California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said, through a spokesperson, that the state was not responsible for monitoring the burn scar of a January 1 fire (the “Lachman Fire”) that later erupted into the Palisades Fire on January 7.
The state “didn’t start this fire,” Newsom’s spokesperson said, adding that local residents who are suing the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the State of California are “opportunistic plaintiffs.”
The spokesperson blamed alleged arsonist Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, for starting the fire — echoing Newsom’s remarks that Rinderknecht’s arrest earlier this month by federal authorities would bring “closure.”
Many residents felt that the arson arrest simply raised more questions about the potential negligence of state and local government agencies. A complaint filed by dozens of residents in January claims to have “smoking gun” evidence in the form of a video shot by a local hiker who noted wisps of smoke in the burn scar on the morning of January 7, before high winds arrived and reignited the Lachman Fire into the Palisades Fire.
Newsom’s spokesperson claimed that the state was not responsible for monitoring the burn scar after the January 1 fire appeared to have been extinguished. But local attorney Alexander Robertson told Fox News that state authorities “just didn’t do their job” of monitoring and responding to the fire.
“He threw the firefighters under the bus. He took no responsibility,” Robertson said in a Fox News interview.