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Overview:
Prop 4 (the climate resilience initiative) will invest in safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, and protecting wildlife and open space
California has faced a lot of climate-related disasters in recent years. Whether it’s droughts, wildfires, or storms resulting in epic flooding, it’s clear that we can either pay for responding to disasters, or we can invest in protecting ourselves from disasters before they happen. And the longer we wait to act, the more it will cost to take action. By voting YES on Prop 4 this November, we’re investing wisely in our own future as well as the future of the planet.
Safe, Clean Drinking Water and Flood Protection
Almost one million Californians lack access to safe drinking water. That’s over 400 different water systems – mainly serving low-income communities of color, including Central Valley farmworkers who have to buy bottled water to drink and cook with because the water from their taps is contaminated with nitrates from fertilizer. Also, with more droughts almost certainly in our future, we need to invest in our drinking water supply for the sake of everyone in California.
Flooding is on many people’s minds these days, and Prop 4 also invests in flood protection. And Prop 4 specifically states that 40% of the funding must be used for low-income communities or those that are most vulnerable to climate impacts, so that the funding will benefit those truly in need.
Wildfire Prevention and Improved Disaster Response
According to the CalFire website, over 1 million acres have burned so far this year – and wildfire season is far from over. We all remember the 2020 CZU Fire that torched Big Basin State Park’s iconic old-growth redwoods and destroyed over 900 homes, or the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in California’s history, that devastated the town of Paradise. And who could forget the day in September 2020, just over four years ago, when Bay Area residents woke up to ominous orange skies because the sun was blotted out by smoke from fires hundreds of miles away in Mendocino County. (In fact, my memory is that by mid-afternoon that day, the sky wasn’t just orange, it was as dark as if the sun had just set – like twilight at 3:00pm.)
We know how to increase our forests’ resistance to wildfires – but it’s expensive to do this statewide. Prop 4 will provide the funding we need to prevent wildfires, reduce wildfire intensity, and create fuel breaks to protect vulnerable communities. Prop 4 also invests in emergency disaster response so that we can hire and train more firefighters, buy much-needed equipment, and improve firefighter health and safety.
Restoring Wetlands, Planting Trees, Protecting Open Space
As an environmental advocate, I have to say that the list of conservation-related funding goals in Prop 4 makes my heart sing. In addition to providing funding so that conservation organizations can permanently protect the landscapes that are most critical for biodiversity and wildlife movement, Prop 4 will help us restore Bay wetlands and protect against sea level rise, construct wildlife crossings over highways, create new parks and plant more trees in cities, restore fish habitat in rivers and streams, and much more. Prop 4 even devotes some funding to sustainable agriculture, helping farmworkers, and supporting farmers’ markets.
If We Don’t Pay Now, We’ll Pay More Later
Economists have stated that investing in climate resilience now via Prop 4 will save money in the long run. Preventing disasters or taking action to reduce their economic cost ahead of time is simply more cost-effective than deferring action and then having to repair, rebuild and respond to unmitigated climate disasters.
Taking action on climate resilience means working with nature instead of against it, which benefits both people and the planet. When we restore wetlands, we’re protecting against sea level rise. When we allow forests to burn naturally, we’re reducing the risk of catastrophic, out-of-control wildfires. When we support sustainable agriculture, we’re growing better food while replenishing the soil.
Prop 4 enables us to do all this and make our communities safer while also helping wildlife, nature and the earth. Vote Yes on Prop 4!
