New Bill Aims to Establish Wildfire Smoke Safety Standards in California

The proposed law would require the state to create emergency regulations for testing and cleaning homes, schools, and businesses impacted by wildfires.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 9:39pm

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A new bill introduced in the California legislature would ask the state's Department of Toxic Substances Control to create comprehensive scientific standards for addressing the toxic debris left inside buildings after wildfires. The bill, known as the Wildfire Environmental Safety and Testing Act, was inspired by a Chronicle investigation that revealed how insurance companies have at times contradicted science findings and minimized lab results showing chemical contamination within the homes of Los Angeles wildfire survivors.

Why it matters

The bill's author says it should be public health officials and doctors, not insurance companies, who decide when a home is safe to move back into. The proposed law aims to strengthen homeowner protections by establishing independent scientific standards rather than protocols many see as outdated and unsupported by rigorous evidence.

The details

AB1642 would require California's Department of Toxic Substances Control to create emergency regulations by July 2027 to guide the environmental testing and cleaning of homes, schools and businesses impacted by wildfires. The bill was introduced by Assembly Member John Harabedian, D-Pasadena, who cited survivors' stories and the Chronicle's investigation as having helped inspire the legislation. The bill is a proposed urgency measure that, if passed by two-thirds of both chambers, would take effect as soon as it's signed by the governor.

  • The bill was introduced on Tuesday.

The players

John Harabedian

A California Assembly Member, D-Pasadena, who introduced the Wildfire Environmental Safety and Testing Act.

Eaton Fire Residents United

A grassroots coalition advocating for thorough testing and remediation of smoke-damaged homes in the L.A. fires' burn zones.

Jane Lawton Potelle

The founder of Eaton Fire Residents United.

California Department of Insurance

The state agency that created a task force to write standards for how insurers should handle smoke damage claims, but lacks toxicologists or experts in the changing chemistry of wildfire smoke.

San Francisco Chronicle

The news outlet whose investigation revealed how insurance companies have at times contradicted science findings and minimized lab results showing chemical contamination within the homes of Los Angeles wildfire survivors.

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What they’re saying

“We firmly believe that any sort of standard about whether it's safe to inhabit your home again should be made by public health experts, scientists, doctors and not insurance companies.”

— John Harabedian, Assembly Member, D-Pasadena (San Francisco Chronicle)

“It wasn't until the San Francisco Chronicle's reporting ... that the wider public and electeds began to grasp what standing-home survivors have been facing.”

— Jane Lawton Potelle, Founder, Eaton Fire Residents United (San Francisco Chronicle)

What’s next

The bill will need to be passed by two-thirds of both chambers of the California legislature and signed by the governor in order to take effect as soon as possible.

The takeaway

This bill aims to establish independent, science-based standards for addressing the toxic debris left in homes, schools, and businesses after wildfires, rather than relying on insurance industry protocols that may not be aligned with modern scientific evidence and homeowner protections.