November 30, 2018 - Washington - Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris (both D-Calif.) on Thursday called on Senate leaders to support Governor’s Brown’s request to include $9 billion for California’s wildfire recovery efforts in upcoming federal funding legislation.

(Left) Senator Dianne Feinstein

“The scale of the destruction from this month’s wildfires is unprecedented…State and local governments in California are still in the early stages of recovery from this disaster and are still assessing damages and impacts. However, the governor’s office has worked with the affected counties and communities to determine that $9.054 billion in federal funding is needed as of November 28, 2018 to help California recover,” the senators wrote.

Full text of the letter follows:

November 29, 2018

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Senate Majority Leader
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Democratic Leader
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Richard Shelby
Chairman
Senate Appropriations Committee
Room S-128, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Vice Chairman
Senate Appropriations Committee
Room S-146, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senators McConnell, Schumer, Shelby, and Leahy:

As you develop a disaster supplemental funding package, we ask that you include $9.054 billion and disaster-related tax relief, as requested by the California Governor’s Office, to help California recover from this year’s devastating wildfires.

The scale of the destruction from this month’s wildfires is unprecedented. Now the deadliest wildfire in California history, the Camp Fire in Butte County has killed at least 88 people, destroyed almost 14,000 homes, burned 153,000 acres and destroyed the entire Town of Paradise. At the same time resources were stretched thin fighting the Camp Fire in northern California, the Woolsey and Hill Fires raging in southern California killed three people, destroyed nearly 400 homes, and burned 100,000 acres.

State and local governments in California are still in the early stages of recovery from this disaster and are still assessing damages and impacts. However, the Governor’s Office has worked with the affected counties and communities to determine that $9.054 billion in federal funding is needed as of November 28, 2018 to help California recover.

Thank you for your consideration of our request. As you work to determine disaster supplemental funding levels and the inclusion of tax relief for disaster-affected communities, we look forward to working with you to ensure that all Americans who have been severely impacted by recent natural disasters across the United States receive the federal support they need and deserve.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator                                                

Kamala D. Harris
United States Senator

Enclosure: November 28, 2018 letter from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein