Wildfires complicate California Democrats' plans to lead Trump defiance

By Free Republic | Created at 2025-01-11 05:14:08 | Updated at 2025-01-11 09:13:33 4 hours ago

Wildfires complicate California Democrats' plans to lead Trump defiance
NBC News ^ | Jan. 10, 2025 | Alex Seitz-Wald

Posted on 01/10/2025 9:09:59 PM PST by MinorityRepublican

California was getting ready to fight President-elect Donald Trump. Instead, it's fighting raging wildfires and a crisis that risks tarnishing the state's image just as its leaders were positioning it to be a shining example of progressive governance.

A special session of the state Legislature that Gov. Gavin Newsom called shortly after the November election to position California to counter Trump has been overshadowed by the wildfires, the speed of which seemed to catch many officials off guard.

Newsom and other California Democrats have long held the state up as a national leader in addressing environmental issues, social inequality and economic innovation. But the wildfire crisis has exposed vulnerabilities in the state’s infrastructure and governance that critics argue undermine this narrative.

The fires themselves were propelled by an unusual confluence of extremely dry brush and violent winds, which have also grounded the aircraft that are firefighters’ best weapon.

But empty fire hydrants, a dispute about Los Angeles’ fire budget and preparedness, and a statewide insurance crisis (which has the potential to ruin homeowners who could not secure coverage for their destroyed homes) have converged into a political mess in a part of the country conservatives portray as representing everything they see wrong with America.

And the fires are only the latest challenge to occur on the watch of California Democrats, who for more than a decade have controlled every statewide office and have supermajorities in both chambers of the state Legislature. Increased crime, homelessness, droughts, fires, above-average gas and grocery costs and the most expensive housing prices in the contiguous United States have led many residents and businesses to leave a state that for a century saw only in-migration.

Trump wasted no time blaming the fires on Newsom, whom many expect to run for president in 2028...

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...

TOPICS: US: California
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To: MinorityRepublican

I guess they would rather burn down most the state, if they can “get” Trump, whatever that means.

2 posted on 01/10/2025 9:11:08 PM PST by nickcarraway

To: MinorityRepublican

Random piles of dogsqueeze have more leadership ability than Newscum, KamaLOL! and Karen “Kiss My” Bass.

3 posted on 01/10/2025 9:13:19 PM PST by kiryandil (No one in AZ that voted for Trump voted for Gallego )

To: MinorityRepublican

Newsom has 10,000 Mexican firefighters coming to stop the fires. Typical Californian - when confronted with work, first thought is, “Hire a Mexican to do it!”

Also...

Some of “Biden’s Guest” causing the fires?

Post
Conversation
The Hotshot Wake Up
@HotshotWake
The Palisades Fire is cranking off this evening and new evacuation orders have been given for North of Sunset Blvd to Encino Reservoir and West of the 405 Freeway to Mandeville Canyon.

In an interesting piece of reporting, it was revealed tonight that a senior LAFD official told Daily Mail reporters that on the day the fire started, a resident showed them a video of two people dumping gasoline in the area the fire started and lit it off.

The LAFD official told the resident to turn the video into police because they needed to focus on emergency response and evacuations.

As of Thursday, the Los Angeles Police Department told reporters they “have not received any reports of arson’ related to the Palisades Fire.”

“We had a resident come to us and said he got a video of two men dumping gas and lighting it off,’ said the LAFD official, who asked to remain anonymous.”

I will cover this new and more developments on tomorrow’s episode.

Also, I received information tonight that British Columbia is sending an Incident Management Team to California with a total of 100+ firefighters. Alberta and Quebec are also sending resources. Neptune Aviation and Bridger Aerospace are also sending aviation resources.

Meanwhile… Hotshot crews are working to the contain the Eaton Fire, one Hotshot crewmemeber told me today that it’s kicking their ass, but progress is being made.

https://x.com/HotshotWake/status/1877941515747524828

4 posted on 01/10/2025 9:13:26 PM PST by TigerClaws

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