URGENT: Senate Bill 9 and SB 10 want dense housing in fire hazard zones--time for action!

From Livable California:

Journalists and many legislators mistakenly think SB 9 and SB 10, bad density bills opposed by Californians statewide, won’t be allowed in the state’s vast Fire Hazard Severity Zones.

Let’s get this straight before the State Assembly makes a terrible error and approves SB 9 or SB 10:

Both bills, which could pass in August, allow thick density in single-family areas within all Fire Hazard Severity Zones in California, such as the red areas in L.A. County shown below.

The red areas you see would be opened to 6-unit to 14-unit market-rate projects, where 1 home sits now. Now think: statewide.

When the fires come, we may see loss of lives, homes, belongings, pets and communities. 

Why aren’t journalists and legislators warning people? We’ve been asked “Doesn’t SB 9 exempt our burned area?” Or, “Don’t developers have to ‘fire harden’ 14-unit buildings under SB 10?”

No and No. Stay with us folks:

SB 9 and SB 10 rely on non-transparency. Both allude to a state government code that sounds like it requires special fire hardening if developers replace single-family homes with 6-unit and 14-unit market-rate housing.  

We looked up that state code. Our volunteer attorneys looked it up.  Our volunteer land-use experts looked it up. We found it, Government Code Section 65913.4.

It requires developers to follow existing building standards that they’ve already been required to follow for a decade. 

Seriously, folks. These two bills allow thick density without a thought about fire.

SB 9 and SB 10 both contain an escape clause that lets developers use 10-yr-old building standards. Neither bill requires new hardening to make dense new housing safer in fire zones.

So please call the legislators below, today or tonight, and tell them in your own words: 

Fire hazard areas will see 6 times more density, or 14 times more density, under SB 9 or SB 10. But developers only have to use old building standards they already follow. Please vote No on SB 9 and SB 10.

Please call the following legislators at their district office today. Or leave a message in off-hours (they DO listen to them): 

Name                           Dist    Phone

Rudy Salas                    32          661 335 0302   D

Thurston Smith             33          760 244 5277   R

Vince Fong                     34          661 395 2995   R

Jordan Cunningham    35          805 549 3381   R

Steve Bennett                   37          805 564 1649   D

Luz Rivas                            39          818 504 3911   D

Chris Holden                       41          626 351 1917   D

Chad Mayes                        42          760 346 6342   IND

Laura Friedman                   43          818 558 3043   D

Jesse Gabriel                      45          818 346 4521   D

Adrin Nazarian                     46          818 376 4246   D

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Livable California is a non-profit statewide group of community leaders, activists and local elected officials. We believe in local answers to the housing affordability crisis. Our robust fight requires trips to Sacramento & a lobbyist going toe-to-toe with power. Please donate generously to LivableCalifornia.org here.