other critical mitigation measures.
AB 888 would provide much-needed financial assistance directly to homeowners, cities, counties,
and special districts to fund these essential wildfire prevention projects. For San Luis Obispo, this
means we could better support our residents in making their homes safer, enhance overall
community resilience, and reduce the risk of devastating wildfire losses. Additionally, this bill would
help protect essential services, critical transportation corridors, and local businesses that are vital to
our economy and public safety.
Establishing the Sustainable Insurance Account within the Insurance Fund and making these
resources available upon appropriation by the Legislature is a practical and forward-thinking
approach to addressing California’s growing wildfire risk. By investing in proactive mitigation
measures at the homeowner level, AB 888 would help break the cycle of destruction and insurance
instability that has plagued so many communities, including ours.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo strongly supports AB 888 (Calderon) and urges your
favorable consideration when the bill is heard in committee.
Sincerely,
Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
Cc: Assemblymember Dawn Addis
Senator John Laird
Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities
League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org