As wildfires rage across five counties in California, both celebrities and local residents are voicing their frustrations towards government officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, for their apparent lack of readiness.
Tragic reports indicate that at least ten lives have been lost, with over 10,000 homes and structures reduced to ashes since the onset of these fires earlier this week.
Aurora Culpo, host of the podcast “Barely Filtered,” expressed her outrage in an interview with Fox News Digital: ”If this were a business scenario, every single official would be dismissed immediately. The refusal to accept responsibility for such blatant negligence highlights a severe deficiency in leadership within our state.”
Other notable figures like Patricia Heaton and Jillian Michaels have joined Culpo in criticizing the government’s response.
Culpo, who relocated from Rhode Island to Manhattan Beach with her children amid the chaos on Thursday, emphasized that this disaster was not unexpected. “We knew fire risks were high; yet our level of preparedness resembled that of a developing nation despite living in one of the highest-taxed areas globally,” she stated. She believes those responsible should resign due to their failure to act effectively.
She further asserted that expectations for government officials should be exceptionally high and accountability must be enforced rigorously. “Their incompetence has cost lives and devastated communities,” she remarked about both Gov. Newsom and Mayor Bass.
“The captain goes down with the ship,” she added emphatically while calling for resignations from those at fault.
Culpo also criticized Newsom’s attempts to shift blame onto local authorities instead of taking responsibility himself: “I don’t care about his political affiliation; he’s deflecting accountability.”
In a bold statement on social media platforms like Instagram, Culpo claimed that voters who supported Newsom’s re-election share some culpability: “This is a blue state—if we can’t hold anyone accountable within the Democratic Party framework, then how do we expect any change?”
Echoing sentiments shared by President-elect Donald Trump regarding governmental incompetence contributing to wildfire spread, Culpo stated her agreement wholeheartedly.
While discussing broader issues related to safety versus other societal concerns such as diversity initiatives among firefighters or funding surgeries for transgender inmates—she argued these priorities are misplaced when public safety is at stake: “We’re investing taxpayer money into surgeries while neglecting essential infrastructure like reservoirs.”
Since 2017 alone, California has reportedly allocated $4 million towards gender-affirming surgeries for incarcerated individuals according to sources from California Family Counsel.
Despite ongoing efforts by firefighting teams battling these blazes—some remain uncontrolled as families continue evacuating areas affected by smoke pollution which poses long-term health risks especially concerning air quality issues affecting children’s well-being.
Culpo plans on relocating temporarily with her kids to San Francisco where they will stay with her sister Olivia Culpo—a model known internationally—and NFL player Christian McCaffrey during this crisis until conditions improve back home.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta remains under protection due largely due its dwindling fish populations which complicates water supply management amidst environmental challenges faced statewide today—a situation prompting urgent discussions around prioritizing community safety over less critical matters moving forward into future policy decisions made by elected leaders across California’s political landscape.
