A concerned citizen affected by the wildfires in California confronted Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), demanding he explain what he was going to do in response to the disaster.
The woman, whom TMZ identified as a lawyer named Rachel Darvish, asked, “Governor do you have a second?” She explained that she lived in the area as she approached Newsom.
“That was my daughter’s school, governor. Please tell me what you’re going to do,” she said as one can see the rubble in the background.
“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 said as he held a phone.
“Can I hear it? Can I hear your call, because I don’t believe it,” she responded.
She then asked if she could hear the call, at which point Newsom explained he did not actually have Biden on the line yet, attributing it to bad cell service in the area.
“I’m sorry. There’s literally — I’ve tried five times,” Newsom told the woman, pointing to his phone.
“That’s why I’m walking around,” he continued, as the woman asked, “Why is the president not taking your call?”
“Because it’s not going through. So I have to get cell service,” he responded.
The woman then suggested they get cell service so she could hear the call between him and Biden, holding his feet to the fire.
“Let’s get it. I want to be here when you call the president,” she said as Newsom said he was “so sorry.”
Newsom continued to apologize to the woman and told her they were getting “resources” to rebuild, although he did not provide specific details.
When asked why there was no water, Newsom did not provide a clear answer. When asked if this kind of tragedy would be different next time, Newsom said it would have to be, although he escaped further questions, asserting that he was trying to get in contact with the president as he got into the nearby vehicle.
Afterward, Newsom’s office told TMZ, “After hearing from Rachel, the Governor immediately spoke to President Biden and as a result of that call the President committed to covering 100% of the recovery costs for the next 180 days. That’s a game-changer.”
“This was not a normal blaze. When this fire began, firefighters were battling flames fueled by 100mph hurricane-force winds against them,” the office told the outlet, asserting that the water supply they had was “exhausted because of the extreme scale of the fire and extraordinary nature of this hurricane-force firestorm.”
President-elect Donald Trump has continued to blast Newsom for his lack of preparation and subpar response to the fires ravaging his state.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump wrote in a Wednesday Truth Social post. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”:
“Governor Gavin Newscum should immediately go to Northern California and open up the water main, and let the water flow into his dry, starving, burning State, instead of having it go out into the Pacific Ocean,” Trump continued in another post.
“It ought to be done right now, NO MORE EXCUSES FROM THIS INCOMPETENT GOVERNOR. IT’S ALREADY FAR TOO LATE!” he added.
At least ten people have died as a result of the fires in California. Thousands of individuals have been displaced, and thousands of structures have been destroyed.
As of 4:45 p.m. Eastern, the two biggest fires in the area — the Palisades fire, spanning over 20,00 acres, and the Eaton fire, spanning over 13,000 acres — were eight percent contained and three percent contained, respectively.
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