California lawmakers introduce 13 wildfire bills

(The Center Square) – A slew of new legislation was introduced in the California Legislature Wednesday that aims to make the Golden State more resilient during ever-worsening wildfire seasons. Advocates of the legislation said the bills are part of an effort to give taxpayers the highest return on investment for wildfire mitigation programs and wildfire reductions risks in communities across the state. “Those programs are bringing in more in federal dollars for these communities than the state is spending in getting the programs going,” Eric Horne, California director for nonprofit organization Megafire Action, said during a news conference. “With technology in particular, we’re seeing high ROI [return on investment] investments that amplify every single dollar that the state spends on wildfire mitigation and suppression. That is really what I think motivates the package.” Thirteen distinct bills were announced in the press conference Wed