Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a series of bills aimed at speeding up wildfire recovery, establishing what officials call the nation’s first statewide standards for testing and cleaning up smoke damage in homes.
The move comes nearly two years after the devastating Los Angeles County fires left thousands of residents in limbo. While their houses may still be standing, many survivors have been unable to move back in, citing lingering smoke contamination and prolonged disputes with insurance companies over who is responsible for testing and remediation costs. According to the California Department of Insurance, the January 2025 fires generated more than 13,000 smoke-damage claims alone.
Newsom traveled to Altadena to sign the legislation, meeting with Eaton Fire survivors who have been pushing for clearer rules on how insurers must handle these claims. “These new protections will make insurer obligations clearer and give homeowners more financial flexibility when they need it most,” the governor said. The new laws take effect Jan. 1.
One of the centerpiece measures, Assembly Bill 1642, was authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian, a Pasadena-area Democrat. It orders the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control to develop formal standards for testing, repairing and removing lead and asbestos contamination by the end of 2028, with similar rules for other toxic substances to follow by the end of 2029. Until those standards are finalized, existing federal and state guidelines on lead and asbestos exposure will remain in effect.
A companion measure, AB 1795, establishes a legal presumption that smoke damage found within a designated fire zone was caused by that fire — shifting the burden of proof away from homeowners. The law also requires insurers to cover testing and cleanup costs in line with the forthcoming state standards.
“For homeowners who have already lost so much in a fire, the last thing a family should have to do is fight for a clear answer about whether it is safe to return home,” said Assemblymember Mike Gipson, a Carson Democrat who authored AB 1795.
The legislation arrives amid mounting legal pressure on insurers. The state Department of Insurance, Los Angeles County and individual fire survivors have all taken legal action against State Farm and the state’s insurer-of-last-resort, the FAIR Plan, accusing them of mishandling smoke-damage claims. Just last week, Los Angeles County opened a separate investigation into Farmers Insurance over similar allegations.
Newsom also signed two additional bills authored by Harabedian addressing the financial strain faced by displaced homeowners. AB 1842 creates a statewide mortgage forbearance program for residents whose homes are declared uninhabitable following a major disaster, barring lenders from imposing late fees or penalties while payments are paused.
AB 1847 goes further for survivors of the Los Angeles County fires specifically, extending mortgage forbearance eligibility to 24 months and pushing back the deadline for homeowners to request forbearance to Jan. 7, 2029.
Original source: CalMatters
