California governor accuses Musk of lying
Elon Musk contended that poor governance and insufficient water supply had intensified the wildfires in Los Angeles. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The tech billionaire attributed the significant loss of homes in the LA wildfires to ineffective governance and a “shortage of water.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom has criticized Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk over his “lies” after the billionaire voiced concerns about the state's handling of the wildfires in Los Angeles.
In a series of posts on X, Musk, a long-time adversary of the Democrat politician, pointed to the extensive damage in LA as a result of “bad governance at a state and local level that resulted in a shortage of water” and shared a post calling for the governor's resignation.
This claim comes as LA Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that approximately 20% of the city’s fire hydrants were dry last week, prompting Newsom to request an independent investigation into the situation on Friday.
Newsom responded to Musk on Monday by posting a video of the business magnate questioning a firefighter about water availability.
The firefighter clarified that while there was water in “several reservoirs,” the challenge lay in the fact that they were “flowing an amount of water that the system couldn’t bear,” necessitating the use of water trucks as "mobile hydrants."
“Exposed by firefighters for his own lies,” Newsom remarked.
According to former chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Marty Adams, the wildfires have created a scenario that is “just completely not part of any domestic water system design.” He emphasized the need for “some new thinking about how systems are designed,” as reported by the New York Times.
Wildfire and water expert Faith Kearns noted that the current situation “was like a worst-case scenario.”
“But I think we should be planning for those worst-case scenarios…I do think this is where we’re headed,” she stated.
Musk and Newsom have also exchanged heated comments on X regarding the issue of looting, with reports of criminals targeting evacuated areas. Newsom accused Musk of “encouraging looting by lying” after the tech CEO asserted that California Democrats had “decriminalized looting.”
“It’s illegal – as it always has been,” Newsom replied, emphasizing that “bad actors will be arrested and prosecuted.”
US President-elect Donald Trump has also criticized Newsom, accusing the governor of refusing to sign a “water restoration declaration,” which Newsom claimed does not exist. Musk, a close ally of Trump, has been appointed to co-lead the president-elect’s new Department of Government Efficiency advisory board.
The destructive LA wildfires have claimed at least 24 lives and displaced thousands more. With fierce winds expected to escalate this week, efforts to control the blazes are likely to become even more challenging.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
California Governor Gavin Newsom has criticized Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk over his “lies” after the billionaire voiced concerns about the state's handling of the wildfires in Los Angeles.
In a series of posts on X, Musk, a long-time adversary of the Democrat politician, pointed to the extensive damage in LA as a result of “bad governance at a state and local level that resulted in a shortage of water” and shared a post calling for the governor's resignation.
This claim comes as LA Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that approximately 20% of the city’s fire hydrants were dry last week, prompting Newsom to request an independent investigation into the situation on Friday.
Newsom responded to Musk on Monday by posting a video of the business magnate questioning a firefighter about water availability.
The firefighter clarified that while there was water in “several reservoirs,” the challenge lay in the fact that they were “flowing an amount of water that the system couldn’t bear,” necessitating the use of water trucks as "mobile hydrants."
“Exposed by firefighters for his own lies,” Newsom remarked.
According to former chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Marty Adams, the wildfires have created a scenario that is “just completely not part of any domestic water system design.” He emphasized the need for “some new thinking about how systems are designed,” as reported by the New York Times.
Wildfire and water expert Faith Kearns noted that the current situation “was like a worst-case scenario.”
“But I think we should be planning for those worst-case scenarios…I do think this is where we’re headed,” she stated.
Musk and Newsom have also exchanged heated comments on X regarding the issue of looting, with reports of criminals targeting evacuated areas. Newsom accused Musk of “encouraging looting by lying” after the tech CEO asserted that California Democrats had “decriminalized looting.”
“It’s illegal – as it always has been,” Newsom replied, emphasizing that “bad actors will be arrested and prosecuted.”
US President-elect Donald Trump has also criticized Newsom, accusing the governor of refusing to sign a “water restoration declaration,” which Newsom claimed does not exist. Musk, a close ally of Trump, has been appointed to co-lead the president-elect’s new Department of Government Efficiency advisory board.
The destructive LA wildfires have claimed at least 24 lives and displaced thousands more. With fierce winds expected to escalate this week, efforts to control the blazes are likely to become even more challenging.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
