Historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson says there’s a lot to be said for the “senseless” response of Los Angeles and California leaders to the devastating wildfires that continue to burn in the region. It is said that there was
“We needed to know what the problem was in order to mitigate it, and there were short-term and long-term problems,” Davis, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution’s public policy think tank, told FOX News Digital in an interview Tuesday. Ta. “And I don’t think climate change played any role, at least not an immediate role.”
Davis described the situation as “an awakened green hydrogen bomb.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ absence during the critical first 24 hours of hell left fire hydrants empty, reservoirs malfunctioning, fire department funding depleted, and new water infrastructure in short supply. leading to. Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s support of billions of dollars earmarked to address the issue.
LA City Council member whose district was devastated by wildfires wants to hold leaders accountable for empty reservoirs
Historian Victor Davis Hanson analyzes what went wrong with wildfire management in Los Angeles, leading to the catastrophe. (Getty Images)
“This is a very fragile system,” Hanson said. “What Gavin Newsom didn’t do is take the money that was allocated to him and build reservoirs that could accommodate the growing population. Second, that water is being pumped. [Sacramento-San Joaquin River] Delta, he was released into the bay at the request of environmentalists. In his defense, he said the reservoir was full. That’s not true. Looking at the largest one, it is only 75% full and currently in semi-drought. ”
“The reservoirs are completely full, including the state reservoirs here in Southern California,” Newsom said in an NBC News interview that aired Sunday. I don’t think so.”
But Lake Shasta, California’s largest reservoir, was at 77% capacity as of Tuesday, holding about 3.52 million acre-feet of water out of a total storage capacity of 4.55 million acre-feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. That’s what it means.
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment, but has not yet received a response.
California’s existing reservoirs can only hold so much water, many of which were built in the mid-20th century.
In 2014, Golden State voters approved a $2.7 billion bond, also known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Act, to increase the state’s water storage capacity through the construction of new reservoirs and groundwater storage facilities. 1 was approved. However, as of January, no new reservoir has been completed under Proposition 1.
In 2024, the state experienced record rainfall due to an atmospheric river event, and existing water infrastructure faced difficulty coping with the sudden influx of water. Multiple California government agencies say a significant portion of the rainfall is dumped into the ocean as the state struggles to properly store water.
“We had about 120 million gallons of storage, but we only had 3 million gallons in reserves, so we could have used it. That probably would have made a difference,” Hanson said. “It hadn’t been used for almost a year and the cover was torn. It was complete nonsense.”
The failing reservoir Hanson mentioned, known as Santa Ynez Reservoir in the Pacific Palisades, has been closed for repairs since February due to a tear in a cover designed to maintain water quality, Los Angeles reported. The Times first reported. It was reported on Tuesday.
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been criticized for being on a trip to Africa at the time of the wildfires, but California Governor Gavin Newsom has shifted the blame and ordered an independent investigation by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. (AP/Getty)
Hanson explained that he operates a farm in the Central Valley and uses snowmelt water from the Sierra Nevada mountains.
In California’s Central Valley, agricultural water typically comes from the Sierra Nera Mountains primarily through the San Joaquin River system, supported by major dams such as Shaver, Huntington, and Pine Flat. That water is often released into the Sacramento River, which flows into the delta region. Despite increasing demand, no new dams have been built on the San Joaquin water system in recent decades.
On the west side of the valley, water comes from snowmelt in Northern California’s Cascade Mountains and northern Sierra, filling large reservoirs such as Oroville and Folsom. These reservoirs are designed to store water in wet years, ensuring a steady supply in normal years and a backup in dry years.
But California has faced an extended dry spell in recent weeks with little rain or snow, causing water levels in reservoirs to drop.
“So when Gavin Newsom says, ‘It’s full,’ it’s not all full, but it’s rapidly decreasing because he won’t stop the ocean discharges,” Hanson said. “The water is still going on as you and I speak, but it’s not getting 100% of the water to the aqueducts that serve agriculture in Los Angeles.”
Mr. Newsom, meanwhile, shifted the blame to local management and ordered an independent review from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
On January 10, Newsom sent a letter to the department’s director and the Los Angeles County Public Works Director regarding reports of water loss: “We need answers as to why this happened.”
‘Devastating’: California suffered record rainfall last year but lacked infrastructure to store it
In this aerial drone photo, a main pump in the foreground is part of a groundwater recharge project designed to capture excess flow for groundwater storage in Fresno County, California, on March 13, 2023. (Andrew Innerarity/California Department of Water Resources, via AP)
Newsom also proposed allocating at least $2.5 billion in additional funding to strengthen California’s emergency response and recovery efforts in Los Angeles, his office announced Monday.
The proposed funding would support recovery and cleanup efforts, strengthen wildfire preparedness and help reopen schools closed due to fires. His office said the funding would come from the state’s Disaster Response and Emergency Operations Account, with $1.5 billion of it coming from accelerating the immediate use of climate bond funds.
Containment of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County is making some progress, according to an update Wednesday night from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Palisades fire was the larger of two fires that had burned 23,713 acres as of Wednesday and was 21% contained since the Pacific Palisades fire started more than a week ago, the department said. It is said that there is
The Eaton Fire in the Altadena/Pasadena area was at 45% containment as of Wednesday night. Both fires occurred on January 7th.
FOX News Digital has reached out to Bass’ office for comment.
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Elizabeth Pritchett of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Jamie Joseph is a political writer. She leads Fox News Digital’s Senate coverage.
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