SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and California Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil will be featured this weekend at a community round table panel discussion to help residents understand new wildfire mitigation, insurance, and home inspection laws that went into effect in the new year.

The Al Tahoe Firewise USA Community and the city of South Lake Tahoe are hosting National Wildfire Preparedness Day from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m Saturday, May 6, at the Recreation and Swim Complex, located at 1180 Rufus Allen Boulevard, to explain the impacts of these new laws and provide information on how to prepare for wildfires and improve the survivability of your home. 

Lara created a new insurance pricing regulation to recognize and reward wildfire safety and mitigation efforts made by homeowners and businesses. This regulation is the first in the nation requiring insurance companies to provide discounts to consumers under the Safer from Wildfires framework created by the California Department of Insurance in partnership with state emergency preparedness agencies. 

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Safer from Wildfires also includes community mitigation through the nationally recognized Firewise USA program. 

“Protecting Californians from deadly wildfires means everyone doing their part, including insurance companies by rewarding consumers for being safer from wildfires,” said Lara when he enforced the regulation. “My department will work diligently to increase discounts to reward the hard work that California consumers do to protect their families, homes, businesses, and communities.”

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Dianne Rees, leader of the Al Tahoe Firewise USA Community, told the Tribune, “We welcome this opportunity to share Al Tahoe’s Firewise success story regarding what we have done to mitigate wildfire risks in our neighborhood these past two years under difficult and challenging circumstances.”

Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, special guest speaker, will discuss her efforts and collaboration with Lara while serving on the Insurance Committee. Alvarado-Gil was recently elected in 2022 and represents the 4th district of California that includes the counties of Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Stanislaus, Madera, Mono, Merced, Nevada and Inyo. 

The city of South Lake Tahoe’s Fire Marshal Kim George and Fire Chief Jim Drennan will present information on how to mitigate wildfires and create defensible space. Rees will provide details on how to form a Firewise USA recognized district and the value it brings to communities. 

All city and county residents and businesses are invited to attend this free event where a round table panel discussion will answer questions submitted in writing during the event.

Sombreros Food Truck will be on site. 

For more information, visit http://www.altahoefirewise.com or http://www.cityofslt.us.