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Governor Gavin Newsom defended his handling of the fires in the Los Angeles area with a new website aimed at combating “misinformation” that also links to the Democratic Party’s fundraising behemoth ActBlue, Fox News Digital found.
The fires have devastated the Los Angeles area since Tuesdaydestroying thousands of acres and homes and leaving more than a dozen people dead in its wake. Newsom, amid criticism over his handling of the fires, unveiled a new website this weekend to combat “misinformation” about California’s wildfire prevention and emergency efforts, linking to a website that collect donations through ActBlue.
“Lots of misinformation out there. I just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data surrounding the Southern CA wildfires,” Newsom posted on X Saturday.
“The TRUTH:- CA DID NOT cut our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our fire army and built the largest firefighting air fleet in the world.
“- CA has increased its forest management tenfold since we took over.
“- California will NOT allow looting. Get the facts: http://californiafirefacts.com”, the post concluded.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at the podium in California. (Getty Images)
Californiafirefacts.com lists a handful of “lies” promoted on social media and by the media and Newsom’s “facts” responding to the claims, before promoting a donation button at the bottom of the website, it found Fox News Digital Sunday morning.
“Contribute to the California Fire Foundation,” the website says, identifying the fundraising effort as part of ActBlue, which will deliver donations to firefighters and devastated communities.
“Please make a contribution to the California Fire Foundation. It’s a tax-deductible donation and the money will go directly to support firefighters and the communities they serve, including direct financial support to affected residents.” add the fundraising section of the website.
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A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
When the donate button is clicked, the user is taken to an ActBlue URL where people can donate from $25 to $1,000, or a self-determined number. The donation page also features Newsom’s Democracy Campaign political action committee, which says it will sign donors up for text updates from the PAC.
Newsom’s PAC was launched in 2023 and promoted as an effort to boost Democrats in “extremist” GOP-led states. ActBlue is one Mass democratic PAC focused on small dollar donations that have bolstered Democratic elections and efforts worth more than $16 billion since its founding in 2004, according to its website.
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ActBlue’s URL promoting fire donations again details that any donations made will be given “directly” to “supporting firefighters and the communities they serve, including direct financial support to affected residents.”
Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital that none of the donations made will go to the Democratic governor or his PAC.
“Not one cent of these donations goes to Gavin Newsom or his PAC. Governor Newsom is proud to have raised $450,000 for the Fire Foundation in small dollar contributions during these fires and is grateful to people all over the country that has come together to help California in its time of need,” Newsom spokesman Nathan Click he told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters after the debate between President Biden and former President Trump on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))
The ActBlue’s website states that donations made through the platform include a 3.95% processing fee, which is passed on “to groups using our platform”. The New York Post reported that ActBlue waived fees for fire donations, though the fundraising behemoth did not immediately respond to Fox Digital’s request for comment on the waived fees.
Contributions made through ActBlue to charities are processed by AB Charities and include a 3.95% fee that goes towards the cost of processing the contributions, according to ActBlue. According to the group, AB Charities’ processing fees do not go to political candidates.
Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren He also appealed to the public to donate to those affected by the fires through an ActBlue link.
“To help support the communities around LA that are devastated by the wildfires, can you split a donation between the? Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles? 100% of your donation will go directly to these organizations,” Warren posted on X on Saturday.
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The X community notes ripped into the senator, saying: “This is not a link to charity. This is a link to a Democrat fundraising platform. They take 3.95% of all transactions. secure.actblue. com/pricing”.
Fox Digital reached out to Warren’s office Sunday morning for comment, but did not hear back.
Conservatives and critics of the governor sounded off on social media about the donation link through ActBlue, calling the move “shameful.”
The Forest fires have destroyed at least 12,300 homes around the Los Angeles area for five days, leaving at least 16 people dead, while thousands more were forced to evacuate. Residents, including Hollywood stars, have criticized Newsom for his handling of the devastation, including fire hydrants that ran out of water amid the blaze.
“Why was there no water in the hydrants?” one resident who confronted Newsom last week asked, according to Fox 11. “What are you going to do and it’s going to be different next time, and I’m going to fill the hydrants myself.”
President-elect Trump called on Newsom to step down on the fires. (AP Images)
President-elect Trump, who has a years-long history of criticizing Newsom for the state’s repeated devastating wildfires, called on the governor to resign over the fires.
“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning to the ground. It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!” the president-elect stated in a Truth Social post this week.
A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Earlier in the week, Trump blamed the L.A. County fires on Newsom and his environmental policies.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration presented to him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and melting northern snow, to flow daily in many parts of California, including areas that are currently burning in a practically apocalyptic way,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday.
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“He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called smelt by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but he didn’t. care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allows the beautiful, clean, fresh water to flow to CALIFORNIA! He is to blame for this. In addition, there is no water for fire hydrants, and no firefighting planes. A real disaster!”
An airplane goes down as smoke rises from the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles on January 11, 2025. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
Newsom sent a letter to Trump, who will be inaugurated as the nation’s 47th president on Jan. 20, over the weekend inviting him to the scene of the fires.
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“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread misinformation from the sidelines. Hundreds of thousands of Americans, displaced from their homes and fearful for the future, deserve to see us all working in their best interest to ensure a speedy recovery and rebuilding,” Newsom wrote.
“With respect and an open hand,” he wrote.
