Sacramento, CA – Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry released the following statements in response to Monday’s vote in the Senate to approve a spending bill that would backfill Lake County’s property tax losses from wildfires for three years:

“No other county in California has been hit as hard as Lake from wildland fire. Sixty percent of Lake County’s land mass has burned since 2015 and the results have been devastating to residents and municipal budgets. We have been working in partnership with Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry, the California  Department of Finance and the Lake County Board of Supervisors on this proposal for over a year and we couldn’t be more grateful to Governor Newsom for his commitment to backfill nearly $4 million in lost property tax revenue.”

The bill – AB 72 – will appropriate $3.84 million to cover property tax losses from Lake County fires including the 2015 Rocky, Jerusalem, and Valley fires, 2016 Clayton fire, 2017 Sulphur fire, and 2018 Pawnee/Mendocino Complex/Ranch fires. The Governor has 12 days to sign the legislation.

“Lake County has been subject to disaster after disaster. The magnitude of the combined property damage and associated tax losses in the county would be insurmountable without this backfill support from the state. I want to thank the leadership of both houses of the legislature and Governor Newsom for moving expeditiously on this disaster relief measure.  I am pleased to see that the Assembly and Senate have taken early action to ensure that the people of Lake County can continue the process of recovering and rebuilding. Our work is not done, but this is an important step in the effort,” Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry said.

“Lake County’s recovery and vibrancy is a crucial State priority. Senator McGuire and Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry’s tireless advocacy in the face of our many disasters since 2015 has been an inspiration to us all,” shared Tina Scott, Chair of the Lake County Board of Supervisors.  “Our Board stands alongside Lake County residents, particularly those who lost so much, committed to emerging from the devastation stronger and better connected than ever. AB 72 brings much needed resources to enhance and sustain those efforts, and we are grateful for Governor Newsom’s swift action to support the County of Lake and all rural counties.”

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