CA wildfire readiness, prevention efforts called into question
Celine Bellegarda/File
CapRadio and NPR experts are questioning California s readiness in light of the upcoming fire season after California Gov. Newsom exaggerated a 2019 wildfire readiness executive order impact.
As California approaches wildfire season following a record-breaking season last year, experts at CapRadio and National Public Radio, or NPR, as well as researchers at UC Berkeley and Next 10, a nonprofit think tank, called the state’s wildfire readiness and preparation into question.
An investigation from CapRadio and NPR’s California Newsroom found that California Gov. Gavin Newsom overstated the impact of a 2019 wildfire readiness executive order. While Newsom claimed that 90,000 acres of land had been treated by Cal Fire as a result of 35 “priority projects,” the investigation pointed out that the state’s data shows merely 11,399 acres as the real number.