After the flames: political disputes and policy management
President Donald Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom, known for their contentious relationship, greet each other after Trump exits Air Force.
The recent Los Angeles wildfires have been among the most devastating in the city’s history. The fires resulted in $275 billion worth of devastation and over 16,000 structures burned. In addition to the obliteration of numerous homes and businesses, a significant amount of resources were utilized during this period. 7,500 firemen combated the fires, with international support from Mexican and Canadian firefighters and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water used to help combat the fires.
In the midst of the fires, arguments emerged linking the cause often alternatively to poor land management climate change, reflecting broader divides between the right and left-wing ideologies. Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, faced criticism from President Donald Trump amid the controversy. Trump condemned Newsom, claiming that he addressed the fires inadequately with poor brush management and in his own words “bad policy planning.”
Regarding his revised federal disaster aid policy for supporting Los Angeles fire victims, Trump requires the implementation of voter ID laws, which mandate proof of citizenship for every election. Under Trump’s policies, California is only eligible for support and the redistribution of water from its northern region to other regions until it adopts these laws. These policies are being seen by some as political retaliation from Trump rather than efforts to help victims of the fires.
Simultaneously, the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, spoke to Trump about how to help homeowners gain permits to start the rebuilding of their destroyed homes. On Jan. 25th a conference was held where Bass and Trump discussed the policies for permits to rebuild moving forward ending in debate between the two.
“You have emergency powers just like I do … you have to exercise them also," Trump said
Trump declared this in response to Bass stating that residents of the Pacific Palisades would not be able to start rebuilding until debris began to be cleaned up by contractors, not individuals. Bass asserted that she had exercised her emergency powers and was working to expedite the process and if individuals desired to do so, they could start cleaning up their properties in what she believed to be a week.
Along with Bass, Newsom issued an executive order to expedite debris removal and facilitate recovery efforts. In this process, the California Office of Emergency Services was ordered to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop a comprehensive plan for debris removal.
To start rebuilding homes and businesses as soon as possible after debris is cleared, Newsom issued an order that suspends certain permitting and review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act, allowing for faster reconstruction. This order allows for permitting opportunities for the Palisades residents to accelerate the rebuilding process and begin reconstruction without unnecessary delays. In addition to supporting the rebuilding efforts, Newsom approved monetary allocations for a $2.5 billion bipartisan relief package for the Palisades, funded by the California state government. The money is going to be distributed among getting rid of hazardous waste, immediate financial aid and sheltering survivors.
Overall, Newsom has focused on recovery efforts while also implementing policies to prevent and mitigate future wildfires. The range of policies he is enforcing are wildfire community hardening measures, fire-resistant home regulations and federal cooperation for disaster aid. These initiatives entail hardening communities to be more resilient against wind-driven fires, now requiring homeowners in high-risk fire areas to clear unnecessary materials from around the premise of the home and lastly to secure disaster aid for affected areas as well as for future impacted areas.
Trump has suggested that the primary reason the fires spread so rapidly was based on poor brush management, stating that clearing the overgrowth would have largely decreased the devastation the fires caused. Concurrently he wants to take measures to change water management policies, arguing that current water policies had a contribution to the past Los Angeles wildfires.
During the Los Angeles wildfires, numerous reservoirs were drained due to ongoing maintenance and repair work. The lack of water hindered many firefighters' efforts to combat the fires, the water shortages forced firefighters to find other alternative water sources like swimming pools and even ocean water. Trump scrutinized California’s water policies and he then issued an executive order directing federal agencies to override California's water policies if they were deemed to hinder firefighting efforts, in response to this Newsom criticized misinformation regarding the state’s water management and said climate change was a more significant factor contributing to the intensity of the wildfires.
In the meantime Los Angeles is doing the most they can to expedite the process and help victims of the fire, with children being put back in schooling immediately, providing financial aid and tax relief and clearing debris in hazardous areas. California at the state and federal level are implementing insurance reforms for those affected by the fires and putting in measures to help future fires not enlarge like the Los Angeles fires and if so, having policies there to help future victims. Overall Los Angeles is not only hosting recovery efforts for current victims but setting plans in place to prevent having future victims so no one has to experience this level of devastation in the near future.