After days of sniping backwards and forwards with President-elect Donald Trump over California’s dealing with of the fires ravaging Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom at the moment invited the incoming Republican president to go to the state and survey the injury.
The Democratic governor signed his public overture “with respect and an open hand.” However he additionally included reward for outgoing President Joe Biden and implicit criticism of Trump’s early dealing with of the tragedy — reflecting the balancing act Newsom is attempting to take care of as he seeks assist from his greatest political rival to deal with one of many worst disasters in California historical past.
“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines,” Newsom wrote in a letter additionally shared on social media. “Hundreds of thousands of Americans — displaced from their homes and fearful for the future — deserve to see all of us working in their best interests to ensure a fast recovery and rebuild.”
Since Tuesday, when a collection of fires pushed by hurricane-force winds started breaking out throughout the Los Angeles area, Trump has repeatedly blasted Newsom and different California leaders on-line for mismanaging the state’s water and referred to as on “Newscum” to resign. Frustrations that some hearth hydrants ran dry as crews battled a large blaze within the Pacific Palisades — a failure that Newsom on Friday ordered the state to research — has underpinned a lot of the criticism.
The hostile rhetoric has raised fears that Trump might comply with via on earlier threats to withhold catastrophe assist from California except the state overhauls its water coverage by permitting extra provide to move south to Central Valley farmers and Southern California. That will make it considerably extra pricey for the state to recuperate from the Los Angeles fires, that are already estimated to have brought about financial losses of greater than $50 billion.
The Trump transition workforce didn’t instantly reply to an inquiry about Newsom’s invitation to go to.
As a result of Biden has already issued a significant catastrophe declaration for the Los Angeles fires, unlocking essential assist for the response and restoration, Trump might attempt to punish California by reversing the order.
That will be an unprecedented transfer that may nearly definitely be challenged in courtroom, stated Daniel Farber, a regulation professor at UC Berkeley.
Federal regulation offers sitting presidents the ability to problem a catastrophe declaration however doesn’t spell out if they will retract one, Farber stated. “I don’t think that ever occurred to Congress that that would be an issue.” He famous that the statute’s goal was to dispense catastrophe assist “orderly and efficiently” — so a president reversing a earlier administrationdeclarations “would really undermine the whole premise.”
“I think there are no backseats,” Farber stated.
However Trump might nonetheless slow-walk how the Federal Emergency Administration Company distributed funds. That’s one thing that Trump did in his first time period, after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017. A 2021 federal report discovered that the Trump administration delayed $20 billion in catastrophe assist to the island.
“He could definitely let FEMA know to drag their feet,” he stated. “You say they are dragging their feet deliberately for political reasons, and they just say, ‘No, we are doing the best we can. There’s a lot of paperwork.’”
Newsom: ‘Sickens me to my core’
Newsom and his administration have pushed again with rising vehemences in opposition to accusations from Trump and different outstanding Republicans {that a} lack of obtainable water, poor vegetation administration and bureaucratic incompetence are responsible for Los Angeles fires.
On a video name with Biden on Friday morning, Newsom lamented the “hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation, lies, that people want to divide this country,” which he stated had been damaging California’s response efforts.
“We’ve got to deal with this misinformation,” he stated. “It infects real people that are out there, people I meet every single day.”
A number of hours later, in an electronic mail to political supporters, Newsom explicitly referred to as out Trump and his allies for his or her “politically motivated lies” concerning the fires, which “sickens me to my core,” he wrote.
His letter to Trump, launched not lengthy after, was far softer. Newsom invoked their joint visits to Paradise and Malibu in 2018 to tour the devastation from the lethal Camp and Woolsey fires.
“As you prepare to assume the presidency once more, I invite you to come to California again — to meet with the Americans affected by these fires, see the devastation firsthand, and join me and others in thanking the heroic firefighters and first responders who are putting their lives on the line,” Newsom wrote.
However Bob Salladay, a spokesperson for the governor, stated the invitation was not an try to reset their relationship, nor would Newsom soft-pedal his criticism about Trump’s conduct.
“It’s not a binary choice,” Salladay stated in a textual content message. “We will have to engage with the Trump administration — he’s going to be the president.”
“As for the letter, we would like to see the President-elect out here to show some compassion and interest in the people of California and Los Angeles,” he added. “Nothing more than that. His response will speak volumes.”
State Sen. Roger Niello, a Roseville Republican, advised that the California GOP might assist Newsom navigate the difficult dynamics with the Trump administration — though he stated the governor has but to ask.
“Though we’re in the minority, we do have a number of Republican legislators who have relationships with Republicans in Washington, DC,” Niello stated. “To the extent that there are any challenges there, to the extent that we have a common approach toward things, we could assist.”
CalMatters reporter Mikhail Zinshteyn contributed to this report.
