The effort is likely to run into economic and political obstacles for cities and counties that want to write building codes that might help prevent the sort of widespread damages caused by last month's wildfires.  Local governments have long been in charge of land-use decisions – state mandated policies on development policy are likely to meet stiff resistance at the local level. A 2004 study by the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies concluded that local and state governments actually are encouraging the construction of homes in fire- prone areas by tapping taxpayers to pay for brush suppression and firefighting.  Feinstein’s new legislation is designed to use federal money to get local governments on board. Hypothetically, cities and counties would adopt a national code to get extra federal money – for training firefighters and city planners, or for paying inspectors – as long as they impose consequences, such as fines, if the standards are not met. The California Building Standards Commission says the state has “the most stringent statewide fire-safety standards in the country.” The state agency is referring to state law that requires houses in fire-prone areas to have either roofs made of clay or cement, or fire-resistant wood shake roofs. The standards also require new venting that makes it harder for burning embers to get into concealed roofs or ceiling areas. The San Diego Union contributed to this story