Historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson shared his analysis of the missteps that led to the “nonsensical” response from Los Angeles and California state leaders to the ongoing wildfires in the region. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution public policy think tank, highlighted the short-term and long-term issues that contributed to the crisis. He emphasized that climate change did not play an immediate role in the situation.
Hanson referred to the situation as a “woke green hydrogen bomb,” pointing out various failures such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ absence during the critical first 24 hours of the inferno, empty fire hydrants, a dysfunctional reservoir, a defunded fire department, and a lack of new water infrastructure despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s support for funding to address these issues.
According to Hanson, Newsom failed to utilize the allocated funds to build reservoirs that could accommodate the growing population. He also mentioned that water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta was being released into the bay due to environmental concerns, rather than being stored for future use. Despite Newsom’s claims that the reservoirs were full, the largest reservoir in California, Shasta Lake, was only at 77% capacity.
Hanson highlighted the delays in completing new reservoirs under Proposition 1, which was passed by voters in 2014 to improve the state’s water storage capacity. He also criticized the lack of action taken to utilize existing reservoirs effectively during periods of heavy rainfall.
The conversation also touched on the need for new dams in the San Joaquin system and the challenges faced by the Central Valley farmers who rely on water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Hanson emphasized that Newsom’s decision to continue releasing water into the ocean instead of storing it for agricultural use was exacerbating the water shortage in the region.
In response to the criticism and blame shifting, Newsom ordered an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He also proposed additional funding to enhance California’s emergency response and recovery efforts in Los Angeles, including supporting cleanup operations, enhancing wildfire preparedness, and assisting in reopening schools affected by the fires. La financiación vendría de la Cuenta de Operaciones de Emergencia de Respuesta a Desastres del estado, con $1.5 billones provenientes de acelerar el uso de fondos de bonos climáticos para uso inmediato, según su oficina. Ha habido un ligero aumento en la contención de los mortales incendios de Palisades y Eaton que arden en el condado de Los Ángeles, según una actualización del miércoles por la noche del Departamento de Silvicultura y Protección contra Incendios de California. El incendio de Palisades, el más grande de los dos con 23,713 acres quemados hasta el miércoles, está al 21% de contención después de su inicio en el vecindario de Pacific Palisades hace más de una semana, según el departamento. El incendio de Eaton en el área de Altadena/Pasadena estaba al 45% de contención hasta el miércoles por la noche. Ambos incendios estallaron el 7 de enero. Fox News Digital se ha comunicado con la oficina de Bass para hacer comentarios. HAGA CLIC AQUÍ PARA OBTENER LA APLICACIÓN DE NOTICIAS DE FOX. Elizabeth Pritchett de Fox News Digital contribuyó a este informe. Jamie Joseph es una escritora que cubre la política. Lidera la cobertura digital de Fox News del Senado.