Meeting: State Senate hearing - catastrophic wildfires

A state Senate hearing focused on protecting homes from catastrophic wildfires is set for San Diego State University on Friday.

The public is invited to the event that in part will examine the lessons from the October wildfires that torched about 370,000 acres in San Diego County and more than a half-million acres across Southern California.

The meeting takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday in Room 201 of the College of Arts and Letters Building at 5500 Campanile Drive.

Hosted by the Senate committees on Natural Resources and Water and Governmental Organization, the hearing is one of several being conducted by state and local officials in the wake of the October fires.

State Sen. Christine Kehoe said this one will focus more on how to keep wildfires from destroying homes -- by building them in ways, and in places, that minimize their vulnerability -- than on how to improve firefighting.

"We know we need more funding, we know we need more equipment and more firefighters, but we want to look at some underlying fundamentals, (such as) the significant growth of development in the backcountry (and) the impacts of putting new development in harm's way," said Kehoe, D-San Diego.

Late last month, Kehoe introduced legislation to create a one-time fee on homes built in the backcountry, as well as a new annual fee on existing backcountry homes, to pay for prevention programs of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Kehoe is also seeking a state constitutional amendment that would empower cities, counties and fire districts to raise taxes for firefighting with 55 percent of the vote. Currently, it takes a 66.7 percent vote to pass a tax measure.

She said she hopes the hearing will underscore the need for her initiatives.

Kehoe stressed prevention is key.

"In the long run it's far less expensive than firefighting and, of course, far less dangerous and costly in terms of loss of property and loss of life," she said.

Five state senators are scheduled to attend the hearing, including Natural Resources and Water Committee Chairman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, who has been selected to lead the Senate later this year.

The legislative panels have invited scientists, land-use experts, fire researchers and fire officials to speak.