Golden State Sets Gold Standard for Wildfire Contamination and Survivor Mortgage Relief

(SACRAMENTO, CA) - Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) announced that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed three nation-leading bills into law providing essential relief for wildfire survivors. Harabedian has made wildfire recovery a priority since the Eaton and Palisades fires devastated communities across Los Angeles County.

"Twenty months since the Eaton Fire tore through my community, too many of my neighbors are still asking basic questions: is it safe to return home, and can I afford to rebuild? I'm honored to have authored first-in-the-nation legislation to help answer those questions by giving wildfire survivors scientific certainty in remediating smoke damage and providing essential mortgage relief," said Assemblymember Harabedian (D-Pasadena). "AB 1642 will set a new national precedent on scientific standards for clearing a home for occupancy after a wildfire. Science, not an insurance company's opinions, will determine whether a home is safe. AB 1842 creates a national model for granting mortgage forbearance to future wildfire survivors so no family has to immediately pay a mortgage for a home that no longer exists. AB 1847 extends the Mortgage Relief Act (AB 238, Harabedian) for an additional year for survivors of the Los Angeles Fires who are still desperately trying to rebuild. Thank you to Speaker Rivas for guiding this legislation and to Governor Newsom for signing it into law."

Following the Eaton and Palisades fires, families raised concerns about lead, asbestos and other toxic contaminants left behind in homes that were still standing. But California had no statewide scientific standard for determining what needed to be tested, how contamination should be addressed, or when a home was safe to return to.

Assemblymember Harabedian heard that concern repeatedly as he met with survivors, which inspired AB 1642 to establish standards for testing, investigating and addressing wildfire contamination, including lead and asbestos, and for determining when residential properties can safely be reoccupied. The law also provides guidance for schools affected by wildfires.

"Going forward, the question of whether a family can safely return home should be answered by science, not by an insurance company's guesswork," Harabedian said. "Families should not have to fight for the testing they need or be left trying to figure out on their own whether their homes are safe."

Harabedian has made financial recovery a priority since the Eaton and Palisades fires devastated communities across Los Angeles County. In 2025, he authored AB 238, which was signed into law to provide mortgage forbearance protections for homeowners affected by the fires. AB 1847 extends the Mortgage Forbearance Act (AB 238, Harabedian) for an additional year for homeowners impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires. As recovery from these fires continues to extend well beyond a single year due to insurance delays, rebuilding timelines, and displacement, this extension provides critical stability while families await insurance payouts, rebuild their homes, and reestablish financial footing.

Further, AB 1842 (Harabedian) creates the nation's first statewide mortgage forbearance program for homeowners whose residences are rendered uninhabitable by a major disaster. The law ensures homeowners can pause mortgage payments temporarily without late fees, penalties, or foreclosure risk, and with protections for credit reporting.

"AB 1642 marks a major step forward for wildfire survivors. These protections grew directly out of the experiences and advocacy of Eaton and Palisades fire survivors. These first-in-the-nation bills recognize wildfires cause toxic contamination in smoke-damaged standing homes and establish a scientific framework for testing and remediation of that contamination, as well as insurance coverage for those claims." - Jane Lawton Potelle, Executive Director of Eaton Fire Residents United (EFRU)

"The standing homes of the Eaton Fire were a curse in disguise. Spared by the flames, the data shows that these homes were pervasively contaminated with asbestos, lead and other toxic heavy metals released by the fire. In the absence of mandatory testing and scientific standards to remediate properties, many families were forced to return to still contaminated homes, putting their health at risk. As a victim of the fire and an isotope geochemist who has studied this contamination firsthand, I am thankful that AB 1642 will help protect other communities by creating scientific standards and guidance for safe reoccupancy for wildfire survivors." - Francois Tissot, Professor of Geochemistry at California Institute of Technology (CalTech)

Harabedian thanked Governor Newsom for his advocacy on wildfire recovery and for signing AB 1642 into law. He also thanked Assemblymember Mike Gipson for championing companion legislation, AB 1795, Speaker Robert Rivas for his leadership, and the survivors, advocates, experts and community members who helped move the legislation forward.

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