US President-elect Donald Trump believes California Governor Gavin Newsom should resign over the Los Angeles wildfires.
Sharp criticism
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who only returned from a trip to Ghana on Wednesday, was also criticised. At the airport, journalists asked her if she planned to apologise to the people of the city. To this, the politician remained silent and looked away.
Rick Caruso, a real estate developer and K. Bass’ main opponent in the 2022 mayoral election, said:
“We have a mayor who seems to think it’s more important to be at an event, wherever the hell it is. Our system of government is terrible, and it’s cost us billions of dollars in damages because she wasn’t here and she didn’t know what to do.”
Donald Trump stated:
“It’s a mistake by the governor and the administration. They have no water. The hydrants are empty. The governor failed to do his job.”
It is quite possible that now, along with the villas of celebrities, any political prospects of California Governor Gavin Newsom are also burning.
About the unpreparedness of the state fire services to extinguish the fire now does not tell only lazy and Joe Biden, who flew to California, said the first thing in the briefing on the fight against the elements that he became a great-grandfather. Newsom, of course the master of getting away with it, but most likely now to blame it on Mrs. O’Leary he will not succeed.
For Donald Trump, this firestorm has come at the perfect time: Gavin Newsom has repeatedly threatened to lead the resistance to Donald Trump’s policies. With a good approval rating, Newsom could have created a tangible frontrunner, but after the firestorm… Perhaps the leader of the underdogs who will put sticks in Trump’s wheels will be Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is obviously inferior in political weight to the pre-fire Newsom.
In addition, the Republicans have gained a perfect trump card to quickly roll back the diversity programme that recruited firefighters in California and is now being blamed for the inability of firefighters to fight fires.
Some of the equipment that the state’s firefighters lack has been turned over to Ukraine. That decision is also on the conscience of the governor, whom Trump has already called on to resign. Newsom does not plan to go anywhere before the end of his term, and Trump has no leverage to remove him.
The economic damage from the wildfires in southern California was estimated at $135-150bn by the consulting firm AccuWeather. This is half of what the US has spent on Ukraine since 2014 (according to the Senate). As recently as yesterday, the damage was estimated at around $50bn.
What L.A.’s money is spent on
American conservative portal Daily Caller has collected information on what the Los Angeles budget has been spent on recently.
- The fire service budget was cut by $17.6 million in 2024-25,
- $100k was allocated for the Midnight Stroll transgender cafe. The goal is to “support a safe haven for unsheltered transgender people in Hollywood,”
- $100k went to the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People,
- $8,670 went to the International Gay and Lesbian Archives. An exhibition devoted to the occult and the LGBT movement is now being held therem,
- $13 thousand – for the programmes “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month” and $14 thousand – for the “Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus,”
- $13,000 each went to American Indian Heritage Month, African American History Month, Asian American Heritage Month and Hispanic Heritage Month programmes.
Probable causes of the fire
According to California Fire Department Battalion Chief David Acuna, up to 95 per cent of fires in the region are caused by human actions. Exactly who caused the current fires is not yet known. According to the US Forest Service, 85% of wildfires in the country are human-caused, either intentionally or accidentally.
137,000 residents of the Los Angeles area have been ordered to evacuate. Most people are leaving their homes, taking only the bare essentials. It is reported that the fires have destroyed more than a thousand buildings, including the famous Sunset Boulevard. Witnesses are calling what is happening “hell on earth.” The fire destroyed many luxury homes belonging to film and television stars. At least five people have died.
Santa Ana winds are believed to be the main culprit behind the disaster. These are the characteristic strong and dry winds of winter in Los Angeles. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Santa Ana and low humidity significantly increase the risk of extreme fires.
Wind speeds have exceeded 100 kilometres per hour in some places and can reach 160 kilometres per hour in the foothills and mountains. Some areas have not seen rain for months.
From “extremely critical” to “critical”
Strong winds make it impossible to use aeroplanes to fight fires, which seriously complicates firefighting. Helicopters attempting to put out fires are having limited effect.
Last Thursday, the National Weather Service issued warnings about the impending storm, but the authorities’ actions drew criticism.
Smoke and ash from the fires have covered much of Southern California, and air quality has reached dangerous levels. In East Los Angeles, the air quality index reached 173 points, compared with the norm of 50.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Fire Department cancelled part of the evacuation orders in the Sunset District. The West Hollywood County Police Department said the intensity of the fires in Hollywood had decreased and the weather warning level in Southern California had been lowered from “extremely critical” to “critical.” However, forecasters said no precipitation is expected in the region in the coming week.
