A desperate Los Angeles mother confronted California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday about the city’s raging wildfires, demanding answers about why fire hydrants ran empty and what he was going to do to fix communities that have been reduced to ash.
Pacific Palisades resident Rachel Darvish ran toward the governor as he was about to get into a black SUV, having surveilled some of the damage after several fires wreaked havoc on the once picturesque neighborhood known for its charming homes and sweeping coastline views.
“Governor! I live here, governor! That was my daughter’s school, what are you going to do,” Darvish, wearing a white industrial-style mask, said in the clip captured by Sky News.
A Los Angeles resident confronted California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday about the city’s raging wildfires, demanding answers about why fire hydrants ran empty and what he was going to do to fix communities that have been reduced to ash. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images, left, Sky News, top right, Eric Thayer/Getty Images, bottom right.)
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A softly spoken Newsom then says he was “literally talking to the president” to find out what he and President Biden could do for Darvish and her daughter.
“Can I hear it, can I hear your call? ’cause I don’t believe it!” Darvish said, shaking her hands with deep skepticism.
“I’ve tried five times, that’s why I’m walking around to make the call,” Newsom responded, saying he had no cell phone coverage and was trying to get through to Biden.
“I’m devastated for you I’m so sorry, especially for your daughter,” an apologetic Newsom said.
Darvish suggested they get cell service together, and she wanted to be there when Newsom got through to Biden, noting that local school children had lost everything. She demanded answers about why there was not enough water in the hydrants to douse the deadly flames.
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“Why was there no water in the hydrants, governor? Is it going to be different next time?” she asked.
“It has to be, it has to be, of course,” Newsom replied.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m doing everything I can,” the governor said. “I will do whatever I can.”
“Fill the hydrants. I would fill them up personally, you know that,” Darvish said before raising her voice, “I would fill up the hydrants myself. Would you do that?”
Newsom said he would do whatever it takes, but Darvish shot back and said, “But you’re not!”
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tour the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades on Jan. 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass have faced scathing criticism for the city’s lack of preparedness and its ability to stop the flames from spreading.
Newsom met with Biden on Wednesday to get briefed on the multiple infernos raging across California. The president approved a major disaster declaration for the Golden State and announced on Thursday the federal government would pay for “100%” of the disaster response costs related to the wildfires for 180 days.
Later on Thursday, Darvish appeared on “Jesse Watters Primetime” and clarified that Newsom did appear to be trying to call the president.
A firefighter works at the site of a brush fire in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 7, 2025. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
“I did see the call log. I did see that that wasn’t the first number on there, but I do know he was trying. So I did see that he was trying. I saw the White House number.”
Still, she questioned why the governor of the state was relying on network coverage in the midst of an emergency.
“There was no cell phone reception in certain areas, okay, but that’s a big problem in and of itself. Why doesn’t he have a satellite truck with a cell phone?” Darvish said, noting she was in a satellite truck doing the interview with Watters.
Darvish said it’s time Californians started choosing elected leaders who are fit for the job rather than voting along party lines.
“You know, these guys are entrenched in what they do, and I think… it’s time for something new. It doesn’t have to be an R, it doesn’t have to be a D. Why can’t it be someone that knows what they’re doing, that knows how to plan? Ask a mom, that’s all we do.”
She said she felt abandoned by the city and nobody came to help her as the scorching flames inched closer to her home.
A restaurant in Pacific Palisades burned on Tuesday. (Michael Ho Wai Lee / Sipa via AP)
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“This last [fire] was so odd to not see a single — to not see a single fire truck, to not see a single person come up to me from an official position, to come up to me and say, here, we’re here to help you. You’ve got to leave.
I walked out of my house after I got a notification of a fire, and I packed up and left because the fire was right there. On my way down, I didn’t see a single fire truck coming to help me.”
She added that it wasn’t the fault of firefighters but because orders “come from the top.”
Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
