Bill AB 1642
Hello Fire Recovery Partners,
AB 1642 just cleared the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. Our community was in that room — and the committee voted yes.
This bill, authored by Assemblymember Harabedian, would establish the first statewide standards for testing and clearing lead, asbestos, and toxic wildfire chemicals inside and outside of standing homes, schools, and workplaces after a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) fire. Right now, no such standards exist anywhere in California law.
EFRU submitted testimony citing our own data: 6 out of 10 homes that have been professionally remediated are still not habitable due to lead and/or asbestos. Families moved back in. Children on contaminated floors. And no legal standard to hold anyone accountable.
Today, that started to change.
Watch highlights from the hearing
Thank you to @Assemblymember Harabedian and every supporter who signed on — more than 80 organizations and 600 individuals. This is what community-powered science looks like.
The fight continues.
THANK YOU
We greatly appreciate your partnership in our communities' recovery. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns you might have at contact@efru.la.
Sincerely,
Jane Lawton Potelle
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