My Report Back from D.C.

In January, I joined the California State Assembly delegation to the nation’s Capitol to meet with federal leaders on a host of issues concerning our state and the country at large. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet one-on-one with House and Senate leaders including our own congressman Adam Schiff. For a trip that only lasted a few days, I could spend weeks writing to you about all that I learned. However, there was one meeting in particular I want to focus on for a moment, and that is my meeting with U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Undersecretary Jim Hubbard on an issue that hits right at home here in our foothills community – wildfires.

Mr. Hubbard, a 35-year veteran of the Colorado Forest Service, is charged with overseeing the U.S. Forest Service, a key player in wildfire prevention and recovery. We met in his office on Capitol Hill to discuss our current practices and our plans to lower wildfire risk. Mr. Hubbard left a very positive review about the partnership between the federal government and California. I was happy to learn that the Forest Service and Cal Fire are in constant contact. He also complimented our state’s management of our forest and current mitigation efforts. I am heartened to know that we share a healthy relationship with the federal government when it comes to this critical issue, as this relationship is vital to our work.

How vital? Forestlands make up one-third of all land in California. The federal government owns and manages 57%, state and local governments own a low 3%, and privately-owned forests make up the remaining 40%. Our forestlands also represent the majority of our state’s key watersheds that provide for a massive portion of our residential and agricultural water needs. Our forests also serve as wildlife habitat and one of our greatest sources of carbon storage. All of these benefits are facing a great risk as wildfire severity, frequency and duration increase. Our failure to act could be environmentally and economically disastrous. This aspect of our state’s ecology is so important, particularly as it relates to wildfires, that it will be a central focus of my work as chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.

Even with our positive relationship with our federal partners, we still have significant hurdles to climb and issues that need to be addressed. While Cal Fire reports that its relationship with its federal counterparts is largely positive, the U.S. Forest Service has had limited ability to spend funds on forest management due to so much of its budget being now devoted to forest fire response. This is why California has made major investments and is committed to continue spending at least $1 billion to fund forest management programs for the next five years. It was comforting to know that these efforts are appreciated in Washington.

I also learned about another area where our state can increase our role. With resources being stretched thin, there is a dire need to devise more efficient management practices. We discussed with Mr. Hubbard how California, a national center of innovation, can be a great partner in the competitive grant program recently passed by Congress. The program will provide matching funds for projects that construct thermal energy systems fueled by biomass waste, construct new facilities or retool existing mills to produce innovative wood products.

As the representative of a district that has been struck nearly every season by wildfires, in a state that is ravaged by them, it was comforting to get a better idea of our federal government as an ally. It is nice to know that, in these times of divisive rhetoric, when it comes to safety we are all on the same page. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with our federal partners in diving into how our state can continue to improve upon our practices and procedures for this exceedingly critical issue.

Today, Thursday, Feb. 21, I’ll be joining with my foothill region colleagues for a town hall on wildfires and community preparedness in Pasadena.

For more information about the town hall, or for any questions, ideas, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me through my district office by phone (818) 558-3043 or email Assemblymember.Friedman@assembly.ca.gov.