Not Satire: Newsom Took Money That Could Have Helped Stop Palisades Fires and Spent It Teaching American Indians to Start Fires California’s ‘Tribal Wildfire Resilience’ program has allocated $24 million to teach American Indians “cultural fire practitioners” traditional brush-clearing methods. Critics argue the program lacks transparency regarding its effectiveness and is a racially discriminatory expenditure. The program’s justification has been framed as a remedy for historical injustices rather than solely for fire management.

• California’s ‘Tribal Wildfire Resilience’ program has spent $24 million on teaching American Indians “cultural fire practitioners” traditional brush-clearing techniques.
• The program is overseen by CAL FIRE and provides funds to tribal groups and nonprofits.
• Critics argue there is no data available on the program’s effectiveness in clearing brush.
• The program’s justification has been linked to addressing historical injustices rather than solely fire management.
• A separate, less rigorous certification process for ‘cultural fire practitioners’ compared to other fire bosses is criticized as potentially unconstitutional race-based discrimination.