California Gov. Gavin Newsom could be playing with fire in a politically fraught visit to the Los Angeles area on the anniversary of the Southern California blazes that killed at least 31 and destroyed some 18,000 homes and structures.
Newsom will visit the city on Jan. 7, one year after the outbreak of the catastrophic fires — and residents of the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades will certainly have something to say about it, especially in light of his widely expected campaign for president.
“He’s all talk. He wants to be president, but he needs to show competency — actions that are completed, visible, and showing that they’re prepared for the next time,” said Ross Gerber, an investor and longtime Palisades resident whose home was nearly destroyed in the January 2025 fires.
The Palisades Fire Residents Coalition is planning a protest on Jan. 7, the same day of Newsom’s visit to Los Angeles, demanding accountability for what they call a “total breakdown in leadership” between Mayor Karen Bass, Newsom, and state and local agencies charged with preventing such a disaster.
Speakers will include local homeowners and politicians, according to the group’s website.
Newsom’s office is mum so far on his plans for that day — except that he will meet directly with survivors still struggling to rebuild their lives.
“From the earliest hours of the disaster, Governor Newsom has taken unprecedented action to remove barriers that slow recovery and ensure bureaucracy does not stand between families and their return home,” his spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in an email to The Post.
But the fires are sure to remain an albatross for the California governor if he announces a run for president.
Images of the fiery inferno and smoldering homes alongside continued questions about Newsom’s role in addressing the fires aren’t going away.
Combine that with long-term fallout in the housing market and soaring insurance costs, the disaster could dog Newsom’s presidential campaign, according to Jason McDaniel, political science professor at San Francisco State University.
“This is something that could be a ticking time bomb for Gavin Newsom’s campaign,” McDaniel said.
“This is not Rudy Giuliani after 9/11,” he continued. “It is a difficult political narrative and it’s become more likely to be used [as] a sign of California mismanagement.
“Grandstanding or making political hay out of the fire anniversary won’t be well-received,” McDaniel added.
Residents like Gerber agree.
“If we wants to make people happy, he needs to come out and say ‘here’s what I’m going to do to prevent the next fire,’” Gerber said.
