by Will Potter at Daily Mail
Gavin Newsom is coming under fire for slashing California‘s funding for wildfire and forest resilience by $101 million less than a year before devastating fires tore through Los Angeles.
The Democrat California Governor signed the budget cuts into law in June 2024, severing funding from seven programs focused on preventing and battling potential wildfires in the state, reports Newsweek.
Cuts included a $5 million decrease to the CAL FIRE fuel reduction teams, which included funding to pay for vegetation management work by the California National Guard, an analysis by the outlet found.
The total for the program was stripped to $129 million, amid claims that the state failed to clear brush and forestry that may have accelerated the flames.
Newsom’s budget cuts also slashed $4 million from a forest legacy program intended to promote management practices for landowners, and $28 million from funding for state conservancies aimed at increasing wildfire resistance.
A further $8 million was cut from…
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