Californians think more should be spent on firefighting resources, poll shows

Californians think the state should focus more funding on firefighting equipment and preparedness, according to a new poll conducted by Emerson College.

The poll, commissioned by KTLA parent company Nexstar Media, found that Democrats and Republicans in the state appear aligned in their desire for more money to be spent on firefighter staffing and equipment.

In the poll, 68% of registered Democrats and 61% of Republicans agreed that the state should spend more on firefighting resources, even if that means increasing taxes to do so. Slightly more than half of self-described independents echoed that sentiment.

“Majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents support increased state spending on firefighter staffing and equipment, reflecting heightened concern amid wildfire threats,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.

Only about 35% of all respondents said the state’s current level of firefighting funding should stay the same, while 3% said the state should actually spend even less.

Wind-driven wildfires raged across Los Angeles County in January, killing dozens, destroying hundreds of homes and displacing thousands of people.

Experts say California is vulnerable to increasingly dangerous wildfire activity due to environmental shifts brought on by climate change. In the Emerson College poll, 7 out of 10 respondents said they believe climate change contributed to the recent wildfires.

“Voters under 40 (75%) and over 70 (73%) are most confident climate change contributed to recent wildfires, though a majority of all age groups agree,” Kimball added.

During last month’s deadly wildfires, President Donald Trump criticized California’s water management after overtasked fire hydrants ran dry as firefighters attempted to keep the flames at bay.

This led to the President signing an executive order that overrides existing water regulations to deliver water from the federal Central Valley Project. He cited the L.A. fires as the reason for this executive order, but the vast majority of the newly released water is being used for agriculture purposes in the Central Valley, with cities in the San Joaquin Valley, including Sacramento and Fresno, receiving much of the rest, according to CalMatters.

Pollsters asked Californians if it was a good thing for Trump to open the dams in Central California, which resulted in a near-even split: 52% think it’s a bad thing, while 48% say it’s good.

But those opinions track firmly down political lines, officials said.

“There is a partisan divide on Trump’s actions in California: 72% of Democrats think the opening of Central California dams was a bad thing for the state, while 83% of Republicans think it was a good thing,” Kimball said.

Respondents were also asked how confident they felt that Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, longtime political adversaries, could work together on fire prevention efforts.

About 43% of those polled said they believe the president will not do enough to work with the governor on fire-related issues, while about one-quarter of respondents said it would be Newsom who didn’t do enough to work with Trump.

Both Trump and Newsom can find common ground in their not-so-shining approval ratings in California. Newsom received 42% approval and 40% disapproval from those polled, while Trump received a 37% approval rating and a 53% disapproval.

Firefighting efforts weren’t the only topics Californians were asked to weigh in on.

A majority of registered voters (56%) said they believe the widespread deportation of undocumented immigrants in California, spurred on by the Trump Administration, is bad for the state.

Another one of Trump’s recent targets in the Golden State, the California High-Speed Rail project, still has a majority positive opinion by Californians with 54% of those polled saying it is a good use of state funds, while 46% said it was not.

The Nexstar Media poll by Emerson College was conducted earlier this week through text message and landlines. Other topics that respondents were asked to comment on were their priorities for gubernatorial candidates in 2026, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, who has overwhelming support from registered Democrats should she choose to pursue the office.