FALSE CLAIM: Gov Newsom & his admin (Cal Volunteers) took money from the FireAid relief fund in Los Angeles – meant for survivors to rebuild their lives.
Claim
Gov Newsom & his administration (Cal Volunteers) took money from the FireAid relief fund in Los Angeles – meant for survivors to rebuild their lives.
Fact
This is false. California Volunteers, Office of the Governor, has never received FireAid funds.
An unrelated nonprofit — the California Volunteers Fund — was listed as a potential grantee on the FireAid website. The nonprofit is independent from the state, though it supports volunteerism in California, including state-led service initiatives.
- FireAid is an independent organization not affiliated with the state or the Governor.
- The Governor and state had no role in the FireAid concerts, or the organization’s decisions to distribute FireAid funds.
- Direct payments, and even GoFundMes can, in certain cases, violate FEMA’s duplication of benefits rules. Charities are often the way to work around this to get important resources to survivors.
- California has some of the strongest charity fundraising and ethics laws in the nation, and any allegations of impropriety should be directed to the California Department of Justice’s Charitable Trusts Section — a dedicated unit responsible for overseeing charities and nonprofit organizations in the State, for appropriate review. People can file a complaint with the Attorney General office here.
More Lies ...
California did NOT cut firefighting budgets months before LA wildfires
The number of CalFIRE personnel has nearly doubled since 2019 and their budget has nearly doubled since 2019
False Claim: California isn’t ‘raking the forest’ to control wildfires
The state has now invested $2 billion in managing the forest (AKA “raking the forest”) in addition to the $200 million annual budget.
No, California’s smelt fish policy did not lead to the LA wildfires.
This is an outlandish connection to make. The policy is not about water availability in Southern California.