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California bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

California SB 1153

Disaster preparedness: urban retail water suppliers and public water systems: wildfire.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Passed House
  5. To Governor
  6. Became law

Sponsors

Cosponsors (2)

Summary

Official abstract published by the California legislature· summary

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, requires all public water systems, as defined, with 10,000 or more service connections to review and revise their disaster preparedness plans in conjunction with related agencies, including, but not limited to, local fire departments and the Office of Emergency Services, to ensure that the plans are sufficient to address possible disaster scenarios. A person, as defined, who violates the provisions of this act is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill, beginning January 1, 2028, would require all urban retail water suppliers, as defined, serving 3,300 or more persons and serving a high or very high fire hazard severity zone to include incident-specific response procedures for wildfires as part of their disaster preparedness plans, including any applicable emergency response plan as required by federal law. The bill would require these plans to include, among other things, mitigation actions, including actions, procedures, and equipment, that can obviate or significantly lessen the impact of a wildfire on the water system and the supply of drinking water provided by the water supplier. Because violation of these requirements by certain urban retail water suppliers would constitute a misdemeanor, the bill would expand the scope of a crime, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. This bill would prohibit anything, including any other law, from imposing a duty on public water systems, including wholesale water systems, to design, construct, or maintain a water system for wildfire defense or suppression. The bill would further prohibit the failure of an urban retail water supplier to implement or comply with any of the incident-specific response procedures developed pursuant to the above requirements or the inability of any public water system to maintain water supply or water pressure during a wildfire from being considered a substantial cause of the damages resulting from a wildfire. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Text versions

Roll-call votes

State vote data last updated Oct 14, 2026, 8:13 PM.

DateVoteResultYour legislators
Aug 30, 2026
Senate		Unfinished Business SB1153 Caballero et al. ConcurrencepassSet your home in California to see
Aug 27, 2026
House		SB 1153 Caballero Senate Third Reading By CalderonpassSet your home in California to see
Aug 5, 2026
House		Do pass.passSet your home in California to see
Jun 30, 2026
House		Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]passSet your home in California to see
Jun 15, 2026
House		Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials]passSet your home in California to see
May 22, 2026
Senate		3rd Reading SB1153 Caballero et al.passSet your home in California to see
May 14, 2026
Senate		Do passpassSet your home in California to see
May 11, 2026
Senate		Placed on suspense filepassSet your home in California to see
Apr 21, 2026
Senate		Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]passSet your home in California to see
Mar 24, 2026
Senate		Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Natural Resources and Water]passSet your home in California to see

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