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Stimulus to CA: $1.5 Million for Wildfire Projects, So Far
Of the $33 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the U.S Department of Agriculture's wildfire protection efforts, California is only slated for $1.5 million so far and that's for Northern California. "The project work will include fuel reduction work near communities, Forest Service recreation facilities, and access routes and will also maintain facilities to reduce deferred maintenance while making crews available for fires suppression when needed." This comes as the state runs short of funds to pay for firefighters. More money is expected from the stimulus via other routes, but Governor Schwarzenegger has been pushing a yet-to-be approved 2.8 percent surcharge on property insurance. In 2008, the state experienced over 2,000 wildfires.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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