Living Under Smoky Skies—Understanding the Challenges Posed by Wildfire Smoke in California

Nov 14, 2022 - The effects of repeated or prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke still are not widely understood. (As  we discuss in the box on the next page, relatively little research on the health effects of prescribed fire has been conducted, but existing research suggests it likely has substantially fewer negative impacts than  wildfires.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4644

Improving California's Forest and Watershed Management

Apr 4, 2018 - Most prescribed burns occur under CalFire ’s VMP —the state ’s main prescribed burn program. The VMP provides a cost ‑sharing option for landowners to assist with the use of prescribed fire. The program also funds some mechanical thinning projects, though prescribed fire is its primary focus.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3798

Adoption of April 2021 Wildfire and Forest Resilience Early Action Package

Apr 16, 2021 - The amounts from GGRF are intended to bring total GGRF spending on forest health and prescribed fire activities to $200  million annually, consistent with requirements in Chapter  626 of 2018 (SB  901, Dodd).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4414

An Initial Review of the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program

Dec 13, 2021 - All grantees are implementing some demonstration projects —mainly for vegetation management, forest restoration, and prescribed burns —to test newer techniques and methods that could potentially be scaled up.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4482

The 2024-25 Budget: CalFire—Implementation of a 66-Hour Workweek

Mar 19, 2024 - In principle, when not fighting fires, these personnel should be available to perform other priority activities, such as thinning forests and conducting prescribed burns to improve the resilience of the state ’s forests.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4886

Frequently Asked Questions About Wildfires in California

Jan 28, 2025 - This includes the Eaton and Palisades fires, for which specific damage totals still were being refined as of this writing. While the state has experienced particularly large wildfires within the last several years as compared to over the past century, the number of acres burned in recent decades still is notably less than the historical average.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4952

The 2025-26 Budget: May Revision Trailer Bill Proposals on the Delta Conveyance Project and Water Quality Control Plans

May 27, 2025 - Still, those efficiencies would come at the loss of the CEQA analysis and its potential benefits. The costs and benefits associated with these trade-offs are complicated to a ssess, particularly without time to solicit input and feedback from a range of interested and affected parties.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5053

The 2025-26 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Proposals at May Revision

May 19, 2025 - Specifically: Key Cost and Plan Information Still Missing. Under existing statute, the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) was supposed to provide a Project Update Report by March  1 including updated cost and schedule information.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5049

The 2020-21 Budget: Governor's Wildfire-Related Proposals

Feb 21, 2020 - Prescribed Fire Cre ws. $35  million annually (GGRF) for five years beginning in 2019 ‑20 for ten dedicated prescribed fire crews (required by SB  901). Innovative P rocurement. $15  million one time (General Fund) in 2019 ‑20 for CalFire to work with vendors to test proofs of concept for various potential firefighting technology solutions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4172

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization

May 7, 2025 - In year s where auction revenues are comparatively high, this would free up additional GGRF for spending on other legislative priorities while still providing certain and consistent funding streams to the existing  programs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5042