OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) – Gov. Gavin Newsom was in Butte County Tuesday raising awareness for fire preparedness. The Governor held a press conference at a boat dock along the shores of Lake Oroville, and signed a legislative package providing $536 million to enhance and accelerate fire prevention projects. California is racing to prepare the state before this year’s wildfire season gets going in earnest. State officials say they started soliciting project proposals even before the money was appropriated. They are planning to speed funding to thin forests, build buffers around vulnerable communities and make homes less likely to burn. Cal-Fire officials stressed the importance of creating defensible space and other preventive measures that can be done to harden homes against fires. Nearly 4.4 Million acres burned across California last year.