Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to develop a plan with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event, as defined, caused by wildfires or other sources, including establishing policies and procedures that address respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices and providing information to residents on what they should do if the air quality index hits a significant threshold. Existing law requires a county to develop a county-specific plan that addresses all of the recommendations and guidelines of the plan developed by the department.
This bill would require the department's plan to be completed on or before June 30, 2026, posted on the department's internet website within 7 days of completion, and distributed within 14 days of completion to specified local and state entities and officers. The bill would require the county-specific plan to incorporate a process to conduct outreach and communicate to the public and with key stakeholders specified information about the plan. The bill would require, after a county-specific plan or a regional multicounty plan is approved by the county's board of supervisors, a copy of the plan to be distributed to specified local officers and to the local and state public health directors. The bill would require the department to post a copy of each county-specific plan or regional multicounty plan after a plan is adopted by each county within 14 days of receiving each plan. By imposing a higher level of service on local officers, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would require the department to convene a wildfire smoke mitigation task force to research specified topics and recommend best practices to minimize public health impacts of wildfire smoke. The bill would require the task force to include representatives with experience in wildfire response, air quality, public health, and emergency response and would specify that task force members may include representatives from, among others, the Office of Emergency Services and the State Air Resources Board. The bill would require the task force to report its recommendations to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2028, and would require the department to publish those recommendations on its internet website.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Statutes affected:
AB 1003: 8593.25 GOV, 107250 HSC
02/20/25 - Introduced: 8593.25 GOV, 107250 HSC
04/01/25 - Amended Assembly: 8593.25 GOV, 107250 HSC