President-elect <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> said that he expects to travel to California to survey fire damage as part of his first week back in office.
Trump told NBC News that he plans to visit Los Angeles to see where deadly fires have raged for over a week and consumed tens of thousands of acres. The incoming president said he was first planning to go last Friday, but wanted to wait until he was sworn in as president.
“I will be, probably, at the end of the week,” Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-will-probably-travel-los-angeles-next-week-rcna188262" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NBC News on Saturday. “I was going to go, actually yesterday … but I thought it would be better if I went as president. It’s a little bit more appropriate, I suspect.”
Two of the Los Angeles fires, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, <a href="https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have yet</a> to be fully contained. The Palisades Fire has burned some 23,713 acres and is only 52% contained while the Eaton Fire has burned 14,021 acres and is just 81% contained.
At least 27 people <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/31-people-still-missing-in-southern-california-as-result-of-eaton-palisades-fires-sheriff/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are dead</a> as a result of the fires while 31 people are still reportedly missing.
Trump has been very critical of how top California Democrats, including Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, have handled the fires.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113796555731896970">posted</a> on Truth Social on January 8. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”
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Trump also singled out a water policy implemented by Newsom he said was to blame for water shortages experienced by fire fighters.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” he said earlier this month.
“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. 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 the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” Trump added.

President-Elect Trump Holds Press Conference At Mar-A-Lago

Trump Expects To Visit Los Angeles Fire Devastation During First Week Back

California

Donald Trump

Los Angeles

Los Angeles Fires

Politics

Wildfires

Liberal comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bill-maher" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Maher</a> and former Los Angeles Democratic Mayoral candidate Rick Caruso said on Friday that President-elect Donald Trump was right about the wildfires in California.
The two made the remarks during Maher&#8217;s HBO show &#8220;Real Time&#8221; while discussing how Caruso would have handled the catastrophic fires that have caused tens of billions of dollars worth of damage.
“To know there’s a fire coming, to know you’re in fire season,” Caruso said. “We had a fire three weeks ago in Malibu. Six years ago we had a fire in Brentwood, and for those that don’t know the Brentwood area, it’s 15 minutes from where the Palisades Fire was. There’s 40-year-old vegetation between Brentwood and the Palisades, and at that time, I said, ‘If that fire travels, it’s gonna come through and wipe out the Palisades.'&#8221;
“I’m so sad that I was right,” he added. “It was predictable, Bill. And what’s predictable is preventable.”
“And then on top of it, to have a main reservoir out of service during peak fire season. I mean, that’s border negligence,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And so we’ve got to get to the backstory of this, but you’ve gotta make good business decisions. Running this city is running a business for the benefit of the residents and what everybody should have been saying, ‘We had all the alerts about the firestorm coming in or the winds coming in … why wasn’t more done?'&#8221;
Maher interjected: “I remember when we had a fire when Trump was president, and he came in and he said, ‘You don’t rake, you’re not raking.&#8217; And I did — we all did jokes about it. But, we’ve got to get over this thing.”
“Is he wrong, usually? Yeah,&#8221; Maher said. &#8220;But I’m not going to — I remember when he took Ivermectin or something and then Ivermectin, which won the Nobel Prize, and it was like that became snake oil. No, just because Trump says it doesn’t mean it’s automatically wrong. Did he have a point about that?”
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“Of course he did,” Caruso said.
WATCH:
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US-CHARITY-BABY2BABY

