Free Republic

Gavin Newsom said he has called Donald Trump to discuss the wildfires emergency, but still hasn’t heard back from the President-elect. Newsom sent a letter Friday urging Trump – who has been starkly critical of the governor’s policies and response since the outbreak last week – asking for him to lay down arms and come see the devastation for himself. A Fox LA reporter speaking with Newsom Saturday asked how that conversation was going. “I’d like the President of the United States, at least the President-elect, to come and visit the people out here whose lives have been completely torn...

California was getting ready to fight President-elect Donald Trump. Instead, it's fighting raging wildfires and a crisis that risks tarnishing the state's image just as its leaders were positioning it to be a shining example of progressive governance. A special session of the state Legislature that Gov. Gavin Newsom called shortly after the November election to position California to counter Trump has been overshadowed by the wildfires, the speed of which seemed to catch many officials off guard. Newsom and other California Democrats have long held the state up as a national leader in addressing environmental issues, social inequality and...