Following Monday’s postponement of the Wildfire Prevention and Forest Resiliency hearing in Assembly Budget Sub 3 Committee, Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Kern County), Vice Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, issued the following statement:
“Why would the Newsom Administration or the Governor himself not want to participate in an open and public discussion on the current status of wildfire prevention operations? Especially at a time when Californians across the state are being impacted by the destruction and effects of catastrophic wildfires. The public demands answers to countless questions.
“Two months into the fiscal year, and the Legislature is still negotiating the details of wildfire prevention funding. The Legislature must know the current status of mitigation measures in order to make critical investments moving forward.
“This lack of transparency – and accountability – is deeply troubling and unacceptable.”
BACKGROUND: An investigation by Capitol Public Radio and NPR found that the Governor misled the public - claiming 90,000 acres were completed to prevent wildfires. But data showed – barely 12,000 acres – a mere 13% was completed. This figure was exaggerated by 690%.
Assemblyman Fong called for an oversight hearing to demand transparency.
The Assembly set a hearing on Wildfire Prevention and Forest Resiliency for Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 2pm, and now, it is postponed indefinitely. No new date has been set.
Friday, September 10 is the last day of session.
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