SB 899: Fire prevention: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force: wildfire smoke.

Existing law requires the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, established by former Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., to develop a comprehensive implementation strategy to track and ensure the achievement of the goals and key actions identified in the states Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, as provided. Existing law requires, on or before March 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter, the task force to update the action plan.

This bill would require the task force, on or before July 1, 2028, and in cooperation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the State Department of Public Health, to assess the health costs and impacts of high-severity wildfire smoke using existing wildfire smoke and health data, as provided. The bill would require the task force, in developing this assessment, to, among other things, develop a model to determine the approximate health benefits of achieving the goals identified in the action plan and make recommendations on how the action plan can increase its health benefits. The bill would authorize the task force to enter into contracts with an independent group to assist with this assessment. The bill would require the task force to include this assessment and additional actions to reduce the health impact of smoke in the next update to the action plan, as provided.