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Public‑safety committee urges home hardening and early response to insurer notices; cites upcoming state insurance changes
Summary
The Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Committee highlighted home‑hardening measures after a Firewise workshop and warned homeowners to respond quickly to insurance nonrenewal notices; committee chair cited pending state rules that may require wildfire‑safe coverage and said insurers are already changing underwriting.
La Habra Heights — The city’s Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Committee described education and outreach efforts encouraging residents to harden homes against wildfire, and warned that homeowners who wait to address aerial flyover or roof‑exposure reports risk insurance nonrenewal.
Quan Lee, committee chair, summarized takeaways from a recent workshop (Roof RX): maintain class‑A roof materials where possible, clear combustible materials 0–5 ft from structures and maintain defensible space up to 30 feet; use ember‑resistant practices such as mesh over eaves and vents. Lee said a third‑party vendor’s aerial data are being used by insurers for underwriting; homeowners often receive reports 120–160 days before insurance actions, which provides time to respond. Waiting until 30–45 days, he said, often prevents contractors from performing needed work and leads to cancellations.
Lee referenced recent state legislation and ongoing rulemaking: meeting remarks named a state Senate bill that committee members said would require wildfire‑safe home insurance coverage in coming years; the transcript included inconsistent bill numbers during discussion (both “SB 1070” and “SB 1076” were referenced). Council members and staff urged residents to respond promptly to insurer notices and to attend an upcoming public safety Q&A to learn specific home‑hardening measures and available resources.
What happens next: The committee will hold a Q&A session and continue outreach; Lee invited residents to scheduled cleanups and the committee’s next meeting for more detailed guidance.
