Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins ?San Diego District? and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon ?Lakewood District? announced a $536 million funding plan to help improve California's resilience to wildfires.
"With California facing another extremely dry year, it is critical that we get a head start on reducing our fire risk. We are doing so by investing more than $500 million in projects and programs that provide better fire prevention for all parts of California," said the California governor.
He added that key parts of the Administration's initial proposal have been supplemented with legislative ideas that will pay dividends over the years, such as increased investments in forest health projects, defensible space improvements, fire housing hardening, fire prevention grants, and prevention workforce training.
He noted that the plan includes vegetation management of public and private lands, community-focused efforts for prevention and resilience, and economic stimulus for the forest economy.
"Because we know that California's fires are not limited to forested lands, we have turned our attention to all types of vulnerable land and vegetation, with prevention incentives that protect more residents," the officials said in a joint statement.
The $536 million financing package consists of $125 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds and $411 million from the General Fund.
Similarly, officials plan to obtain federal disaster prevention grants to match the money spent on housing rehabilitation.
"We are pleased to have reached an agreement to put California quickly on the path to strong wildfire prevention, but we know more work is needed," they abounded.
On the other hand, they stressed that without the hard work of Assemblymen Richard Bloom and Phil Ting, and Senators Bob Wieckowski, Susan Rubio and Mike McGuire, among others, the plan could not have come to fruition. "We anticipate additional benefits from the 2021-2022 budget discussions."
