Governor Newsom cut the fire budget in his state by over $100 million last summer. Specifically, he cut funding for wildfire and forest resilience just months before these devastating wildfires broke out.
Here’s more from Fox News:
A review of last year’s California state budget shows California Gov. Gavin Newsom cut funding for wildfire and forest resilience by more than $100 million.
The budget, signed in June and covering the 2024-25 fiscal year, eliminated $101 million from seven “wildfire and forest resilience” programs, according to a report from Newsweek.
The California fires, responsible for destroying more than 10,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area, are still not contained.
Cal Fire had a $5 million reduction in spending on fuel reduction teams, including funds used to pay for vegetation management work by the California National Guard, the report noted.
Other changes:
$28 million cut from multiple state conservancies that expand wildfire resilience $12 million cut from a “home hardening” experiment that would protect homes from wildfires $8 million cut from monitoring and research spending, mostly dedicated to Cal Fire and state universities $4 million cut from the forest legacy program, which encourages landowners to manage their properties