SACRAMENTO, California— Gavin Newsom is staying in California to respond to the fires that are raging through Los Angeles, canceling a trip to Washington for former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, the governor’s office announced Wednesday morning.
There are three main conflagrations — the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires. Together, they have scorched over 5,000 acres in Los Angeles County, and put tens of thousands of people under evacuation orders. Two people have died, according to officials.
The fires puts a renewed spotlight on the Democratic governor as he considers a potential White House run in 2028 and has become a kind of standard bearer for the second Trump resistance. President-elect Donald Trump slammed Newsom on his social media site Truth Social Wednesday morning, blaming the state’s water policies for the fires.
“Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is to blame for this,” Trump posted.
On X, Elon Musk joined in the criticism, posting “These fires are easily avoidable, but nonsense regulations in California prevent action being taken, so year after year homes burn down and more people die”
In addition to attending Carter’s funeral, Newsom had planned to lobby federal officials to grant California waivers on health and environmental policy. It was his last chance to lobby the Biden administration before the federal government changes hands on January 20. He’ll also miss the inauguration of San Francisco’s new mayor, Daniel Lurie.
President Joe Biden is also in the Los Angeles area after high winds related to the fires derailed a planned stop in the eastern Coachella Valley to designate two new national monuments on Tuesday. He plans to visit a Santa Monica fire station for a CalFire briefing on Wednesday.