Governor Gavin Newsom faced backlash for claiming Southern California’s reservoirs were “completely full,” despite reports that the Santa Ynez Reservoir was empty for over a year. This statement came during an NBC interview discussing the impact of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that have killed 16 people and caused extensive damage. Critics highlighted his body language as excessive and distracting while he addressed the wildfire crisis and responses to President Trump’s accusations about water supply management. Amid the crisis, Newsom announced plans for additional National Guard troops, an independent investigation into the water supply, and executive orders to aid recovery efforts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has been criticized for claiming that Southern California’s reservoirs are “completely full,” even though at least one of them has been confirmed to be completely depleted.
Newsom made the claim during an interview. he gave NBC’s Meet the Press about his reaction to Wildfires raging in Los Angeles have killed 16 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.
NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff asked the governor about his criticism of President-elect Donald Trump. President Trump claimed that Newsom’s efforts to protect a fish called the delta smelt are disrupting water supplies to farmers and major cities.
“I don’t know what he’s referring to when he talks about Delta smelt in the reservoirs. Even the state reservoirs here in Southern California, the reservoirs are completely full,” Newsom said.
but, of The LA Times reported Friday that Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117 million-gallon water storage facility, has been completely empty for more than a year. The reservoir serves Pacific Palisades, an area west of downtown Los Angeles where wildfires have spread to about 23,654 acres. Firefighters are only able to extinguish 11 percent of out-of-control fires.
DailyMail.com further revealed that this reservoir was left disconnected by Department of Water and Power (LADWP) CEO Janice Quiñones.
In addition, a fire hydrant that normally supplies water from a reservoir had been left broken for months before the fire, leaving firefighters without water as they battled the devastating blaze.
The reservoir had been shut down in recent months to repair a breach in the lid that could have exposed water and affected drinking.
When asked about this, Newsom said only that Santa Ynez “is not a reservoir in the state system.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke on NBC’s Meet the Press about how he is handling California’s wildfire crisis so far.
Residents embrace outside a burning property during the Eaton Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, California.
Photo: Santa Ynez Reservoir in the Pacific Palisades, the site of perhaps the worst ongoing wildfire.
Newsom also faced backlash. for his “excessive” body language in extensive interviews.
Newsom, wearing black unbuttoned jeans, spoke with his hands throughout the 18-minute conversation in Altadena, an area affected by the Eaton fire.
He often clapped and made large gestures as he answered questions about the devastating blaze, now one of the deadliest in the city’s history.
The California governor also suggested that a failing LA water system was to blame for the crisis, but insisted he was not trying to blame anyone in particular for the death and destruction.
As of Sunday morning, the Eaton Fire has now grown to 14,005 acres, and the Kenneth Fire is currently 100 percent contained, but has burned 1,052 acres.
In a highly criticized interview, Newsom suggested he didn’t know why all three water storage tanks in the Pacific Palisades, each holding about 1 million gallons, ran dry shortly after the fires started last week. did.
“Was it a pipe?” Was it electricity? It was a combination of pipes, electricity and pumps,” Newsom told NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff, rocking back and forth and throwing his hands up. “We lost over 7,000 structures here anyway, and all the structures we lost had leaky pipes and were losing that water pressure anyway, so that loss was impossible? ?”
“Did that somehow contribute to our inability to put out fires?” Or were the 99 mph winds decisive and there really weren’t any more meaningful firefights? ? ”
Photo: Gavin Newsom watches as wildfires rage through an affluent area of Los Angeles on January 7th. The governor was criticized for the photo, with some claiming it was a photo-op.
One X interviewee, sensing the governor’s restless movements, said, “Who the hell is he dancing with?”
Another said, “When I look at Gavin Newsom (sic)’s body language and the way he speaks, I can tell he’s overwhelmed.”
“At the beginning of the interview, the first thing he does is start wagging his finger,” a third person pointed out.
Another observer thought “his physical movements were excessive and distracting.”
Some shifted their anger to the interviewer, Soboroff, claiming he wasn’t pushing Newsom hard enough.
“If you have any integrity or shame @jacobsoboroffyou would resign over the dirty joke of an interview and give the job to the woman who cornered Newsom on the street with real questions after her community burned down,” they wrote.
Shortly after the brief interview, Newsom announced that he was sending 1,000 additional National Guard troops to Los Angeles to help respond to the wildfires. There are currently a total of 2,500 military personnel on the ground.
