California Gov. Gavin Newsom cut $100M for fire prevention before deadly wildfires: report

Embattled California Gov. Gavin Newsom has made significant cuts to funding designated for fighting wildfires, reducing it by over $100 million in the current fiscal year, as revealed in a review of the state’s budget.

The budget for fiscal year 2025, signed by Newsom in June, eliminated $101 million from seven programs focused on “wildfire and forest resilience,” according to Newsweek.

This included a $5 million cut from CAL FIRE’s budget, reducing it to $129 million for fuel reduction teams, including funds used by the National Guard for vegetation management work to reduce fire threats.

Other cuts related to wildfire prevention include:

• $28 million from multiple state conservancies for wildfire resilience.
• $12 million from a home-hardening pilot program to make homes more resilient to wildfires.
• $8 million from fire monitoring and research spending, primarily for Cal Fire and state universities.
• $4 million from a forest legacy program that promotes property management by landowners.

Newsom’s office has denied reports of budget cuts for fire prevention, calling them a “ridiculous lie.”

“The governor has doubled the size of our firefighting force, established the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet, and increased forest management tenfold since taking office,” stated Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon to Fox News.

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Over 150,000 residents in Southern California have been forced to evacuate their homes due to the ongoing wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and surrounding areas.

Tragically, at least 11 people have perished, and numerous structures have been destroyed.

Attempts to reach CAL FIRE for comment were unsuccessful.