Released Jan. 10, Newsom’s budget features more than $1 billion for emergency preparedness and wildfires, including funding for new positions, a surge capacity as needed, and $110 million for structural hardening. It’s still in the early stages of consideration and doesn’t need to be approved by legislators until June 15, per the state Constitution. But the governor is seeking a considerable investment in wildfire preparedness — an area deeply significant after years of historic conflagrations, and which he highlighted during his budget presser last month. Among the takeaways:
• Newsom mentioned state Sen. Bill Dodd’s (D-Napa) Senate Bill 209, which the governor signed Oct. 2, in releasing his budget. The bill requires the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to establish and lead the Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center, peopled by representatives of “state and other entities.” SB 209 would make the center the state’s central organizing hub for wildfire forecasting, weather information, and threat intelligence gathering, analysis and dissemination. It would also “coordinate wildfire threat intelligence and data sharing.” The center would also be charged with developing a wildfire forecast and threat intelligence strategy and protecting "sensitive information.”
• The governor’s proposed budget includes $9 million for the Wildfire Forecast Center, which Newsom referred to as Dodd’s “weather data program.” Nearly all of that money, or $8.8 million, would come from the General Fund. But the budget would also fund 22 positions from CalOES, Cal Fire, the Military Department and the California Public Utility Commission “to begin implementation.”
“This new center will derive data and intelligence from multiple sources to build accurate, comprehensive and timely weather impact information,” the budget summary said. Scott McLean, Cal Fire information officer, told Techwire the situation is still “very fluid,” indicating efforts to stand up the center are still being organized.
• The budget also includes $5 million in one-time General Fund monies during FY 2020-2021 for a Wildland Firefighting Research Grant to California State University, San Marcos. The university will study “enhanced firefighting equipment and strategies to protect firefighters” from wildfire conditions as they fight fires.
“This is important, Cal Fire in particular," Newsom said. "These guys are out there doing heroic work — all the chemicals and smoke in the forest.”
• In October, California became the first state to offer a free earthquake early warning app — but an actual state system is still in the works. Newsom’s budget would put $17.3 million toward the California Earthquake Early Warning System, which began initial operations in October and is aiming for statewide operation by June 2021. (MyShake, the free smartphone app, was developed by seismologists and engineers at the University of California, Berkeley.)
The governor proposes a $17.3 million, one-time California Earthquake Safety Fund, funded by a loan from the General Fund, for operation and maintenance of the system.
“These funds will be used to support system operations and program management, an education and outreach campaign, and research and development to expand the system’s earthquake mitigation uses,” the budget summary said.
