Gov. Newsom Ends 26 Open States of Emergency Throughout California

Governor Gavin Newsom ended 26 separate open States of Emergency on Tuesday, with many declared as far back as 2017.

The now ended states of emergency also vary on locality with some, such as those covering statewide diseases, while others were extremely localized wildfires confined to a single county.

With other States of Emergency set to end throughout February, including the big anticipated end to the COVID-19 State of Emergency on February 28th, the ending of the States of Emergency are expected to free up state resources. Active States of Emergency are expected to last longer, such as the one open for the recent storms and flooding, which occurred last month.

“I, Gavin Newsom, Governor of the State of California, having found that the conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property declared in the State of Emergency proclamations listed below no longer exist, therefore proclaim that the States of Emergency proclaimed on the following dates and in the following jurisdictions no longer exist, effective immediately,” Governor Newsom said in his proclamation Tuesday.

Over half of the ended States of Emergency were over fires, with 14 cancelled. These include:

• Cherokee, LaPorte, Sulphur, Potter, Cascade, Lobo, and Canyon Fires – Originally declared 10/9/2017  – Butte, Lake, Mendocino, and Orange Counties
• Tubbs and Atlas Fires – Originally declared 10/9/2017 – Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba Counties
• Atlas Fire – 10/10/2017 – Solano County
• Thomas Fire – 12/5/2017 – Ventura County
• Pawnee Fire – 6/25/2018 – Lake County
• Klamathon Fire – 7/5/2018 – Siskiyou County
• Ferguson Fire – 7/26/2018 – Mariposa County
• River, Ranch and Steele Fires – 7/28/2018 – Lake, Mendocino, and Napa Counties
• Holy Fire – 8/9/2018 – Orange and Riverside Counties
• Mendocino Complex Fires – 11/29/2018 – Colusa County
• Eagle, Reche, Saddleridge, Sandalwood, and Wolf Fires – 10/11/2019 Los Angeles and Riverside Counties
• Tick and Kincade Fires – 10/25/2019 – Los Angeles and Sonoma Counties
• Colorado Fire – 7/1/2022 – Monterey County
• Route Fire – 11/19/2022 – Los Angeles County

Storms and water related endings also accounted for 5:

• Spillway at Oroville Dam –  2/12/17 – Butte, Sutter, and Yuba Counties
• Storms – 2/21/2019 – Calaveras, El Dorado, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Shasta, Tehama, Trinity, Ventura, and Yolo Counties
• Storms – 2/28/2019 – Amador, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties
• Storms – 4/12/2019 – Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Mariposa, Napa, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Tuolumne Counties
• Storms 7/16/2022 Plumas and Tehama Counties

The other 5 endings include:

• Forest Conditions – 3/22/2019 – Statewide
• Fire Weather Conditions – 10/27/2019 – Statewide
• Pipeline Spill – 10/4/2021 – Orange County
• Energy – 7/30/2021 – Statewide
• Monkeypox – 8/1/2022 – Statewide

“For the most part this was cleaning house, as most of these were still just States of Emergency on paper,” explained Clifton Raft, an emergency preparedness expert, to the Globe on Wednesday. “A few of the fires and Monkeypox still have a decent number of resources attached to them, so the state will be saving a bit of money and freeing people. But it also shows how behind California is and how quick they are to pull the trigger on declaring a State of Emergency.”

“Like, most of these fires and surrounding property damage ended years ago. Some of the smaller fires they kind of jumped the gun on, as they fizzled out pretty quickly. Monkeypox too. It was looking like a big thing, they just went as soon as it came. COVID will be the next big one to end, assuming that the one over the recent storms isn’t ended sooner. That’s the one that will get people to say ‘Finally.'”

Other currently open States of Emergency, such as the COVID-19 order, are supposed to end February 28, 2023.