Editorial: California confronts the wildfire menace once again

The sudden spate of wildfires to hit Northern California this week after thousands of lightning strikes is an urgent reminder of the risk the state faces because of the dry, hot conditions caused by climate change. With six deaths, more than 500 structures burned and more than 770,000 acres scorched, Gov. Gavin Newsom did the right thing scotching a conventional Democratic convention speech Thursday night and instead sending a cellphone video from Watsonville while helping oversee the state's response to more than 370 wildfires.

President Donald Trump did the wrong thing in yet again asserting that California is hit by fires only because it fails to take easy preventive steps and by again suggesting he might withhold federal funds as a result. Newsom said Friday that Trump wouldn't, but the president's framing of the California wildfire threat in partisan terms is neither helpful nor accurate. The federal government owns 57% of California's 33 million acres of forests; the state owns 3%. Last fall, Newsom signed 22 fire-related bills, including two measures to push people to build defensible space around homes, after previously budgeting an additional $1 billion for firefighting efforts. Can more be done? Sure. But California's leaders understand the severity of the threat the state faces.

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