California Invests $181 Million for Wildfire Prevention

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a $181 million wildfire prevention law into effect. The money will be used for prescribed burns and vegetation management. The money — at least most of it — will be divided into six conservancies throughout the state. This is on top of $2.5 billion Newsom appropriated for the Los Angeles area to recover from the devastating wildfires in January.

“With this latest round of funding, we’re continuing to increase the speed and size of forest and vegetation management essential to protecting communities,” Newsom said in his new release. “We are leaving no stone unturned — including cutting red tape — in our mission to ensure our neighborhoods are protected from destructive wildfires.”

It has to be noted that, while criticizing Democrats for not putting enough money into wildfire prevention efforts, just one Republican voted for the bill. Republicans in the Assembly are opposed to a provision in the bill to send $2.8 billion from the general fund into the California Department of Health Services to pick up cost increases incurred by Medi-Cal.

Source link: Insurance Journal — https://bit.ly/42nweM8