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Board urges tri‑agency talks after state insurance guidance leaves Moraga/Orinda out of key protections
Summary
District staff warned that the California Department of Insurance ‘sustainable wildfire’ maps and criteria currently exclude much of the district (including Moraga and Orinda), and asked the board to direct a tri‑agency meeting with town and city councils to consider stronger defensible‑space authority such as a scientific “Zone 0.”
District staff told the board that a newly publicized California Department of Insurance sustainable wildfire strategy — which encourages admitted insurers to use catastrophe models and promises underwriting support for some high‑risk areas — currently does not extend to large parts of the district.
Staff said the published criteria require ZIP codes that overlap newer CalFire risk maps and other measures such as a high share of policies placed in the Fair Plan and a high average premium threshold. Under the published maps, staff warned, Moraga and Orinda ZIP codes fail to meet one or more of those criteria and so would not immediately benefit from the insurer commitments described in the state plan.
Because insurance availability and affordability are a growing local concern, staff asked for direction to convene a tri‑agency meeting (full board and both town/city councils) to discuss whether to pursue more restrictive defensible‑space authority under Government Code 5175 or Public Resources Code 4117 — specifically whether to consider a scientifically recommended perimeter (a 5‑foot “Zone 0”) that some insurers and models regard as materially protective.
Why it matters: staff said that the district’s current 2‑by‑1‑foot noncombustible perimeter standard is often not recognized by insurers as equivalent to the larger science‑based defensible‑space standards used in model‑based underwriting. The board discussed community appetite for stricter rules and the importance of coordinating with municipal councils before imposing new landscaping or property restrictions.
Board members supported the idea of a joint meeting to educate elected officials and consider next steps; staff will pursue scheduling and outreach to council counterparts. No ordinance or binding change to standards was adopted at this meeting.
