Gov. Newsom badly misled California on wildfire prevention efforts, report says

A striking new report from CapRadio and NPR's California Newsroom alleges that Gov. Gavin Newsom made false and misleading statements related to wildfire prevention efforts in the state of California.

CapRadio, which is the NPR affiliate in Sacramento, obtained data that shows Newsom has dramatically overstated the level of preventative work that has been done in advance of what is widely expected to be a challenging fire season.

The four biggest findings from the report are:

— Newsom overstated the number of acres treated with fuel breaks and prescribed burns by 690%. He claimed 90,000 acres have been treated after he signed an executive order authorizing burns on 35 priority projects, but CapRadio reports the actual acreage number is 11,399.

— The number of acres Cal Fire treated in 2020 — the most destructive fire season in California history — was half of what it was in 2019.

— Newsom slashed $150 million from Cal Fire's wildfire prevention budget in 2020.

— Several wildfire experts say the state has done nowhere near enough to be prepared for the 2021 wildfire season.

The CapRadio report states that Newsom's office did not respond to "multiple requests for comment over the course of two weeks." Newsom has repeatedly touted the 90,000 acre figure in public appearances and press releases.

Cal Fire chief Tom Porter did talk to CapRadio, and per the report, "acknowledged the figures cited by Newsom were incorrect and took responsibility for the governor's misstatements."

CapRadio's report comes at a time California Democrats are working to accelerate the timeline for Newsom's recall election in an attempt to hold the election before wildfire and power blackout season. Elected Democrats have openly acknowledged the threat wildfire season could pose to Newsom's political fortunes.

You can read the full CapRadio/NPR report here.