Rick Caruso And Bill Maher Agree: Trump Was Right About California Fires

Bill Maher

Karen Bass

Rick Caruso

On Friday, a union representing more than 3,000 Los Angeles city firefighters gave its full-throated support for Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who was reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/la-fire-chief-reportedly-called-to-mayors-office-to-be-fired-heres-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called into Democrat Mayor Karen Bass&#8217; office</a> last week to be fired, though she ultimately kept her job.
Mayor Bass and Crowley have been at odds while the city of Los Angeles battles historic wildfires that have so far killed 25 people, and others remain missing. Additionally, Crowley was recently the subject of an anonymous letter from “retired and active LAFD chief officers&#8221; condemning her performance as chief, and specifically her decision to <a href="https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1877827973895893084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877827973895893084%7Ctwgr%5E585d526402d13d1ba29fc4ec80f388dbccb9aa40%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fla-fire-chief-reportedly-called-to-mayors-office-to-be-fired-heres-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">call out Mayor Bass</a> on television.
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 condemned the letter admonishing Crowley, which they said was signed by &#8220;disgruntled and anonymous individuals.&#8221; The union also thanked Crowley for being “willing to fight” for her staff and the agency’s budget, the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-17/firefighter-union-rallies-behind-lafd-chief-denounces-attack-on-her-performance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“While we haven’t agreed on everything, you’ve been the only fire chief in decades to repeatedly demand adequate resources,” the union said.
Crowley bluntly told the press last week that city leadership “failed” her department &#8212; a moment the letter admonishing Crowley referred to as an &#8220;outburst.&#8221;
“Chief, please focus on your current duties and responsibilities which currently should be focused on mitigating and stabilizing the Palisades fire,&#8221; the anonymous letter said. &#8220;Your outburst regarding the budget and the statement that the ‘City failed the LAFD’ was ill-advised, poorly timed and took away from the most important issue, the Palisades fire.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley turns on Los Angeles leadership, says they failed her.
Remarkable interview.
Crowley called out the city for having no water in the Santa Ynez Reservoir.
Reporter: &#8220;Did the city of Los Angeles fail you and your… <a href="https://t.co/fUQPoW32QA">pic.twitter.com/fUQPoW32QA</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1877827973895893084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
Mayor Bass has been accused of ignoring warnings of the forecasted high winds and fire threat, opting to leave town for a taxpayer-funded trip to Africa. The mayor also cut the fire department budget by <a href="https://abc11.com/post/los-angeles-cut-175m-fire-department-budget-months-before-palisades-signed-mayor-karen-bass/15782731/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$17.5 million</a> just months before the fires broke out, as highlighted by Crowley. Currently, an online petition signed by <a href="https://www.change.org/p/demand-the-immediate-resignation-of-mayor-karen-bass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 155,000 people</a> calls for Bass&#8217; immediate resignation.
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There is also much controversy about the LA Fire Department&#8217;s priorities, specifically its focus on DEI goals over competence and effectiveness. For example, the department’s assistant chief, Kristine Larson, appears in a video in which she says that if someone complains about a woman firefighter’s inability to carry a man out of a fire, her response would be, “He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
LAFD Assistant Chief Kristine Larson:
&#8220;Am I able to carry your husband out of a fire? He got himself in the wrong place.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/BofTVr6dWP">pic.twitter.com/BofTVr6dWP</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1877458240050446339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
Journalist Michael Shellenberger has reported whistleblowers&#8217; stories about detrimental DEI standards with the department.
&#8220;DEI didn&#8217;t hurt the LA Fire Department&#8217;s response to the catastrophic fires, say the media. But anything that trumps meritocratic standards would,&#8221; Shellenberger posted online. &#8220;And now, whistleblowers within LAFD say the Department lowered standards on ladders, hoses &amp; push-ups to meet DEI quotas for women.&#8221;
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/la-fire-chief-reportedly-called-to-mayors-office-to-be-fired-heres-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LA Fire Chief Reportedly Called To Mayor’s Office ‘To Be Fired.’ Here’s What We Know.</a>

Fire Chief Kristin Crowley

LA Fire Chief Gets Backing From Union After Reportedly Being On Mayor’s Chopping Block

Fire

Natural Disaster

U.S.

Filmmaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mel-gibson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mel Gibson</a> has become the latest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patricia-heaton-blows-up-on-la-mayor-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrity to torch</a> Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after losing his home in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southern California fires</a>.
Speaking on the “Arroyo Grande” <a href="https://x.com/RaymondArroyo/status/1879912134114513236">podcast</a>, the 69-year-old actor reflected on the destruction of the Palisades Fire and what was left of his home due to the failure of the state&#8217;s leadership.
&#8220;Well, first I thought it was, &#8216;Oh gee, bad luck, tragedy,'&#8221; Gibson explained. “But then I came to realize that it was monumental mismanagement by our elected officials; and that’s the nicest thing you can say about it.”
&#8220;I mean, as a citizen here, Newsom and Bass, they want us to trust them to reimagine the city, our city, and how they think it should be,” he added. “I mean, look at what they’ve done so far to this town. You got nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, high taxes, mismanagement of water, firefighters, defunding the department, and we’re supposed to trust them with millions of dollars to sort of remake where we live?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Mel Gibson on LA 2.0: “Newsom and Bass, they want us to trust them to re-imagine the city, our city… look at what they&#8217;ve done so far to this town, you know…It&#8217;s our city, it&#8217;s the city of the people, and they have another plan.” 
Subscribe to the full ARROYO GRANDE… <a href="https://t.co/nFnTUfVsIM">pic.twitter.com/nFnTUfVsIM</a>
— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) <a href="https://twitter.com/RaymondArroyo/status/1879912134114513236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
“It’s our city, it’s the city of the people, and they have another plan,” the director continued. “There’s still people from the Woolsey Fire still living in trailers. … When have you seen the government ‘build back better?’ It’s just social engineering, environmental regulation, and spending; that’s the last thing any of us who have been burned out need are a bunch of bureaucrats tellings us how to rebuild our communities.&#8221;
Gibson recently spoke to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hE9VvdUXf8">NewsNation</a> and said he wasn’t even in town when the fires consumed his Malibu home because he was in Austin, Texas, recording an episode with Joe Rogan for “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-heart-just-breaks-jeff-bridges-mel-gibson-and-others-become-latest-to-lose-homes-in-fires">reported</a>.
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“I was doing the Rogan podcast. … And [I was] kind of ill at ease while we were talking, because I knew my neighborhood was on fire, so I thought, I wonder if my place is still there. But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there,” Gibson said. “I went home and I said to myself, well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore.”
The &#8220;Braveheart&#8221; actor admitted he was still dealing with the “devastating” impact of losing the home that he’d lived in for more than a decade.
“It is obviously, it’s kind of devastating. It’s emotional,” the famed actor said. “You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff. You remember George Carlin talking about your stuff? I had my stuff there, and it’s all like, I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff, because it’s all in cinders.”
Gibson remarked on the destruction left by the fire and said he’d never “seen a place so perfectly burnt. You could put it in an urn … I’ve never seen such complete burn.”
“It’s like someone did it on purpose to really destroy every aspect of it,” the actor said. “My place looked like Dresden. It’s emotional and I lived there for about 14, 15 years, so it was home to me. I had a lot of personal things there I can’t get back.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-heart-just-breaks-jeff-bridges-mel-gibson-and-others-become-latest-to-lose-homes-in-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Your Heart Just Breaks’: Jeff Bridges, Mel Gibson, And Others Become Latest To Lose Homes In Fires</a>

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson Becomes Latest Celebrity To Torch Newsom, LA Mayor After Losing Home

Celebrities

Entertainment

Gavin Newsom

Hollywood

Current and former officials with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) are calling for LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley to resign immediately.
In a 5-page letter that includes no signatures, several current and former chief officers – which includes battalion chiefs, assistant chiefs, and deputy chiefs – blamed Crowley for the poor response to the California wildfires, NewsNation <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/west/lafd-chief-attack-deadly-wildfires/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Chief, please focus on your current duties and responsibilities which currently should be focused on mitigating and stabilizing the Palisades fire,” the officials wrote in a letter obtained by NewsNation’s Rich McHugh. “Your outburst regarding the budget and the statement that the ‘City failed the LAFD’ was ill-advised, poorly timed and took away from the most important issue, the Palisades fire.”
The letter is referring to Crowley’s comments on January 10, when she told reporters that city officials failed her department. Crowley also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/l-a-fire-chief-warned-democrat-mayor-bass-budget-cuts-severely-limited-fire-response" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote a memo</a> to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, on December 4, 2024, arguing that Bass’ nearly $18 million in cuts to the fire department “severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.”
“Without this funding, pilot compliance and readiness are jeopardized, and aerial firefighting capabilities are diminished,” Crowley added.
The fire officials who now demand Crowley’s resignation claim she had “been aware of the budget issues of the LAFD prior to your appointment as Fire Chief [in March 2022],” yet she only now complains about those issues.
“Please do not be disingenuous as we know better,” the officials wrote. “You went along with the budget cuts and now that they have come back to haunt you, you appear to be in [cover your a**] mode.”
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The officials then lay out 11 things they say have occurred under Crowley’s watch, including a lack of mechanics and updated equipment. The officials also complain about “lawsuits filed by females, minorities and command officers related to retaliation, harassment and hostile work environment issues.” When Crowley was appointed in 2022, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lafd-fire-chief-says-dei-is-a-top-priority" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she promised</a> to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), but such focus often leads to the very same lawsuits the officials now complain about. The DEI priorities could also lead to positions being filled without sufficient merit, potentially making the fire department less prepared to fight fires.
Without acknowledging the role that DEI has played in the lawsuits, the officials who called for Crowley’s resignation also pointed to the promotion of Kristine Larson to deputy chief, “despite [Crowley] knowing about her lack of professionalism and lack of emotional intelligence. The officials then cite Larson’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lafd-asst-chief-if-i-have-to-carry-a-man-out-of-a-fire-he-got-himself-in-the-wrong-place" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that if a man needed her to carry him out of a fire, “he got himself in the wrong place.”
NewsNation reported that around 100 current and former fire officials have received the letter, including Crowley. John Knox, a veteran fire official who was fired after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, told NewsNation that the current situation involving the wildfires is a “complete and utter lack of leadership.” He also blamed the lack of preparations on Crowley.
A spokesman with the LAFD wrote in an email on Thursday that Crowley was unable to respond to the letter as she is “focused on mitigating the fires,” The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/17/us/los-angeles-fire-chief-kristin-crowley.html#:~:text=A%20Jan.%2013%20letter%20signed,page%20letter%20read%20in%20part." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

