California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills Thursday providing $2.5 billion to help Los Angeles County rebuild after devastating winter wildfires, but it was what the legislation didn’t include that had Republicans fuming.
Hours earlier, Assembly Democrats rejected a Republican proposal to invest an additional $1 billion to clear out the dead trees and overgrown vegetation on public lands, tabling the amendment despite an impassioned plea by Republican Leader James Gallagher.
“Over the last five years, we’ve funded about $2.5 billion in fuel-reduction projects, and at the same time, we did $25 billion for homelessness programs throughout the state,” said Mr. Gallagher on the Assembly floor. “How many people are now homeless because of these fires? We are dropping the ball, and we can’t afford it.”
Lawmakers from both parties supported the $2.5 billion wildfire recovery bill approved during the special session to fund state and local recovery efforts, including evacuation shelters, hazardous-waste removal, expedited building permits, and school construction.
Mr. Newsom signed the legislation Thursday at Willard Elementary School in Pasadena, saying that he wanted to “instill a sense of hopefulness about the moment we’re in.”
“This money will be made available immediately: $2.5 billion for ongoing operations, disaster recovery, debris removal, work on logistics, traffic management, address all the myriad issues we’re facing in real time,” Mr. Newsom said. “But we want to get these dollars out in real time so there’s no anxiety and stress associated with that.”
He said President Trump is scheduled to tour the damage Friday. The president has warned that he may withhold federal recovery funding over the state’s water management, but Mr. Newsom said he was confident the state would be reimbursed for the $2.5 billion.
“As it relates to reimbursement, I have all the expectation and belief that we’ll be reimbursed for these dollars, and that we’ll have the support of the Congress and the president of the United States,” Mr. Newsom said. “I absolutely believe that.”
The state Senate passed Thursday unrelated legislation allocating $50 million to fight Trump administration initiatives, sending the measure to the Assembly.
Two major wildfires stoked by hurricane-force winds erupted Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County, leaving 28 dead, destroying more than 17,000 structures, and forcing thousands to evacuate from communities including Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
The wildfires have also inflamed the debate over fuel reduction.
State and federal Republicans have fought for years to increase funding to thin, prune, burn, and mechanically remove the overgrowth and underbrush that fuels wildfires.
Mr. Newsom insisted that his administration has been active on fuel reduction, blaming the wildfires in large part on extreme weather.
“We’ve been at this for years and years and years, but I’ll remind you of something that I know is inconvenient: We had the three driest years of statehood in 2020, 2021, and 2022, followed by wettest three weeks in our history that broke that drought,” Mr. Newsom said. “The extremes are unprecedented. There hasn’t been a drop of rain of any significance in at least nine months here.”
In his floor remarks, Mr. Gallagher said the state allocated $1 billion for fuel reduction after the 2021 Dixie fire, the largest single-source fire by acreage in state history, but that the annual appropriation has since dropped to $364 million.
“We can’t control the wind, but we can control fuel, vegetation build-up on our public lands in the Sierras and in the coastal mountain ranges,” he said.
“We can protect ignition points along roadways and power lines. We need to do much more and faster. Even if you went all electric tomorrow, you don’t change the conditions on the ground that are dangerous, extremely dangerous,” Mr. Gallagher added.
High winds continue to fuel blazes in Los Angeles County. More than 31,000 people were ordered to evacuate Wednesday over another wildfire, the Hughes Fire near Castaic.
“Some may say we are already doing enough. I think that these fires show that just isn’t so,” Mr. Gallagher said. “The next fire is not only just around the corner, it’s already burning in Castaic. The next time is already here.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.