California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday announced a new partnership between the California Department of Insurance and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Administration to establish statewide standards for home and community hardening aimed at reducing wildfire risk, protecting lives and property and making insurance available and affordable to residents and businesses.

The partnership includes the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the California Public Utilities Commission.

While California has existing wildfire building standards for new development as established by Calfire, the new partnership consisting of state wildfire, catastrophe, and insurance experts will establish consistent standards based in fire science, and apply to retrofits for older existing homes to help them seek and maintain insurance coverage, “thus giving policyholders and insurance companies a shared strategy for reducing wildfire risks,” according to a CDI announcement on Monday.

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