With a fire station on Catalina, Marrone knows the island’s blaze-prone landscape intimately. In a statement to Hahn’s office, he directly challenged one of the Conservancy’s key justifications—that deer exacerbate wildfire risks by promoting dry grass growth. “I believe mule deer do not pose a fire hazard,” Marrone asserted, calling out the claim as a falsehood unsupported by data from his department’s operations. His words cut through the Conservancy’s narrative, highlighting how fearmongering about fires—especially amid California’s escalating climate crisis—distracts from real threats like drought, invasive grasses, and inadequate fuel management.
