Support Bill AB 1642
Wildfire Environmental Safety and Testing Act (Harabedian)
CALL JULY 20–AUG 9: URGE THE SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE TO PASS AB 1642 AND STOP AB 1795
Complete EFRU’s Call to Action!
Contact members of the Senate Appropriations Committee
and urge them to vote YES on AB 1642
and NO UNLESS AMENDED on AB 1795
at the committee’s August 13th hearing.
Read about AB 1642 below. Learn about AB 1795 here.
Hello Fire Recovery Partners,
Both standing-home bills AB 1642 and AB 1795 advanced from their Senate committees, but the path ahead is uncertain.
AB 1642,the Wildfire Environmental Safety and Testing Act, would establish statewide, health-based requirements for testing, remediation, and clearance before occupancy following wildland-urban interface fires.
AB 1795, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act, also continues to advance. The bill grew out of recommendations from the Smoke Claims Remediation Task Force, which was composed largely of insurance-industry representatives. It has moved forward out of committee still without the written amendments promised by its author on the Assembly Floor on June 8, 2026, including changes addressing contaminant scope, wildfire causation, the presumed impact zone, and the bill’s reliance on trade and industry standards that may permit sight-and-smell evaluations in place of comprehensive testing.
What happens next could determine whether smoke-damaged homes are evaluated through independent, science-based standards or left subject to insurer-controlled practices that may fail to protect fire survivors.
Before both bills reach the Appropriations Committee, residents, advocates, health professionals, and supporters must participate in the call to action. Legislators need to hear clearly that AB 1642 must advance and that AB 1795 should not move forward without the promised protections and amendments. Strong public participation now can help shape the outcome before critical funding decisions are made.
In solidarity,
Jane Lawton Potelle
EFRU’s position letter on 1642
Read & Share our AB 1642 Leave Behind
Read about the current lack of health-based testing standards:
San Francisco Chronicle New York Times San Francisco Chronicle