Gov. Newsom cut fire budget by $100M months before lethal California fires

California fire prevention took a hit the year before the fires, but the Newsom administration claims it boosted overall funding since assuming office in 2019 ... A review of last year's California state budget shows California Gov. Gavin Newsom cut funding for wildfire and forest resilience by more than $100 million. The budget, signed in June and covering the 2024-25 fiscal year, eliminated $101 million from seven "wildfire and forest resilience" programs ... The California fires, responsible for destroying more than 10,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area, are still not contained.