Damon Connolly
- Democratic
- Assemblymember
- District 12
Author
The California Endangered Species Act prohibits the taking of an endangered, threatened, or candidate species, except as specified. Under the act, the Department of Fish and Wildlife (department) may authorize the take of listed species by certain entities through permits or memorandums of understanding for specified purposes. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas in the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on consistent statewide criteria and based on the severity of fire hazard that is expected to prevail in those areas. Existing law requires a local agency to designate, by ordinance, moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones in its jurisdiction within 120 days of receiving recommendations from the State Fire Marshal, as provided. This bill would authorize a city, county, city and county, special district, or other local agency to submit to the department a wildfire preparedness plan to conduct wildfire preparedness activities on land designated as a fire hazard severity zone, as defined, that minimizes impacts to wildlife and habitat for candidate, threatened, and endangered species. The bill would require the wildfire preparedness plan to include, among other things, a brief description of the planned wildfire preparedness activities, the approximate dates for the activities, and a description of the candidate, endangered, and threatened species within the plan area. The bill would require the department to impose a fee on a local agency for the cost of reviewing a wildfire preparedness plan submitted by that local agency, as specified. The bill would require the department, if sufficient information is included in the wildfire preparedness plan for the department to determine if an incidental take permit is required, to notify the local agency within 90 days of receipt of the wildfire preparedness plan if an incidental take permit or other state permit is needed, or if there are other considerations, exemptions, or streamlined pathways that the wildfire preparedness activities qualify for, including, but not limited to, the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection's California Vegetation Treatment Program. The bill would require the department to provide the local agency, in its notification, with guidance that includes, among other things, a description of the candidate, endangered, and threatened species within the plan area and measures to avoid, minimize, and fully mitigate the take of the candidate, threatened, and endangered species, as provided. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2026, to make a standard wildfire preparedness plan submission form publicly available on its internet website. The bill also would require the department, commencing January 1, 2027, to annually post on its internet website a summary of the wildfire preparedness plans submitted and include specified information in that summary.
In committee: Held under submission.
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 24).
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 1907.)
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 23).
Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 51. Noes 16. Page 1644.)
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on W. P., & W. Read second time and amended.
Referred to Coms. on W. P., & W. and NAT. RES.
From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
Read first time. To print.
| Bill Text Versions | Format |
|---|---|
| AB846 | HTML |
| 02/19/25 - Introduced | |
| 03/27/25 - Amended Assembly | |
| 05/23/25 - Amended Assembly | |
| 06/26/25 - Amended Senate |
| Document | Format |
|---|---|
| 04/04/25- Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife | |
| 04/18/25- Assembly Natural Resources | |
| 04/28/25- Assembly Appropriations | |
| 05/28/25- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS | |
| 06/20/25- Senate Natural Resources and Water | |
| 07/11/25- Senate Appropriations |
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