List of California Lawmakers Who Voted Against Wildfire Prevention Funding: Before numerous California wildfires that killed at least 24 individuals, six lawmakers voted against wildfire prevention funds.
California lawmakers put the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 on the ballot in July, and voters approved it in November.
The bill allowed California to borrow $10 billion for climate and environmental projects, with taxpayers paying interest. The bill would give fire prevention and forest health grants to the Natural Resources Agency from wildfire prevention funds. Cal Fire and the California Conservation Corps would get tens of millions for wildfire ignition detection technologies.
The bill committed $3.8 billion to water projects, $1.2 billion to sea level rise protection, and $850 million to sustainable energy initiatives, in addition to $1.5 billion for wildfire prevention. Another portion went to parks, wildlife and habitat protection, and high heat occurrences.
The bill requires that at least 40% of the $10 billion bond go to projects that benefit disadvantaged communities, defined as populations with median household incomes below 80% of the area average or statewide median.
Democrat Assembly member Jasmeet Bains opposed the bill, saying it narrowed the definition of vulnerable populations. “It’s fundamentally unjust,” she added, raising questions about whether $10 billion will change the state.
Others opposed voting for the law to increase California’s debt. The Assembly analyst calculated that the $10 billion bond would cost the state $650 million a year for 30 years, totaling $19 billion.
Two months after the bill passed in a ballot initiative, flames destroyed over 12,000 structures and killed 24 people in Los Angeles. The fires have left 23 people missing and others in Southern California under evacuation orders.
List of California Lawmakers Who Voted Against Wildfire Prevention Funding
Six California lawmakers voted against the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, which allocated $1.5 billion for wildfire prevention programs. Here are their names:
- Jasmeet Bains (D): Assembly Member representing the 35th District, encompassing parts of Kern County.
- Bill Essayli (R): Assembly Member representing the 63rd District, which includes areas such as Canyon Lake, Corona, and Riverside.
- James Gallagher (R): Assembly Member representing the 3rd District, covering parts of Northern California, including Yuba City.
- Jim Patterson (R): Assembly Member who represented the 8th District, serving areas in the Central Valley.
- Joe Patterson (R): Assembly Member representing the 5th District, which includes parts of Placer and El Dorado counties.
- Tri Ta (R): Assembly Member representing the 70th District, covering areas in Orange County, including Westminster.
These lawmakers voted against the bill, which authorized the state of California to borrow $10 billion for climate and environmental projects.
