Newsom’s budget puts Californians' health and environmental safety at risk

By Alexandra Macedo

Twenty-four lives were lost in last year’s fires. Sadly, the death toll will likely climb as officials reconcile those reported missing. The horrors facing Southern Californians are unfathomable. Countless Californians have heartbreakingly lost their homes, businesses and jobs with no end in sight. 

My deepest sympathies and prayers are with all those impacted by these wildfires.  

My sadness shifts to anger since Governor Gavin Newsom failed to prioritize fire prevention and resource management for years. Proper support for critical wildfire prevention tools like fire response operations, forest management and water infrastructure has been needed for decades. This lack of prioritization has put California in a reactive situation. Had these things been appropriately funded and the state taken a proactive approach, crises like these could have been mitigated or avoided. 

It is appalling to see the lack of consideration Gavin Newsom continues to have for the people he is supposed to serve. 

Only in California can the Governor raid $7.1 billion from the state’s savings account and declare a revenue surplus of $363 million. The Governor needs to stop being deceitful with the people’s money and prioritize services that impact everyday Californians’ lives. It is time he admits his policies have failed the people of California, and it is time for change. 

It is shocking to see homes obliterated, entire communities wiped out and the environment devastated. The entire region is suffering losses in so many ways. Residents are wondering how they will pick up the pieces. Children are missing out on valuable time in their schools. Businesses are forced to shut their doors and hope there is something there when they are able to return. 

Although you cannot put a price on what these poor people are going through, there is an estimated total economic cost of $50 billion to $150 billion. 

Californians are resilient. 

Homes will have to be rebuilt. But the Governor does not appear to have a plan to address the insolvency of the state’s FAIR Plan, an expensive insurance program of last resort, to rebuild the homes, businesses and jobs lost. There also does not seem to be a plan to address future crises such as this going forward. 

The Governor has declared two separate states of emergency — one on the fires and one on the bird flu. Yet, the Governor’s budget proposal showed that he does not put his money where his mouth is. 

In the Central Valley, for example, the Governor fails to adequately prioritize agriculture at a time when the state’s dairy and poultry industries are facing a terrible crisis — the H5N1 virus, also known as the bird flu. While there are no cases of human-to-human transmission, the virus has caused cows’ production to decline and necessitated the slaughter of entire flocks of chickens. 

The uncertainty of the virus’s impact and its spread has inflicted undue economic pain on farmers and farm workers. 

To help curb the spread of the virus, farmers and farm workers are taking meticulous measures to help prevent transmission. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) deserves credit for pulling together the industry, but much more needs to be done.

Undoubtedly, the Governor failed to prevent this crisis as well. 

Had he adequately funded CDFA inspection checkpoints for testing verification early on, vaccination records and branding paperwork, this bird flu may have been prevented or slowed down. 

The truth is that the Newsom Administration chose to fund special interest projects like High-Speed Rail rather than protect us. 

There is no additional money in the state budget to address the impacts of the bird flu or fund the programs that could prevent a similar virus from entering our state in the future. Yet, the Governor found the money for lawsuits to ‘Trump-proof’ California while Southern California is burning. 

As a result of his misplaced priorities, thousands have lost their home and consumers across the state are paying skyrocketing prices for milk and eggs. 

Appearing on podcasts, making flashy videos and blaming local officials is not leadership. Californians deserve a governor who prioritizes our safety — one who serves and protects the men, women and children of this Golden State, not his ambitious goal of one day reaching the White House. 

California Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo represents the 33^rd Assembly District, which encompasses Tulare, Kings, and Fresno counties. 

_{*The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of HealthPlatform.News.}