The following are replies to questions submitted to SB254Questions@calquake.com and the informational webinar(s).

Responses to questions submitted during the March 6, 2026, webinar for the SB 254 were delayed as the SB 254 study team focused on completing the final study report as requested by the Legislature and Governor. Many of the questions asked on March 6 have now been answered by completion of the study and publication of the final study report that is available here: Enhancing California’s Resiliency to Natural Catastrophes; Senate Bill 254 (2025) Study Report

QUESTION: Has CEA identified a small number of cross-cutting themes that, if addressed systematically, can significantly reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfire in California?

ANSWER: CEA and the SB 254 study team have synthesized solutions from across the workstreams to identify themes that can yield more holistic and cross-cutting benefits for California. These are provided in the final study report.

QUESTION: How will the Study address utility-caused wildfire victims' compensation and utility liability long-term?

ANSWER: The Study directives from the Legislature and the Governor were explicit about looking at options to help speed survivor compensation and improve their recovery following f future catastrophes. All the workstreams met with survivors and considered disaster survivor impacts, and several look closely at existing liability and survivor compensation structures for investor-owned utilities (IOUs); the final study report considers their findings in the options.

QUESTION: How is the Study looking at differing impacts on residents served by investor-owned utilities vs. not-for-profit or municipal utilities?

ANSWER: The SB 254 study team met with a range of utility providers, including publicly-owned, non-profit and investor-owned utilities and considered financial, legal, and structural differences between them and how different options would positively or negatively impact ratepayers of these different utilities. The final study report considers those findings in the options.

QUESTION: Will the study address current insurance system challenges, including availability and costs?

ANSWER: The Insurance workstream of the SB 254 study team was tasked with looking at insurance-system issues and evaluate options to address insurance-market challenges such as availability and cost. Other workstreams (Utility Liability, Utility Risk Reduction, Risk Reduction and Financing, and Catastrophe Risk Financing) also considered insurance issues as they cross-cut with their workstream topics. Findings from all workstream analyses inform the options in the final study report.

QUESTION: How is the study looking at options for mitigating future catastrophic wildfires and will it consider cultural practices and community-led mitigation?

ANSWER: The SB 254 study team recognizes that in the face of increasing wildfire frequency and severity, reducing wildfire risk at the household, community, landscape and utility levels must be undertaken strategically and comprehensively across the state. The Risk Reduction and Financing workstream had a major focus on improving statewide coordination and support for community-led wildfire mitigation. The final study report considers workstream-developed risk-reduction options in its options list.

QUESTION: How is the studying looking at community scale recovery challenges such as contamination, rebuilding (and building standards), safety, and community health?

ANSWER: The SB 254 study team met with survivors and community leaders impacted by wildfires to understand the recovery and rebuilding challenges not only individuals but whole communities face. Individual workstreams examined various recovery elements, from compensation mechanisms to rebuilding standards. The final study report provides an array of options to improve recovery.

QUESTION: How is the study considering federal resources such as FEMA as part of the solutions considered?

ANSWER: The SB 254 study team evaluated available resources, including federal support in recent disasters. The final study report identifies an array of recovery and risk reduction resources in its presentation and analysis of options.

QUESTION: How will the Study’s recommendations be released, implemented, and incorporated into ongoing work?

ANSWER: The SB 254 study team released the final study report on April 7, 2026; findings from the five workstreams in the study converged to provide a final set of options for the Governor and Legislature for their consideration in the current legislative session.

QUESTION: Will the webinar recording be shared?

ANSWER: The presentation is on the CEA Wildfire Fund’s website: SB 254 Natural Catastrophe Resilience Study | CA Wildfire Fund

QUESTION: Where can we find the submissions by state agencies and others?

ANSWER: All submissions are on the CEA Wildfire Fund SB 254 website. State Agency Contributions are found here: State Agency Contributions

QUESTION: When will you post the #2 webinar recording of Feb-6-2026?

ANSWER: Due to unexpected technical issues with the Zoom platform, the video file for this session could not be recovered despite extensive troubleshooting and recovery attempts.

We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and understand the importance of access to these materials. While this recording is not available please reference the slide presentation to view the content shared during that webinar.

FAQ Archive

QUESTION: Should this be presented in outline/bulleted format just listing the “topics noted by the Legislature for evaluation” and the proposed solutions? 

ANSWER: Abstract Format: You are welcome to present your abstract in either outline/bulleted format or brief narrative form. The key objective is to clearly convey the topics you intend to address—especially those noted for Legislature evaluation—and the general direction of your proposed solutions. A concise, well-organized format is encouraged.

QUESTION: Is the expectation that the abstract will be a single page and the full proposal due on 12/12 would adhere to the 1,500 limit? 

ANSWER:

  • Abstract Length: While there is no strict page limit for abstracts, the abstract should serve as a high-level preview of your full proposal focusing on the areas you intend to address.
  • Full Proposal Guidelines: The final submission due by Friday, December 12, 2025, will ideally adhere to the 1,500-word limit if possible while adequately covering the topics. This helps ensure that contributions can be effectively reviewed and included.

QUESTION: Is it possible to do a presentation to the California Catastrophe Response Council (CCRC)?

ANSWER: Typically, the CCRC meets three or four times a year. Future meeting dates will be noticed on the Fund’s website: https://www.cawildfirefund.com/. You are welcome to attend those public meetings virtually or in person and may provide public comment at that time. Please note that public comments are generally limited to three minutes.

As directed by SB 254 (2025), the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), in its role as Administrator of the California Wildfire Fund, is responsible for preparing and delivering a report (Study) that includes findings and recommendations. The CCRC serves as the oversight body for this work but does not approve individual submissions.

QUESTION: Will CEA accept full submissions for consideration on or before December 12, 2025, even if an abstract was not submitted before the November 3, 2025, deadline?

ANSWER: Yes, the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) will accept full submissions for consideration on or before December 12, 2025, even if an abstract was not submitted by the November 3, 2025, deadline.

QUESTION: After submitting an abstract, is approval required before submitting the full paper, or should the full submission be made by December 12, 2025, deadline regardless?

ANSWER: Submitters may proceed with the full submission—no additional approval is required. The full submission should be received by the deadline of December 12, 2025.

QUESTION: - After submitting an abstract, can a full submission be used to replace the abstract that has already been posted online?

ANSWER: Yes, abstracts may be replaced upon request.

QUESTION: How will targeted stakeholders for engagement be selected and informed of their requested participation?

ANSWER: In addition to submitting input during the open comment period, interested parties are encouraged to sign up through the form available on our webpage. This will sign you up to receive updates as new informational webinars and engagement opportunities are scheduled. We also recommend checking the site periodically for the latest announcements.

QUESTION: What is the difference between webinar 2 (key themes) and today’s overview, or is webinar 3’s draft findings going to be a build on webinar 2?

ANSWER: Webinar 2 will highlight key themes the teams have developed as well as major themes gathered through the open call for submissions. Agendas for the following two webinars are currently in development, and updated information will be posted on the webpage as it becomes available.

QUESTION: Will remaining knowledge gaps / areas for further study be identified by the study?

ANSWER: The study is expected to highlight knowledge gaps and suggest areas where further analysis could be beneficial. Given the short timeline, it may not be possible to address all gaps fully.