Jan. 15, 2021
Far too many Californians have grown up with memories of wildfires. Growing up in the Bay Area, the Oakland Hills fire, which, until more recently was one of the most destructive and deadliest tragedies in our history, was a pivotal part of my youth. Wildfires once again played a big role with my family in 2018 when both my parents and brother lost their homes in Paradise to the Camp Fire.
Last year, no Californian was immune from the negative effects of wildfires when thick, dark clouds of smoke stretched to the furthest reaches of the state for a month and ash rained down on neighborhoods. Wildfires have become even more prevalent and disastrous, and our states, local communities and individual homeowners must come together to look for ways to comprehensively mitigate these impacts.