California Governor Gavin Newsom belatedly asked President Joe Biden for a federal disaster declaration on Thursday — two weeks after the storm arrived and several days after the snow had already stopped falling.
Newsom’s request was the latest delay in responding to storms that have killed at least a dozen people in mountain communities. He declared a state of emergency for 13 counties a week after the storm arrived.
Following that declaration last Wednesday, Newsom left the country for a personal trip in Baja California — an apparent vacation — while thousands remained trapped in their homes, short of food, fuel and medicine.
This past Wednesday, Newsom expanded the state of emergency to 21 counties. But he still had not asked President Biden for a disaster declaration — a step requested by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) the week before.
Republican candidate for California Governor Kevin Kiley speaks during a debate at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Yorba Linda, Calif. California Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a Sept. 14 recall election that could remove him from office. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
As Kiley told Breitbart News Sunday last weekend:
Kiley said, “I would have appreciated if the governor was more personally engaged on this rather than saying that it’s something that he felt comfortable vacating his office while it was going on.”
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“We’re asking for a major disaster declaration,” he stated, “which the president has to accede to, and it has to be specifically requested by the governor. As far as I know , the lieutenant governor did not act on that during her brief stint here as governor the last couple of days.
He concluded, “This is just a matter of manpower and resources. … I’m hoping that the president will step forward — and first of all, that the governor will ask him to, and that the president will do so — because we need all the help we can get, right now.”
Governors and tribal leaders may request a disaster declaration before a storm arrives, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), whom Newsom likes to criticize for his stances on social issues, made a disaster declaration request for all 67 counties in his state last September as Hurricane Ian made landfall — not several weeks after the storm had arrived and the damage had been done.
Though state and local officials have managed to plow some roads, the crisis continues. The death toll in the San Bernardino mountains in Southern California has risen to 13, while residents of communities around Lake Tahoe in Northern California, where rooftops have begun collapsing due to the weight of the snow, now find themselves running short of groceries and gas.
Lake Arrowhead, CA – March 08: Stephen Calleros begins to clear up to 6 feet of snow off the roof of Dianes Saddleback Grill and Hotel in Lake Arrowhead on Wednesday, Mar. 8, 2023. (Photo by Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images)
Newsom has continued his focus on criticizing conservative states and their legislation on social issues, as Californians have focused on surviving the storms, with another “atmospheric river” threatening floods.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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