How Gavin Newsom Rewarded the Culprits of the Deadliest Fire in CA History

“Newsom’s administration responded to PG&E’s crimes by offering the company reward and protection the Governor doesn’t want to talk about."

Well before the last week’s fires in Los Angeles drew attention to the poor governance, corruption and utter incompetence of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, he played a major role in helping Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) skirt responsibility for sparking the deadliest fire in the state’s history.

The blaze - dubbed the Camp Fire - began on November 8, 2018 in Butte County and rapidly traveled downhill through the developed communities of Concow, Magalia, Butte Creek Canyon and Paradise, leaving a horrific trail of death and destruction.

The fire, which killed 85 people and scorched 153,300 acres, is still considered the deadliest in California’s history. It also broke records as the most destructive fire at the time. Dozens of firefighters were severely injured as they battled flames to save lives and homes. But in the end, 18,000 structures were destroyed and an estimated 30,000 Californians were displaced.

The towns of Paradise and Concow suffered the brunt of the destruction, with around 95 percent of their communities reduced to ash. Most of the homes that burned to the ground still haven’t been rebuilt. The total cost of the fire was more than $16 billion dollars.

While the fire was massive enough to briefly capture national attention, Gov. Newsom’s depravity in the aftermath of the blaze received little scrutiny. At the time, Donald Trump had been president for less than two years and he was the main focus of the media’s ire. But now that the devastation in LA is shining a light on who Newsom really is, it’s worth understanding how he kicked fire victims to the curb and protected the very utility company that sparked the Camp Fire in the first place.