California Air Resources Board

Would have require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE) to set aside at least 10% of their prescribed and beneficial fire program funding for beneficial fire-related activities. The funding would be given in the form of grants, programs, or other ways to expand a community’s ability to support beneficial fire programs. At least 25% of the given funds must go to California Native American tribes or indigenous-led groups.

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Governor’s Veto Message

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1891 without my signature.

This bill would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to dedicate a specified percentage of all grant funding appropriated to the Department to beneficial fire activities.

The state has nearly doubled the amount of prescribed burn treatments since 2021, treating roughly 200,000 acres annually. While I share the author's goal to increase the pace and scale of prescribed fire projects, this bill limits CAL FIRE's ability to prioritize limited state resources toward the projects and communities facing the greatest wildfire risks.

Funding decisions of this nature should be considered within the annual budget process, where they can be evaluated alongside the state's broader wildfire resilience priorities and considered among available resources.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

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Would have required the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to convene an interagency task force to evaluate the role of alternative manure management practices in achieving certain goals, make specified findings and recommendations, and coordinate specified scenario modeling of alternative manure management practices. The bill would have authorized CARB to incorporate the task force's findings and recommendations into its Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP) Reduction Strategy, the 2027 Scoping Plan, and other planning documents as appropriate. The bill also would have required CDFA to convene relevant government agencies to create a process for approving new projects that manage livestock and dairy manure. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Requires the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to oversee a sustainable agriculture program to provide research, technical assistance, and incentive grants to promote agricultural practices that support climate resilience for farms and ranches and the well-being of ecosystems, air quality, and biodiversity. The bill also renames the Scientific Advisory Panel on Environmental Farming to the Scientific Advisory Panel on Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture (Panel) for the purpose of providing advice to the CDFA Secretary on the implementation of research, incentive, and technical assistance grant programs for sustainable agriculture. This bill also expands the Panel from nine members to eleven members to add members of the public that represent scientific expertise in sustainable agriculture and members of state agencies that represent expertise in programs and policies related to agriculture.

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Would have required CARB to ensure the Clean Cars 4 All program (CC4A) is available in all areas of the State including areas the local air district has not elected to participate in the program and requires CARB to manage the distribution of incentives to eligible residents of those areas. Would have required the performance analysis of the clean mobility options component to include an evaluation of the funding and targeted outreach to areas with the highest number of vehicles manufactured before 2004 or that are at least 20 years old. Would have also required CARB to consider the total value of vouchers deployed and metrics for retired vehicles in funding allocations to local air districts and delete the requirement to consider population. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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