Issue Position: Natural Disasters

Issue Position

Since the Thomas Fire and the Montecito Debris Flow, Monique has worked on creating legislation and supporting a state budget that not only pushes for resources and improvements in disaster recovery but focuses on how we can prevent natural disasters and more efficiently respond to them once they occur.

In the area of disaster prevention, Monique authored AB 1956, The Fire Prevention Act of 2018, which reestablished a fire prevention working group that enlisted fire prevention experts to develop new methods of fire prevention and created a robust year-round fire prevention local assistance grant program. This bill became part of the 2018 budget.

Monique's bill AB 1877 (2018), Effective and Inclusive Emergency Communication, was part of the disaster response initiative that ensured California communities, regardless of the language they speak, have improved access to clear and accessible emergency information. It requires that emergency communications of both State and County Offices of Emergency Services be made accessible to the members of our community who speak a language other than English.

Monique also co-authored SB821 (2018), Emergency Notification: Office of Emergency Services (Jackson), ensuring emergency communications reach everyone by creating an opt-out emergency alert system, as well as AB 1772 (2018), Fire Insurance: Extending Policy Limits for Full Replacement Cost Coverage (Aguiar-Curry), which extends the insurance deadline to recoup rebuilding costs.

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