As Southern California burns yet again, the state’s leadership continues to offer little more than hollow platitudes and deflection. Californians are left to grapple with devastating wildfires that destroy homes, disrupt lives and pollute the air with suffocating smoke. It’s easy for state officials to blame climate change, but that narrative conveniently ignores the state’s own role in enabling these disasters.
The reality is that California’s government, blinded by ideological priorities and hampered by mismanagement, has failed to fireproof the state, while focusing instead on “Trump-proofing” it. The tragic consequences are now inescapable.
During the Trump administration, California’s leadership prided itself on opposing nearly every federal policy — often at the expense of its own residents. In 2020, the Trump White House introduced a water conservation measure designed to balance environmental concerns with critical water needs for California’s farms and communities. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration filed a lawsuit to block its implementation, citing the protection of a tiny fish called the Delta smelt. While this maneuver may have pleased environmental activists, it came at the cost of addressing water scarcity and infrastructure improvements that could have mitigated wildfire risks.
This prioritization of symbolic opposition over practical solutions epitomizes California’s governance. Rather than preparing for an inevitable crisis, the state was busy playing political theater.
California touts itself as a leader in environmental policy, but its approach often lacks the pragmatism needed to address real-world challenges. The state’s refusal to thin forests adequately or clear underbrush, due to extreme environmentalist lobbying and litigation, has created a tinderbox. Dead trees and accumulated vegetation are not just fuel for wildfires — they are accelerants.
Newsom’s administration has repeatedly boasted about its wildfire prevention efforts, but the numbers tell a different story. Despite pledging to treat 500,000 acres of forest annually, the state has only managed a fraction of that. Meanwhile, billions of dollars have been funneled into green energy projects and symbolic gestures that do nothing to address the immediate and growing threat of wildfires. A commitment to “natural forest management” sounds noble on paper, but in practice, it has left rural and suburban communities exposed to catastrophic fires.
California’s obsession with wokeness has also diverted attention and resources from pressing issues. The state’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives have ballooned into a bureaucratic maze, siphoning funds and focus from critical infrastructure projects. When faced with a choice between funding tangible solutions like improved water systems, firebreaks and emergency response capabilities on the one hand, and doubling down on ideological programs on the other, California’s leadership has consistently chosen the latter.
The DEI framework might score political points in elite circles, but it does nothing to prevent wildfires, address housing shortages or tackle the skyrocketing cost of living. Residents who have lost their homes and livelihoods to fires are unlikely to find solace in the state’s commitment to performative politics.
In addition, a well-documented failure in forest management further underscores California’s culpability. The state has long known that its forests are at critical risk, yet it has repeatedly failed to act with the urgency required. Federal agencies manage a portion of California’s forests, but the majority fall under state jurisdiction. The refusal to implement controlled burns, thin overgrown areas and modernize water systems has compounded the wildfire crisis.
While officials claim to be hamstrung by environmental regulations, they conveniently overlook their own role in crafting and perpetuating those very restrictions. If California can fast-track solar farms and wind projects, it can surely streamline measures to protect its citizens from predictable, recurring disasters.
The current wildfire crisis in Southern California is not an act of God; it is the result of human negligence. Misguided environmental policies, performative governance and an unwillingness to prioritize practical solutions have created a perfect storm. Californians are paying the price — not only in property damage and displacement but also in their health and quality of life. Smoke-filled skies and apocalyptic landscapes have become the norm, and state leaders have no credible plan to reverse this trajectory.
As the ashes settle, California’s government will undoubtedly continue pointing fingers at climate change, but the real culprit is much closer to home. Instead of Trump-proofing, California’s leaders should have been fireproofing. Their failure to do so is a damning indictment of governance that prioritizes ideology over responsibility, politics over people and appearances over action.
Californians deserve better. The question now is whether they will demand it.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is the lead pastor of New Season, one of America’s most influential megachurches, and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. He has advised three U.S. presidents and is the first Latino to participate in multiple presidential inauguration ceremonies. He is also a best-selling author of 12 books and serves as producer of seven faith-based films, including “Breakthrough,” “Flamin Hot” and “Dream King.”
