California is burning, and the smoke is thick—not just from the wildfires ravaging the state but from the excuses and political theater coming from its leadership. As more fires ignite, the most recent near the Hollywood sign, it’s clear that California’s Democrat-led government has failed its citizens yet again. While firefighters battle an uphill war with limited resources, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom continue to prioritize optics over solutions.
Let’s start with Mayor Bass. Fresh from her taxpayer-funded jaunt to Ghana, she dodged reporters’ questions about her abysmal decisions that left Los Angeles woefully unprepared for wildfire season. A blank stare and a silent walkaway were all the accountability the public received. This is the same mayor whose budget cuts crippled the city’s ability to clear brush and maintain firefighting equipment. Those decisions are now costing lives and livelihoods.
BREAKING: @FOXLA chopper is over what appears to be a new brushfire burning in the hills west of the Hollywood sign. Looks like it broke out moments ago. pic.twitter.com/9RRWcKfANX
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 9, 2025
But Bass isn’t alone in her failure. Governor Gavin Newsom is also feeling the heat, and rightly so. President-Elect Donald Trump minced no words when he called Newsom out for refusing to sign a water restoration declaration that could have redirected millions of gallons of rainwater and snowmelt to wildfire-prone areas. Instead, Newsom prioritized the well-being of the Delta smelt—a three-inch fish—over California’s people. The result? Catastrophic fires and a state ill-equipped to handle them.
When pressed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Newsom played the victim, accusing Trump of “politicizing” the tragedy. This from a man who has made a career of weaponizing crises to push his agenda. Newsom’s faux outrage and empty platitudes did nothing to mask the undeniable truth: decades of Democrat policies have gutted California’s wildfire preparedness and water management systems, leaving communities vulnerable to disasters like this.
Gavin Newscum speaks with a forked tongue as he accuses President Trump of “policizing” the wildfire for pointing out that he has spent years doing a horrible job at forest management. pic.twitter.com/ARiws5XFqv
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 9, 2025
Trump’s criticism is timely and warranted. As California Assemblyman Bill Essayli pointed out, this is precisely the moment to hold those responsible accountable. Waiting until the flames are out only ensures the same mistakes will be repeated. Newsom’s focus on scoring political points rather than implementing effective fireproofing measures has left Californians to pay the price—again.
For years, the state has ignored common-sense solutions. Controlled burns have been canceled, water infrastructure remains outdated, and environmental priorities trump human safety. These policies are the result of a political class more interested in appeasing special interests than protecting their citizens.
For everyone saying this is not a time for blame, this is exactly the moment that the people who have been responsible for the mismanagement of California’s fire policies be held accountable.
Our governor has been obsessed with holding a special session to “Trump-proof” CA,… pic.twitter.com/cPi10cGf6s
— Bill Essayli (@billessayli) January 8, 2025
