Newsom signs $15 billion legislative package to tackle climate change

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bevy of bills on Thursday that together authorize $15 billion in spending to combat climate change.

Newsom signed 24 bills intended to provide wildfire protection, drought response and protection from sea level rise and extreme heat.

The bills include $1.5 billion for wildfire and forest resilience, $5.2 billion over three years for short-term drought response and long-term investment in water supply expansion and drinking and wastewater systems, $3.7 billion over three years to cope with extreme heat and sea level rise, $1.1 billion over two years for sustainable agriculture investments and $3.9 billion to purchase thousands of zero-emission vehicles and to help “drive consumer adoption” of such vehicles.

Newsom said in a news release Thursday:

“We’re deploying a comprehensive approach to meet the sobering challenges of the extreme weather patterns that imperil our way of life and the Golden State as we know it.”

The bills are intended to, in part, help communities better prepare for wildfires and fund fuel breaks and fuel reduction projects in fire-prone areas.

They also include money for emergency drought relief and to expand water supplies and for projects to support wildlife and habitat restoration efforts.