What You Need to Know: California is entering the peak of fire season, and the California Office of Emergency Services has identified up to $870 million in BRIC-funded projects that will lose federal funding for hazard mitigation. Without this funding, communities across the state face greater vulnerability to preventable disasters.
Sacramento, CA – Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Tracy), Chair of the Assembly Emergency Management Committee, is proud to announce that Assembly Joint Resolution 11 (AJR 11) has successfully passed both the State Assembly and Senate with strong bipartisan support and is now officially chaptered.
With California entering the height of wildfire season, AJR 11 comes at a critical time. Assemblymember Ransom’s resolution calls for the restoration of federal disaster resilience funding that communities rely on to prevent and prepare for catastrophic wildfires.
“At a time when we are already working to fill critical prevention gaps, we cannot afford to be handicapped by the cancellation of pre-designated funding,” said Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, whose leadership on this issue has been recognized by various organizations, including the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, which expressed support for AJR 11 and emphasized the importance of continued investment in disaster resilience.
AJR 11 urges the President and Congress to restore full funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. California is one of the most disaster-prone states in the nation- facing wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and severe drought. California depends on proactive federal investments to protect lives and infrastructure. The loss of BRIC funding threatens more than $870 million in wildfire prevention and hazard mitigation efforts statewide.
AJR 11 sends a clear message: California will not stand by while disaster preparedness funding is gutted. The Legislature is united in urging immediate action to restore BRIC and protect communities before the next disaster strikes.
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