Cal Fire has already spent all the money the state had budgeted for fighting wildfires this fiscal year. So the California Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration are rushing over a fresh infusion of cash.
The new state budget that took effect in July set aside nearly $443 million to fight wildfires. But that money is gone. So now Cal Fire is getting an additional $234 million two weeks after requesting the additional funds, with procedural steps waived to rush the money over right away.
Roughly a third of that funding is to increase firefighter and support personnel. The rest will cover the costs of fighting the fires themselves.
But the new money is only for fighting fires from now through November, some of the peak months for wildfires in California. After that, it looks like the state will have to send over even more.
Even so, the governor’s Department of Finance says no matter how bad the fires get, the money to fight them will never be blocked or held up due to budget constraints.
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