Historian Victor Davis Hanson said Californians are calling for the state’s highest willpower after the state’s response to the Los Angeles wildfires was heavily criticized and exposed the state’s weaknesses and leadership failures. It predicts that the country may be experiencing a “reawakening” that could cause a “political shock” to decision-makers.
“There’s a group of people in California that could incite a revolt among liberals and Democrats,” Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution’s public policy think tank, said in an interview on Fox News Digital.
This group could include wealthy coastal residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged in the Jan. 7 wildfires. Several celebrities, including director Mel Gibson and actor Michael Rapaport, publicly criticized California’s leadership for its handling of the crisis. The fire destroyed several neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
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Historian Victor Davis Hanson analyzes how California might undergo cultural change after the destruction of the Los Angeles wildfires. (Penny Collins/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The shock in L.A. is that most of the people who burned out in Pacific Palisades and the surrounding area were very, very left-wing and very wealthy,” Hanson said. “And this was politically shocking because the outcome of their vote and their ideology had never affected them so personally.
“This would be an accelerator or a force multiplier, because it would affect two different groups of people,” Hanson explained. “Very wealthy people are being affected. For the first time they’ve been incendiary. It’s like Dresden, but it’s going to be $300 billion or $400 billion when it’s all over. And they’re going to have the Coastal Commission, Ross You’re going to have to deal with the Angeles Planning Commission and Building Permits. And when you have to do that, they’re going to be furious.
“I think the end result is that no California politician will be able to gain national recognition from this point forward.”
Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s support of billions of dollars for new reservoirs, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was absent for the first 24 hours of hell, empty fire hydrants, malfunctioning reservoirs, and lack of funds. A depleted fire department and lack of new water infrastructure were highlighted. Lawmakers and experts said there were serious flaws in the state’s response.
The country’s response to the crisis has drawn further criticism, particularly regarding bureaucracy. In response, Newsom on Sunday signed an executive order suspending certain state board requirements aimed at speeding up the rehabilitation process for homeowners.
“Goodbye red tape,” Newsom wrote in a post to X. “Through this executive order, we will make it easier for victims of the Southern California fires to quickly rebuild their homes and lives.”
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Elliott Middle School auditorium destroyed by wildfire in Altadena, California, January 11, 2025 (Derek Schock, Fox News Digital)
“If they can do it now, why didn’t they do it before the fire?” Hanson said of the order.
Another issue that has been an issue for several years is California’s loss of residents to red states. Dubbed the “California exodus” by experts, California has lost hundreds of thousands of residents over the past few years, many due to high taxes, unaffordable housing, crime and difficult business regulations. listed as a reason.
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Amid growing backlash, California Governor Gavin Newsom is defending his response to the Los Angeles wildfires. (Jae C. Hong/AP, Jeff Gritchen/Media News Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Many former California residents have moved to states with lower taxes and business-friendly conditions, such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina. Top companies such as Tesla, Oracle, Charles Schwab, and Chevron have also relocated to other states.
According to the Census Bureau, nearly 240,000 people will move out of California from 2023 to 2024. This was the country’s largest net domestic immigration loss over the same period. From April 2020 to July 2022, the state suffered a net loss of more than 700,000 residents.
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“They’re very, very angry that business has become difficult…and they’re angry about gas prices,” Hanson said. “So I think there’s a chance that if we have some smart, skillful, enlightened Republican candidates and politicians, we can take advantage of that. Right now, the Republican Party doesn’t know what to do. Should we back out? I don’t know.” Do we move left and try to embrace this left-wing population, or do we move further right and try to energize it?
“There’s been no pushback…and I think that will change after what we’ve seen.”
Jamie Joseph is a political writer. She leads Fox News Digital’s Senate coverage.
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