California State Parks has announced the temporary full closure of the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area in Gorman due to extensive damage caused by the Post Fire. The closure has been in effect as of June 17. The wildfire, which started on June 15, has burned through large swathes of the park in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, impacting ...

Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, is strongly encouraging residents to prepare their households and families for wildfires. Over the weekend, numerous fires burned across Senate District 21, including Santa Clarita. “This is a wake-up call that wildfire season is here. Fires are a fact of life in California and can spread quickly, devastating wildlife, natural areas, and neighborhoods. It’s critical ...

Friday, Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, announced that his bill to make wildfire settlement payments tax-free was approved unanimously on the Senate floor.  “Wildfire victims, who have lost everything through no fault of their own, deserve every cent of any settlements they may receive. The legislature already recognizes this, and has granted tax-free status to numerous wildfire settlements,” said Senator ...

Monday, Congressman Mike Garcia’s, R- Santa Clarita, Fire Weather Development Act passed the House on a bipartisan basis. The Fire Weather Development Act legislation would improve our ability to forecast and detect wildfires and streamline communication during emergency events to better support communities vulnerable to wildfires, according to Garcia’s office. “Our community is all too familiar with the dangers that ...

Tuesday, Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, introduced legislation that would help wildfire victims by exempting settlement payments they receive from state income tax. “When you’ve lost everything, the last thing you need is a tax hit on the settlement money meant to help restart your life,” Wilk said. “The legislature has already decided that certain wildfire settlements shouldn’t be taxed. ...

The Los Angeles County Fire Department recently mailed their Annual 2023 Brush Clearance Notices to residents in Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZs) which includes Santa Clarita. There are approximately 60,000 homeowners who are expected to receive the notice for the very first time, while others have been part of our annual brush clearance program for many years, Fire officials said. ...

Representative Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita,  along with Young Kim, Julia Brownley and Judy Chu introduced the bipartisan Fire Information and Reaction Enhancement (FIRE) Act with the hopes of improving wildfire detection. The bill would enable the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop technology that improves the prediction of wildfire intensification, the forecast of smoke dispersion, information dissemination and ...

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) announced the availability of up to $240 million for Wildfire Prevention and Forest Health grant projects.  As a result of this funding, Cal Fire is soliciting applications for projects that prevent catastrophic wildfires, protect communities, and restore forests to healthy, functioning ecosystems while also sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas ...

Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, made the following statement following the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote on The Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, H.R. 5118, a package of nearly 50 bills that aim to address wildfire response, forest management and drought. Garcia’s main complaint about H.R. 5118 is that it fails to rise to the challenge of addressing wildfire ...

In the past few years, wildfires have become an increasingly common occurrence. According to Verisk’s 2019 Wildfire Risk Analysis, 4.5 million US homes were identified at high or extreme wildfire risk. If you live in a place at risk for wildfires, it’s important to have a wildfire insurance policy. Unfortunately, not all insurance companies offer this coverage, so it’s important ...