HomeMy WebLinkAboutAB 1 (Connolly) Residential Property Insurance - Wildfire Risk - 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 Susan Rubio
Chair, Senate Insurance Committee
1020 N Street, Room 258
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 1 (Connolly) – Residential Property Insurance: Wildfire Risk
Notice of SUPPORT
Dear Senator Rubio,
On behalf of the City of San Luis Obispo, I am pleased to express our strong support for AB 1, which
would require the California Department of Insurance (CDI) to consider whether to update the
Safer from Wildfire regulations to include home hardening as part of its wildfire risk rating system
by January 1, 2030.
California continues to face an unprecedented wildfire crisis that has dramatically impacted the
affordability and availability of homeowners’ insurance, especially in high-risk wildfire areas like San
Luis Obispo. Over the past several years, our community has experienced significant wildfire threats
in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), prompting the City and our residents to make substantial
investments in home hardening and defensible space to reduce risk.
Despite these efforts, many homeowners in San Luis Obispo continue to face challenges obtaining
or renewing property insurance, as the current regulatory framework does not fully recognize the
wildfire risk reduction benefits of home hardening and fuel mitigation. AB 1 would address this
issue by ensuring that homeowners and communities investing in wildfire resilience receive fair
consideration of their risk reduction measures through the Safer from Wildfire regulations.
Furthermore, this bill aligns with our City’s ongoing commitment to proactive wildfire preparedness
and community safety. Incorporating home hardening into CDI’s rate-setting process would
incentivize further investments in risk reduction measures and strengthen community resilience
while also promoting insurance market stability.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo supports AB 1.
Sincerely,
Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
Cc: Assemblymember Connolly
Assemblymember Addis
Senator John Laird
Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities
League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org