Lawmakers originally called for the hearing over the summer, after CapRadio published a series of that found Gov. Gavin Newsom significantly overstated his administration鈥檚 accomplishments on wildfire prevention. But Assembly member Richard Bloom (D鈥揝anta Monica), who chairs the budget subcommittee that scheduled the hearing, pushed it back as Cal Fire battled another devastating fire season.
The hearing shed some light onto how the state plans to spend the for forest management and wildfire prevention. State officials also gave updates on California鈥檚 progress toward its ambitious targets 鈥� after years of prioritizing fire suppression over fuels management. But some lawmaker questions were met with half-answers or blank responses, indicating the infrastructure to complete projects and track progress remains stuck in an awkward, bureaucratic adolescence.
鈥淒ollars alone will not prevent wildfires,鈥� Bloom said at the hearing鈥檚 outset. 鈥淲e must ensure that these fuel reduction and community protection projects are done in a timely and equitable manner.鈥�
California wildfires burned more than 3 million acres this year and destroyed more than 3,600 homes and structures. Last year鈥檚 record-setting fire season burned over 4 million acres.
During that time, there鈥檚 been a push to present more information to the public about where and when fuels management is happening.
The state has been developing a mapping system that shows ongoing fire prevention projects, such as forest thinning and prescribed burning. But Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter testified that it鈥檚 鈥渘ot completely fleshed out鈥� and will take at least another year to work out technical kinks.
Porter will retire from his post on Friday after nearly three years and spending over two decades in the department.
Assembly member Vince Fong (R鈥揃akersfield) asked Porter if it鈥檚 possible for lawmakers and the public to get real-time updates on when fire prevention projects are approved and completed. Fong argued it鈥檚 pertinent for state budget decisions and the public鈥檚 understanding of community fire risks.
But Porter said real-time updates weren鈥檛 possible right now. The state鈥檚 system is updated on a monthly basis, he said, and sometimes data reporting can be delayed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 frustrating that we still can鈥檛 get important data,鈥� Fong told CapRadio after the hearing.
Lawmakers also learned that a program Newsom touted has only made nominal progress toward streamlining environmental review for prevention projects. The governor the California Vegetation Management Program in 2019, and his office called it 鈥渁 critical tool to responsibly scale up vegetation treatment.鈥�
But relatively few projects have taken advantage of the program.
鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 been used in a very widespread way 鈥� I think it鈥檚 maybe about 14 projects,鈥� said Helen Kerstein, an analyst with the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst鈥檚 Office, at the hearing. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 find clear data showing that it had significantly expedited projects.鈥�
Kerstein added that the program is still new and that there鈥檚 likely a 鈥渓earning curve鈥� with using it.
Later, Assembly member James Gallagher (R鈥揧uba City) asked how many acres of forest management the state鈥檚 historic investment would result in, but bristled over the lack of details.
Hundreds of millions of dollars allocated in May would help fund 260 projects, according to Jessica Morse, Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildland Resilience at the California Natural Resources Agency. But when pressed for more information about the projects鈥� total acreage, she said an exact estimate couldn鈥檛 be provided.
Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension, testified that determining total acreage is not necessarily as important as choosing the right kind of project and prioritizing vulnerable communities.
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