IRC-Sponsored AB 2513 Signed Into Law After Unanimous Bipartisan Approval

California just took a meaningful step toward modernizing how the state understands and manages wildfire risk, and it started with a simple but long‑overlooked truth: not all fire‑prone landscapes are forests.

Assembly Bill 2513, authored by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie‑Norris and sponsored by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC), was recently signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The measure passed unanimously, 40‑0 in the Senate and 78‑0 in the Assembly, with no formal opposition.

This new law fills a critical gap in California’s wildfire policy. For years, state programs focused heavily on forest health, but Southern California’s landscapes are different. Chaparral, shrubland, grassland and coastal sage scrub dominate the region, each with unique ignition patterns, fire behavior and management needs. 

IRC brought the issue and an initial policy solution to Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris. Together, they shaped the bill language. The result is legislation designed to better align state policy and funding tools with the science and on-the-ground realities of wildfire prevention across California.

“Wildfire prevention in Southern California begins with recognizing our different landscapes and fire management needs. AB 2513 gives practitioners and state agencies better tools to prevent ignitions, strengthen ecosystem health, and move proven regional projects from planning to implementation.”

 – Michael O’Connell, CEO, Irvine Ranch Conservancy

 “California’s wildfire crisis isn’t confined to our forests. Southern California’s chaparral and shrubland landscapes carry serious wildfire risk of their own, and our statewide prevention programs need to reflect that. I’m grateful to the Irvine Ranch Conservancy for bringing this issue forward and helping shape AB 2513 into law. This bill directs wildfire prevention resources where they’re needed most, so we can build lasting resilience and keep our communities safe.”

– Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine)

WHAT AB 2513 DOES:

• Define Ignition Prevention. The new law establishes a clear definition that includes lawful activities to reduce human- and infrastructure-caused ignitions, such as replacing ignition-prone nonnative fuels with less flammable native vegetation, hardening infrastructure, and supporting community education and planning.
  
• Recognize Chaparral and Shrubland Ecosystems. The new law expands the state’s landscape health funding framework and implementation priorities to include the chaparral, shrubland, grassland, and coastal sage scrub ecosystems that dominate fire-prone regions of Southern California.
• Increase the Pace and Scale of Resilience Projects Across the State. The new law authorizes the directors of CAL FIRE, the Wildlife Conservation Board and the Department of Conservation to award regional landscape grants, helping expedite regional priority strategies, programs and implementation-ready projects.

Together, these changes would give state and local wildfire practitioners additional tools to reduce fire risk, improve ecosystem health resulting in fewer catastrophic fires, and invest in strategies better suited to the distinct landscapes and fire regimes found throughout California. 

“AB 2513 grew from a practical challenge: California’s wildfire funding statutes did not fully reflect the needs of communities and ecosystems outside forested regions. This law closes that gap while creating a more direct path for regionally developed, shovel-ready projects across the state.” 

– Mark Fenstermaker, Principal, Pacific Policy Group, on behalf of Irvine Ranch Conservancy 

AB 2513 earned support from a broad statewide coalition, including key IRC partners the County of Orange and Orange County Fire Authority, as well as the California State Association of Counties, League of California Cities, California Association of Realtors, California Municipal Utilities Association, Sierra Business Council, local governments, and many other conservation and wildfire resilience organizations. 

AB 2513 was presented to the governor on Sept. 15 and signed into law on Sept. 29. This enactment marks a major step forward in recognizing and investing in fire-prone chaparral and shrubland ecosystems across Southern California while giving practitioners statewide additional tools to accelerate wildfire resilience projects.