Senator Alvarado-Gil Seeks Long-Term Solutions to California Wildfires

CSDA first met candidate Marie Alvarado-Gil in the runup to the election in 2022 when she attended a special district tour of the Sierra Network to learn firsthand about the challenges in wildland-urban interface areas from forestry experts and special district leaders. When the Democrat went on to be the first female elected to serve as Senator in District 4, the experience helped her become an important voice in the Legislature on the issue.

We caught up with the Senator to ask her opinion of the issue, where she sees opportunity for improvement in the State’s effort to mitigate the fire risk and to help communities recover if they have fallen victim to the devastation of a wildfire. The following has been lightly edited for space.

CSDA: Fire prevention and forest management is a significant issue in your Senate district. How can the State better partner with resource conservation districts, fire protection districts, and other special districts in confronting this challenge?

Senator Alvarado-Gil: It is hard to find someone in California who has not been directly impacted or doesn’t know someone affected by a wildfire. It is increasingly crucial for the State to prioritize partnerships with special districts regarding wildfire prevention and forest management. To effectively address this challenge, we must look at these four areas:

Funding

We must continue to allocate funds and offer grants for projects such as fuel reduction, prescribed burns, infrastructure hardening, and forest restoration. Cal Fire spent an estimated $1.2 billion on emergency fire suppression in 2022, compared to only about $90 million just over ten years prior.

Policy Support

Continue to develop policies recognizing and supporting special districts in wildfire prevention and forest management. A prime example is SB 470, a bill I authored that just passed the Senate 40-0, which provides funding for drought relief projects in wildfire risk zones. The bill resulted from a collaboration with the Tahoe Public Utility District.

I also work closely with the leaders of the Senate's Wildfire Working Group. Their Blueprint for a Fire Safe California hinges on four key areas:

• Training and deploying a fire resiliency workforce;

• Implementing a modern-day vegetation, forest management, and community hardening plan;

• Expanding consumer access to the homeowners' insurance market; and

• Developing a short and long-term funding plan in California.

I am committed to developing plans for real, long-term solutions to promote forest health and restoration, manage vegetation, and invest in a well-trained workforce to clear fuel, and strengthen wildfire emergency response.

Collaborative Planning

Actively engage the districts and constituents in planning wildfire prevention and forest management.

Coordinated Project

The State can coordinate projects and initiatives between agencies and special districts to optimize resource allocation and achieve greater efficiencies.

CSDA and the National Special Districts Coalition have wildfire-related advocacy initiatives that special district leaders, particularly those in areas at risk of wildfire, can follow and respond to our calls for action. To learn more, subscribe to CSDA Advocacy News on our website at www.csda.net and follow @CSDAdistricts and @NSDCdistricts on Twitter.