California Sen. Adam Schiff on Sunday urged the creation of an independent commission to review all elements of the response to devastating wildfires that continue to pummel Los Angeles.
“For now, let’s focus on putting out these fires, saving lives, saving property,” Schiff told ABC’s Jonathan Karl on “This Week.” “And then, let’s do the full analysis of what went wrong.”
And he expressed hope incoming President Donald Trump would work with longtime foe Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats to fund relief efforts once he takes office.
The flames have torched over 40,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,300 structures since Tuesday, nurtured by dry and powerful — nearly hurricane-strength — Santa Ana winds. The winds complicated early efforts to fight the fires. So too did a lack of water. Firefighters battling the massive Palisades Fire found that some hydrants had run dry in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Newsom has already ordered an investigation into the city’s Department of Water and Power. Schiff, a longtime House representative from Los Angeles who won his Senate seat in November, told Karl he wanted to go further.
“I’m deeply concerned about these erroneous alerts, these erroneous evacuation alerts that have gone out,” he said. “If people can’t trust when they’re told you need to get out, that they do need to get out, then it not only severely impacts the whole effort, but people ignore the alerts, endangering themselves and endangering the firefighters that have to step between the fires and these civilians.”
The Pentagon put 500 active-duty troops and 10 Navy helicopters on standby to help the city control the blaze. But there have been limits to what resources have been deployed.
“We have gotten a great deal of mutual aid from all over the state, all over the country, indeed other countries. And the air is pretty crowded with aircraft,” Schiff told Karl. “And it may be — it’s simply not safe to have more aircraft in the air. It may also have to do with the logistics of making sure those aircraft have the water they need.”
Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have slammed Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for the water shortages, even as city officials have chalked them up to “tremendous demand” caused by fighting the massive wildfires in multiple locations at once.
Newsom on Friday invited the president-elect to tour the damage in the city, and outgoing President Joe Biden told reporters he was “praying” Trump would continue funding the state’s wildfire response.
“We’re all in this together. It’s the United States of America,” Schiff said. “We need the incoming president to view it that way. We’re ready to work with the president to make sure that we have no — no gap, no air between us when it comes to making sure that we help victims get back on their feet and help California rebuild.”
Fellow California Sen. Alex Padilla (D) on Sunday said the fires were a chance for Trump to cast aside the polarization that marred the 2024 presidential race.
“Just as Californians have been there for other regions of the country in their times of crisis, it’s time for the country to unite before California,” Padilla told host Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.” “And that includes incoming President Trump.
“You know, at the end of the campaign he talked about uniting the country. Here’s his first opportunity.”