Sacramento, CA – The State of California has approved California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) funding for Kincade Fire damages, which will result in the state covering 75 percent of many of the response and recovery costs incurred by local governments.

CDAA funding will help cover the cost of the first phase of residential and commercial debris clean-up, which is focused on household hazardous debris. Funding will also help local governments - County of Sonoma, cities, school districts and other special districts - associated with smoke damage, emergency response to the fire and needed repairs to public facilities such as roads and buildings. Under the CDAA approval, 75 percent of those costs will be eligible for state funding.

Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jim Wood worked hand-in-hand with the California Office of Emergency Services to advance the disaster assistance funding that will help residents and local governments recover from the Kincade Fire, which burned 77,758 acres, destroyed 174 homes, and caused evacuations for over 186,000 people in Sonoma County.

“The Kincade Fire is the largest in Sonoma County history and it’s had a compounding impact on a county that continues to recover and rebuild from the North Bay Firestorm just two years ago,” Senator McGuire said. “From the beginning of the disaster, this has been a 100 percent partnership with the county to ensure all needs are met. We are grateful to Governor Newsom, the California Office of Emergency Services and Cal Fire for their tireless work – they have been here since day one working on the response and now the recovery operations.”

“The past several years of wildfires have been devastating for Sonoma County and I cannot be more grateful for the tremendous support we have received from the state,” said Wood. “Governor Newsom was on the ground with us, side by side, as we traveled through the neighborhoods after the Kincade fire and I know that he understands the burden these wildfires have placed on people and the County, year after year after year. I’m confident that the state has our back.”

From the beginning of the fire, the state and county had been working together to ensure a coordinated response to the Kincade Fire and its recovery operations. 

In addition to the CDAA funding, state officials secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which covers 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs. The State has been embedded in the county, providing support with the debris removal and watershed protection efforts and assisting with critical state waivers which provides for expedited debris management and disposal at the County landfill.

“We appreciate the state’s quick response to our request for disaster assistance,” stated Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chair Rabbitt. “The funding is critical to our continued recovery.”

“State and local agencies have stepped up and devoted themselves to enhancing preparedness and resiliency over the last two years,” stated Sonoma County Supervisor Gore. “We are grateful for the continued collaboration toward our resiliency.”

The California Disaster Assistance Act (CDAA) authorizes the Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to administer a disaster assistance program that provides financial assistance from the state for costs incurred by local governments as a result of a disaster event. Funding for the repair, restoration or replacement of public property damaged or destroyed by a disaster is made available.

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