Marie Alvarado-Gil

SACRAMENTO – Over the past five years, California has experienced unprecedented wildfire… Wildfire smoke has poured in from hundreds of miles away, severely impacting air quality around regions unaffected by the wildfire itself. As a result, many people suffered from health and economic impacts as they have been forced to shelter in place, with businesses and schools shutting down, and other daily operations coming to a halt. Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil’s Senate Bill 945 (The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act) would allow state agencies to track and monitor air pollution, population exposure and cases of adverse health outcomes due to wildfire smoke. Using the compiled data, the appropriate agencies would be able to facilitate future research efforts to better understand the negative impacts of wildfire smoke on the environment and California’s population. Currently, there is insufficient data by the state and medical community on these health impacts.