At the site of the KNP Complex in Sequoia National Park, Governor Gavin Newsom recently highlighted the California Comeback Plan’s over $15 billion climate package – the largest such investment in state history – tackling a wide array of climate impacts facing the state. The Governor signed legislation outlining investments in the package to build wildfire and forest resilience, support immediate drought response and long-term water resilience and directly protect communities across the state from multi-faceted climate risks, including extreme heat and sea level rise.
“California is doubling down on our nation-leading policies to confront the climate crisis head-on while protecting the hardest-hit communities,” said Governor Newsom. “We’re deploying a comprehensive approach to meet the sobering challenges of the extreme weather patterns that imperil our way of life and the Golden State as we know it, including the largest investment in state history to bolster wildfire resilience, funding to tackle the drought emergency while building long-term water resilience, and strategic investments across the spectrum to protect communities from extreme heat, sea level rise and other climate risks that endanger the most vulnerable among us.”
Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D - Santa Monica), Chair of Budget Sub Committee that oversees natural resources and Member of the Assembly Wildfire working group, joined Governor Newsom for the signing of SB 170. Negotiations for SB 170 - spearheaded by Assemblymember Bloom – led to allocating an unprecedented $15 billion in funding in this year’s budget to combat climate change and worsening wildfires.
As California faces drought-like conditions, record low rainfall, and record high temperatures, the vegetation around the state is very stressed. This results in drier, more dangerous conditions earlier on in the fire season that calls for more resources and funding to be directed towards climate resiliency.
“We must begin to scale up our fire prevention efforts in a way we never have before,” Assemblymember Bloom continued, “I am grateful to Governor Newsom for his leadership and immediate action on this issue, and I thank the agencies involved in these efforts to protect Californians from wildfires up and down the State. We have a long way to go, but $15 billion is a great start,” Assemblymember Bloom concluded.
Richard Bloom is Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 3 on Climate Crisis, Resources, Energy, and Transportation and represents California’s 50th Assembly District.
Submitted by Melissa Kaufler, Communications Assemblymember Richard Bloom