Current, Former Los Angeles Fire Officials Call For Chief’s Resignation In Unsigned Letter

Los Angeles Fire Department

House Speaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-johnson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) shamed California Governor Gavin Newsom after the governor posted a video attacking the Republican speaker over potential federal aid California may receive.
“Instead of making highly produced clap back videos with social media influencers, you should get to work helping Californians,” Johnson replied to Newsom on X. “You’re the leader of a state in crisis, and you should finally start acting like it.”
The comment came in reply to a video Newsom had posted in an attempt to embarrass Johnson and other congressional Republicans. GOP lawmakers have floated conditional aid for California to help cover the cost of recent wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes. The conditions would mandate some improvements to California wildfire preparedness, such as cleaning out dead brush in high-risk areas and building more water infrastructure.
“Never in California questioned whether or not we as taxpayers in the largest state in the Union should support the people of Louisiana at a time of emergency and need. We never conditioned it,” Newsom says in the video.
“A state with millions and millions of Trump supporters, Speaker Johnson and Mr. President-elect. Millions of your supporters are out here. They need your help. They need your empathy. They need your care, whatever compassion you can express as opposed to condemnation,” he says.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Instead of making highly produced clap back videos with social media influencers, you should get to work helping Californians. 
You’re the leader of a state in crisis, and you should finally start acting like it. <a href="https://t.co/ipKHFse0kU">https://t.co/ipKHFse0kU</a>
&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1879995378201948397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
While Trump and Johnson have not condemned Californians over the deadly Los Angeles County fires, they have been critical of state and local officials for the failure to protect Los Angeles communities from the wildfires.
Trump said in a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113793724958051185">post</a> earlier this month that Newsom “refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way.”
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“He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!” Trump said.
Johnson was similarly critical of California leadership in comments this week.
“Obviously, there has been water resource management, forest management, mistakes, all sorts of problems, and it does come down to leadership, and it appears to us that state and local leaders were derelict in their duty, and in many respects,” Johnson <a href="https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/california-wildfires/house-speaker-mike-johnson-says-there-should-be-conditions-on-federal-wildfire-aid-for-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> when talking about strings that may be attached to federal aid to California. “So, that’s something that has to be factored in.”

Mike Johnson, Gavin Newsom

‘Get To Work Helping Californians’: Johnson Slams Newsom After CA Gov Complains About Wildfire Aid

