Action and Accountability: What happened in the California wildfires?
Bretton Pratt ’27
Ellen Chen ’25
In a quick response to the California wildfires that started January 7th, Governor Gawin Newsome sought out an urgent plan-of-action to take on the burning state. Down in Southern California, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued emergency executive orders in a hasty response against the fires, but also faced backlash over these such actions. In either case, the world needs to learn from what has happened.
In these times of crisis, the California governor has launched a plan ready to beat all of those in the past: Newsome wants recovery and rebuilding efforts to make history in the upcoming months of 2025. He has begun by providing tax and mortgage relief to those impacted. He has extended tax deadlines, and withheld any penalties and interest on late property taxes. Newsome has also streamlined temporary housing, enacting an executive order that prohibits landlords from evicting holders who share their rentals with survivors or displaced persons. Furthermore, the destruction from the fires paves a path of danger down the road, inviting the threat of mudslides and floods. In consideration, Governor Newsome has hastened the debris removal and clean up process. Following this, his goal is to bolster the flood defenses and stabilize hillsides.
In a more local look at how the flames were handled, Mayor Karen Bass fought against the fires alongside the backlash that followed from how she dealt with the crisis. On January 4th, Bass left the country on a visit to Ghana. A day earlier marked the National Weather Service’s declaration of “critical fire conditions,” and just days after, the NWS warned of a particularly dangerous situation taking place. Out of the country at the start of the fires, Bass was able to make it stateside in just over 24 hours by military transport.
In the brief passing of her absence, questions and demands were fired by the community around Los Angeles. In these anxious times, the people need assurance that their lives are in suitable hands. An online petition for Bass’s resignation gained 33,000 signatures, giving way to the concern of her ability to make a stand when the pressure is high.
Amid the controversy over Bass’s control in the midst of the fires, others claim that her true test of power is not whether she was present at the start of the fire, but rather her ability to recover after the blaze. In response, Bass wants to work on “community resilience, infrastructure restoration, and environmental mitigation.” To uphold these tenets, she has passed an emergency executive order to support students, schools, and child care facilities. On February 4th, she issued that the enrollment caps will increase by 20%, flexible school transfers will be permitted, and schools and childcare facilities can relocate quickly.
Bass has acknowledged that there is much room for improvement in tackling these life-threatening issues. She remarked that “We will look at what worked, we will look at what didn’t work, and we will let you know.” In a closer examination of these words, it has been released that most victims of the fires were over 65, or disabled, or both. Many sought help from emergency workers who never came, and more than half received no evacuation order until it was too late. LA county chiefs called for an independent review of the emergency notification systems to look into the responsibility for alerts issued in Altadena (Eton fire).
There is still much that needs attending to in the passing of the California fires, andcitizens must come together to build back what was lost. In reflection, we must proceed forwardwith the awareness that now is the time for action, and now is when we must prevent tragedyfrom striking in the future.
References:
Brenes, A. (2025, February 6). Mayor Bass issues emergency order to support displaced students after California wildfires. NBC Los Angeles; NBC Southern California. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/california-wildfires/mayor-bass-la-fires-students/3623704/
RICCARDI, N., & BLOOD, M. R. (2025, January 10). LA Mayor Karen Bass faces critical leadership test as questions emerge about wildfire response. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/mayor-karen-bass-la-fires-leadership-99e52cf69cc656ee7e0328c6b609be74
Lee, J., Burke, M., & Schuppe, J. (2025, February 8). The families of L.A. wildfire victims confront the failures that prevented escape. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/los-angeles-california-wildfires-victims-no-escape-rcna191087
Here’s all the actions Governor Newsom has taken in response to the Los Angeles fires | Governor of California. (2025, January 24). Governor of California. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/01/24/heres-all-the-actions-governor-newsom-has-taken-in-response-to-the los-angeles-fires/
