Governor Newsom Approves $170 Million in Early Funding for California Wildfire Prevention Projects
SACRAMENTO, April 14, 2025 (CALIFORNIA NEWS TODAY) — The Office of Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that California will invest an additional $170 million in wildfire prevention and forest management projects as part of an early action budget measure. The funding is included in Assembly Bill 100 (AB 100), which was signed by Governor Newsom to accelerate critical mitigation efforts ahead of peak wildfire season.
According to the governor’s office, AB 100 directs funding to several conservancies throughout the state to support vegetation and forest management, with an additional $10 million allocated for wildfire response and resiliency.
Disbursements include:
$30.9 million to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy
$31.3 million to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
$30.9 million to the State Coastal Conservancy
$30.9 million to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy
$23.5 million to the California Tahoe Conservancy
$23.5 million to the San Diego River Conservancy
“With this latest round of funding, we’re continuing to increase the speed and size of forest and vegetation management essential to protecting communities. We are leaving no stone unturned – including cutting red tape – in our mission to ensure our neighborhoods are protected from destructive wildfires,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
In addition to signing AB 100, Newsom issued an executive order to accelerate implementation by applying emergency regulatory streamlining under a March 2025 emergency proclamation. That proclamation suspended portions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Coastal Act to expedite forest management activities.
These new measures expand on California’s ongoing Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. The state has committed $2.5 billion to the plan, which includes fuel reduction, prescribed fire programs, and community resilience strategies. According to the governor’s office, 100% of the 99 key actions outlined in the plan are currently underway or completed.
Since 2019, the state has also launched a strategic plan to expand the use of prescribed and cultural burns, and between 2021 and 2023, the amount of prescribed fire activity nearly doubled.
For more information, visit www.gov.ca.gov.
Source: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
