WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Gov. Gavin Newsom kept a low profile as he swung through the nation\u2019s capital this week, holding meetings with a handful of lawmakers Friday on Capitol Hill as he renewed calls for billions in federal recovery aid following the Los Angeles fires.<\/p>\n
For a governor who has spent recent weeks in the spotlight \u2014 trailed by cameras at the U.N. climate summit in Brazil last month and featured at the New York Times\u2019 DealBook Summit on Wednesday \u2014 the muted Washington stop stood out. As he moved between offices on Friday, the halls were quiet, with many lawmakers already en route home for the weekend.<\/p>\n
The governor\u2019s office disclosed little before his trip about Newsom\u2019s schedule in Washington, saying afterward that he met with five lawmakers, including three who serve on the Senate and House Appropriations committees, as well as Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Los Angeles) and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks).<\/p>\n
Newsom told The Times that the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied his request for a meeting, a setback that underscored the political friction with the Trump administration surrounding California\u2019s $33.9-billion appeal for long-term disaster funding nearly a year after the devastating Los Angeles fires ignited. <\/p>\n
The governor said his visit was meant to make \u201cthe universal case for support for recovery,\u201d not just for California, but for other states that were hit with disasters, such as Texas and North Carolina. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting to the point where we need to see action, and so that\u2019s why we\u2019re stepping up our efforts,\u201d Newsom said as he left a meeting with Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), a tenured member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.<\/p>\n
Newsom noted that the funding is vital for fire victims.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should not be revictimized through politics, or by politics or politicians,\u201d Newsom said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more American than being there for people in need. That\u2019s foundational.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newsom did not say whether he attempted to request a meeting with the White House when asked by a reporter. The White House did not respond to a request seeking comment.<\/p>\n
When asked if he thought his discussions with lawmakers had been successful, Newsom said he was glad to have been able to meet with \u201cfolks on the other side of the aisle,\u201d and he characterized the meetings as an example of \u201cremarkable graciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boozman\u2019s office called the meeting with Newsom productive, saying the senator had \u201cemphasized the need for collaboration between states and the federal government, as well as effective public-private partnerships, to help improve forest management practices and safeguard communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Newsom\u2019s office said the governor also met with Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-New York).<\/p>\n
During Newsom\u2019s nearly hourlong meeting with Padilla and Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the governor\u2019s office said discussions were not just about disaster aid, but also the fear and uncertainty experienced by immigrant communities facing federal raids while displaced by the Los Angeles fires.<\/p>\n
Disaster relief at stake<\/p>\n
Newsom is urging the Trump administration to send Congress a formal request for $33.9 billion in recovery aid needed to rebuild homes, schools, utilities and other critical infrastructure destroyed or damaged when the fires tore through neighborhoods beginning Jan. 7. <\/p>\n
The governor said there is bipartisan support in Congress for long-term aid. But, he said, the Trump administration has not advanced any recovery proposal since his initial request was filed in February. That request was for nearly $40 billion, but has since been decreased by what has already been paid out, according to a letter Newsom sent to Congressional leaders Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack in January, the President looked me in the eye on the tarmac at LAX and promised me, and the people of LA, that he\u2019d \u2018take care of it\u2019 as we rebuild and recover,\u201d Newsom said in a statement Thursday. \u201cThat commitment isn\u2019t being met, and instead he\u2019s leaving survivors behind. It\u2019s time for Trump to wake up and do his job.\u201d <\/p>\n
The fires burned thousands of structures across Los Angeles, displacing families and uprooting businesses.<\/p>\n
In the first six months after the fires, California received reimbursement for direct response costs<\/a> and more than $3 billion in individual assistance and small-business loans. <\/p>\n The governor\u2019s visit to Washington comes as Republicans in the House and Senate have launched two congressional inquiries into California officials\u2019 response to the Palisades fire<\/a> and how organizations have distributed disaster relief funds to victims.<\/a> As part of the congressional inquiries, lawmakers have requested a trove of records from dozens of agencies at the local, state and federal level. <\/p>\n Newsom has welcomed the congressional scrutiny, saying his administration has \u201cembraced transparency because Californians deserve nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n Williamson indictment on spotlight<\/p>\n Newsom has kept a low profile since news broke that his former chief of staff Dana Williamson was arrested on federal corruption charges. Newsom has not spoken publicly about the indictment, besides an interview with the Sacramento Bee, where he described his reaction to the indictment as \u201creal surprise and shock.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor told the Bee how Williamson was placed on leave last November when she informed his office of the federal investigation. He said he \u201cwasn\u2019t privy to the details\u201d and that his hope was that \u201cit would be worked out.\u201d <\/p>\n Asked by The Times on Friday during a three-minute interview whether he knew anything about the ongoing investigation, Newsom said, \u201cI really don\u2019t.\u201d Newsom also said he has not been interviewed by the Department of Justice regarding the investigation.<\/p>\n Newsom has not been accused of wrongdoing. <\/p>\n Williamson\u2019s attorney McGregor Scott, a former U.S. attorney in Sacramento, told The Times in November that federal authorities had approached Williamson more than a year ago seeking help with some kind of investigation of the governor himself. <\/p>\n Newsom was a featured speaker Wednesday at the New York Times\u2019 DealBook Summit, where he dodged questions about whether he will run for president in 2028, but was not asked about the indictment that has reverberated through Sacramento political circles.<\/p>\n Asked during the DealBook event about where the Democrats went wrong in the last presidential election, Newsom reiterated harsh criticism of his party.<\/p>\n \u201cThe party\u2019s knitting itself back together,\u201d Newsom said at the event. \u201cWe got shellacked in the last election, and there\u2019s been a lot of forensic analysis, perhaps not enough, about what happened. Donald Trump crushed us in the last election.\u201d<\/p>\n Newsom added that the issues with the Democratic party go beyond what went wrong with the passing of the baton between Biden and Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to be more culturally normal,\u201d Newsom said. \u201cWe have to be a little less judgmental. We have a party that, I think, needs to design and develop a compelling economic vision for the future where people feel included, to reconcile the fact that if we don\u2019t democratize our economy, we\u2019re not going to save democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Gov. 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