AR 136: Relative to Home Hardening Week.

WHEREAS, California has crossed a tipping point in terms of wildfire destruction, with 10 of the 20 largest wildfires in California history occurring since 2020; and

WHEREAS, Wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive due to the impacts of climate change; and

WHEREAS, Homeowners’ insurance has become more expensive and difficult to obtain throughout California, particularly in high-risk fire zones, and rates for homeowners’ insurance in California have increased by more than 43 percent between 2018 and 2023, inclusive; and

WHEREAS, Wildfires have caused damages estimated between $250 billion and $270 billion in 2025 alone; and

WHEREAS, Home hardening is the term used to describe the use of compliant building materials and practices to resist the intrusion of flames or embers projected by a wildland fire and of defensible space management that considers relationships between a home and its exposure to nearby combustible features, including, but not limited to, vegetation, vehicles, accessory buildings, and miscellaneous structures including fences and decks; and

WHEREAS, Home hardening measures include the use of fire-resistant materials for roofing, window coverings, sidings, fences, doors, and decks, the use of ember-resistant vent screens, gutter coverings, and well-sealed vents, windows, and doors to prevent ember entry, and ensuring combustible fuels are reduced around the home to create defensible space; and

WHEREAS, In “Fire Risk to Structures in California’s Wildland-Urban Interface,” a study published August 28, 2025, of post-fire investigations conducted between 2013 and 2022, inclusive, the authors developed a dataset of important features of the Tubbs, Camp, Glass, Kincade, and Thomas Fires for a computer-modeled examination of home hardening scenarios that suggests that comprehensive home hardening measures including, among other things, nonflammable siding, fine mesh over vents, double-paned windows, and a nonflammable roof result in a structure survival rate of 25 percent and that the structure survival rate for these hardened homes increases to 40 percent when coupled with clear defensible space in zone 0 (zero-five feet) and 48 percent when clear defensible space is extended into zone 1 (5-30 feet); and

WHEREAS, The month of September is recognized as National Preparedness Month by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Weather Service, and other agencies; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the second week of September 2026, and every second week of September thereafter, be recognized as Home Hardening Week; and be it further

Resolved, That the Assembly recognizes the effectiveness of home hardening as a tool to protect homes and reduce homeowners’ insurance rate costs, and urges homeowners to take appropriate action; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author, the California Fire Safe Council, and every county board of supervisors with the intent that it be distributed to local organizations.