California unveils wildfire prevention plan amid record fire losses, drought
SACRAMENTO — After the worst fire season in California history and as drought conditions raise fears of what’s to come, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders unveiled a $536 million proposal Thursday to boost efforts at firefighting and a variety of prevention measures, including vegetation management and the construction of fire-resistant structures across the state.
The proposal, which the
Legislature could send to the governor’s desk as soon as Monday, marks an early agreement by the governor and lawmakers to spend more than half of the $1 billion in wildfire funding Newsom called for in his state budget proposal in January. The gravity of the issue became clear last week after state officials reported the water content in the Sierra Nevada snowpack stood at 59% of the average for early spring.
“The science is clear: Warming winter temperatures and warming summer temperatures across the American West are creating more challenging and dangerous wildfire conditions,” said Wade Crowfoot, the governor’s secretary of natural resources.
According to an outline provided by legislative staff, more than $350 million will be spent on fire prevention and suppression efforts, including prescribed fires and other projects designed to reduce the vegetation growth that has fueled California’s most devastating fires. The package also includes $25 million for fortifying older homes that weren’t built using fire-resistance methods required during construction over the last decade.
“More suppression strategies, more prevention strategies, more regional, long-term, medium-term strategies,” Newsom said during an event in Fresno County. “And a greater sense of urgency than ever in contemporary California history.”
The agreement between Newsom, Senate President
Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-san
Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-lakewood) more than doubles the funds in the governor’s original plan for new fire prevention grants administered by the California Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection — and includes instructions that some of the money be prioritized for “projects that protect a larger population base,” according to bill language introduced Thursday. That provision could ensure a focus on fire threats across Southern California.