Press Release

Senator Dave Min Secures $34.5 Million for District, Wildfire Preparedness

Senator Dave Min Secures $34.5 Million for District, Wildfire Preparedness

SACRAMENTO, CA — Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) announced today he secured $34.5 million to support wildfire preparedness and projects in his district as part of the 2021-22 budget. Min was also able to help procure an additional $13 million for projects in Senate District 37 requested by his colleagues State Senator Tom Umberg (D-Orange County) and Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach).

“The 2021-22 budget not only advocates for California’s future but also addresses our district-specific needs,” Min said. “I was proud to support this budget, which balances our short-term needs coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with our long-term priorities, strengthening our economic future. I am also incredibly thankful to our Legislative leadership and our Governor for providing funding for the projects I sought to prioritize for our district’s most pressing needs — wildfire preparedness, green housing and open space preservation.

Orange County is an incredible place to live, learn and raise a family, and this funding will support our communities for generations to come.”

Min championed the following line items incorporated in the 2021-22 budget:

  • $15 million for the ALERTWildfire Phase 2 expansion

    • ALERTWildfire is an incredibly successful wildfire prevention program, relying on 700 remote cameras to provide early detection for wildfires. Phase 2 of this program, which will be funded by this budget allocation, will provide an infrared map of the fuel concentrations of fire-prone areas. This infrared mapping will not only inform fuel reduction efforts in our state, but will also be critical for deploying first responders trying to put out wildfires, by providing a real-time assessment of where fires are likeliest to spread.
  • $14.5 million for the City of Irvine for the completion of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail (JOST)
    • A critical element of the region’s open space plan, JOST will run through Senate District 37 and link existing bike and pedestrian trails, connecting the coastline to the Santa Ana Mountains and Cleveland National Forest.
  • $5 million to the Orange County Sustainability Decathlon
    • The Orange County Sustainability Decathlon challenges 20 teams from around the world to design, build, and operate green energy-powered houses that meet net-zero energy building standards. The Decathlon is expected to attract global media coverage and hopefully will provide meaningful green innovation that can help developers meet the state’s ambitious zero-emission standards.

In addition to these projects, Min was proud to support:

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Dave Min represents California State Senate District 37, which is located in Orange County and includes the communities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Foothill Ranch, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park.

Dave was a University of California Irvine law professor and a former economic policy staffer in the United States Senate and for the Center for American Progress. He began his legal career at the Securities and Exchange Commission to protect the retirement security of seniors, turning down high paying jobs to serve the public interest. Dave and his wife Jane live and work in Irvine, where they are raising their three young children.