Fact Checking Trump's California Wildfire Claims

As wildfires spread across Southern California this week, President-elect Donald Trump placed blame on state leaders and called on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to resign in a series of posts on Truth Social.

Trump accused Newsom of prioritizing environmental policies over public safety and claimed FEMA lacked funds to respond to the crisis. CBS News Confirmed looked into some of the allegations. Here's what we know.

Newsom disputes Trump's claim of water restoration declaration

Trump claimed Newsom “refused to sign the water restoration declaration” that he said would have directed millions of gallons of water to areas currently on fire, alleging he prioritized a small fish, called smelt, relative to residents.

In response, Newsom's office said: “There is no such document as the Water Restoration Declaration – it is pure fiction.” »

Trump appeared to reference his administration's 2019 proposal to redirect water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Central Valley farms and urban areas in Southern California.

California officials and environmentalists successfully challenged the measure in part because they argued the rules would endanger the delta's wildlife, including smelt.

In December, President Biden's administration, in cooperation with Newsom, approved new regulations that they say will allow more water to be drawn from the Delta to Southern California while protecting local wildlife.

An official who helps oversee Southern California's water supply refuted Trump's claim that proposed changes could have eased wildfires.

Mark Gold, director of water shortages at the Natural Resources Defense Council and a member of the Metropolitan Water District Board which provides water to 19 million people in Southern California, told CBS News: “The problems have nothing to do with the amount of water we have stored. in the region. The Metropolitan Water District currently has a record amount of water stored.

Southern California has an ample water supply after years of decent rain, Gold said, but the region's lack of rain in recent months has dried out vegetation — something Trump's proposal does not wouldn't have helped.

“What happened had nothing to do with protecting the Bay Delta or how the water is managed there,” Gold said.

Trump says there's no water in the fire hydrants

In several social media posts this week, Trump referred to “no water in the fire hydrants.”

Los Angeles officials faced heavy criticism after some fire hydrants dried up in parts of Pacific Palisades overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.

Janisse Quiñones, general manager and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said at a news conference Wednesday that the area's three million-gallon water tanks were dry at 3 a.m., reducing the water pressure from the hydrants to a higher level. elevations.

Quiñones said the reservoirs, which provide pressure for fire hydrants in the Palisades Hills, couldn't fill quickly enough because firefighting efforts were releasing water faster than the main could provide it.

Capt. Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department said LADWP proactively filled all available water storage tanks before the fires started. This followed claims widely shared on social media that authorities had refused or failed to fill the tanks.

Mark Pestrella, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, said municipal water systems in affected areas were overloaded, in part because firefighters were unable to use air support in due to strong winds and poor visibility.

“The municipal water systems that serve our homes and businesses continue to operate efficiently. However, they are not designed to fight wildfires. A fire with multiple hydrants, drawing water from the system for several hours is not sustainable. This is a known fact. ” said Pastrella.

In a statement, Newsom said he was calling for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure at local fire hydrants and the “reported unavailability of the Santa Ynez Reservoir water supply.” .

The Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117 million-gallon water resource near the Pacific Palisades, was out of commission for repairs when fires ravaged the Los Angeles neighborhood this week, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Trump says there is 'no money at FEMA'

Trump also launched criticism at President Biden in a social media post, saying the current administration leaves him “no money at FEMA.”

FEMA's disaster relief fund was dwindling rapidly last October after Hurricane Helene and a series of major disasters, but Mr. Biden signed a bill in December that added $29 billion to the fund.

On Wednesday, the agency told CNN it had about $27 billion remaining in the Disaster Relief Fund. CBS News has reached out to confirm the current balance.

In a statement, the White House said FEMA approved fire management assistance grants to reimburse California for firefighting costs.

More from Laura Doan

Laura Doan is a fact checker for CBS News Confirmed. She covers disinformation, AI and social media.

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