Congress

Mike Johnson

Filmmaker Justine Bateman warned that California Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom</a> needs to be removed immediately following the disaster of the fires in Los Angeles “before something worse happens&#8221; in the state.
In a post on <a href="https://x.com/JustineBateman/status/1879389040085983501">X</a>, the 58-year-old actress called on voters in the Golden State to watch how insincere Newsom appeared in a video of him talking about working with President-elect Donald Trump to provide resources to those affected by the Southern California fires, while at the same he has set aside tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to fight Trump.
“I really want other CA voters to see the lack of sincerity, the dismissiveness, the dedication to pretentiousness, and the dereliction of care for the citizens of California,” Bateman wrote. “He has always demonstrated this. In every video.”
“You cannot trust this kind of person with any role, and especially not one upon which our wellbeing depends,” she added. “Gavin Newsom needs to be removed, before something worse happens here.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I really want other CA voters to see the lack of sincerity, the dismissiveness, the dedication to pretentiousness, and the dereliction of care for the citizens of California. He has always demonstrated this. In every video. 
You cannot trust this kind of person with any role, and… <a href="https://t.co/tvO977cWKn">https://t.co/tvO977cWKn</a>
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustineBateman/status/1879389040085983501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
In an earlier <a href="https://x.com/JustineBateman/status/1879674563979608465">post</a>, Bateman said not only should Newsom be replaced, but Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, too, following the mismanagement of the city’s resources, which led to the disaster of the three fires in LA.
“We already knew that the city and state was being mismanaged, before these fire disasters,” the filmmaker said.
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“This will only get worse. I am not willing to find out how unprepared the city and state is for a major earthquake, structure-destroying mudslides, water system poisonings, power grid collapses, or any of the other things that could befall us here,” she added. “We have all the demonstration[s] we need to want something different.”
The actress’ comments were similar to ones she made during her appearance with <a href="https://x.com/JesseBWatters/status/1877528141951840593">Jesse Watters on Fox News</a>.
“If you are going to run a city or run a state, you have to take care of the basics, and that’s make sure that your fire and your police department are well funded,” Bateman said, noting that it includes being prepared for when disasters occur in the area like fire, earthquake, rain, and the mudslides afterward.
“If you are not doing everything you can to [mitigate disasters] if they arise, then get out,” she added. “You are useless to us. If you can’t cover the basics, get out of our city. You are useless to us, you are a liability and you have destroyed people’s lives because you didn’t do your job.”
“You didn’t do what we paid you for and you should resign out of shame and responsibility for the people whose lives you’ve destroyed right now,” Bateman continued.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patricia-heaton-blows-up-on-la-mayor-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patricia Heaton Blows Up On LA Mayor As Fires Rage</a>

Justine Bateman

Filmmaker Justine Bateman Warns Newsom Has To Be Removed ‘Before Something Worse Happens’

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Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-burr-goes-full-ahole">Bill Burr</a> on Wednesday night refused to level any blame on California Democrats for the historic Los Angeles County wildfires that have killed at least 25 people and destroyed more than 12,300 structures.
Burr, who said he was &#8220;lucky&#8221; that the winds shifted away from his home, told Kimmel that anyone online criticizing the response to the fires is a &#8220;f***ing idiot&#8221; and has no idea what they&#8217;re talking about. He also dismissed the notion that the fire response was in any way &#8220;mismanaged.&#8221;
&#8220;I think everyone did a great job — unlike the internet,&#8221; Burr told Kimmel.
&#8220;Oh my gosh, all of these &#8216;fire experts,'&#8221; the comedian complained. &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t you just fly a helicopter into the ocean? &#8230; I don&#8217;t know, because there were 100-knot winds? You wanna do that at night? You f***ing lunatic.&#8221;
&#8220;This was definitely mismanaged,&#8221; Burr said in a mocking tone. &#8220;&#8216;Mismanaged?&#8217; Like some f***ing idiot on the internet knows how to manage the worst fire in LA, sitting there in his underwear.&#8221;
Instead, Burr took aim at insurance companies, yelling out, &#8220;Free Luigi,&#8221; a reference to Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering a UnitedHealthcare executive.
Thousands of Los Angeles homeowners were <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fires-california-palisades-fire-homeowners-insurance-state-farm-fair-losses/#:~:text=About%201%2C600%20policies%20in%20Pacific,Soller%20said%20in%20an%20Thursday">dropped</a> by their insurers in the past year or so due to the massive insurance crisis in California. A recent Wall Street Journal editorial <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/california-fires-los-angeles-insurance-regulation-premiums-risk-fair-victoria-roach-gavin-newsom-1306d0a1">pinned</a> that crisis on the state’s Democrat politicians. For example, California bars companies from raising premiums to reflect the increasing fire risks. As a result, insurers have limited their coverage or stopped doing business in California altogether. Additionally, the state’s supposed safety net for those left without private insurance, called “FAIR,&#8221; has a $458 billion exposure, while it only has around $700 million in cash on hand to pay claims.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BURR: “The winds moved. I feel lucky. I think everybody did a great job- unlike the Internet + all these *fire experts*.”
Bill defends folks trying to handle an impossible fire situation, mocks keyboard warriors calling it “mismanaged”, blaming the homeless, etc (i.e. Joe Rogan) <a href="https://t.co/WRpdfa0UqJ">pic.twitter.com/WRpdfa0UqJ</a>
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1879729221133914289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Notably, California&#8217;s leadership has been criticized by even legacy media for a number of outrageous actions. For example, L.A. Democratic Mayor Karen Bass has been accused of ignoring warnings of the forecasted high winds and fire threat, opting to leave town for a taxpayer-funded trip to Africa. The mayor also cut the fire department budget by <a href="https://abc11.com/post/los-angeles-cut-175m-fire-department-budget-months-before-palisades-signed-mayor-karen-bass/15782731/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$17.5 million</a> just months before the fires broke out.
Businessman Rick Caruso, a Democrat who lost the 2022 mayoral race by nine percentage points, has publicly said that firefighters’ hands were tied by leadership and fire hydrants in the area were “bone dry.”
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“We’ve had decades to remove the brush in these hills that move so quickly,&#8221; Caruso said. &#8220;You’ve got to have water. And my understanding is the reservoir was not refilled in time and in a timely water to keep their hydrants going … it’s all about leadership and management that were seeing a failure of. And all of these residents are paying a price for that.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
According to Fox 11&#8217;s Rick Caruso, Los Angeles fire hydrants are out of water because the county refused to refill the reservoirs. <a href="https://t.co/2wgQJzdwXg">pic.twitter.com/2wgQJzdwXg</a>
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) <a href="https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1876901604734984649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom is also taking criticism in the wake of the historic fires, specifically for the lack of water to fight them. One of California&#8217;s top water supply systems has been heavily regulated over concerns about two specific fish populations. When President-elect Donald Trump was serving as president back in 2019, he tried to pump more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta but was stonewalled. 
Folks online were quick to criticize Burr for neglecting to go after those in power. &#8220;Bill Burr lost all his credibility in less than 60 seconds,&#8221; comedian Tim Young bluntly wrote on X. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bill Burr lost all his credibility in less than 60 seconds. <a href="https://t.co/Gyk7piyCJ1">https://t.co/Gyk7piyCJ1</a>
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimRunsHisMouth/status/1879710838006923579?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-burr-goes-full-ahole">Related: Bill Burr Goes Full A**hole</a>

