SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Wednesday issued two executive orders to further assist communities recovering from devastating fires – one to help ensure students displaced by this month’s Camp, Woolsey and Hill fires are able to return to school as soon as possible and another to extend the state’s prohibition on price gouging during emergencies for counties recovering from July’s Mendocino Complex, Carr and Klamathon fires, as well as counties impacted by numerous wildfires last year, including the Tubbs, Nuns, Atlas and Thomas fires. The order related to the Camp, Woolsey and Hill fires includes provisions to facilitate the use of temporary school facilities and waivers for requirements related to class size, outdoor physical education and school district residency. The full text of the executive orders signed today can be found here and here. Earlier this month, the Governor secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster the statewide emergency response and issued an executive order to streamline recovery efforts. Governor Brown also met with residents impacted by wildfire in Butte and Ventura counties, joined the President to discuss recovery efforts and survey Camp and Woolsey fire damage and held briefings on the ongoing response with top…

SACRAMENTO — As survivors of the Camp and Woolsey wildfires begin the long road to recovery from the recent devastating wildfires that have so far tragically killed 91 people and destroyed more than 14,000 homes, other homeowners in wildfire areas may find themselves shopping for coverage when rates increase or they receive non-renewal notices, as some insurers limit their underwriting. To help consumers shop for the most coverage at the best price, the department has a convenient, easy-to-use online price comparison tool available. The homeowner insurance comparison tool is designed to take some of the guesswork out of shopping for insurance by allowing consumers to quickly and easily make comparisons of rates from both national and local insurance companies. “Finding the best coverage for your needs starts by being well informed,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “As the number and severity of wildfires grows and some insurers limit their underwriting, it is important for consumers to shop around for the most coverage they can afford and this online tool provides a wealth of information to help them in that search.” While this tool does not provide actual premium quotes, it does provide each company’s average premium and a toll-free number…

SAN FRANCISCO, October 25, 2018 – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today acted to further protect the state from wildfires related to electric facilities by setting the framework to provide guidance on initial utility wildfire mitigation plans, and inviting the input of all stakeholders in guiding its approach. Senate Bill 901 requires electric utilities to prepare and submit wildfire mitigation plans that describe the utilities’ plans to prevent, combat, and respond to wildfires affecting their service territories. Through the proceeding it opened today, the CPUC will review the initial plans, and develop and refine the content of and process for review and implementation of wildfire mitigation plans to be filed in future years. “This is the first of many steps the CPUC will take to implement Senate Bill 901, which addresses a number of issues in our jurisdiction related to wildfires,” said CPUC President Michael Picker.  “Our immediate task is to develop the first round of the annual utility wildfire mitigation plans and to consider requirements for subsequent plans in the future. This issue is vital for the safety of California and we will work quickly and diligently to get it done.” Investor-owned utilities have been required to develop…

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is the grantee of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a result of the 2017 wildfires in California. On November 12, HCD released a draft Action Plan for proposed usage of $124 million in Unmet Recovery Needs CDBG-DR funds. The CDBG-DR funds are designated to help unmet housing needs for households meeting certain Federal income criteria.  HCD is proposing two main programs for housing: an Owner-Occupied Single Family program to be operated as a single statewide program and a multi-family program to be operated at the local jurisdiction level. A copy of the draft Action Plan can be found on the HCD webpage in both English and Spanish at http://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/disaster-recovery-programs/cdbg-dr.shtml Public comment on the draft Action Plan opened November 13, 2018, and closes at midnight December 12, 2018. Comments in writing will be received via email at DisasterRecovery@hcd.ca.gov and via postal mail at: Attn:  Susan Naramore 2020 West El Camino Ave, Suite 500 Sacramento, CA Public Meeting Opportunity to Provide Public Comment: HCD will hold a discussion of the Draft Action Plan for Disaster Recovery…

As neighborhoods are rebuilding, how to plan for the re-establishing of mail delivery has been a frequent question. The United States Postal Service (USPS) has issued the following statement regarding this topic: While centralized delivery is the Postal Service’s preferred mode of delivery for all new residential and commercial developments, the fire-damaged areas of Santa Rosa had  a mixture of pre-existing delivery methods established. Therefore, the Postal Service will continue with whatever mode of delivery existed to those areas as they are considered re-established developments rather than ‘new’ residential developments.

