Sacramento, CA – Senator Mike McGuire issued the following statement in response to Governor Brown’s May Budget Revision released this morning:

“Governor Brown’s cautious budget reflects both the need for California to continue to advance strategic investments in our shared priorities — education, healthcare, funding for homelessness services and climate protection – while also increasing the state’s reserves by bolstering our rainy day fund.  

“We have witnessed the worst fire season in history and we have been working hand-in-hand with local leaders and the Governor’s Office to secure desperately needed relief funding. We are grateful that today’s budget revision, after numerous meetings with the Governor’s Office,  includes $29.1 million to waive the local match for North Bay counties to cover the costs of debris removal, which has been a top priority for hard hit counties. Today’s budget also includes $21.8 million to backfill property tax revenue losses that local governments will incur due to the 2017 wildfires. These funds, and other investments the state is making, will help North Bay counties continue the long recovery process with desperately needed services that will benefit residents in their greatest time of need.”

The North Bay Firestorm debris cleanup project is the largest in California since the 1906 earthquake. The total cost of the cleanup has hit $1.3 billion and local municipalities were going to be saddled with nearly $30 million in expenses associated with this massive undertaking.

The North Bay legislative delegation, that includes Senator McGuire, Senator Bill Dodd and Assemblymembers Marc Levine,  Jim Wood, and Cecilia Aguiar-Curry have been meeting all year with representatives from the four North Bay Counties devastated by the October Firestorm, along with the Governor’s office and the Office of Emergency Services on these budget priorities.

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