BILL BURR, JIMMY KIMMEL

Bill Burr Says LA Fire Response Has Been ‘Great’, Mocks Critics As ‘F***ing Idiots’

Bill Burr

Jimmy Kimmel

Los Angeles County

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kelly-osbourne">Kelly Osbourne</a> had some strong words for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">celebrities</a> who appear to be using the destructive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wildfires">fires</a> in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles">Los Angeles</a> area as a photo op or to draw attention to themselves.
The daughter of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne didn’t name names, but she did express her thoughts with a social media post. 
“Ok, I have a question. Is it me being my normal overthinking cynical self, or is it really disturbing to see all of these celebrities using other people&#8217;s pain and suffering as a photo op to say look, I&#8217;m helping, I&#8217;m doing this, I&#8217;m doing that,” Osbourne said in a video <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@knotsour/video/7459990859145153808">reposted</a> to TikTok on a Kelly Osbourne fan account on Wednesday. The 40-year-old former reality star had initially posted the video on her Instagram account but later deleted it.
She continued, “I don&#8217;t believe you help because you get attention for helping, I believe you help because you want to. I&#8217;m so confused. I think it&#8217;s so wrong. No one asked you to come out and give hugs, go home.”
Even though she doesn’t specify who her comments are directed at, commenters on TikTok speculate she might have been referring to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have caught heat for being photographed at the Pasadena Convention Center, which is being used as a refuge for people who were evacuated. The Duchess of Sussex was seen wearing a mask and baseball cap while handing out food and hugging victims.
“Well said,” one commenter wrote. “Meghan and Harry brought a full film crew with them for [their] own benefit&#8230; PR stunt.”
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“So you mean Megan and Harry? Yes yes yes,” another agreed.
Actress Justine Bateman blasted Harry and Meghan on social media last week for acting like what she described as “disaster tourists.”
The “Family Ties” alum <a href="https://x.com/JustineBateman/status/1878277401404141859">shared</a> on X, “Meghan Markle and Harry are no better than ambulance chasers. What a repulsive ‘photo op’ they achieved. They are ‘touring the damage’? Are they politicians now? They don’t live here; they are tourists. Disaster Tourists.”
Bateman lives in the Hollywood Hills, which has been affected by the wildfires. Meanwhile, Harry and Markle live in Montecito, about 80 miles from the Palisades and Hurst fires.
A recent Page Six <a href="https://pagesix.com/2025/01/13/royal-family/prince-harry-meghan-markle-find-justine-batemans-disaster-tourist-claim-offensive/">report</a> says the royal pair is “offended” by Bateman’s comments, according to an unnamed source.

