Assemblymember Marie WaldronSpecial to Valley NewsThis year, devastation from California’s wildfires is at record levels of destruction – about 3.4 million acres already burned. California has some of the toughest environmental standards in the nation, but the state’s success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions is wiped out by tons of carbon dioxide spewed into the atmosphere by these fires.The Legislature recently passed legislation to help prevent wildfires and deal with their aftermath. Two years ago, I supported a bipartisan plan with former Gov. Jerry Brown to increase vegetation clearance funding and to empower Cal Fire and the California Department of Forestry to strategically and scientifically thin forest overgrowth, while holding utility companies more account
