As crews battled small fires on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced historic spending to get firefighters the tools and help they need.
Newsom is proposing $2 billion to buy new equipment — like helicopters and tanks — fund forest management efforts and create fire breaks in high-risk areas. The governor also acknowledged work being done to help communities already devastated by wildfire.
In November 2018, the town of Paradise was destroyed during the Camp Fire, the state’s deadliest wildfire.
“We’re seeing new permits, more people moving back into Paradise and doing so with resiliency, front and center,” Newsom said, during a press conference held at McClellan Park.
A year before the Camp Fire, a series of wildfires known as the North Bay Fires destroyed entire communities in Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Solano counties.
People are still waiting to be compensated by PG&E, the utility giant blamed for igniting the flames.
PG&E filed for bankruptcy, delaying payouts to many.
“All I can say is, ‘Speed them up,'” Newsom said about the payouts. “It’s wrong to leave these victims any more victimized than they already have been by these wildfires, particularly the culpability that is PG&E … We’re holding them to a high level of accountability and transparency than we ever have in the past.”
Newsom said PG&E needs to do more to make sure its equipment is up to date, which includes being mindful of the need to modernize their system and move more of their system underground.
Newsom also said PG&E needs to continue decentralizing its system to allow the company to power down centers of the system in a way that won’t affect millions of Californians.
PG&E powers down parts of the grid during high-wind events when it’s possible that its equipment could spark a fire. The events, called Public Safety Power Shutoffs, have left millions in the dark temporarily over the last few years.
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