Gov. Gavin Newsom was called out for lacking accountability on Sunday, as wildfires continue to devastate Los Angeles, California. Critics said the California governor was deflecting responsibility following multiple media appearances amid the crisis.
“I mean, you’re governor of California. It might as well be the mayor of California. We’re all in this together. We’re all better off when we’re all better off,” he said when pressed by NBC on whether the “buck stops” with him.
Newsom spoke to NBC News in a roughly 20 minute interview about the ongoing wildfires across Los Angeles. The interview aired on Sunday during NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The California governor was also mocked for his interview with Pod Save America, which is hosted by multiple former Obama staffers, while Los Angeles deals with the fires.
Critics said Newsom got “lay up after lay up” during the interview and accused him of dodging accountability. Another user said the California governor gave a “convoluted response.”
Several critics said Newsom’s answer to the question about whether the buck stooped with him was a “word salad.” However, other users praised the California governor for his criticisms of President-elect Donald Trump during the “Meet the Press” interview.
Former California state Sen. Melissa Melendez accused Newsom and said he was accepting “zero responsibility.”
“We had support from the President of the United States, Joe Biden, with 100% reimbursement, all the resources you could hope for, imagine, constant communication. I’d like to extend that to the president-elect. I don’t know what he’s referring to when he talks about the Delta smelt in reservoirs. The reservoirs are completely full, the state reservoirs here in Southern California. That mis- and disinformation I don’t think advantages or aids any of us. Responding to Donald Trump’s insults, we would spend another month. I’m very familiar with them. Every elected official that he disagrees with is very familiar with them,” Newsom said.
Trump had previously blamed Newsom for the crisis.
The governor also took to social media on Saturday to counter some of the stories about the fire.
During his appearance on Pod Save America, Newsom defended his decision to probe the “loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants” as well as the “unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir.”
“Let’s just get the facts and let’s get ‘em out quickly,” he said during the podcast. “Let’s stop the finger pointing. Let’s just assess the truth. I’m not interested in who’s to blame. I wanna know what happened.”
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A Newsom spokesperson defended the governor’s decision to go on the podcast in a statement to the Daily Beast.
“The Governor is solely focused on the response and getting out critical updates and resources wherever Californians get their news — it’s 2025, that includes one of the largest podcasts in the country, with hosts that call the impacted LA area home,” wrote Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for the governor,” the spokesperson said.
