Wildfires complicate California Democrats' plans to lead Trump defiance
California was getting ready to fight President-elect Donald Trump.
California was getting ready to fight President-elect Donald Trump. Instead, it's fighting raging wildfires and a crisis that risks tarnishing the state's image just as its leaders were positioning it to be a shining example of progressive governance.
A special session of the state Legislature that Gov. Gavin Newsom called shortly after the November election to position California to counter Trump has been overshadowed by the wildfires, the speed of which seemed to catch many officials off guard.
Newsom and other California Democrats have long held the state up as a national leader in addressing environmental issues, social inequality and economic innovation. But the wildfire crisis has exposed vulnerabilities in the state’s infrastructure and governance that critics argue undermine this narrative.
The fires themselves were propelled by an unusual confluence of extremely dry brush and violent winds, which have also grounded the aircraft that are firefighters’ best weapon.
But empty fire hydrants, a dispute about Los Angeles’ fire budget and preparedness, and a statewide insurance crisis (which has the potential to ruin homeowners who could not secure coverage for their destroyed homes) have converged into a political mess in a part of the country conservatives portray as representing everything they see wrong with America.
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