Let me walk you through some important developments coming out of Sacramento that could really affect how fires get handled moving forward, particularly for folks dealing with smoke damage.
Governor Newsom just signed a package of bills that sets California's first-ever standards for how insurance companies have to handle smoke damage claims. What's prompting this is pretty sobering—almost two years after the Los Angeles County fires, thousands of people still can't return to their homes even though the structures didn't burn. The holdup has been insurance disputes over who pays for testing and cleanup to determine if the smoke has made the homes unsafe. According to CalMatters Housing, the state Insurance Department says more than thirteen thousand smoke-damage claims came from the January fires alone.
One of the key bills, authored by an assemblymember from Pasadena, directs the state to create specific testing standards for hazardous materials like lead and asbestos by the end of 2028, with standards for other toxic materials following by 2029. Until those new standards are in place, existing federal and state guidelines will apply. Another bill creates what's called a legal presumption that if smoke damage happens in a fire zone, it came from that fire—which puts the burden on insurers to pay for testing and cleanup rather than homeowners having to prove it.
The state is also tackling the financial strain these disasters create. New mortgage forbearance programs will let homeowners pause payments without penalties while they deal with damage assessments. For survivors of those Los Angeles County fires specifically, they can pause for up to twenty-four months, and they have until early 2029 to request that help. These laws take effect on January first.
What I'm seeing locally and across the East Bay is that as wildfire seasons continue to be intense, these protections are going to matter more and more for our communities. The clarity on insurance obligations means homeowners won't get stuck in limbo as long, and the mortgage protections give people breathing room during an already devastating time. This is how policy can actually ease the recovery process when disaster strikes.
