Copyright 2006 The Press Enterprise, Inc.
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By JIM MILLER
The Press Enterprise (California)
Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a bill Monday giving local officials the power to order people to clear 300-foot firebreaks around certain buildings — but not homes — in areas of high fire danger.
The measure by state Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, unanimously passed both houses of the Legislature.
The bill, SB 841, is similar to unsuccessful Hollingsworth legislation that followed the deadly 2003 firestorms in San Bernardino, Riverside, and other Southern California counties.
That bill, though, required 300-foot vegetation clearance in fire-prone areas instead of leaving them to the discretion of fire officials. It also would have taken precedence over environmental rules and other regulations.
Environmental laws will still be in force under the legislation signed Monday. In addition, the 300-foot clearance can apply only around hospitals, adult residential-care facilities, schools, above-ground storage tanks, and hazardous materials facilities.