A new Trump revelation sparks California ire

Oct 03, 2024

Presented by Fix LCFS

Then-President Donald Trump talks with then-Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, as then-California Gov. Jerry Brown, walks at right during a visit to a neighborhood destroyed by the Camp wildfire in Paradise.

Then-President Donald Trump in 2018 visited a Paradise neighborhood destroyed by the Camp Fire with then-Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and Gov. Jerry Brown. That year, Trump allegedly threatened to withhold wildfire aid from California, according to a new story. | Evan Vucci/AP

POLITICAL FIRESTORM: Today's bombshell report that former President Donald Trump in 2018 initially refused disaster aid for wildfire-stricken California because of the state’s Democratic leanings quickly drew condemnation from President Joe Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other prominent Democrats.

“It’s exactly who Trump is — petty, vindictive, and self-serving,” Newsom told Playbook.

“He’s already said he’d do this again,” the governor said in a statement, referring to comments Trump made at a news conference last month. “Disasters don’t discriminate by political beliefs and his words should be a concern for all Californians, especially those in wildfire-prone and flood-prone areas in Northern and Southern California, and the Central Valley.”

POLITICO's E&E News, which broke the story, reported the former president only changed his mind after he was shown voting results revealing there were more Trump supporters in Orange County than in the entire state of Iowa.

The piece quoted Mark Harvey, who was Trump’s senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council staff, and Olivia Troye, a former Trump White House homeland security adviser who backed up Harvey’s claim.

“We went as far as looking up how many votes he got in those impacted areas … to show him these are people who voted for you,” Harvey told E&E News. Harvey recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris alongside more than 100 other Republican former national security officials.

The Trump campaign did not respond to an E&E News request for comment.

The 2018 wildfire season was particularly devastating for California, with more than 7,500 fires burning over 1.6 million acres. That November, 85 people died in the Camp Fire, which leveled the town of Paradise.

The Holy Fire in Orange County that year burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed 24 structures.

Biden re-shared the story on X, writing: “You can’t only help those in need if they voted for you. It’s the most basic part of being president, and this guy knows nothing about it.”

Trump last month threatened to withhold federal disaster aid from California if Newsom didn’t agree to send more water south and to the Central Valley.

“If he doesn’t sign those papers, we won’t give him money to put out all his fires,” Trump said during the news conference at his golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes. “And if we don’t give him the money to put out his fires, he’s got problems.”

Orange County GOP House candidates — some of whom have already been unwilling to express vocal support for Trump — were not eager to talk about today’s story.

Rep. Michelle Steel’s spokesperson Lance Trover declined to comment. Scott Baugh, who’s running for the open seat held by Democrat Katie Porter, could not be reached for comment, said spokesperson Jon Fleischman.

GOP Rep. Young Kim didn’t directly address Trump’s reported hesitance to extend disaster aid to her home state, nor did she respond to a question about whether the E&E News story would affect her potential support for Trump. She emphasized her push for “full federal disaster relief funding” in the budget and said she will “always fight for the communities I represent.”

“Wildfires don’t see party affiliation when ravaging communities and destroying lives — they will wreck anything in their path,” Kim said in a statement to Playbook. “Federal funding for response to wildfires and other natural disasters has proven vital to supplementing state and local efforts and saving lives.”

At least one California Democrat is trying to use Trump’s disaster relief comments against his Republican opponent. Will Rollins, who’s running to unseat Riverside County Rep. Ken Calvert, today posted an ad on X linking the congressmember to Trump’s September wildfire aid threat.

“Our Riverside County communities have been devastated by wildfires,” Rollins wrote. “Unfortunately, Ken Calvert and Donald Trump want to play politics with critical funding for our areas. In Congress, I will always stand with our firefighters and will not play games with funding for our district.”

Brian K. Rice, president of California Professional Firefighters, said Trump “should be ashamed” of his threats to hold back wildfire aid.

“It is shocking that we have a presidential candidate who is threatening our public safety and doesn’t even care what the consequences are to firefighters and the public,” Rice said in a news release. “This has now become a serious public safety issue for our members and the public we serve.”

The International Association of Fire Fighters today declined to make a presidential endorsement in a blow to Harris. It’s unclear whether Rice’s comments mean California firefighters may split from the larger union and back the vice president. (More on that below.)

A message from Fix LCFS:

GOVERNOR NEWSOM AND CHAIR RANDOLPH, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO FIX THE LOW CARBON FUEL STANDARD! As of now, the proposed updates to the LCFS reward polluters and ignore the health impacts of dirty fuels on marginalized communities. Environmental justice, labor and clean air leaders will call for California Air Resources Board (CARB) members to vote “NO” on the LCFS if they fail to act. Learn more about how we can fix the LCFS!

IT’S THURSDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@politico.com.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

A firefighter works to contain the Bridge Fire.

