Assembly Budget Vice Chair Calls for Oversight Hearing of Wildfire Funding following NPR Investigative Report

The leading Republican on the Assembly Budget Committee calls for an oversight hearing to hold the Newsom Administration and CalFire accountable following an investigation from CapRadio and NPR California Newsroom.

The report found “the governor has misrepresented his accomplishments and even disinvested in wildfire prevention. The investigation found Newsom overstated, by an astounding 690%, the number of acres treated with fuel breaks and prescribed burns in the very forestry projects he said needed to be prioritized to protect the states most vulnerable communities. Newsom has claimed the 35 “Priority Projects” carried out as a result of his executive order resulted in fire prevention work of 90,000 acres. But the states own data show the actual number is 11,399.”

In calling for a legislative oversight hearing, Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Kern County) issued the following statement.

“The Governor’s blatant dishonesty and lack of action could not have come at a worse time. Last year, Californians endured the most catastrophic wildfire season on record. Today, Californians across the state are facing extreme drought conditions. My colleagues and I have called on the Governor to enact immediate, proactive wildfire mitigation efforts for months – and he answered with disinvestment and dormancy.

Action – not performative press conference—needs to be taken now to prevent another devasting wildfire season.

This state must allocate ample funding to support wildfire prevention efforts, substantially increase the pace and scale of prescribed burns, and immediately remove the senseless red tape that limits forest resilience and puts lives, livelihoods, and communities at fatal risk. The Governor owes Californians and the Legislature an explanation for his exaggerated numbers and egregious inaction.”