Governor Gavin Newsom is scrambling to dodge the backlash from California’s spectacularly inept response to the Los Angeles County wildfires. With his eyes clearly set on a potential presidential run, Newsom seems more focused on slinging comebacks at Donald Trump’s critiques than addressing his own state’s glaring shortcomings. Trump’s blunt social media critiques might sting, but they’re nothing compared to the outrage bubbling up from Californians who are watching their homes burn while their leaders play political defense. Once the fires are extinguished, Newsom could find himself battling a political firestorm of his own.
The chaos on the ground paints a damning picture of mismanagement from top to bottom. Firefighters reportedly faced a lack of water, a direct consequence of Los Angeles slashing its fire department budget by nearly $20 million earlier this year. Warnings about the potential fallout of these cuts were reportedly ignored by Mayor Karen Bass, and now those chickens have come home to roost. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley hasn’t exactly covered herself in glory, spending more time pushing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives than ensuring her team was fully equipped to deal with one of California’s most predictable disasters—wildfires.
Newsom didn’t help his case with his recent claim during a live interview that the state’s reservoirs were full and ready to aid in firefighting efforts. The truth? Those reservoirs have been underfilled for months, some not even close to capacity since February. The disconnect between Newsom’s rosy assertions and the reality on the ground couldn’t be more glaring. Whether this was an intentional spin or just another instance of California’s leadership being out of touch, it’s not likely to go unnoticed by residents who are tired of empty words.
The Palisades fire serves as a textbook example of what happens when a state prioritizes virtue-signaling over actual governance. Threatening critical infrastructure like the 405 freeway and still burning out of control, it highlights how ill-prepared California remains for its worsening wildfire seasons. Instead of focusing on basic disaster readiness, state and local leaders seem more invested in ideological pet projects. Workshops on implicit bias may sound nice in a press release, but they don’t extinguish flames or save lives when the state’s infrastructure and disaster response systems are in shambles.
The political fallout for Newsom and his allies is unlikely to subside anytime soon. Californians are increasingly frustrated with leaders who tout grand plans for combating climate change while failing to handle the basics of governance. With critics from all sides pointing out the state’s glaring failures, Newsom’s presidential ambitions could very well go up in smoke, leaving him to explain why California is better at passing blame than putting out fires.
Gavin Newsom: All our water reservoirs are full!
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 12, 2025
Reporter: Actually one reservoir was empty
Gavin Newsom: Oh yeah we’re investigating that pic.twitter.com/6BIfls54iW
