Revives Cancelled Legislative Hearing on the Capitol Steps

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – In response to the cancellation of the only scheduled legislative hearing on wildfires, Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) joined other lawmakers in fire prone districts to host their own wildfire forum on the steps of the State Capitol. The event, titled Wildfires & Climate: Finding A Better Path Forward, was intended to identify barriers and solutions to preventing catastrophic wildfires.

“The political establishment in Sacramento has put this off for far too long,” said Gallagher. “Committees have refused to even hear bills on wildfire and most recently, oversight hearings on the topic have been cancelled. We should not and cannot wait any longer.

Gallagher was joined by Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Tehama) and members of the Assembly Republican Wildfire Working Group. The forum featured testimony from eight expert witnesses, including five panelists from the North State.

The lawmakers highlighted several solutions they are pushing for, including:

Allocating $500 million from the General Fund for Fire Prevention and Forest Health Grants; Exempting wildfire mitigation projects from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); Extending the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund commitment in SB 901 through 2028-29 with a $200 million a continuous appropriation.

“I’m not the type to give up or give in. Clearly the status quo on wildfires is not working,” said Gallagher. “These cataclysmic fires are burning down communities, taking lives and livelihoods, obliterating California’s climate reduction goals, and destroying critical habitats. I will not allow the Legislature to bury their heads in the sand in denial. We will keep pushing until we get results.”

Video from the forum can be found online at www.facebook.com/AssemblymanJamesGallagher/videos/1009593342942171/.