Convening the Sierra – Fall 2026
September 25, 2026
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Join SBC at these Upcoming Events Across the Region
Bills are currently moving through policy committees in the house they were introduced in, and May 2 will be the last date for policy committees to consider bills with fiscal impact. SBC and Sierra Consortium priority bills such as SB 427 (which would permanently authorize the Habitat Conservation Fund), AB 491 (which would codify the nature-based solutions climate targets as an official state goal), and AB 900 (which would support science-based management of 30×30 lands) have moved out of their policy committees and will now move to their respective fiscal committees.
The Los Angeles wildfires and federal upheaval have generated a lot of uncertainty around the state’s budget. The upcoming release of the Governor’s revised budget in May will provide a more accurate picture of anticipated revenue vs. expenditures. Already, Governor Newsom signed an early action budget bill, AB 100 (Gabriel), which allocates over $170 million of accelerated funding to the state’s conservancies for forest and vegetation management, as well as $10 million to support wildfire response and resilience. This includes:
The funding will benefit from the same streamlining as the Governor’s emergency proclamation in March, meaning it is suspended from CEQA and the Coastal Act, with the intent to allow dollars to reach the ground as soon as possible for meaningful wildfire safety projects.
Join SBC at these Upcoming Events Across the Region
Two SNEW services that are often requested by Sierra Nevada public agencies are energy benchmarking (sometimes including AB 802 reporting for buildings
California’s 2026-27 legislative session wrapped up September 1 after a turbulent final week of negotiations over wildfire policy, funding, and the state budget. While a last-minute proposal on wildfire liability ultimately stalled, the Legislature did restore and increase funding for climate resilience through Proposition 4 and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)—a meaningful outcome for Sierra communities amid a challenging state budget year.
The final plan includes $329.5 million for wildfire and forest resilience through Prop 4 and $118 million for wildfire prevention through GGRF. While these investments are an improvement over the June budget, wildfire resilience funding remains near historic lows, with no clear plan for sustained investment in future years.
Read more about the final budget, Prop 4 and GGRF allocations, and what’s next for wildfire and climate resilience in the Sierra.