section_path: Reactions
section_name: Reactions
paragraph_text: Reactions
  
  California Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to Los Angeles to observe the initial fire response as well as meet with State, Local and Federal officials including then President Joe Biden, who was in Los Angeles for a White House event commemorating the creation of two new national monuments on January 7. Biden then attended a press conference with Governor Newsom which drew controversy due to Biden's comments noting the birth of his great granddaughter which was seen by many affected by the fires as an inappropriate use of the conference. Further controversy was sparked when it was revealed the Santa Ynez Reservoir in Pacific Palisades was empty months prior to the fire. Additionally, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was in Ghana when the fire initially broke out, despite her prior pledge not to conduct foreign trips as LA Mayor. Her trip was cut short and she returned to Los Angeles on January 7 via US Military transport.
  
  Many notable celebrities and politicians swiftly voiced outrage against Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass. Most notably X Corp Chairman and CTO Elon Musk called the Mayor "utterly incompetent". Then President-Elect Donald Trump voiced his concern on Truth Social with Governor Newsom saying "Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way." Four days after taking office, President Trump visited the burned areas of the fire and held a press conference with Mayor Bass in Fire Station 69. Trump publicly argued with Bass, criticizing the amount of city regulation that he believed to be in the way of rebuilding burnt areas, citing the Mayor's unclear definition of "hazardous waste". Trump went on to say: "You mentioned hazardous waste," said Trump. "Well hazardous waste... what's hazardous waste? You're going to have to define that. We're going to go through a whole series of questions on determining what's hazardous waste? I just think that you have to allow people to go on their site and start the process tonight." Trump published the executive order Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas and orchestrated the 2025 water release from Lake Kaweah and Lake Success.