Our View: Wildfire strategies require thoughtful legislation

There seem to be few things Democrat and Republican state legislators can agree on. But one thing is the need to better protect Californians from the ravages of wildfires.

In the wake of historic January wildfires that claimed lives and left Los Angeles County communities, neighborhoods and businesses in ashes, a flurry of bipartisan fire-safety and rebuilding proposals have surfaced.

Prominent among them is the Fight for Firefighters Act, proposed by Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, D-North Coast, and a bipartisan coalition of state senators.

Among other things, it would phase out CalFire’s approximately 3,000 firefighters and transition them into full-time jobs. Typically, seasonal firefighters only work during the “fire season” — traditionally from April to December. But is that realistic? What is today’s wildfire season? Wildfires have become a frequent, year-round threat.

“More aggressive fires, and an unrelenting year-round wildfire season, demands more aggressive responses,” said McGuire, who contends “wildfires don’t take three months off. So, the elite CalFire firefighting force that is our first and last defense in protecting lives and homes across the state should be year-round, too. This investment will make communities more wildfire safe and greatly improve fire and emergency response in every corner of California.”

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill, not because he didn’t agree with the objective, but because he said the state was already planning on hiring more firefighters. McGuire’s plan would cost an estimated $175 million per year.

Bakersfield’s Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove is a co-sponsor of the Fight for Firefighters Act.

“We are in a pivotal time when it comes to preparing for wildfire season and that includes addressing the CalFire staffing shortage,” Grove said in a news release. “This legislation will serve as a critical down payment to support our firefighters while they protect life, property and natural resources for all Californians.”

Noting that Kern County has experienced many devastating wildfires, most recently the Borel Fire that burned south of Lake Isabella last summer, Grove said, “Wildfires have devastated communities across our state, leaving countless families displaced and businesses struggling to recover.”

Bolstering CalFire’s firefighting force and implementing aggressive fire prevention strategies are more urgent now as the Trump administration has frozen spending to hire federal seasonal firefighters and fund forest clearing on federal land.

The Fight for Firefighters Act also proposes to have all CalFire’s fire engines and vegetation management crews operational year-round, and require all CalFire helicopter bases be fully staffed year-round.

Grove also has introduced SB 375, which proposes to balance the needs of endangered and threatened wildlife, with prevention and rebuilding needs.

“SB 375 provides a comprehensive approach to wildfire preparedness, cutting bureaucratic red tape and delivering real solutions to protect lives, homes and our natural resources,” Grove said.

In a mind-boggling rush to introduce wildfire-related bills, Assembly and Senate lawmakers are proposing price gouging penalties; temporary mortgage relief; rent controls; creation of a commission to centralize wildfire mitigation plans; and require developers to make buildings more fire-proof.

Other bills propose expanding the one-year non-renewal insurance moratorium; easing coastal development permits; stiffening criminal penalties for looting and other criminal activities; making it a felony to impersonate a police officer or a firefighter during a state of emergency; making it a felony to fly a drone over the scene of an emergency; increasing water storage; and giving tax credits to homeowners who make fire-resistant improvements.

Sigh, and there are so many more bills. It’s like politicians are throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Every politician seems to want to get into the act — and, cynically speaking, get a piece of the publicity.

There are lots of lessons to be learned from the recent devastating wildfires. But to effectively address those lessons requires a coordinated, focused package of legislation — not a bunch of spaghetti.

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