A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Etienne Laurent)
"But I also believe that Californians also stand united on a very important issue of accountability. Why were we not better prepared for this disaster? All Californians are asking that question."
DeMaio said the legislative special session should include oversight hearings on questions he claimed Gov. Gavin Newsom has not sufficiently answered.
"He's given [questioners] nothing but evasion and yes, frankly, dishonesty," DeMaio claimed. "I do not believe that we are going to get to the truth if we leave the investigation in the hands of Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state and local politicians."
DeMaio said two of his letters have been sent to Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, both of Kentucky, to probe "a number of failures by state and local politicians on these fire disasters."
He added that he will ask President-elect Trump to also sign an executive order requesting federal agencies investigate California’s lack of brush management, public land maintenance and inadequate water supply and infrastructure in the fire-affected areas.
CA DEMOCRATS URGE FEDS TO APPROVE HIGH SPEED RAIL FUNDING BEFORE DOGE NIXES BOONDOGGLE
California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Getty)
Former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson reopened the Santa Monica Freeway only 66 days after a 1994 earthquake-spurred collapse, she said.
Under Newsom, CalFIRE’s ranks and budget have both nearly doubled to nearly 11,000 members and $3.8 billion. The state’s forest management budget also increased under the potential 2028 presidential candidate.
In a tweet rejecting Republicans’ claims about cuts to fire prevention funding, Newsom’s press office tweeted that it presented a "purposefully misleading graphic that starts when a one-time budget supplemental was injected to respond to the horrific fires in 2019/2020."
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom, as well as the Trump Transition and Comer for response to DiMaio's letters.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ca-lawmaker-demands-federal-probe-amid-fire-destruction-sacramento-seeks-unity-accountability