By The Editorial Board
Early last week, Donald Trump pointed fingers at the Biden administration and California Gov. Gavin Newsom for being one of the reasons why the California wildfires are running rampant.
The wildfires, which first ignited on Jan. 7 in the Pacific Palisades, have torn through 45 square miles of Los Angeles, taking homes, memories and lives. So far, the damage has spanned an area twice the size of Manhattan. Tens of thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes and the flames have taken the lives of 27 known victims.
The devastation has been screened internationally to onlookers through the news and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. A video of someone’s childhood home burnt to ash here, a photo of a hazy, smoky sunset there. Images of flames reaching taller than the trees tearing down a hillside into a neighborhood. Celebrities like Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson and Zooey Deschanel have spoken up about experiencing the loss of their homes like so many other Californians.
To call this a catastrophe would be an understatement. Many of these people have lost everything they own, all gone in a matter of minutes. Through it all, Californians have come together to help each other. Firefighters have worked fearlessly to put out the flames. Neighbors are helping neighbors by offering food, clothing and supplies. Local hotels and Airbnbs are offering discounted and even free rooms for the newly-homeless victims of the fires. Even animals haven’t been forgotten, as efforts have been made by volunteer groups to evacuate lost pets and provide them with homes.
So while Southern Californians are working hard to rebuild and restore their lives, why is the rest of the country pointing fingers at each other?
According to conservatives, Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, climate change policies, and the attempted preservation of small, endangered fish are to blame. Scientists say the winds and dryness in Los Angeles were enough for flames to erupt.
It’s easy to play the blame game in the midst of something so terrible, but pointing fingers doesn’t help anyone right now. Some Californians have lost everything in these fires. What should be the focus of peoples’ conversations and efforts is how to help, not who to blame.
Regardless of your political affiliation, the tragedy in California shouldn’t be a battleground for political debate when people are actively losing their homes and lives. There is absolutely a time and place to discuss how to avoid this kind of disaster in the future. No doubt, changes need to be made for the future prevention of destructive, large-scale wildfires like this one. Learning from mistakes is crucial to avoid repeating history, especially when people’s lives are at stake. But pointing fingers now doesn’t do any good, and to use tragedy for political points is shameful.
If you’re looking for ways to help victims of these fires from afar, the California Fire Foundation, American Red Cross and The Salvation Army are all viable options for donation submissions.
