Gov. Gavin Newsom was joined on Wednesday in Elk Creek by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Forest Service Fire Chief Randy Moore to discuss state and federal collaboration on wildfire response.
The trio met at the site of the 2020 August Complex fire, the largest wildfire recorded in state history. The blaze burned through more than one million acres in seven counties across Northern California's Coast Ranges for four months.
The meeting came on the heels of calls from Sacramento for federal authorities to improve wildfire response strategy. The federal government oversees 57 percent of California forestland.
Newsom has been critical of the U.S. Forest Service's "wait and see" approach to combating wildfires in the state, which has historically prioritized dealing with fires at more severe stages of burning.
In response, Chief Moore issued a memo to regional foresters on Monday madating quicker action to neutralize even small blazes in their early stages.
Newsom "has challenged us to do a better job," Vilsack said at Wednesday's meeting, standing beside Newsom and Moore, overlooking the remains of a portion of Mendocino National Forest charred by the August Complex fire. "We are prepared to do a better job, if we have the resources."
Vilsack, who serves as co-chair of the Biden Administration's Wildfire Resilience Interagency Working Group, assured Newsom that a federal infrastructure bill pending before Congress will include at least $3 billion earmarked for additional funding to the Forest Service.
The Senate has been voting on a series of amendments to that bill since Sunday; and while some lawmakers have suggested negotiations could wrap up as early as this weekend, others caution that the inclusion of key provisions remains uncertain.
On Wednesday, Vilsack also promised "more boots on the ground" to reinforce state firefighting efforts as California heads into what experts predict will be an "above average" wildfire season.
Newsom expressed gratitude for bolstered federal support. "We're partners, this is not about finger pointing," he said, even as The Fresno Bee reported smoke from a new fire in nearby Shasta and Trinity counties was visible in the parkland below.
