Governor Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency for California forests. What it means
Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for the state’s forests, allowing his administration to bypass more coastal and permitting regulations and expedite wildfire prevention projects as California recovers from the Los Angeles wildfires.
On Saturday, the governor ordered the suspension of some provisions within the California Environmental Quality Act and Coastal Act that he said are holding up authorities’ ability to quickly clear away dead vegetation and other debris that act as wildfire accelerators. Newsom previously waived parts of CEQA to expedite the rebuilding process for homeowners who lost their houses in January’s fires, which claimed 29 lives and may be the costliest natural disaster in state history.
The governor’s action appears to be part of his overall strategy at assuaging President Donald Trump and his allies as Congress considers California’s request for $40 billion in disaster relief aid. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Golden State’s frequent wildfires are due to state officials’ “gross mismanagement” and failure to “rake” its forests by clearing away flammable debris.
“This year has already seen some of the most destructive wildfires in California history, and we’re only in March,” Newsom said in a statement. “These are the forest management projects we need to protect our communities most vulnerable to wildfire, and we’re going to get them done.”
Republicans said they want to impose conditions upon any aid California receives, including a mandate for the state to thin out its forests. In turn, Newsom said since taking office in 2019 his administration has overhauled the state’s wildfire approach and fast-tracked forest management projects.
Still, he acknowledged in his proclamation that the “circumstances of the catastrophic wildfire risks created by forest conditions across the state, by reason of their magnitude, are beyond the control...of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat.”
The suspension of CEQA and the Coastal Act is also a tacit nod to a shared belief among some California Democrats and Republicans that environmental laws are exacerbating the state housing crisis by stymieing development. Last week, Trump aide Ric Grennell said the California Coastal Commission, the state’s coastal watchdog, should be “defunded.”
Elon Musk, a special Trump adviser who has fired thousands of federal employees, has also criticized the Coastal Commission, deriding it as a group of unelected “Karens.” He sued the agency in October, claiming the agency rejected his request to allow his SpaceX company to launch more rockets at Vandenburg Space Force Base on the Central Coast due to political bias.
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 10:01 AM.
