California Allocates $170 Million for Wildfire Prevention Ahead of Peak Season

Gov. Newsom signs legislation and issues an executive order to expedite forest and vegetation management projects as wildfire risks intensify.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill allocating over $170 million to six state conservancies for forest and vegetation management projects aimed at wildfire prevention.
The funding prioritizes high-risk regions, with $85 million directed to Southern California and $54 million to the Sierra Nevada, as part of a broader $2.5 billion wildfire resiliency initiative.
An accompanying executive order streamlines environmental permitting processes, suspending certain regulations to accelerate project implementation.
California's wildfire prevention efforts respond to increasingly destructive fires, including January's Los Angeles wildfires that damaged over 16,000 structures.
Environmental groups have raised concerns about potential ecological harm from expedited projects, arguing for greater focus on community hardening and climate-friendly measures.