NEWS ALERT: Newsom cut over $100M in fire prevention programs months before tragedy

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A new report reveals that while the State of California has increased its firefighting budget over the last ten years, the state has also made massive cuts in it’s budget for fire-prevention programs.

From Fox News: A review of last year’s California state budget shows California Gov. Gavin Newsom cut funding for wildfire and forest resilience by more than $100 million.

The budget, signed in June and covering the 2024-25 fiscal year, eliminated $101 million from seven “wildfire and forest resilience” programs, according to a report from Newsweek.

The California fires, responsible for destroying more than 10,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area, are still not contained.

Cal Fire had a $5 million reduction in spending on fuel reduction teams, including funds used to pay for vegetation management work by the California National Guard, the report noted.

Fox News also shared a list of other items allegedly slashed from the state budget:

  • $28 million cut from multiple state conservancies that expand wildfire resilience
  • $12 million cut from a “home hardening” experiment that would protect homes from wildfires
  • $8 million cut from monitoring and research spending, mostly dedicated to Cal Fire and state universities
  • $4 million cut from the forest legacy program, which encourages landowners to manage their properties
  • $3 million cut from funding for an inter-agency forest data hub

In a statement to Fox News Digital Friday night, Newsom’s director of communications, Izzy Gardon, called news of the cuts a “ridiculous lie” and claimed, “The governor has doubled the size of our firefighting army, built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet and the state has increased the forest management ten-fold since he took office.”

However, Gardon is comparing apples to oranges, as the Fox News report is highlighting cuts to fire prevention programs, while she touts support for the fire-fighting programs.

Fox Business anchor Elizabeth MacDonald announced Friday morning:

A check of the California state budget for fiscal 2024 to 2025 shows California governor Gavin Newsom signed into law $101 million in budget cuts to California’s fire prevention budget before the historic Los Angeles fires. This information comes from the California state legislative analyst‘s office, Newsweek reporting it too.

They cut $5 million out of forestry and fire protection, fuel, and reduction teams, including funds for clearing brush. Another $28 million was cut from funds to state conservancies to increase wildfire resilience.

Since 2014 through fiscal 2023, California has tripled its firefighting budget to $3 billion. As of right now, no major fires on the northern and western edges of Los Angeles have been contained.

Meanwhile, the alarm was sounded last May that “Gavin Newsom and California Democrats are spending $5 billion this year to give free health care to all illegal immigrants.”

WATCH: Resurfaced video of Trump warning Gavin Newsom about forest fire management

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