Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024: grants: improvements to public evacuation routes: mobile rigid water storage: electrical generators.

Senator Seyarto's wildfire prevention legislation expands California's grant program for fire mitigation by adding new categories of eligible projects under the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024. The bill modifies the allocation of $135 million in bond funds administered by the Office of Emergency Services (OES) in coordination with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The legislation adds several new project types eligible for grant funding, including improvements to public evacuation routes in high fire hazard zones, mobile water storage equipment for firefighting operations, and backup electrical generators for water reservoirs. Local agencies, state agencies, joint powers authorities, tribes, and nonprofit organizations can apply for grants to implement these projects. The bill defines mobile rigid dip tanks as portable containers for storing firefighting materials that can refill helicopters, while mobile rigid water storage refers to tanks that can resupply both ground equipment and helicopter operations.

Under the bill's provisions, OES and Cal Fire must prioritize grant applications based on the Fire Risk Reduction Community list and provide technical assistance to disadvantaged communities and vulnerable populations. The agencies coordinate to ensure funded projects benefit these priority communities while leveraging additional resources, including federal matching grants. This builds upon existing requirements that projects prevent wildfires, increase resilience, maintain risk reduction efforts, and enhance community hardening against fire threats.