California’s governor Gavin Newsom is facing fresh fury after claiming he does not know how the Los Angeles wildfires happened – while appearing to cast blame on other officials, including beleaguered LA mayor Karen Buss.
Mr Newsom has been accused of ‘passing the buck’ in his latest attempts to defend his response to the devastating ‘Palisade Fire’ inferno across the state, as the official death toll today rose to 16.
The man previously touted as a potential Democrat presidential candidate has also been criticised over $100million cuts to funding earmarked for tackling wildfires.
Meanwhile, Ms Bass has been described as ‘the most hated woman in America’ for her response to the ongoing disaster, with fierce blazes continuing to rage and spread further across California.
Both she and Mr Newsom have been filmed having awkward encounters with people expressing public fears and demanding answers over the emergency response – with the governor confronted by a California mother and the major by a Sky News reporter.
Scrutiny is being stepped over why California’s 117million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir has been out of action for repairs for almost a year, reportedly left empty and unable to provide much-needed water supplies to help combat the wildfires.
Mr Newsom has written a letter to LA officials demanding to know why water has been in such short supply over recent days – but a new podcast interview in which he sought to shift responsibility elsewhere has only fuelled more anger against him.
Mr Newsom, California’s governor since 2019, told the podcast Pod Bless America and interviewer Jon Favreau that he had struggled to get ‘straight answers’ from his own officials about what was happening.
California’s governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass after facing fury over their response to the Palisade Fire disaster including this blaze over Mandeville Canyon
Gavin Newsom was confronted by a California mother over his response to the disaster
Under-pressure LA mayor Karen Bass stayed silent when questioned by a Sky News reporter
He said: ‘So, I’m the governor of California and want know the answer – I’ve got that question, I can’t tell you, by how many people, “What happened” – on my own team, “What happened?”.
‘I’ll be candid with you, I wasn’t getting straight answers.’
Favreau, a former aide to ex-US president Barack Obama, told how one of his ‘best friends’ had lost his home in The Palisades and felt Mr Newsom was ‘just trying to pass the blame’ to local leaders.
The governor replied: ‘We had my team start talking to local leaders, saying: “What’s going on?”
‘I was getting different answers – and so, for me, when you start getting different answers, then I’m not getting the actual story.’
He insisted he wanted to give officials ‘grace’ to assess the situation.
But viewers and listeners have been left unimpressed, with comments on X including: ‘There goes his chances of ever becoming President of the US. Adios Gavin.’
Other responses included ‘He needs to get fired’, ‘Sir, you are the manager’ and ‘I certainly don’t want to hear any more explanations or excuses’.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (left) said he struggled to get what he called ‘straight answers’ when questioning officials, in a podcast interview with Jon Favreau (right)
Another X user posted: ‘If he doesn’t know what happened, when he’s the first who should know, then he isn’t fit for purpose and needs to resign.’
The governor’s latest interview came after a California mother went viral when she challenged Mr Newsom for his bumbling response to the Los Angeles fires.
Rachel Darvish told Fox News she was furious with the California Governor after he was left scrambling for a response when she chased him down.
Mr Newsom claimed to be trying to reach President Biden on the phone at the time but said he could not get cell service, which Darvish argued was indicative of his mismanagement of the crisis.
Meanwhile, with thousands being forced to flee some of the city’s ritziest enclaves as homes and businesses burn to the ground, Ms Bass has come under increasing pressure.
But she stayed silent when challenged by a Sky News reporter, who posed questions including: ‘Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning?’
As the mayor remained stone-faced, the reporter continued: ‘Do you regret cutting the fire department’s budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor? Have you nothing to say today?’
Still without receiving any answer, the reporter asked once again: ‘Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today? Elon Musk says that you’re utterly incompetent. Are you reconsidering your position?’
Despite the questions, Bass continued to remain completely silent for nearly a minute before walking away from the interviewer.
A Change.org petition demanding her immediate resignation has now passed 91,000 signatures.
And she has faced more criticism today after posting on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram a video message during a visit to fire headquarters – including mockery for her smiling appearances despite the ongoing disaster.
Ms Bass accompanied the video with the words: ‘On the ground here in Sylmar being briefed on continued efforts to fight the Hurst Fire.
‘Thanks to courageous efforts by @losangelesfiredepartment and other departments working in partnership, the fire is 76% contained.’
Replies included scornful comments such as: ‘Pro tip is typically you shouldn’t be smiling as a leader during the worst disaster in California’s history.’
Others wrote messages including ‘We don’t stand with you resign’, ‘Like she cares? No way!’ and ‘Did you go out there just for the photos? To act like you’re doing something. We’re not dumb. Please step down. Nobody wants you’.
And other criticism of the mayor and other local leaders has come from Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who said city chiefs failed her department by not providing enough money for firefighting.
She also criticised the lack of water, saying: ‘When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water.’
The reservoir is reported to have been closed for repairs in recent weeks after damage to a covering which was meant to preserve water quality, the Los Angeles Times first reported.
Emptying of the reservoir is said to have started last February following a tear in the water cover which let debris into the water supply, before it was drained and bids for repairs were invited in April – the status of any response remained unclear.
Fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets are also said to have gone dry, which left firefighter crews struggling with low pressure levels.