Newsom signs $180 million for wildfire prevention in California

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 100, allocating over $170 million for wildfire prevention and forest management projects across the state. This funding includes specific amounts designated for various conservancies such as the Sierra Nevada and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancies, with a total of $10 million earmarked for wildfire response and resiliency efforts. Newsom emphasized the importance of increasing the speed and scale of vegetation management to protect communities from destructive wildfires. To expedite these initiatives, he also issued an executive order aimed at cutting bureaucratic red tape that can delay critical projects. The funding is part of a broader strategy that includes a $2.5 billion investment in the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, which seeks to enhance fuel reduction and prescribed burns. California's recent wildfire history underscores the urgency of these measures, as many of the most destructive fires have occurred in the last decade.