With significantly less rainfall again this year, drought conditions are expected to persist in California, opening the door to another devastating wildfire season. It was just last year when the state topped a record four million acres burned. No other year has surpassed two million acres since data collection began in 1933.

As Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, I helped lead the bipartisan effort to pass SB 85, allocating more $500 million for investments that include:

• Fire prevention grants to make houses fire resistant
• Defensible space improvements
• Forest health projects
• Vegetation management

Early fiscal action by the Legislature and Governor allows this work to begin immediately. Waiting for the July 1^st budget year to start would have been too late, given the looming threat of massive wildfires.

Ultimately, SB 85 is about saving lives and people's homes and businesses. In order for us to fully address wildfires, we must continue to focus our attention on global warming, which has a direct correlation to our disastrous fire seasons. Mitigating the negative effects of climate change is a long term solution to the wildfire threat and remains a priority for me.

Stay safe,

Phil Ting
Assemblymember, 19th District