Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Assembly committee advances Smoke Damage Recovery Act to standardize testing and remediation
Loading...
Summary
The Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee advanced AB 17 95 to require statewide, science-based standards for inspecting, testing and remediating residential smoke damage from wildfires; the Department of Insurance and survivor witnesses urged the measure after inconsistent insurer practices left households in limbo.
Assemblymember Gibson introduced AB 17 95, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act, telling the committee the bill would establish a “science‑based, health‑driven” statewide standard for inspections, testing and restoration when wildfire smoke contaminates homes. The measure would create uniform insurance‑claims handling practices, set timelines for inspections and payments, and designate state and local agencies to implement and enforce the standards.
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara testified in strong support, calling smoke damage “a health and safety issue” and describing a task force that identified gaps in sampling protocols and claims practices. Lara said his department has received “more than 2,000 smoke‑related complaints” and that the bill would let CalEPA and other agencies issue guidance by June 30, 2027 while allowing local public health agencies to act immediately after a wildfire. “Survivors cannot wait years for statewide standards while their homes remain contaminated,” he said.
Survivor testimony underscored the bill’s urgency. Viveka Ray Mazender, speaking for Eaton Fire Residents United, described a West Altadena family who returned to a standing home that made a family member sick and then saw insurers cut off additional living expenses. “My parents are trapped in a home too toxic to live in and too toxic to sell,” she said, urging amendments to protect families and ensure accurate testing.
Opponents and interested stakeholders interrogated details of the bill’s zone definitions and which agencies would be required to act. Department witnesses and members discussed default smoke‑exposure zone parameters and whether CalEPA or CAL FIRE should be mandated to create event‑specific zones. Tony Signorelli, deputy commissioner for consumer services at the Department of Insurance, explained that the bill provides default zones but allows agencies to supersede them if they develop alternative, science‑based zones.
Committee action: members moved the bill on urgency and then took the roll call. The clerk read the motion to pass as amended to the Insurance Committee with urgency; recorded responses included Connelly (aye), Bauer Kehan (aye), Mackinner (aye) and Pappin (aye). The committee chair kept the roll open for absentees and left the item carried out of committee to the next stop in the process.
Why it matters: AB 17 95 would create enforceable standards for inspecting and remediating smoke‑impacted homes after wildfire events, aiming to reduce inconsistent insurer practices and provide clearer, health‑based guidance so survivors can return safely to their homes. The committee left the measure open for additional stakeholder work and absentee votes.
