Written by: William Heckman
On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California may soon have to impose mandatory water restrictions. Still, the restrictions will not be set until the end of September after the recall election, suggesting that Newsom is avoiding unpopular government mandates to save his job.
Governor Newsom also announced a state of emergency in El Dorado County as the Caldor Fire burns through the area, already burning 30,000 acres and is currently 0% contained. The Dixie Fire also continues to burn in Northern California, which has burned 600,000 acres as of Monday and destroyed the town of Greenville. High winds continue in the Bay Area, which is currently under a red flag warning. PG&E projects that about 51,000 customers across 18 counties could face blackouts due to the high winds and weather.
Water restrictions and fire management have been a major focal point of the recall effort. Many Republicans criticize Newsom for poor wildfire management in the wake of multiple forest fires under his term. State lawmakers recently canceled an oversight hearing on wildfire prevention, and many feel that it is an attempt by the Democrats to protect Newsom from further scrutiny.
Republican Assembly member James Gallagher of Yuba City said, “The Democrat supermajority is more interested in politics and protecting their governor than getting to the bottom of why our state is burning.” It was also recently found that Newsom overstated by 690% the amount of land treated by scheduled burns to prevent wildfires in vulnerable areas.
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