Kelly Osbourne

Kelly Osbourne Trashes Celebs Using LA Fires As A Photo Op: ‘Go Home’

Kelly Osbourne Trashes Celebs Using LA Fires As A Photo Op: 'Go Home'

Meghan Markle

Prince Harry

Los Angeles Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karen-bass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karen Bass</a>’ deputy mayor, who was in charge of overseeing the city&#8217;s fire department, was not on the job in the weeks and days leading up to the historic wildfires that erupted last week because he was placed on leave after he was raided by the FBI.
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/14/us-news/bass-appointee-was-put-on-leave-after-alleged-la-bomb-threat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Los Angeles Police Department initially indicated when the incident happened last month that Deputy Mayor Brian Williams was likely the “source of the threat.”
The FBI took over the investigation because of Williams&#8217; connections to the local police department, the report said.
The raid happened less than three weeks before the fires broke out — burning more than 40,000 acres, causing $50+ billion in damages, destroying 10,000+ structures, and killing more than a dozen people.
Williams was in charge of overseeing several of the city&#8217;s largest departments, including the fire department, police department, and more, the report said.
The controversy is just the latest negative development for Bass, who has seen widespread criticism for her lack of preparedness and the fact that she was in Africa when the fires erupted despite pledging in 2021 to never take international trips if elected as mayor.
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Bass has also faced intense scrutiny over cutting millions of dollars from the city’s fire department budget.
In a memo dated December 4, 2024, L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote that the nearly $18 million in cuts “severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.”
“Without this funding, pilot compliance and readiness are jeopardized, and aerial firefighting capabilities are diminished,” Crowley wrote in the memo that was presented last month to the Board of Fire Commissioners, a panel of mayoral appointees who oversee the management of the department.
Crowley said that the overtime hours funded “Heavy Equipment Operators (HEOs) who make fire control lines around wildland fires, manage firefighting robotics, wildland fire road maintenance, post-fire demolition services, and other allhazard emergency services.”
“Ultimately, loss of funding impairs the Department’s ability to mitigate wildland fires and other hazards effectively,” she wrote.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karen-bass-ignores-questions-about-her-handling-of-devastating-fires">Karen Bass Ignores Questions About Her Handling Of Devastating Fires</a>

LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 17: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass announces establishing a task force to investigate, apprehend and prosecute suspects who have committed retail theft as businesses grapple with an uptick of smash-and-grabs in recent weeks a press conference held at City Hall in Los Angeles, CA.

LA Mayor Bass Appointee Who Oversaw Fire Dept Was On Leave Over Alleged Bomb Threat

Crime

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> helicopter reporter Chris Cristi’s aerial video he posted on social media showed nearly an entire town in southern California destroyed in one of the multiple wildfires in Los Angeles.
In a clip posted on <a href="https://x.com/abc7chriscristi/status/1879328008450011596">X</a> that has since gone viral, the ABC7 reporter wrote that, “This is the closest aerial view I’ve been able to capture yet of almost the entire town of Altadena, CA. There are no words… #EatonFire.”
The video showed an overview of rows and rows of homes, as far as the eyes could see, in the town completely destroyed with little more than burnt palm trees left standing on each of the properties in a city of 42,000.
It is truly hard to estimate exactly how many lots shown on the video were wiped out in the San Gabriel Valley town, north of Pasadena.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
THIS is the closest aerial view I’ve been able to capture yet of almost the entire town of Altadena, CA. There are no words… <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EatonFire?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EatonFire</a> <a href="https://t.co/uNX54XJUUL">pic.twitter.com/uNX54XJUUL</a>
— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) <a href="https://twitter.com/abc7chriscristi/status/1879328008450011596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
Three fires in the area &#8212; Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, and Hurst Fire &#8212; quickly spread last week thanks to the high speed Santa Ana winds leading to the evacuations of tens of thousands. It has wiped out some 7,000 structures and burned up 14,000 acres in Altadena and Pasadena alone, <a href="https://ktla.com/news/california/wildfires/palisades-eaton-wildfire-damage-maps/">KTLA reported</a>.
As of Wednesday, officials said the fire is 45% contained, but they warn that they are still on high alert as more strong winds are expected in the area that has very dry conditions, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/eaton-fire-containment-altadena-strong-winds/">CBS</a> reported.
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The Palisades fire has scorched some 23,000 acres and destroyed 10,000 structures, the outlet noted. A map from KTLA showed the homes destroyed. The ones completely wiped out are in red in the map that can be seen <a href="https://ktla.com/news/california/wildfires/palisades-eaton-wildfire-damage-maps/">here</a>.
“Today’s efforts are focused on mop up and reinforcing containment lines to ensure perimeter control,” an incident report from California Fire read. “Hazard trees along roadways are being mitigated to protect both firefighters and the public.”
“The fire is expected to remain within its current footprint, with aircraft continuing to support firefighters with retardant drops in inaccessible terrain,” it added. “As repopulation efforts progress, the focus remains on ensuring that people are brought back into a safe and secure environment. Contingency resources are strategically prepositioned and ready to respond throughout communities along the fire’s western edge to due to the Santa Ana wind conditions.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anna-faris-adam-brody-mandy-moore-become-latest-celebs-to-lose-homes-in-socal-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anna Faris, Adam Brody, Mandy Moore Become Latest Celebs To Lose Homes In SoCal Fires</a>