The City of Santa Rosa and County of Sonoma recently mailed recovery and resource information to fire survivors. The following materials were included in the mailing: Preparing your property for the rainy season Creating defensible fire-scaping Frequently asked questions regarding the debris removal insurance reimbursement process (sent only to residents who participated in the Government-Sponsored Debris Removal Program) A letter about the debris removal insurance reimbursement process (sent only to residents who participated in the Government-Sponsored Debris Removal Program) Residents who participated in the Government-Sponsored Debris Removal Program received an update about the debris removal insurance reimbursement process within their packet. We’ve received some inquiries regarding this update and want to clarify the process currently set up to receive debris removal insurance reimbursement funds. The current program set up to receive debris removal insurance reimbursement funds is NOT mandatory. The process was created to accommodate fire survivors who have previously expressed interest in transferring the debris removal insurance funds they’ve received from insurers to the County at this time. We apologize if the letter created any confusion. Below are a few reminders about the debris removal insurance reimbursement process if you participated in the Government-Sponsored Debris Removal Program: We do…

SANTA ROSA, CA – The County of Sonoma and City of Santa Rosa will hold a ceremony on October 8, 2018 in observance of the one year anniversary of the Sonoma Complex fires. The ceremony will include a memorial bell ringing to remember those who lost their lives in the fires and provide an opportunity for community grieving, healing and reflection through public chalk art expression. The chalk art will continue on October 9th. The community is invited to the ceremony which will be held in downtown Santa Rosa at Courthouse Square. Schedule is as follows: Monday, October 8, 2018 4:00 – 8:00pm Chalk available for public art expression. Chalk art will be encouraged on sidewalks around Courthouse Square. 6:00pm Ceremony Reading by Sonoma County Poet Laureate, Maya Khosla Firefighter memorial bell ringing Tuesday, October 9 10:00am-6:00pm Continuation of public chalk art expression Additional remembrance events are being planned throughout Sonoma County by other community organizations. For a listing of those events, please visit: SonomaCountyRecovers.org.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is holding a public meeting in Santa Rosa on October 2, 2018,  to provide an overview of the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program for residents of Sonoma County and the City of Santa Rosa who were impacted by wildfires in October 2017. HCD is the grantee of CDBG-DR funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and works with local governments and organizations to fund programs that provide long-term recovery assistance for housing, infrastructure, and economic revitalization. At this meeting, HCD will discuss proposed recovery programs, program eligibility, and the timeline for funding for FEMA disasters DR-4344 and DR-4353. The meeting will take place on October 2, 2018, at the City of Santa Rosa’s Utilities Field Operations Center Utilities Training Rooms A, F & M, 35 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 from 6pm-8pm. This is a public meeting and all interested parties are welcome. Impacted households, the general public, business and nonprofit leaders are invited to attend. To request translation services or for hearing or visual assistance, please contact Susan.Naramore@hcd.ca.gov. If you would like more information on the CDBG-DR program, visit HCD’s website.…

Over the past several months, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES) has been working to address over-excavation that occurred as a result of the Sonoma County Consolidated Debris Removal program. After this Friday, September 21, CAL OES will not be able to support the evaluation and potential remediation of any additional properties that have not already been reported for assessment. If you believe that your property was over-excavated during debris removal, this will be your final opportunity to request to have your property assessed. For properties that are determined to be over excavated, the State’s contractor will backfill in a manner that is compliant with Sonoma County and the City of Santa Rosa building standards. To request to have your property assessed for over-excavation, you must call the Sonoma County Recovers Information Line at 707-565-1222 or email info@sonomacountyrecovers.org or visit the County Administrator’s Office located at 575 Administration Drive Suite 104A by 5pm this Friday, September 21, 2018.

SACRAMENTO — Thousands of wildfire survivors face a long road recovering from the latest  devastating fires that have destroyed or damaged at least a thousand homes in Northern California. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones urges wildfire survivors to be aware about the dangers of hiring unlicensed contractors as they begin the recovery process and to be on the lookout for scam artists trolling the area. “A wildfire leaves more than burned homes and uprooted lives in its wake,” Jones said. “These catastrophes also can blow in fly-by-night unlicensed contractors and door-to-door scam artists eager to capitalize on the misfortunes of innocent and traumatized wildfire survivors.” The most common fraud schemes that occur in the aftermath of a disaster generally involve price gouging, offers of debris removal, and fraudulent charitable solicitations. Because property loss from a disaster can be so traumatic, victims of disaster can become easy targets for fraud. It is important to keep a sharp lookout for people who try to play on the emotions of those stricken by disaster. Public adjusters are prohibited from soliciting business until seven days have elapsed since the conclusion of a disaster unless the public adjuster is contacted directly by the insureds or…