SECTIONS 4740-4741 - California Statutes

PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE

SECTION 4740-4741

4740. The Legislature hereby finds and declares:
(a) The department has extensive technical expertise in wildland
fire prevention and vegetation management on forest, range, and
watershed lands. When appropriately applied, this expertise can have
significant public resource benefits by decreasing wildland fire
hazards, increasing rangeland production, improving watershed yields,
and increasing wildlife habitat.
(b) Because of limited fiscal resources, local government needs
assistance in preventing future problems resulting from inadequate
fire prevention planning and vegetation management.
(c) The state's taxpayers will benefit if existing state expertise
is made available to local governments, thereby eliminating the need
for duplicating such services at the local level.

4741. In accordance with policies established by the board, the
department shall assist local governments in preventing future
wildland fire and vegetation managment problems by making its
wildland fire prevention and vegetation management expertise
available to local governments to the extent possible within the
department's budgetary limitations. Department recommendations shall
be advisory in nature and local governments shall not be required to
follow such recommendations.
Nothing in this section shall alter the existing obligations of
any local government or affect the existing liability of any local
government.