The International Association of Fire Fighters won't make an endorsement in the presidential election, but California firefighters could break with the national union and back Vice President Kamala Harris. | Eric Thayer/AP Photo

FIREFIGHTERS’ SNUB: The union representing more than 300,000 career firefighters and emergency responders declined to make a presidential endorsement, potentially hurting Harris, our own Nick Niedzwiadek reports.

The International Association of Fire Fighters’ decision comes two weeks after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters made a similar decision — and the West Coast Teamsters went their own way, backing the vice president.

“The IAFF Executive Board determined that we are better able to advocate for our members and make progress on the issues that matter to them if we, as a union, are standing shoulder-to-shoulder,” General President Edward Kelly said in a statement. “This decision, which we took very seriously, is the best way to preserve and strengthen our unity.”

Harris has won the endorsements of an overwhelming number of unions. But it's the second notable labor-related setback in recent weeks for her campaign, which is strongly banking on organized labor to boost its outreach to working-class voters on her behalf — especially in key swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

IAFF’s late non-endorsement — with votes already being cast in some states — carries particular weight given that the union was the first to endorse Biden at the outset of his campaign to defeat Trump in 2019.

The California chapter of the IAFF generally follows the national organization’s direction on federal endorsements. But Tim Edwards, who represents the Cal Fire union on the board of the California Professional Firefighters, told POLITICO before today’s non-endorsement that the chapter could go a different direction, although he is staying neutral because his members are split on federal issues.

Rice did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

— with help from Camille von Kaenel

A message from Fix LCFS:

ON THE BEATS

An animal caretaker collects a blood sample from a dairy calf vaccinated against bird flu.

An animal caretaker collects a blood sample from a dairy calf vaccinated against bird flu in Iowa. Two Californians have tested positive for the virus in the Central Valley, which they likely contracted from dairy cattle. | USDA Agricultural Research Service via AP

BIRD IS THE WORD: Two Californians have tested positive for avian flu in the Central Valley, carrying the state’s first confirmed cases of the disease in humans, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Both individuals have mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis, and appear to have contracted the flu from infected dairy cattle. The health department confirmed that at least one of them works at a dairy facility and that neither was hospitalized.

The cases are the 15th and 16th to be documented in the U.S. since April. Most infections have been tied to workers with exposure to sick dairy cows or infected poultry.

The health department said the risk to the public remains low, but it’s higher for people who work with infected animals.

POLITICO Pro subscribers can read more from health care reporter David Lim.

— with help from Blake Jones

HELP FOR HOCHMAN: Rick Caruso has made no secret of his opposition to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón. He backed a failed effort to recall the progressive prosecutor, endorsed two of his challengers in the March primary and lined up behind Nathan Hochman once the former Republican-turned-independent emerged as Gascón’s general election opponent.

Now, a super PAC led by the developer — and one-time LA mayoral hopeful — is hitting the airwaves with an initial $1.1 million buy. It’s launching a trio of ads supporting Hochman that put a twist on the standard “tough on crime” script. Most telling is one spot touting Hochman’s consistent opposition to Donald Trump and his on-camera endorsement of Harris. Two others emphasize Hochman’s “balanced plan” that includes prosecuting criminals and addressing the “root causes of crime” — a framing more commonly heard among criminal justice reformers.

— Melanie Mason

A message from Fix LCFS:

IF CARB FAILS TO ACT, WE SAY VOTE “NO” ON THE LCFS! One of California’s oldest climate programs is funneling billions to polluters. The program can be updated to prioritize zero-emission, electric technologies that clean up pollution from cars, trucks, buses, planes and ships.

Including jet fuel in the program will cut emissions from one of the state's dirtiest industrial sectors. Crediting pollution-free shipping fuels and simplifying crediting to help electric harbor crafts will clean up the air in vulnerable port communities. And, junk factory farm gas offsets reward polluters and have nothing to do with clean transportation. It is past time to end a subsidy that pollutes communities of color.

If the state fails to correct the LCFS, the state will waste $27 BILLION over the next 10 years on dirty fuels. Learn more about why we must fix the LCFS!

WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY

— Attorney General Rob Bonta wants Los Angeles political leaders to redraw boundaries for the city’s 15 council districts. (Los Angeles Times)

— OpenAI has completed a deal that places the company’s value at $157 billion — nearly double the company’s valuation from less than a year ago. (The New York Times)

— A New Jersey couple in a severe crash during an Uber ride can’t sue the San Francisco-based ridesharing company because their daughter agreed to terms and conditions barring arbitration in a separate Uber Eats order. (CNN)

AROUND THE STATE

— Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao won’t endorse Proposition 36 but says she favors criminal penalties. (KTVU)

— San Francisco mayoral candidates Mark Farrell and Ahsha Safaí are forming a ranked-choice alliance., with each They’re asking supporters to rank the duo at the top of their November ballots. (San Francisco Chronicle)

— Rancho Palos Verdes residents are getting nearly $3 million in government relief for damages caused by recent landslides. (Los Angeles Times)

— compiled by Tyler Katzenberger

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