Yee to Introduce Disaster Relief Bill to Help Affected Residents

State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, said today he will introduce legislation to provide disaster relief for people affected by last week's explosion and fire in San Bruno.

The bill, which has not yet been drafted and will likely be introduced during a special session of the Legislature this fall, is expected to include a homeowner's property tax exemption and will allow taxpayers to deduct income loss from the disaster, said Adam Keigwin, a spokesman for Yee.

Yee's bill will also likely include assistance to San Mateo County and schools in San Bruno by providing a one-year reimbursement from the state for property tax losses related to homes that were damaged or destroyed in the fire.

In other news, Warren Slocum, San Mateo County's chief elections officer and assessor-county clerk-recorder, said those affected by the fire will continue to be eligible for assistance from the county through its calamity relief program, which helps people replace for free their personal records such as birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and property deeds, and provides advice as to how to file a claim for property tax relief.

The county has also designated a point of contact for all San Bruno residents affected by the fire. He is Joel Morris, deputy assessor-county clerk-recorder, who can be reached at 650-599-1291 or jmorris@smcare.org. His office is at 555 County Center in Redwood City.

Calamity relief forms, vital records request forms and other questions can be found at www.smcare.org.

—Bay City News Service contributed to this report.