Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested Friday that President Joe Biden “deal with” people who are allegedly spreading “misinformation” about his response to the wildfires raging across Los Angeles.
Newsom alleged that Californians have gathered so-called “misinformation” about the wildfires and that himself and Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have had atypical conversations with the public regarding the so-called false information. He asked the president during a virtual meeting to confront the alleged misinformation and “lies” spewed by those who want to “divide” the U.S.
“I ask you, we’ve got to deal with this misinformation,” Newsom said. “The hurricane force, winds filled with mis-and-disinformation lies. People want to divide this country and we’re gonna have to address that as well. And it breaks my heart as people are suffering and struggling, that we’re up against those hurricane forces as well. And that’s just a point of personal privilege that I share that with you because it [affects] real people who are out there, people I meet every single day. People [Bass] has been meeting with, and they’re having conversations that are not the typical conversations you’d have at this time and you wonder where this stuff comes from.”
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Newsom and his administration have come under fire for his response, particularly relating to the lack of water available in the fire hydrants in the midst of the fires. An analysis from OpenTheBooks, a government transparency organization, found that Los Angeles lacked the budget to sufficiently fund fire hydrants across the area despite Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) officials receiving substantial taxpayer-funded salaries.
Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Chief Kristin Crowley staunchly supported diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and an internal “racial equity plan,” which states that the agency is a stronger organization for focusing on the physical characteristics of its personnel.
President-elect Donald Trump criticized Newsom for prioritizing the protection of the delta smelt, a small, three-inch fish, over allowing water to be used by officials. The president-elect said he secured federal approval for a plan on water management during his first term and alleged that Newsom refused to enact this policy.
While her city was set ablaze, Bass traveled to Ghana to attend the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
Thousands of homes perished in the fires since the fires spread across neighborhoods in Eaton Canyon and Pacific Palisades, and over 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their residences.
Californians directly impacted by the natural disaster told the Daily Caller News Foundation Wednesday that they were told to exit their homes without warning and had unexpectedly returned to find their houses in ruins.
EATON FIRE: This is the current state for some homeowners right now who aren’t even that far up the mountain in #Altadena @DailyCaller #Pasadena | #California pic.twitter.com/4Il84D14JD
— Hailey Grace Gomez (@haileyggomez) January 8, 2025
EATON FIRE: Pictures obtained by @DailyCaller News Foundation show the ongoing chaos tonight in #Altadena
Also seeing winds are still expected to remain strong in #California until tomorrow late morning, per ABC7#Pasadena pic.twitter.com/Xvikred603
— Hailey Grace Gomez (@haileyggomez) January 8, 2025
An emotional mother, whose daughter’s school burned down, confronted Newsom Thursday about the lack of water readily available and about his response to the disaster. A spokesperson for Newsom told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the governor spoke to the president after his conversation with the woman, who committed to covering 100% of the response costs for the next 180 days.
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