A California lawmaker is calling for serious changes Forest fire control and prevention.
“There are a lot of similarities. That's part of the problem here, I don't know that we're really learning the lessons of the past,” Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher told Fox News Digital.
Gallagher was describing the 2019 Paradise Fire that struck his area, and said there was more to be done to combat and prevent catastrophic wildfires. Through the Golden State.
“It's the same type of catastrophic, wind-driven fire. We're still seeing the movement of dead and dying wood and brush onto federal land, and in this case, it decimated an entire community,” Gallagher said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is defending criticism of his response to the Los Angeles wildfires as backlash continues to grow. (Newsom: Photo by Jeff Gretchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images Fire: Jae C. Hong/AP)
“So, from paradise to barriers, over the last seven years, we've seen catastrophic fire after catastrophic fire, and our leadership in California has done a very poor job of addressing the underlying issue.”
Gallagher said he feels that way State and local leadership They were “extremely deficient” in how they responded to bushfires.
“When you just look at the water that's not coming out of the fire hydrants, and then nobody seems to know why. And then the governor says, 'Okay, I'll investigate it,' it's just kind of a sideshow in a time that we're in,” Gallagher continued. “We need real, decisive and strong leadership.”
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“It's just kind of a sideshow at a time when we need real final results…”
“Maybe the best contrast to draw is how DeSantis handled the hurricanes in Florida versus how Gavin handled this disaster. You can definitely see the differences in leadership.”
Izzy Jardon, communications director for Newsom's office, took issue with criticism of the governor's handling of the wildfires.
“The governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need,” Jardon told Fox News Digital.
“The governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.”
The governor's office shared a letter addressing hydrants running out of water, noting that “although Southern California's overall water supply is not an issue, water movement in the initial response was an issue.”
“This is why @CAGovernor Newsom ordered a full, independent review of the LADWP. This can never happen again,” the post on X read.
Gallagher said that while what we're seeing in California now is heartbreaking, it's time for everyone to come together and come together to help people recover, but then “finally address the problems in California fundamentally.”
“It's a lack of infrastructure. It's a lack of proper stewardship of our lands to ensure the safety of communities,” Gallagher said.
The Palisades Fire sweeps through a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, January 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
In 2021, he and other lawmakers fought for $1 billion in funding to fight and prevent catastrophic wildfires, Gallagher said, adding that wildfire prevention and issues with the state insurance market must be addressed, and that there has been a significant decline in appropriations since then.
“It's really about getting back to the basics of government and public safety and public goods and infrastructure that Gavin Newsom and the Democrats have just done a terrible job at. They haven't cared about that basic duty of government, and they've been pursuing all sorts of other liberal dreams basically, and they don't care about the basics.
An aerial view shows debris from burned property, following the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States on January 10, 2025. (Reuters/Daniel Cole)
Governor Newsom's office disputed the claims and said that under the governor's leadership, CalFIRE's budget has nearly doubled since 2019, rising from $2 billion to $3.8 billion.
His office added that Southern California's water reservoirs are at record levels and that there is no water shortage in Southern California.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there. Fact: CA has not reduced our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our firefighting army and built the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world. “California has increased forest management tenfold since we took office,” Newsom wrote in a post on X.
Republican Sen. Brian Daley claimed Newsom turned his back on Californians when he vetoed a bill aimed at protecting fire victims, which Newsom opposes.
“Friendly reminder: Newsom turned his back on wildfire victims by vetoing my bill, SB 542 — the measure would have excluded settlement payments made to victims of the 2022 Mill Fire and 2021 Dixie Fire from being subject to income taxes. I bet he plans to tax SoCal residents on the payments Their settlement too!”
Newsom's office said he “wholeheartedly supports the intent of these bills.”
“In 2022, I signed legislation providing similar tax exemptions for settlement claims resulting from catastrophic wildfires that occurred in the previous five years. In signing these bills, I stated that future measures, like these bills, should be included as part of the annual budget. In light of the general fund implications, the following year, the Legislature enacted an income tax exemption for additional wildfires in the 2023-2024 Budget Act, and as such, I strongly encourage, Newsom wrote in a previous article: “The Legislature should include these proposals within next year’s budget.” Letter sent to the California State Senate.
Newsom also received backlash from several lawmakers after he called a “special session” to “resist Trump” for the state at President-elect Trump's inauguration and then added wildfire relief to the agenda.
“I am officially done with political games over fire. It is wrong to suggest limits on federal disaster relief,” Assemblyman Greg Wallis, a Republican, wrote in a post on X.
“It is wrong to tie fire relief funds to California's partisan 'Trump-proof' special session funding bill. No strings attached. Let's focus on helping the victims and getting the victims the relief funds they desperately need.”
Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, also a Republican, echoed Wallis' description of Newsom's private session as “insulting.”
“Democratic lawmakers appear to be at odds with each other over Newsom’s humiliating special session, which combines critical emergency funding for the Los Angeles fires with $50 million in politically motivated funding to prosecute Trump,” Jones wrote in a post on X.
“I strongly urge my fellow Democrats to move beyond Newsom’s divisive political agenda and focus solely on disaster relief. The $50 million would be better spent helping fire victims recover and rebuild. Drop the political angles and conditionals on aid — fire victims deserve a response,” he continued. Jones: “This is respectful and nonpartisan.”
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The special session was initially scheduled for Tuesday, but was canceled due to the ongoing threat of wildfires.
Fox News Digital's Charles Kretz contributed to this report.
Stephenie Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Tips and story ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
