California Gov. Gavin Newson passes off wildfire response blame to local leaders, own team

California Gov.Gavin Newson passed the buck when asked about the public’s anger over the state’s response to the devastating wildfires engulfing Los Angeles — instead claiming local leaders were failing to provide adequate information.The Democratic leader repeatedly alleged the spread of information and “finger-pointing” amid the ongoing tragedy has made it near-impossible for him to get “straight answers” on what went wrong.“So, I’m the governor of California and wanna know the answer.

I’ve got that question, I can’t tell you, by how many people, ‘What happened?’ – on my own team, ‘What happened?’” he said.“I’ll be candid with you, I wasn’t getting straight answers,” Newsom said during an appearance on the podcast “Pod Save America,” which was released on Saturday.Many Angelinos are “so angry” over the state’s handling of the destructive blaze, said co-host Jon Favreau, who asked the governor to respond as the person who is “ultimately responsible” for state decisions.The governor has also been heavily criticized after a blistering report revealed he had slashed funding earmarked for fighting wildfires by more than $100 million this fiscal year.Newsom answered by saying he was getting “different answers” from local leaders.“We had my team start talking to local leaders, saying, ‘What’s going on?’” Newsom said.“When you start getting different answers, then I’m not getting the actual story.”Newsom admitted the state may have had some lackluster responses regarding the devastating blaze — but claimed he wouldn’t be able to have a “sober” evaluation until after the wildfires are brought under control.Instead, he bragged that the state secured dozens of helicopters and prepositioned engines, personnel, dozers, and more in half a dozen counties over the weekend in preparation for the strong and arid Santa Ana winds.He also pointed a finger at Donald Trump, who earlier this week slamme...