Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation Program.

Senator Cortese's wildfire safety legislation establishes a new program funding universities to develop public catastrophe modeling tools for California communities. The Department of Insurance would oversee competitive grants to create research centers tasked with building computer simulations that predict potential property damage from major wildfires, with the resulting models and underlying data made accessible to emergency planners, researchers, and the public.

The bill outlines specific priorities for grant funding, including projects that assist disadvantaged communities facing insurance access challenges, help governments protect vulnerable areas, provide educational opportunities for students in risk analysis, and improve public understanding of wildfire risks. Recipients must demonstrate how their work would complement existing federal and private sector wildfire mitigation efforts while supporting state and local emergency planning. The Department would develop a multi-year implementation framework and identify key milestones once initial grants are awarded.

A new Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation Account would be created within the Insurance Fund to support the program's activities. The Department must submit recommendations to legislative committees and the Governor regarding future budget allocations by September 2026. The bill specifies that these provisions would take effect only upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature and would not alter the Insurance Commissioner's existing regulatory authority.