RedState
"Newsom doesn't seem to be heeding McDaniel's advice; his strategy is to "Blame Trump." Back to his MSNOW interview in which he claimed that Trump has "not even lifted a finger" to help. While the fire occurred during the last few weeks of Joe Biden's failed presidency, debris removal - which was performed and funded entirely by the federal government, through FEMA, EPA, and the Army Corps of Engineers - started in February, after Trump was inaugurated. Not surprisingly, Newsom now takes credit for their work."
"It’s now been over a year since the catastrophic wildfires that burned down entire neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas of Los Angeles. The planning for such an eventuality and the Keystone Cops response to it have drawn blistering criticism from everyone from Donald Trump to billionaire developer Rick Caruso to actor Spencer Pratt, who lost his house in the conflagration and is now running to replace Karen Bass as LA mayor.
"Some of the harshest words, however, came Wednesday from someone who presumably knows a thing or two about fires: Redondo Beach Fire Chief Patrick Butler. Redondo Beach is in Los Angeles County, about 20 miles from downtown LA."
LA-Area Fire Chief Mops the Floor With Mayor Karen Bass Over Disastrous Wildfire Response – RedState
…"Rick Crawford, a retired battalion chief with the Los Angeles Fire Department, described the Palisades Fire as a ”case study” in how government leadership can bungle a wildfire into a deadly catastrophe, stressing that the inferno was not ”unforeseeable”.
”Wildfires are not disasters at ignition,” Crawford said. ”They become disasters when warnings are recognized but fail to trigger executive action.” . . .
Trump Tired of California Failure Theater, Issues Order for Administration to Take Over LA Fire Rebuild – RedState
. . . "His order also provides for the auditing of California’s use of FEMA funds as well as measures to ensure federal money is “delivered [to affected residents] and utilized swiftly, effectively, and without obstruction by State and local governments.”
"Fire survivor Jessica Rogers, the Palisades Long Term Recovery Group Executive Director (and friend of my wife), told RedState:
The news of the executive order from President Trump today issued for the LA wildfires is the greatest blessing since the fire. We are incredibly grateful that our president understands the true needs of the survivors...
The most efficient way to [rebuild]… would be for us to have a direct connection with the federal government through an authority where the funding can be accounted for by locals who were directly impacted by the fires — and eliminate the red tape of the city and the risk of mismanagement of funds.
"We've seen enough out of Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass, and Co. It's time for the adults to take charge." . . .
. . . "And, the $34 billion in federal aid Newsom is asking for, one fire victim points out, is not for the fire victims: "The bulk goes to NGOs and patronage groups. It's like FireAid all over."
"And maybe that's why it hasn't been approved?
"Coincidentally, on Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Jim Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee released the interim findings of their investigation into what happened to the $100 million FireAid raised in the wake of the fires, finding that "FireAid has diverted donations to third-party groups instead of providing direct relief to victims of the fires." From the report:
FireAid advertised that all donations raised during its benefit concert would go directly to victims of the California wildfires. Unfortunately, this was not the case. To date, FireAid has granted $75 million of the $100 million raised to a total of 188 non-profits, including $100,000 for voter participation efforts for Native Americans, $550,000 to groups involved in political advocacy, an unknown amount of money toward illegal aliens, $100,000 to podcasters, and over $500,000 for bonuses, salaries, and consultants for non-profit organizations.
"The report contains infuriating examples of what this money was used for.
"A grant report dated February 2025 included a list of CORE’s 'priority groups' that it wanted to help with money [$250,000] it received from FireAid. Among those priority groups were 'Undocumented Migrants' because 'this group is at high risk of housing instability, economic hardship, exploitation, and homelessness.'" . . .
