California homeowners may soon have new ways to protect their properties from devastating wildfires. Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a sweeping package of wildfire legislation to make communities safer while lowering some of the costs of home hardening and defensible-space projects.
The new laws include a low-interest loan program designed to help homeowners and businesses pay for fire-resistant upgrades, along with expanded wildfire prevention efforts, prescribed burns, and faster approval of fuel-reduction projects. State leaders say the measures build on hundreds of wildfire mitigation projects already underway across California.
But important questions remain. Who will qualify for financial assistance? When will the new programs become available?
And how can residents access funding to make their homes more resilient? In this video, we break down what Californians need to know about the new wildfire laws and how they could affect homeowners in fire-prone areas.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: New California wildfire laws aim to cut risk and upgrade homes
