June 24, 2025
The Honorable Stephen Padilla
Chair, Senate Committee on Governmental Organization
1020 N Street, Room 584
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 300 (Lackey) Fire hazard severity zones: State Fire Marshal.
Notice of Support (As Amended on May 5, 2025)
Dear Senator Padilla,
The City of San Marcos is pleased to support AB 300 (Lackey), which would authorize the Office of the State Fire Marshal to complete the fire hazard severity zone map designations at least once every five years.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is authorized under current law to develop and release fire hazard severity zone maps for the State Responsibility Areas (SRAs) and Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs), using the state’s best available science and data. The maps show fire hazards in these areas, including environmental conditions such as slope, wind patterns, vegetation type, and other conditions that influence how a fire could spread. For fire hazard severity zone designations in the LRA, these maps, once released by the state, are further required to be adopted via local ordinance within 120 days by local governments.
AB 300 would authorize the Office of the State Fire Marshal to complete the fire hazard severity zone map designations at least once every five years for the State Responsibility Areas and Local Responsibility Areas. This more routinely updated fire hazard information will help cities improve their planning and supports community efforts to prepare for wildfire impacts.
For these reasons the City of San Marcos supports AB 300.
Sincerely,
Rebecca D. Jones
Mayor
2 City Council
[email protected]