CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS DELIVER

California Democrats are delivering for the people of the Golden State: We have your back.

We’re making immediate investments in wildfire safety and prevention with real solutions – moving on hundreds of wildfire prevention projects, nearly doubling the number of CalFire Firefighters, adding new wildfire helicopters and aircraft, and investing in more fire breaks, clearing vegetation near neighborhoods, and reducing fire risks in wildlands and forests.

When tragedy does strike, we’re with you all the way for the recovery. L.A., we’re making sure your essential services – like police, fire, and critical infrastructure – are kept running. Because you and your family deserve nothing less.

California Democrats DELIVER.

A FIRE SAFE CALIFORNIA STARTS WITH PREVENTION

Making California More Fire Safe

  • More Firefighters: California Senate Democrats have invested permanent, record funding to support CalFire operations, a 68% increase since 2016. These investments have helped nearly double the number of firefighters from 6,700 to 12,000.
  • Prioritizing Firefighter Safety: Just last year, Senate Democrats passed a historic budget which will add an additional 2,400 firefighters to CalFire’s ranks over the next five years. This will bring CalFire’s ranks to over 14,000.
  • Aerial Firefighting: California Senate Democrats have invested record funding over the past decade to create the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world with 70 airplanes and helicopters positioned in every corner of California. This includes the addition of 12 new Blackhawk helicopters with night firefighting capabilities and seven new C-130 air tankers.
  • Wildfire Fuel Reduction: California Senate Democrats are investing $2.5 billion to significantly increase the pace of removing wildfire fuel around communities and neighborhoods. This means more money supporting local fire departments and fire districts to create fire breaks, remove flammable vegetation, implement prescribed fire, and make forests and wildlands more fire safe.
  • Prescribed Fire: California launched a strategic plan to expand the use of prescribed fire on public and private lands. Prescribed fire activity has nearly doubled between 2021 and 2023.
  • Bringing Technology to the Firefight: CalFire has doubled its use of drones for critical tasks like aerial ignition during prescribed burns, wildfire containment, and real-time assessments. The State is leveraging AI-powered tools to spot fires quicker and the Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS) to provide real-time mapping of wildfires. California has partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense to use satellites for wildfire detection and invested in Light Detection and Ranging remote sensing technology (LiDAR) to create detailed 3D maps of high-risk areas, helping firefighters better understand and navigate complex terrains.

We Have Your Back, Los Angeles

California Senate Democrats moved with speed and passed $2.5 billion to immediately support recovery efforts and to jumpstart rebuilding for Altadena, the Palisades and the the City of Los Angeles, Pasadena, Malibu, and other regions of Los Angeles County impacted by the January firestorm.

  • Backfilling property taxes lost due to the Eaton and Palisades Fires: Tens of millions have been lost due to the historic damage and destruction brought on by the January Firestorm. These funds are being backfilled by the State, ensuring LA doesn’t miss a beat. These funds support police, firefighters, and reliable roads and water every day. California Senate Democrats are making sure those essentials stay funded and fully supported – because we’re all in this together.
  • Speeding up LA’s rebuild: The State is cutting red tape and speeding up the rebuild of homes, businesses, schools and places of worship damaged or destroyed during the January firestorm. These actions – waiving state environmental and other permitting requirements under the California Coastal Act for rebuilds – will allow neighbors to get into their homes quicker, businesses to open sooner, and families to get back to their normal lives.
  • Providing tax relief to those impacted by the fires: California postponed the individual tax filing deadline to October 15 for Los Angeles County taxpayers – and suspended penalties and interest on late property tax payments for a year.
  • Critical tax relief for businesses: Additionally the State extended the January 31, 2025, sales and use tax filing deadline for Los Angeles County taxpayers until April 30.
  • The State and California Senate Democrats advanced early funding to provide assistance to the Los Angeles Unified School District and Pasadena Unified School District to rebuild and repair school facilities destroyed or damaged as a result of the January fires. And, we know much more is needed. That’s why the State is currently working with fire-impacted school districts to ensure their overall funding is kept whole as the community rebuilding process proceeds, now and into the future. Your kids and your schools are our priority.

Early Action:

Just recently, California Senate Democrats took action to support making our communities safer from wildfires.

  • California Senate Democrats have secured over $170 million in funding for wildfire prevention efforts right now, including: $30.9 million to the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, which includes the area impacted by the Eaton Fire, and $31.3 million to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which includes the area impacted by the Palisades Fire, $23.5 million to the San Diego River Conservancy, $30.9 million to the State Coastal Conservancy, and $23.5 million to the California Tahoe Conservancy. Each of these state conservancies will launch local grant programs where cities, counties, fire districts and special districts can apply for wildfire prevention dollars.
  • California Senate Democrats are making immediate investments in wildfire safety with real solutions – like a state-of-the-art wildfire training center – to prepare firefighters for today’s challenges. Senate Democrats passed $10 million to support the construction of the training center.

These crucial dollars will improve local fire prevention capacity – improving forest health and resilience – and reduce the risk of wildfire spreading into populated areas from wildlands.

This is how we protect tomorrow, starting today. 

Paid for by the California Democratic Party and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
California Democrats Deliver
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