Napa Supervisor Blasts CA Wildfire Resilience Funding Cuts

NAPA VALLEY, CA — California lawmakers should reverse proposed wildfire resilience funding cuts and commit hundreds of millions of dollars to prevention as fires increasingly threaten residents, communities, and the state economy, Napa County Supervisor Anne Cottrell argued in a recent opinion piece.

Cottrell said California's 2026-27 budget is on track to make the state's smallest investment in wildfire resilience since 2019, even as wildfires continue to grow in size and intensity.

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She argued that California's wildfire future depends on legislators' next steps.

"Now is not the time to cut funding," Cottrell wrote a year after the Picket Fire, causing at least $65 million in agricultural losses, affecting roughly 1,500 acres, or just over 3 percent of Napa Valley's production acreage.

Burned properties, creating potential threats from hazardous waste and contaminated water, prompted Napa County declared a local health emergency.

A subsequent watershed assessment found increased risks of runoff, flooding, sediment, and road damage. The county said roads within and downstream of the burn area could face elevated storm-damage risks for two to five years.

More broadly, wildfires cost California $117 billion annually through property damage, business disruption, and health impacts, according to figures Cottrell cited.

She also pointed to research estimating that wildfire smoke has contributed to more than 50,000 deaths among Californians since 2008.

Cottrell, a Napa County supervisor, is a member of the Wildfire Solutions Coalition, and serves on the boards of the Rural County Representatives of California and California State Association of Counties.

The costs extend beyond fire-damaged communities, she said. Wildfires drive rising utility rates, while recovery expenses can force residents from neighborhoods and make communities less affordable.

Cottrell called on lawmakers to take three steps as the Legislature enters final budget negotiations: restore $200 million in wildfire resilience funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, allocate $500 million from Proposition 4 funding to wildfire resilience, and establish a long-term funding strategy.

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund represents California's only ongoing funding source for wildfire resilience, Cottrell said. She said the state previously invested $200 million from the fund in wildfire resilience, but current budget projections show only $38 million would be available.

She also said wildfire projects and funding requests have already exceeded last year's funding.

"Restoring the previous $200 million funding will ensure that we don't lose momentum," Cottrell wrote.

Cottrell urged lawmakers to direct $500 million in Proposition 4 money toward wildfire resilience. She said this year's funding is 47 percent lower than last year's despite a high-risk fire season and shovel-ready projects awaiting money.

California voters approved Proposition 4 in 2024 with nearly 60 percent of the vote, she said.

Prevention

Cottrell pointed to completed projects as evidence that prevention efforts can make a difference.

In Madera County, crews installed a shaded fuel break that gave firefighters access needed to stop the Marina Fire within 24 hours, she said. In Simi Valley, CAL FIRE completed a fuel reduction treatment that significantly reduced the spread and intensity of the Library Fire months later.

But one-time or short-term funding paid for those projects, Cottrell said.

"Wildfire resilience requires sustained investment," she wrote. "If we fail to secure funding this year, projects like these may not happen before fire hits, significantly increasing California's risk of disaster."

Cottrell also pointed to the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force's 2026 Draft Action Plan, developed through a collaboration among federal, tribal, state, and local partners. The science- and data-based plan lays out strategies to reduce wildfire risks statewide.

She also cited the California Earthquake Authority's SB 254 Report, which she said supports moving ahead with proactive wildfire mitigation strategies.

A 'cart without a horse'

Cottrell said California ultimately needs a long-term funding strategy to carry out recommendations in both reports. She described the Action Plan as a potential blueprint for California's next governor but warned that the plan needs money behind it.

"An Action Plan without a funding source is a cart without a horse," she wrote.

Cottrell argued that waiting until fires strike carries far greater costs than prevention. A reactive approach costs the economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually, while proactive wildfire resilience spending represents a strategic economic investment, she said.

"Californians can't afford another catastrophic wildfire," Cottrell wrote. "We know what we need to do; let's make wildfire resilience investment a priority."