Mexicans, Canadians, and Prisoners Deployed To Battle Newsom's Inferno
California's devastating wildfires highlight repeated government missteps and resource mismanagement under Newsom.
Mexican firefighters, Canadian firefighters, Oregon firefighters, and California inmates united to battle the devastating wildfires ravaging Southern California this weekend, highlighting the state's reliance on unconventional help amid government missteps and resource mismanagement under Governor Newsom.
As of Sunday, 16 people were dead and 16 people were missing, with more winds expected through Wednesday.
In all, Mexico sent 72 firefighters to help fight the fires, while Canada sent 60 firefighters, and Oregon sent 70 firefighters. In addition, more than 900 California inmate firefighters were also deployed.
While California has long relied on the voluntary participation of prison inmates to combat fires, the increasing scale and frequency of wildfires in the region have sparked discussions about the sustainability of such programs (inmates make as little as $5 a day).
In addition, it has highlighted an array of government failures leading up to the fires.
Newsom’s Failure To Manage Forests
A 2021 investigation by Capitol Public Radio revealed significant discrepancies in California’s wildfire prevention efforts under Governor Gavin Newsom.
The report uncovered that Newsom overstated, by a staggering 690%, the number of acres treated with fire prevention measures like fuel breaks and prescribed burns.
While the governor claimed that 35 "priority projects" covered 90,000 acres of vulnerable land, state data indicates the actual figure is just 11,399 acres—far below the numbers presented to the public.
This discrepancy raises serious concerns about the effectiveness and transparency of California’s wildfire management efforts, especially in areas designated as high-risk zones.
The investigation also highlighted a troubling decline in the state’s wildfire prevention output since Newsom took office.
After an initial uptick in his first year, data obtained by CapRadio and NPR’s California Newsroom shows that CalFire's fuel reduction efforts halved in 2020, falling to levels lower than those seen during Governor Jerry Brown’s final year.
Water Shortages
When wildfires broke out last week in California, one problem facing firefighters was securing access to water. A critical water supply facility in Pacific Palisades, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, has been out of commission since February due to “maintenance.”
This 117-million-gallon water storage reservoir, vital to the local water system, has remained empty for nearly a year, exacerbating firefighting efforts in an area already at high risk of wildfires.
While it is impossible to know whether the additional water have made a difference because of the scale of the fire, the question remains as to why the reservoir had remained offline for almost a year.
According to a report by NBC, “Los Angeles' water chief reportedly knew about an empty reservoir and broken fire hydrants months before the deadly wildfires now spreading across the city that have left some communities in ashes.”
Dry Fire Hydrants
In addition to an empty reservoir, fire hydrants also ran dry. This again suggests the local water system was not equipped to supply the massive amounts of water needed to fight large scale fires.
Such failures highlight the ongoing issues with infrastructure that have left firefighting teams scrambling for resources.
According to the L.A. Times, “the limitations of local water systems complicated firefighting efforts in Pacific Palisades, where scores of fire hydrants were left with little or no water.”
Newsom initially denied that any hydrants had run dry, but has since called for an investigation.
Faulty Evacuation Alerts
Compounding the crisis, many residents in the affected areas received faulty evacuation alerts, which led to confusion and panic.
These erroneous messages urged people to evacuate when they were not in immediate danger, while some others, closer to the flames, did not receive timely warnings at all.
According to the L.A. Times, “the county is working with Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Communications Commission to figure out how the stream of faulty alerts continued to sound out.”
Budget Cuts and Staffing Shortages
In addition to resource challenges, budget cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) have further strained the city’s ability to respond to the disaster.
This year, LAFD saw a reduction of $17.6 million from its budget, severely impacting its operations according to some personnel.
Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, for example, pointed out that the cuts had left the department understaffed and reduced its ability to keep vital fire apparatuses in service.
The elimination of civilian positions, like mechanics, has also meant that up to 100 fire vehicles were out of commission during the fires.
According to ABC, the reason for the cuts was because the city of Los Angeles was negotiating a union contract with firefighters' at the time, and has since passed an overall increase of $58 million ($819.6 million to $895.6 million).
Critics argue that much of the money was directed toward pay raises (roughly 1/3), while proponents argue the money was spread out across different departments, highlighting California’s messy bureaucratic process and lack of transparency.
A memo dated last month expressed frustration with lack of resources.
In the memo, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote, "These budgetary reductions have adversely affected the department’s ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communication infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention and community education."
Leadership Issues and Criticism
Amid the chaos, local leadership has also faced scrutiny. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who promised during her campaign not to travel abroad during a crisis, was out of the country as the fires intensified.
She was reportedly returning from Accra, Ghana, where she participated in the inauguration of President John Mahama and met with the country’s first female vice president, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.
Like Newsom, Bass has faced numerous controversies since taking office, including her handling of campus protests last year.
During a press conference following the fires, a seemingly confused Bass directed people to find more information at, “URL.”
As of Sunday night, more than 100,000 signatures had been gathered calling for her to resign.
Newsom’s Fake Call With Biden
Newsom has also drawn criticism. During a tour of wildfire damage in Los Angeles on Thursday, Newsom found himself in an awkward confrontation after being challenged by a local resident who had lost her home in the fires.
Rachel Darvish, speaking live on Sky News, pressed Newsom for answers about what his administration would do for her and her family.
As Darvish voiced her concerns, Newsom claimed he was on the phone with President Joe Biden to discuss specific assistance for her situation.
"I'm literally talking to the President right now to specifically answer the question of what we can do for you and your daughter," Newsom responded.
However, Darvish, skeptical of his claim, asked, "Can I hear? Can I hear your call? Because I don't believe it."
Caught in the act, Newsom quickly backtracked, admitting that he had not been speaking with Biden.
The exchange quickly drew criticism, as many questioned the Governor's honesty in the midst of a crisis.
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