SB 746: Water: Urban Water Community Drought Relief program: Small Community Drought Relief program: high fire hazard and very high fire hazard severity zones.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

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.

Existing law authorizes specified state agencies, including the Department of Water Resources, subject to an appropriation, to make grants and direct expenditures for interim or immediate relief in response to conditions arising from a drought scenario to address immediate impacts on human health and safety or on fish and wildlife resources or to provide water to persons or communities that lose or are threatened with the loss or contamination of water supplies.

This bill would establish in the department the Urban Water Community Drought Relief program and the Small Community Drought Relief program to provide grants for similar interim or immediate drought relief. These programs, upon a specified appropriation, would authorize funding for benefits in addition to drought relief, including, among other projects, projects that reduce the risk of wildfire for entire neighborhoods and communities through water delivery system improvements for fire suppression purposes in high fire hazard severity zone communities or very high fire hazard severity zone communities, as designated by the State Fire Marshal or by a local agency.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Republican 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. February 2, 2026Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
2. May 23, 2025May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
3. May 16, 2025Set for hearing May 23.
4. May 5, 2025May 5 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
5. April 25, 2025Set for hearing May 5.
6. April 23, 2025From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 840.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
7. April 21, 2025From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.
8. April 4, 2025Set for hearing April 22.
9. March 12, 2025Referred to Com. on N.R. & W.
10. February 24, 2025Read first time.
11. February 24, 2025From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.
12. February 21, 2025Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.