Convening the Sierra – Fall 2026
September 25, 2026
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The state legislature wrapped up its session on August 31, negotiating between both houses and with the administration to build on and refine the budget main bill and “budget junior” bill passed in June with additional budget junior and trailer bills following in August. The broad language in the June bills left many details to be determined and negotiated in the final month and days of the session, particularly around a $21 billion climate and energy package. There were high-profile items in this package and corresponding bills to assure California’s energy security through funding and operation of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, setting ambitious goals to move the state to 100% clean energy, and developing strategies for carbon removal and capture. Also included in the budget trailer bills was funding for climate and wildfire resilience, much of which will be distributed by various state agencies and departments through grants to local government agencies and nonprofits. These grant programs have a big impact on the Sierra Nevada region, funding projects that promote forest health, watershed protection, and community safety.
The Newsom administration and legislative leaders deserve much credit and applause for allocating substantial resources to important state initiatives such as 30×30, which will conserve 30 percent of the state’s lands and waters by 2030 in order to protect biodiversity and promote nature-based solutions to combating climate change. Regional land trusts could likely benefit from significant funding set aside for land acquisition and habitat restoration.
While we celebrate these historic investments, Sierra Business Council remains concerned about the level of funding for wildfire resilience, which stalled at some $600 million this year, about half the amount that was included in last year’s budget. Another budget nuance to watch is the fact that many natural-resources-related budget line items –including wildfire – contain multi-year funding commitments that are not guaranteed and must be recommitted in future budgets. SBC will continue to advocate for sustained, sufficient state funding for wildfire.
Here are a few budget highlights:
Curious what else our Government Affairs Team has been up to?
Read about our recent legislative tour of the Caldor Fire burn scar here.
Join SBC at these Upcoming Events Across the Region
Two SNEW services that are often requested by Sierra Nevada public agencies are energy benchmarking (sometimes including AB 802 reporting for buildings
California’s 2026-27 legislative session wrapped up September 1 after a turbulent final week of negotiations over wildfire policy, funding, and the state budget. While a last-minute proposal on wildfire liability ultimately stalled, the Legislature did restore and increase funding for climate resilience through Proposition 4 and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)—a meaningful outcome for Sierra communities amid a challenging state budget year.
The final plan includes $329.5 million for wildfire and forest resilience through Prop 4 and $118 million for wildfire prevention through GGRF. While these investments are an improvement over the June budget, wildfire resilience funding remains near historic lows, with no clear plan for sustained investment in future years.
Read more about the final budget, Prop 4 and GGRF allocations, and what’s next for wildfire and climate resilience in the Sierra.