Water: County of Ventura: fire suppression.

Assembly Member Bennett's fire safety legislation requires Ventura County water suppliers to maintain backup power systems for critical fire suppression infrastructure in high-risk fire zones starting July 2027. The measure mandates 24-hour backup power capability, with automatic systems activating within 30 minutes of outages and manual systems engaging as soon as feasible after power loss.

Water suppliers must identify critical infrastructure to county emergency services by May 2026 and develop emergency preparedness plans addressing red flag warnings and extreme weather events. The Ventura County Fire Department will establish minimum fire safety standards by January 2027 and conduct annual inspections of critical infrastructure within high-risk zones, while suppliers must inspect facilities serving but located outside these areas. Suppliers must notify county emergency services within three business days of any reduction in water delivery capacity that could impede firefighting operations.

The requirements apply to community water systems serving more than 20 residential dwellings in state-designated high or very high fire hazard severity zones, excluding gravity-fed systems and non-potable water infrastructure. For fires damaging more than 10 residential dwellings, the county fire department and water supplier must report to county supervisors on water tank levels, power loss mitigation, and infrastructure compliance with safety standards. The bill's findings cite Ventura County's history of devastating fires as justification for county-specific requirements.