The interview covered topics including Newsom’s responsibility in the crisis, Trump’s condemnation of the state’s wildfire response, and the governor’s new executive order aimed at providing relief to Californians.
Newsom has launched an independent investigation into why the reservoirs were empty and denied playing a blame game.
President-elect Donald Trump has insulted Newsom, saying he did not accept federal aid that would have helped fight the fires during his presidency.
“How can this happen when we’re conducting an independent investigation and we’re just asking for a determination of the facts?” As I say again and again, it’s not a question of finger-pointing. It’s about answering the questions you and everyone wants answered,” he said.
“It’s the same thing you’re asking, the same thing people are asking in the streets, shouting, ‘What happened? What happened to the water system?’ ”
A total of 16 people lost their lives, 12,300 structures were destroyed, and 40,300 acres were burned.
Newsom put the death toll more conservatively at 13, saying his office was still receiving information from the medical examiner and adding that “it is likely there will be many more deaths.”
He said search and rescue teams and cadaver dogs were out searching for the dead.
When asked if it would cost him money, Newsom replied: “I mean, you’re the governor of California. You might as well be the mayor of California. We’re all in this together. When we’re all better off, we’re all better off.” .
“And we are not only here on the cusp of a crisis, but we are also here in the middle of a crisis to divide people, to play politics, to play cheap politics to provoke a crisis. In contrast, we are still here after the crisis.”
The conversation quickly turned to President-elect Donald Trump, who claimed Newsom was responsible for the wildfires.
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Trump said the governor, whom the Republican nickname nicknamed “Gavin Newscome,” refused to accept preemptive aid from the federal government when he was president.
Gov. Gavin Newscome said millions of gallons of water from excess rain and snowmelt from the north will be allowed to flow into many areas of California each day, including areas where the fires are currently burning. refused to sign the Water Restoration Declaration submitted before him. A virtually apocalyptic approach,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Newsom announced he would issue a “price gouging” and “recovery” executive order to address the damage caused to people’s homes and buildings around the city.
He also said the executive order will help people receive insurance benefits “in the coming weeks.”
When it comes to rebuilding, Newsom has signaled he intends to loosen California’s strict environmental review process that often makes development difficult.
“We want to eliminate everything and respond quickly.” [California Environmental Quality Act] requirements. Changes to the Coastal Act are taking place. “We want to make sure that when someone rebuilds, the old property tax assessment is still there and it’s not increased,” he said.
Newsom also thanked President Joe Biden, who has pledged to cover 100% of California’s disaster-related costs for the next 180 days. Early estimates suggest damages could reach $150 billion.
“We received support from U.S. President Joe Biden with 100% reimbursement, all the resources you could hope for, and continued communication, and we want to pass that on to the next president.”
Firefighters near the fire road above Mandeville Canyon during the Palisades Fire on January 11, 2025.
Fire helicopter fires water on Palisades fire on January 10, 2025
Newsom was also criticized for using the horrific fire to conspiratorially enhance future political strategy.
The day before his interview with NBC, Newsom posted a link to californiafirefacts.com, a website set up by the Board of Elections, alleging misinformation people are spreading about wildfires.
At first, this site looks harmless. It includes a list of claims that the governor’s office has found to be misleading or inaccurate, with counter-arguments below.
Scroll to the bottom and you’ll find a box where you can donate to the California Fire Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides support to firefighters and survivors of natural disasters like wildfires.
However, by donating to the organization through Newsom’s links, you automatically agree to receive campaign text messages from his super PAC, Campaign for Democracy.
Another recent criticism of the governor is that he may be allowing looting during fires. The claim most prominently came from Elon Musk, who has become a loyal confidant of President Trump as he prepares to take the White House.
Mr. Newsom was outraged by the accusations and responded to Mr. Musk on X, saying, “Stop encouraging looting by lying about decriminalization.” it’s not. ‘
The latest victim in this fire-related crime spree is Vice President Kamala Harris, whose Brentwood home was invaded by two men.
Los Angeles police were called to the scene around 4:30 a.m., but the men were not on the property when they were arrested.
“They probably had no idea where they were,” a law enforcement source told NBC Los Angeles.
The two were detained for breaking curfew, but were released after police found no evidence they had committed a crime, KTLA reported.