Senate committee advances Caballero bill requiring wildfire-specific emergency plans for water suppliers

The Senate Emergency Management Committee on Thursday passed SB 1153, sponsored by Senator Caballero, sending the measure as amended to the Natural Resources and Water Committee. The bill would require urban retail water suppliers in high wildfire-risk areas to include wildfire-specific procedures in their emergency response plans, make findings about the role and limitations of public water systems during wildfires, and clarify that limitations in water supply or pressure during a wildfire are not, by themselves, a substantial cause of wildfire damage.

Senator Caballero said the amendments (filed with input from the California Fire Chiefs Association) preserve liability for negligence while clarifying expectations for planning and investment. "This amendment was drafted in response to feedback from the California Fire Chiefs Association," the sponsor told the committee, and he said the bill does not reduce or remove liability for injuries or damages caused by negligence.

Dana Moore, executive director of the California Utilities Emergency Association (CUEA), testified that urban water systems should integrate wildfire planning into existing frameworks (risk assessments, emergency response plans and capital improvement plans) to meet minimum preparedness standards and avoid duplicative processes.

Dave Peterson, general manager of Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, described his agency27s experience in the 2018 Woolsey Fire and the Palisades Fire and said the post-fire liability landscape has changed "to a point where it requires reform." Peterson told the committee his agency faced "over 15,000" individual claims after the Palisades Fire; a large dollar figure appears in the transcript but was unclear and is not stated here as a precise, verified sum.

Members pressed the sponsor about balancing accountability and liability protections. Senator Perez, who identified local impacts in Altadena tied to the Eaton Fire and said constituents were receiving significant bills to connect to new systems, asked how the bill would protect ratepayers while encouraging necessary infrastructure improvements. The sponsor and staff said they would work to refine language to ensure planning is meaningful and does not create an unintended "safe harbor" if noncompliance language is read too broadly.

Committee members also discussed potential state roles in constructing retention basins and other regional water-storage infrastructure to support wildfire suppression, and flagged the need for clear implementation pathways so plans do not sit on shelves.

The committee voted to pass SB 1153 as amended to the Natural Resources and Water Committee. The sponsor thanked members and said he looked forward to further language work as the bill proceeds.