Survey: Majority of Californians Support Additional Funding to Reduce Threat of Wildfires

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 16, 2025 

Majority of Californians Support Additional Funding to Reduce Threat of Wildfires

SACRAMENTO, CA — New data released from the Wildfire Solutions Coalition, a statewide alliance committed to securing long-term funding for wildfire resilience, and Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3), found that the majority of California voters strongly support allocating more funding towards wildfire resilience and support a portion of the state’s General Fund going towards this effort. 

These findings are a powerful sign that Californians are in lockstep with the mission of the Coalition – to increase public and private investment in proactive, science-based solutions that protect communities and landscapes from the increasing threat of catastrophic wildfires. 

Surveying more than 600 California voters, the “Views of Wildfire Prevention Funding” poll found that 68% of respondents believe that California has a great need or some need for additional funding to reduce the threat of these catastrophic wildfires. More specifically, more than 60% of respondents support dedicating 1% or 2% of the state’s General Fund to reducing risk from wildfires and other extreme weather events.

California has developed a rigorous action plan for improving wildfire resilience. However, sustained, long-term funding is required to fully implement this plan. Prioritizing this investment is necessary to prevent widespread economic loss, support California’s natural landscapes, and protect the health of its people. As a growing coalition of more than sixty organizations representing every corner of the state, the Coalition is the leading statewide group focused on securing this investment.

Managing costs and preventing widespread economic loss

Wildfires cause hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses for Californians, whether through destroyed property; skyrocketing insurance premiums; damage to water, energy, and transportation infrastructure; or disruptions to business and employment. These losses are particularly pertinent as Californians face economic uncertainty – 89% of respondents feel that the cost of living in California is an extremely serious or very serious problem, while 80% – including renters – are extremely worried about the cost and availability of home insurance.  

Committed investment in wildfire resilience is an important way to prevent unnecessary economic burdens, and it’s top-of-mind for voters. 70% of Californians surveyed feel that making buildings more resistant to wildfires and creating defensible space around homes and communities is very or extremely important. Through home and community hardening, there is an opportunity to prevent further widespread economic loss. The results can be significant – research from the National Bureau of Economic Research found 43% fewer homes were destroyed when built to wildfire-resistant standards in California.   

“Wildfire resilience is fundamentally a business issue. Wildfires cost Californians approximately $117 billion each year, increasing the cost of electricity, water, and insurance while straining the budgets of local governments statewide,” said Adrian Covert, Senior Vice President of Public Policy at the Bay Area Council. “For every dollar invested in wildfire prevention, more money is saved in avoided disaster response, recovery, and long-term economic disruption. Investment in wildfire resilience is a financially responsible path toward protecting communities and public resources from economic loss.”

“This year’s Eaton and Palisades wildfires devastated our communities and disrupted the livelihoods of countless Angelenos,” said Matt Horton, Vice President of Research and Policy at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. “Fighting the fire as it happens and planning for recovery is not enough. We must invest in solutions that significantly improve our state’s wildfire readiness. In doing so, we can protect our communities and reduce the risk of large-scale economic impact.” 

In L.A. and many other communities around the state, the stakes are high – the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that every dollar not invested in disaster resilience today results in an average of $22.60 in lost future economic activity. 

Safeguarding clean water and healthy forests 

Respondents to the “Views of Wildfire Prevention Funding” rank clean water and healthy forests among their highest funding priorities – 84% of respondents say that protecting water quality is extremely or very important to them, while 83% feel similarly about protecting forest health.

“Today’s wildfires have reached dangerous levels of intensity and frequency, causing immense damage to our forests, water systems, and natural landscapes,” said Nancy Wahl-Scheurich, Executive Director at the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts. “However, fire is a natural part of many California landscapes and can play an important role in maintaining healthy landscapes and protecting our communities. By better preparing for wildfires with controlled burns, forest management, and watershed restoration, fire can be a part of the solution and support our state’s natural ecosystems.”

“We don’t have to live from crisis to crisis,” said Michael Jarred, Associate Director with The Nature Conservancy. “We have the solutions to redefine California’s relationship to fire and move from crisis response to wildfire readiness in our landscapes and communities. What we need now is sustained funding to implement these solutions.“

Protecting the health of Californians

According to the data, seven in ten respondents have been personally impacted by wildfires or wildfire smoke. Wildfires can produce dangerous levels of air pollution that cause health problems, like asthma, for Californians, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

Investing in the prevention of megafires, instead of fighting them as they happen, can significantly reduce Californians’ exposure to harmful smoke and improve our air quality over time.

“Catastrophic wildfires are a growing public-health crisis that degrade air quality for millions across California,” said Michelle Decker, President and CEO at the Inland Empire Community Foundation. “Investing in wildfire resilience isn’t just an environmental imperative; it’s a proven way to protect our communities and safeguard the air we depend on. Residents of the Inland Empire already experience some of the worst air quality in the state; we can’t afford extreme wildfire smoke.”

The Wildfire Solutions Coalition is dedicated to securing the resources necessary to achieve California’s wildfire resilience goals and protect the health of our landscapes and communities. 

“It’s imperative that we scale funding for wildfire resilience – from state, federal, local, and private sources – to the $2.5 to $3 billion per year that we need to meet California’s wildfire resilience goals,” said Emily Blackmer, Director of Government and Community Affairs at Sierra Business Council. “We know what to do to safely live with wildfire, we just need the tools to get the job done.”

The Wildfire Solutions Coalition invites all Californians to learn more at https://wildfiresolutionsca.org.

Download an overview of key findings from FM3: Wildfire Solutions Coalition – Views of Wildfire Prevention Funding Survey Memo

Methodology

From November 10-16, 2025, FM3 completed 627 online and telephone interviews with likely November 2026 voters in California. The margin of sampling error for the study is +/-4.0% at the 95% confidence level; margins of error for population subgroups within the sample will be higher. Due to rounding, not all totals will sum to 100%.

About the Wildfire Solutions Coalition 

The Wildfire Solutions Coalition is a statewide alliance committed to securing long-term funding for wildfire mitigation and resilience. We believe California must invest in proactive solutions that protect lives, homes, ecosystems, and the economy – before the next fire starts. The goal of the Coalition is to secure the resources necessary – from local, state, federal, philanthropic, and private sector investment – to achieve California’s wildfire resilience goals and dramatically reduce the impacts of catastrophic wildfire across the state.

December 12 Year-End Celebration

At the Wildfire Solutions Coalition’s Year-End Celebration on December 12, Michael Jarred of The Nature Conservancy and Steve Frisch of the Sierra Business Council shared topline results of the poll for Coalition members and attendees of the December California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force meeting. Guest speakers included Jacy Hyde of California Fire Safe Council, Nancy Wahl-Scheurich of California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, and Lisa Lien-Mager of California Natural Resources Agency.