AB1642 Support Sign-On Form

Eaton Fire Residents United worked with Assemblymember Harabedian's office to create AB1642 to support the public health recovery of residents after a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) fire.

AB 1642 (Harabedian), the Wildfire Environmental Safety and Testing Act, passed the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials (ESTM) and is now headed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 14th.

This bill would require the Department of Toxic Substances Control to establish science-based standards for testing and clearing smoke-contaminated buildings after wildfires. It sets health-protective thresholds for lead, asbestos, and other hazardous contaminants, and creates a Clearance Before Occupancy framework so families are not returning to unsafe homes.

There is no statewide standard. AB 1642 would change that.

By signing on below, your name and organization will be added to a coalition letter addressed to Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, urging her to move the bill off the suspense file and vote yes.

Letter for Organizational Endorsement

June 24, 2026

The Honorable Catherine Blakespear
Chair, Senate Committee on Environmental Quality
1021 O Street, Suite 3230
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: Support AB 1642 (Harabedian), Wildfire Environmental Safety and Testing Act
Senate Environmental Quality Committee, Hearing July 1, 2026

Dear Chair Blakespear and Members of the Committee,

We write as a coalition of residents, community organizations, public health advocates, and environmental groups in support of AB 1642 (Harabedian), the Wildfire Environmental Safety and Testing Act. We urge you to vote yes in committee.

AB 1642 passed the Assembly on a 59 to 3 vote and is now before the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. This bill would require the Department of Toxic Substances Control to establish science-based testing and clearance standards for wildfire smoke contamination, with full OEHHA-aligned standards in place by 2028. It would create a Clearance Before Occupancy framework ensuring homes meet health-protective thresholds before families return.

The January 2025 Los Angeles fires left behind more than burned structures. Wildfire smoke deposits hazardous contaminants on surfaces throughout affected areas, including lead, asbestos, heavy metals, cyanide, dioxins, and PAHs. These are not trace amounts. They persist in dust on floors, windowsills, and everyday objects long after the visible signs of fire are gone. At last count, more than 13,000 standing home smoke damage claims from the January fires remain unresolved, out of more than 40,000 total. Families are making decisions about where to live, work, and send their children to school without the information they need to stay safe.

California has no statewide standard for wildfire smoke contamination testing and clearance. AB 1642 creates one. It provides a replicable framework that protects public health and gives survivors, insurers, and regulators clear, science-based guidance.

Early, standardized testing prevents the kind of prolonged contamination disputes that have driven remediation costs to far greater levels in other disaster contexts. AB 1642 saves money by getting the science right the first time. The cost of inaction continues to fall on families who have already lost too much.

AB 1642 sets one neutral, science-based standard for when a home is safe. Without a standard, that judgment too often turns on what is cheapest to test for rather than what protects health. A single clear standard reduces the disputes that make recovery slower and more expensive for families, insurers, and the state alike.

California has an opportunity to lead. Wildfires are not going away, and no statewide standard currently exists for smoke contamination testing and clearance. AB 1642 sets that standard, protects public health, and provides a replicable model for communities across the state.

Please vote yes on AB 1642.

Respectfully,