Created by Assembly Bill 38 and administered under a joint powers agreement between Cal OES and CAL FIRE. Assembly Bill 1531 expanded the governing board in 2026 to include the Department of Insurance.
Funds home hardening retrofits, including ember-resistant vents and non-combustible skirting, together with defensible space work, for eligible low-income households in high fire risk areas.
San Diego County was one of the two original pilot counties alongside Lake County, so the delivery relationships already exist here. The program has since expanded to Shasta County.
Money flows to homeowners rather than to the District, which makes the District role identification and referral. That makes this a direct answer for residents who cannot afford to comply with the vegetation management ordinance, and it costs the District nothing but the referral.