California Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking a play out of President Trump's playbook and declaring an emergency in order to do forest fire mitigation work, see Gov. Newsom Declares Wildfire Emergency Ahead of New Fires. I'm all in favor of disaster mitigation. In this case, the governor has been convinced that it is better, perhaps quicker, to mitigate forest areas than it is to make homes more Firewise.
I noted that, in reality, he is doing both. See the end of the article. While he is allocating $35 million in funding to mitigate forest lands, he is also allocating $50 million for a public education program to get people to do the work themselves — in protecting their property. I cannot think of another time that I've read about a state investing this much money in a public education program.
The above is "pre-disaster mitigation" and it is not waiting for federal money to close the barn door after the event.
