President-elect Donald Trump has criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom in response to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, blaming him for the fires and water supply issues. Experts have stated that the problem was not water scarcity, but rather the city’s water infrastructure being ill-equipped to fight major wildfires. Trump’s comments also referenced a plan from his previous administration to redirect water from Northern California to Southern California, a plan that Newsom’s administration opposed. The experts clarified that the wildfires were due to climate conditions and infrastructure limitations, not water scarcity. Los Angeles County has sufficient water in reservoirs and receives water from various sources. Trump accused Newsom of restricting water allocations to Southern California, linking it to the wildfires, a claim that Newsom’s administration denied as fiction. The Trump transition team did not clarify which document Trump was referencing. In addition to criticizing Newsom, Trump also blamed President Joe Biden for water delivery issues to fire zones, claiming there was no water in the fire hydrants and no money in FEMA. The plan agreed upon by California officials and the Biden administration in December increases water exports from the Delta to Southern California but reduces exports to some farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. Overall, experts believe Trump’s comments are irresponsible and not based on factual information.
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