VP Kamala Harris Visits San Bernardino To Tout $600M In Wildfire Recovery Money For Calif.
ARCADIA (CBSLA) – Vice President Kamala Harris made a visit to San Bernardino Friday to announce hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to California for wildfire recovery efforts.
"We are talking with homeowners and reaching out to communities to figure out how we can support them to create a community that is less likely to be so significantly damaged if a fire should hit," said Harris.
The Vice President also visited a fire station in San Bernardino, where she announced that the federal government is providing California with $600 million in funding to recover from the 2021 wildfire season, one of the most devastating on record.
According to state numbers, over 2.56 million acres burned in California wildfires last year. There were 8,835 wildfires which destroyed a total of 3,629 structures.
The funding also included $5 billion for risk assessment and response, $1.3 billion in disaster relief, which includes the $600 million going to California, and finally $600 million for federal firefighter salaries.
Harris made the visit with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, where she will be highlighting the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden in November.
The Biden Administration has pledged to more than double the use of controlled fires and logging in high-risk areas.
Harris departed Washington, D.C., aboard Air Force 2 at around 6:30 a.m. Pacific time headed for San Bernardino International Airport. Harris is expected to spend the weekend in L.A. before traveling to Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday. She has a home in Brentwood.