Fire Season & Insurance Rates: A Smarter Path Forward
Why I Believe Tuolumne County Deserves Better — And What We Can Do About It
If you live in Tuolumne County, especially in District 3, you already know that fire season isn’t just a distant concern anymore. It’s a constant reality. Every summer we brace for smoke, prepare for evacuations, and hope we won’t be next. But even when the flames don’t come close, the costs still do — in the form of higher insurance premiums, canceled policies, and growing uncertainty for homeowners.
This isn’t sustainable. And I believe there’s a better way forward.
We Need to Focus on Prevention — Not Just Reaction
I’m running for Supervisor because I want to shift our approach from reactive to proactive. We’ll never eliminate wildfire risk entirely, but we can absolutely reduce it, and when we do, we can also make our communities more insurable.
That means investing in real, local fire prevention work:
Clearing defensible space
Supporting shaded fuel breaks
Upgrading water infrastructure
And making sure our evacuation routes are actually usable when it counts
Too often, these projects are underfunded, piecemealed, or left to volunteers. I want to change that.
District 3 Has Some of the Most Fire-Prone — and Fire-Prepared — Communities in the County
From Pinecrest to Tuolumne City, I’ve seen firsthand how dedicated our Fire Safe Councils are. I’ve met the neighbors who organize chipping days, haul brush, and write grants on their own time. These folks deserve support, not red tape.
As Supervisor, I’ll work to:
Expand county-supported defensible space programs, especially for seniors and those in high-risk areas
Fund local Firewise certification efforts to make entire neighborhoods safer
Strengthen partnerships between fire districts, Fire Safe Councils, and emergency management teams
We Can’t Afford to Miss Out on Funding Anymore
The state and federal governments are offering grants for wildfire mitigation. But Tuolumne County often struggles to apply for or implement them. We need a dedicated team focused on bringing that money home and turning it into real results on the ground.
That includes:
A grant-writing task force inside county government
A better process for vetting and completing fire-related infrastructure projects
Improved coordination with CAL FIRE and federal agencies
Making sure our prevention work is visible to insurance companies, so we can fight for better rates
Insurance Companies Need to See What We’re Doing — And We Need a Seat at the Table
One of the most frustrating things I hear from residents is:
“I’ve done everything they asked, cleared brush, hardened my home… and they still dropped me.”
That’s wrong.
We need a system where effort counts — where fire-hardened homes and prepared communities are rewarded, not penalized.
As Supervisor, I’ll advocate for:
Regular meetings between county staff and insurance industry reps
Tools that allow homeowners to verify and share mitigation work
A county fire risk dashboard showing real-time progress on prevention projects
Support for state legislation that gives local governments more leverage to hold insurers accountable
Let’s Build a County That’s Safer — and Easier to Insure
This is about more than brush clearing and premium hikes. It’s about protecting the places we love — and giving people a fair shot at being able to stay in their homes. It’s about building trust between residents, emergency services, and insurers.
I believe we can be smarter, faster, and more united in how we handle wildfire risk. That’s the leadership I’m ready to bring to Tuolumne County.
Thanks for being part of this conversation… and our community.
