Legislative, Judicial, and Executive
Emergency Response Initiative

The Governor remains committed to rapidly responding to emergencies and disasters that will occur in California. For this reason, the May Revision continues to propose the Emergency Response Initiative, formerly known as the Wildland Firefighting Initiative, to enhance the emergency response capabilities of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Office of Emergency Services (OES), and the Military Department.

The significant changes since the Governor's Budget are the following:

  • The surcharge, paid by those who hold insurance on all residential and commercial property statewide, will be set at two levels based on differing risk: 1.40 percent on those structures in areas designated as high-hazard zones in terms of earthquake, fire, or flood, as determined by OES and CAL FIRE risk maps, and 0.75 percent on those structures in low-hazard zones. These zones will be designated by zip code. Since homeowners, on average, pay $900 per year to insure their home, a 1.40-percent surcharge would result in an average cost of $12.60 per household in a high-risk zip code, and a .75-percent surcharge would result in an average cost of $6.75 per household in a low-risk zip code to fund this initiative.
  • The OES, rather than the California Department of Insurance, will be the entity responsible for administering the Emergency Response Account.
  • Due to delayed implementation, this surcharge is expected to generate approximately $69.3 million in the Emergency Response Account in 2008-09 as compared to the $104.9 million proposed in the Governor's Budget. In order to immediately enhance the state's firefighting capabilities, the May Revision proposes a $30 million loan to the Emergency Response Account from the Restitution Fund, to be repaid in equal annual installments, by no later than June 30, 2012.
Additional enhancements proposed in the Governor's Budget will be phased in and fully funded in 2009-10. These investments will be phased-in due to the lower projected revenues in the budget year. The revenue generated, plus the borrowed resources from the Restitution Fund, will fund the following critical needs for CAL FIRE and the OES in 2008-09:
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CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS for Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Back to Top

 Judicial Branch
 Office of Emergency Services
image of black pointing arrowEmergency Response Initiative
  CAL FIRE
  Office of Emergency Services
 Tribal Gaming Revenues
 Loans and Transfers from Special Funds
PRINTABLE BUDGET DOCUMENTS Back to Top
Revised Budget Summary - Legislative, Judicial, and Executive (pdf * - 57K) -
Provides the entire Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Chapter in pdf format.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Back to Top
Revised Budget Detail - Legislative, Judicial, and Executive
Displays Revised Budget Detail information for Legislative, Judicial, and Executive.

Proposed Budget Summary - Legislative, Judicial, and Executive (January 2008)
Displays Proposed Budget Summary information for Legislative, Judicial, and Executive.