Facing a $54 billion budget deficit brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, California Gov. Gavin Newsom decided in May to withdraw funding from a project that would have helped pay for upgrades to make homes and buildings more fire-resistant.

The move came even as wildfire experts are predicting an increased risk of significant large fire potential across Northern California.

Crisis Budgeting and Spending Cuts

Gov. Newsom announced the changes on May 14 when he presented a revised $203.3 billion state budget to the public, featuring cuts to education, pension, health care, and state employee wage spending, among other reductions. The financial plan also calls for the state to tap into its reserves to cover some of the projected fiscal shortages.

The expected deficit is being fueled by the nearly 4.5 million Californians who have filed for unemployment since mid-March, when Newsom’s stay-at-home orders all but shut down the state’s economy, according to The Sacramento Bee.

Plans Were Aimed at Reducing Damage from California Wildfires

Prior to last month’s changes, California was primed to spend $26 million on efforts to improve the resiliency of structures in regions most susceptible to wildfires by retrofitting houses and other buildings with new fire-resistant roofs, siding, and other upgrades. Another $75 million in federal funding was earmarked for “home hardening” in The Golden State, a second article by the Bee said.

The governor said he still intends to hire hundreds of new firefighters this year to keep residents safe from California wildfires.

California Wildfires Outlook

While grappling with the ongoing pandemic and subsequent economic crisis, California is also recovering from one of the driest winters on record, which put parts of the state’s northwestern region in a severe drought, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. And as it looks ahead to the fall wildfire season, an above-normal potential for large fires is forecast.

In addition, new research by Stanford University suggests climate changes could lengthen the California wildfires season. As of May 31, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, reported more than 1,708 wildfires, which is 700 more than the same time last year.

Preventative Measures Sidelined

It’s estimated that California wildfires have destroyed more than 25,000 structures – houses and other buildings – in the last three years. At least some of those losses might have been prevented had the structures been “hardened” by retrofitting them with less flammable building materials.

A recent NPR report noted that while in the past, California has focused most of its increased wildfire spending on reactionary measures – hiring more firefighters and expanding its emergency response capabilities – this year would have been the first in which proactive or preventative measures got funded.

Fire scientist Alexandra Syphard of wildfire insurance carrier Sage Underwriters told NPR that the retrofitting or “home hardening” program represented “one of the most progressive and important investments in terms of fire risk that there could be.”

Wooden roofs are more susceptible to catching fire when burning embers float onto them, as are homes with wood siding, according to the non-profit organization Firesafe Marin, which is aimed at reducing fire hazards and improving fire safety in Marin County, Calif. Each building that goes up in flames in a wildfire adds embers to the air, endangering more structures and increasing the overall damage. Replacing flammable building materials on the exterior of homes can help save the home and break the line of fire.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.