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DCA announces wildfire fee deferral, Form 700 change and planned trainings at Board meeting
Summary
Deputy Director Melissa Gere briefed the Board on Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) actions including Governor’s Executive Order 1525 fee-deferral/waiver for licensees in wildfire-impacted ZIP codes, a disaster help center, Form 700 e-filing changes, and upcoming trainings and budget proposals.
Melissa Gere, deputy director for board and bureau relations at the Department of Consumer Affairs, gave a department update to the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology at the Feb. 10, 2025 meeting outlining disaster relief, administrative changes and training opportunities.
The governor’s Executive Order 1525: Gere said Governor Gavin Newsom’s Jan. 29 executive order (EO 1525) provides relief to licensees whose business or residence addresses fall within designated Los Angeles wildfire ZIP codes. Relief measures include: a one‑year deferral of renewal fees for license expirations between Jan. 1 and July 1, 2025; a one‑year waiver for duplicate/replacement licenses or wall certificates through Jan. 7, 2026; and suspension of delinquency fees through July 1, 2025 for impacted licensees. DCA has posted guidance on a disaster help center web page and established a toll-free hotline +1 800-998-314 and an email calcafires@dca.ca.gov for affected licensees.
Administrative and budget items: Gere summarized the governor’s proposed 2025–26 state budget highlights as they relate to DCA and its boards, including eight budget change proposals (BCPs) for boards and bureaus and ongoing vacancy-reduction and government‑efficiency planning. She said a proposed reorganization to create a dedicated California housing and homeless agency is under review and that DCA would update boards as the process moves forward. She also said AB 1170 requires that board members file Form 700 electronically through the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) beginning Jan. 1, 2025; paper filings via the DCA Netfile portal will no longer be accepted. The annual Form 700 deadline remains April 1.
Training and outreach: Gere invited presidents and vice presidents to a Feb. 19 virtual president’s training and outlined Board Member Orientation/Training (BMOT) dates (Mar. 26, June 18, Oct. 22). She noted ongoing outreach work, including recently launched Vietnamese-language Facebook content about AB 5, and thanked staff and board members who participate in DCA training programs.
Personnel: Gere acknowledged leadership changes at DCA and welcomed newly reappointed board members and a new Board appointee. She encouraged the board to use DCA resources and to contact board-and-bureau relations for questions and registration for trainings.
Ending: The board thanked Gere for the update; members had no follow-up questions at the close of the briefing.