California fires

LA Reporter’s Aerial Video Shows Near-Entire Town Destroyed In SoCal Fires

LA Reporter’s Aerial Video Shows Near Entire Town Destroyed In SoCal Fires

Fires

Actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actor-michael-rapaport-signals-shift-on-trump-after-years-of-fervent-opposition-my-political-views-have-changed">Michael Rapaport</a> torched California Gov. Gavin Newsom for the Los Angeles wildfires after Newsom turned his focus on making the state “Trump-proof” ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
In a lengthy rant on <a href="https://x.com/MichaelRapaport/status/1879152133582598389">X</a>, the 54-year-old actor called on Newsom to resign and said the governor was done in the state following the devastation of the three fires in Southern California.
“You thought you were going to be president,” Rapaport blasted. “You’re never, ever, ever gonna be president, Gavin with the good hair. I don’t care how slicked back it is … little Nancy [Pelosi’s] little nephew.”
&#8220;Gavin with the good hair, you have overseen two of the most important cities in California and you’ve ran them, nose-dived into the ground,” he added. “San Francisco is apocalyptic. I’ve been there; I’ve seen it with my own eyes. You ran that gorgeous, iconic, totally unique American city into the ground. It’s a dump pot, a cesspool.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gavin with the good hair Newsom 
aka Nancy’s Nephew blew it, there’s no learning curve, resign <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GavinNewsom?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GavinNewsom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CaliforniaWildfires?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CaliforniaWildfires</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/iamrapaport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iamrapaport</a> <a href="https://t.co/eTFHA7diwh">pic.twitter.com/eTFHA7diwh</a>
— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelRapaport/status/1879152133582598389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
“And you turned Los Angeles … you let Los Angeles turn into a dump hole also,” Rapaport continued, calling the city “dirty” and full of homeless people. “The crime, the catch and release in California, and now these, the Los Angeles fires, you were woefully and pathetically unprepared for. And you keep talking, ‘We need to learn from our mistakes.’ Get the f*** out of here. There’s no more mistakes for you; you’re done!&#8221;
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The Hollywood star said Newsom has been talking about making the state “Trump-proof” when he should’ve been &#8220;fire-proofing California.”
&#8220;You’re talking about Trump this, Trump that. He’s not even president,&#8221; Rapaport blasted. “This is on you. This is on you. You’re the governor … you’re done.&#8221;
The comments were the latest from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/completely-unacceptable-celebrities-slam-ca-leadership-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrities who have been blowing up</a> on Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass following the multiple fires that have nearly destroyed whole towns due to days of out-of-control blazes.
Actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/patricia-heaton">Patricia Heaton</a> recently called out both Newsom and Bass for the devastation in L.A.
“We have a mayor who cut the budget of the fire department in California by over $17 million dollars,” Heaton said in a video posted on <a href="https://x.com/PatriciaHeaton/status/1877112025207419073">X</a>. “Fire is the biggest hazard in Los Angeles. Why would you cut that budget? There was no water in the fire hydrants in the Palisades.”
“The people running the show just decimated [CA]. Drugs, homelessness with mentally ill people on the streets, crime … taxes. What do you pay all these taxes for to see your neighborhood go up in smoke?” she added.
“It is so enraging,” the actress continued. “That they took one of the most beautiful states, maybe the most beautiful state in the union and just continue to destroy it. Gavin Newsom standing there with his hands in his pockets … I just really feel for everybody there.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patricia-heaton-blows-up-on-la-mayor-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patricia Heaton Blows Up On LA Mayor As Fires Rage</a>

Premiere Of Showtime’s “White Famous” – Arrivals

Michael Rapaport Torches Newsom For SoCal Fires After Gov Focuses On ‘Trump-Proofing’ State

Michael Rapaport

Patricia Heaton

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