California Legislature Approves $2.5B Wildfire Relief Bills

California State Senators and Assembly members unanimously passed two bills Thursday morning to provide a total of $3 billion to help Los Angeles begin recovery and cleanup from the devastating wildfires.

The proposed funding in Assembly Bill 4 and Senate Bill 3 would provide $2.5 billion to help continuing fire fighting efforts as the fires are still blazing. Additionally, funding will go to Los Angeles local governments for recovery efforts, as well as the removal of hazardous waste. And the funding will provide ongoing shelter for survivors.

Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher introduced an amendment to AB 4 to increase the amount of funding. “These figures show that we’re not doing enough,” Gallagher said. “‘The next time’ is already here.”

The promise by the governor to treat 1 million acres a year has not happened, Gallagher warned, noting that ongoing fuel reduction and creating fire breaks must be continued.

“Congress is passing bills to strengthen fire management right now,” he said.

He noted that the state spent $5 billion on homeless programs last year.

However, Assembly Democrats killed Gallagher’s amendment, 59-19.

The bill’s author, Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), promised that this bill is “part of a much larger discussion,” and warned that “no community in California is safe from these wildfires.”

But Democrats just killed Gallagher’s amendment to increase the amount of funding…

Not everyone in the Assembly was interested in “much larger discussions” well into the budget year. “I don’t want a long conversation – we need to address this in the Special Session,” Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R-Riverside) said. “Do you intend to bring more wildfire bills in this special session?” he asked Assemblyman Gabriel.

“$2.5 billion is insufficient,” Essayli said. He said they don’t need to hear from fire fighters that their hands are tied by state regulations, and indicated the bureaucratic regulations impacting the environment need legislative fixes rapidly. “I support the environment, but there is nothing worse for the environment than wildfires.”

Assemblywoman Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) stressed that a sense of urgency is needed – now – and said “we can’t wait until June or July for the regular budget process.”

Dixon also said that there hasn’t been any discussion about water and noted that nothing has been done since the 2014 water bond was passed by voters authorizing two reservoirs.

Notably, President Donald Trump has suggested withholding federal aid to California until the governor and lawmakers agree to stop sending 80% of the state’s snowpack and rainwater to the Pacific Ocean for environmental purposes, and instead sending it south to farmers and Los Angeles. “I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down,” he said in an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity Wednesday.

Expectedly, CalMatters claimed that Trump is “repeating a false claim that the state did not permit water to flow from Northern California for the wildfires.”

Here’s the pie chart showing how California’s water is allocated:

No Assembly debate would be complete without someone blaming “climate change” for the state’s ills. Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) told colleagues that they need to address the cause of wildfire increases the last 10 years because… climate change. “We’ve been taking up big issues related to climate action,” he said. “This is all being driven by climate change.”

“We need to remember this moment to fight climate change.”

The Globe addressed the climate change component in a January 11th article:

“Most people actually know that the ‘climate change’ moniker is the latest catch-all for dull and deceitful politicians, and low-information journalists as cover for their incompetence and corruption,” we reported.

Anthony Watts, a meteorologist (and has been a contributor to the Globe), published an article at his website, Watts Up With That?, and explains why climate change did not cause these latest fires:

California’s relationship with fire predates the Industrial Revolution and certainly modern climate discussions. Historical records and studies consistently demonstrate that large wildfires have been a natural part of the state’s ecosystem for millennia. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the frequency of large wildfires in Southern California has remained relatively consistent over the last century, with human settlement and land management playing a much larger role than global temperature trends (source).

Watts includes a map of wildfires dating back to 1878 which shows that wildfires are endemic to California.

He also differentiates actual “weather” events from “climate change:” Santa Ana winds are a short-term weather event, not a long-term climate trend.

The Globe reported Wednesday that California Senate Republicans just issued a stunning report on nearly 20 years of proposed fire prevention legislation that was killed by Democrats. “Over the past two decades, Senate Republicans have worked to lower the risk of wildfires in California, to try to prevent the inevitable tragedies like what is now consuming vast swaths of Los Angeles County,” the Senate Republican Caucus said.

“We are addressing the symptoms, but need to go after the disease,” said David Tangipa (R-Fresno).

The disease is a lack of fire prevention.

Lastly, today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 471, the Fix Our Forests Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation focused on improving forest management and reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfires.

“The Fix Our Forests Act streamlines the consultation process for the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, preventing environmental groups from stalling projects or forcing unnecessary revisions to management plans,” California Rep. Doug LaMalfa said in a statement. “Additionally, the act mandates clearer reporting on hazardous fuels reduction efforts, addressing prior misrepresentation by federal agencies regarding the number of acres treated. It also explores the establishment of a Western headquarters for the U.S. Forest Service.”