Redding Today

Californians have experienced some of the worst fires in the state’s history, and rebuilding can often be a lengthy and costly process. Earlier this year, Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) introduced SB 542 to help alleviate excessive taxation on payments to wildfire victims. The bill’s language was ultimately incorporated into the 2023-2024 budget bill SB 131, which was signed by the governor.

“Victims of wildfires need to be properly compensated by the responsible party and/or their insurance company. It is difficult to understand the tremendous loss that many have suffered due to wildfires. California needs to do right by these victims and not only improve electrical infrastructure and wildfire preparedness for the future but also provide immediate relief to those who are already struggling financially,” stated Dahle.

The Zogg Fire was a catastrophic wildfire that burned portions of Shasta and Tehama County, damaging 27 structures and destroying 204 structures according to an incident report.

“This bill in the budget excludes PG&E settlement payments awarded to victims of the 2020 Zogg Fire from gross income, meaning those payments would not be subject to income taxes. Wildfire victims are trying to rebuild after their lives have been devastated, and paying more taxes while trying to recover doesn’t help.”

Senator Dahle has been a longtime advocate of wildfire prevention and safety.

California's 1st Senate District contains all or portions of 15 counties, including Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Siskiyou, and Shasta. It also serves deferred areas of Tehama, Butte, Colusa, and Glenn counties.