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In the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires, Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a new page on social media to counter misinformation and address false claims regarding forest management, firefighting budgets, and water availability.
Newsom posted on social media on Saturday:
"Just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data around the Southern CA wildfires," and added: "CA did NOT cut our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our firefighting army and built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet. CA has INCREASED forest management ten-fold since we took office. California will NOT allow for looting."
Los Angeles County has witnessed multiple wildfires across thousands of acres, gutting residences, businesses, and other structures worth billions of dollars. As per recent reports, six people were killed in the Eaton fire and five in the Palisades Fire, with many others suffering severe injuries.
Governor Gavin Newsom launches website to fight LA wildfire misinformation
Following the devastating wildfires across Los Angeles County, Governor Newsom and other local officials have faced criticism from residents and members of opposing political parties, alleging the situation was poorly handled. Newsom reacted, stating:
"There is an astonishing amount of mis- and dis-information being spread online - much of it by so-called leaders and partisan media outlets who seek to divide this country for their own political gain. It breaks my heart that families in Los Angeles don't just have to worry about the fires but also this malicious disinformation as well."
Newsom, in his new page, debunked rumors that said he had cut the fire budget by $100 million prior to the incident. He addressed the misinformation by stating the number of firefighters has been doubled since 2019. The budget had been increased to $3.8 billion from $2 billion, he added, and called out allegations that the wildfires were caused by California's mismanagement of forests. He wrote:
"The budget for managing the forest (AKA “raking the forest”) is now TEN TIMES larger than it was when Governor Newsom took office. It was a $200 million annual budget in 2018. The state has now invested $2 billion, in addition to the $200 million annually."
Newsom also refuted the claim alleging California was running out of water and that reservoirs were nearly empty since he did not sign a water restoration declaration. Stating there is "no water shortage in South California," he added:
"Three million gallons of water were stored in three large tanks for fire hydrants in the area before the Palisades fire, but the supply was exhausted because of the extraordinary nature of this hurricane-force firestorm."
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Newsom further called for an independent investigation to determine the cause of water pressure loss to local fire hydrants and the reason behind the unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir. Moreover, he called out misinformation regarding California's smelt fish policy, trucks being held up in Sacramento for alleged emissions testing, and allegations against him working with developers to change zoning in burned areas.
Additionally, Newsom said the state was using every available resource to combat the dangerous wildfires. According to him, more than 10,000 emergency personnel had been employed to fight the wildfires that erupted across Los Angeles County. He added that 1,000 fire engines, 143 water tenders, 52 helicopters, and nine air tankers were also used to contain the fire and evacuate people from danger-prone areas.
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