Quick Take:
In response to insurance issues residents have faced since the 2020 CZU Fire, Santa Cruz County recently secured a statewide recognition through the California Fire Risk Reduction Community List that could help ease some of these struggles and potentially fund future wildfire prevention efforts.
Since the CZU Fire burned over 86,000 acres of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties in 2020, many residents have faced rising insurance premiums, non-renewals and an increased reliance on the California FAIR Plan, which provides basic fire insurance coverage for high-risk properties when traditional insurance companies will not.
In response to these issues, the Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience (OR3) and Community Development and Infrastructure Department helped the county secure a Fire Risk Reduction designation through the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. The designation went into effect July 1.
“This recognition reflects years of work to make Santa Cruz County safer, better
prepared and more competitive for wildfire prevention funding,” OR3 Director David Reid said in a June 26 press release.
The California Fire Risk Reduction Community List, which is where the county was named as a designee, recognizes local agencies that have demonstrated a strong commitment to reducing wildfire risk through planning, community engagement, wildfire mitigation and implementation of state-recognized best practices.
The Fire Risk Reduction designation could make Santa Cruz more competitive for millions of dollars in future wildfire prevention grants to support projects like fuel reduction, wildfire planning and community education. It will also help qualifying homeowners, especially those on the FAIR plan, receive wildfire insurance discounts.
Homeowners interested in pursuing potential insurance discounts can contact their insurance agent or provider and ask whether the county’s new designation can be applied to their policy.
