Newsom plans $105M to fight fires
On Tuesday, his first day on the job, California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed $105 million in new spending to prevent, fight and help people escape wildfires after one of the state’s worst fire seasons.
Newsom’s plan, which is in addition to $200 million approved by lawmakers last year, includes funding to help local governments improve communication during emergencies and to modernize the state’s 911 system.
He announced his proposals from a fire station in the Sierra Nevada foothills, a high-risk fire area.
“I place no greater emphasis, energy and sense of urgency than on the issue of public safety,” Newsom said.
Wildfires ravaged Northern and Southern California in 2018 while Newsom was lieutenant governor. The Camp Fire killed a record 86 people – making it the nation’s deadliest in a century – and destroyed about 14,000 homes while wiping out the town of Paradise. The Woolsey and Hill fires sparked on the same day, the former forcing a quarter of a million people to evacuate in 18 hours, including celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga.
In the summer, the Carr and Delta fires scorched the areas around Redding, collectively burning 115,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Newsom said the state’s budget will include funding to make up for three years’ worth of property tax losses in Butte and
Lake Counties, where multiple fires have erupted in the past few years.
Millions will go toward developing better communication strategies and improving emergency alert systems, Newsom said, after local governments faced criticism for not warning some residents to evacuate.
Newsom said he’ll designate $10 million to update California’s 911 analog system. Though he won’t push for it this year, Newsom said, state lawmakers probably will need to pass a consumer fee to fully modernize the system.
Much of the $305 million would go toward forest management and fuel reduction, Newsom said. Other proposals he announced include buying new fire engines to deploy in fire-prone areas, improving camera technology to monitor fire threats and fixing firefighting aircraft.
Republican Assemblyman Jim Gallagher, who represents Paradise, said there was “a lot to like” in Newsom’s proposal. “This shows he’s ready to hit the ground running, and it’s an issue we certainly are both concerned about and will be working together on,” Gallagher said.
“I place no greater emphasis, energy and sense of urgency than on the issue of public safety.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom