The Coast Guard intercepted a boat with 16 illegal aliens on board about 15 miles off the coast of Mission Bay in California on Sunday morning.

The Coast Guard said in a press release that at about 12 a.m., cutter Active notified Joint Harbor Operations Center of a 25-foot panga-style vessel with about 15-20 people on board, about a mile south of their position.

A panga boat is a narrow, high-bowed type of vessel often used by drug and human smugglers. The cutter Active and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations boat crew launched boarding teams to assess the situation.

During the investigation, the Coast Guard boarding team discovered 16 immigrants aboard the panga.

COAST GUARD INTERCEPTS BOAT CARRYING ILLEGAL MIGRANTS AS EXPULSION FLIGHT OPERATIONS BEGIN

The initial interviews with the immigrants found they all claimed to be from Mexico, the Coast Guard said.

All the immigrants were transferred into U.S. Border Patrol custody.

"The Coast Guard remains committed to protecting lives at sea while working alongside our federal partners to combat illicit maritime activities," the Coast Guard said. "These operations highlight the coordinated efforts between agencies to secure our maritime borders."

Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted several "alien expulsion flight operations" between California and Texas, which included intercepting a boat carrying illegal migrants that was sinking in U.S. waters.

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A photo shared by the military branch on X showed crews aboard the Active intercepting a vessel carrying nine illegal migrants bound for San Diego.

"The migrant vessel began to sink shortly after the Active crew stopped the voyage," the post read. "All persons aboard the sinking vessel were safely removed and transferred to CBP."

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Fox News Digital first reported that President Donald Trump fired the commandant of the USCG, Adm. Linda Lee Fagan, over concerns about the border, recruitment and an "erosion of trust."

Officials claimed Fagan failed to address border security threats, provided insufficient leadership in recruitment and retention, had an excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and covered up Operation Fouled Anchor, which was the Coast Guard's internal investigation into sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

Oakland's $129.8 million budget deficit could eradicate up to 30% of its firefighting capacity, depleting a strapped department already stretched thin by station closures, according to sources on the ground.

Fire response times in the Democrat-controlled California city are already three times the national average after budget cuts that recently closed two fire stations and kept a newly renovated station from reopening. 

City Councilmember Zac Unger, who was an Oakland firefighter for 27 years, told Fox Digital that four more stations could face closures because of deficits.

"We have three firehouses currently closed and another four slated to close ... which would represent about 30% of our firefighting capacity here in Oakland, an absolutely catastrophic potential for the city of Oakland," Unger said. "We simply cannot afford to lose 30% of our fire and emergency medical response."

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Firefighters and city officials have been working overtime in "an all-hands-on-deck moment," Unger said, to identify available funds in the city’s budget and keep Oakland’s firehouses open. Fire Chief Damon Covington told Fox Digital inroads have been made to prevent the additional four fire stations from closing, but that's not to say closures won't come down the road.

"Seven firehouses would represent about 30% of our fire department," Covington said. "It's a tremendous threat because, ultimately, we need more fire service to cover our city adequately, and to lose two firehouses and a third that was under renovation, it taxes our workforce."

The fire department’s limited capacity has slowed response time, creating the potential for a disaster like the Palisades and Eaton wildfires, President of Oakland Firefighters Local 55 Seth Olyer said.

"We had a house fire in the end of east Oakland in Engine 28's area," he said. "Normally, that engine would have been able to get to the fire within four minutes. The closest fire engine took nearly 11 minutes to get there. With a fire doubling in size every minute, you can do the math. This went from a small fire inside the house to a total loss and nearly threatening the surrounding area and potentially starting a wildland fire, much like in L.A."

"Our firefighters do incredible work, and they will make do with whatever difficult circumstances you give them, but yes, we have seen slowed response times," Unger told Fox Digital. "There's simply no way to close firehouses and expect to receive the same level of service."

The interim mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment. But in its current budget proposal, the city cites one-time COVID-19 pandemic costs and retirement benefits, including OPEB liability and CalPERs benefits costs, as the "fiscal challenges leading to [a] projected deficit" of $129.8 million. Oakland’s 2024-2025 fiscal budget proposed fire station "brownouts" for six months beginning January 2025 to save the city $5.5 million. 

But local firefighters say brownouts could come at a much higher cost. 

"When you close firehouses, it creates a domino effect," Covington said in an interview with Fox Digital. "It's not just the firehouse that you're closing, it's the surrounding jurisdictions, the other firehouses that are close to that firehouse that have to cover the ground of that station."

Oakland firefighters say they face the same cuts that the Los Angeles Fire Department warned about ahead of the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires in January. Oakland is no stranger to fire devastation itself. The Oakland firestorm of 1991 killed 25 people, injured 150 and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. Olyer said the 1991 fire fundamentally changed fire department response tactics and how fire crews cooperate with surrounding agencies.

"That fire was so massive it took a herculean effort by the Bay Area and basically fire departments from all over the western U.S. to control," Olyer told Fox Digital. "You’re seeing the same thing with Los Angeles. It’s not realistic to think that any fire department would be able to stop any sort of huge fast-moving wildfire with hurricane force winds in conditions like that."

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A quick, efficient and collaborative firefighting operation is possible with ample resources. In October, Olyer described how proper staffing and cooperation with CAL FIRE prevented the Keller Fire from becoming another California catastrophe. 

"The Keller fire, which happened last October, was a perfect example of what a properly staffed fire department and early intensive action can do to really stop a fire before it gets out of control," Olyer said. The event, he said, showed what "cooperation among agencies looks like, with CAL FIRE doing water drops on top, helicopter drops on it and massive amounts of resources very early on."

"The department has been running bare bones in Oakland for decades," Olyer said. "We have fire engines driving around with nearly 300,000 miles, and they're literally falling apart. It’s just a matter of time until Oaklanders’ luck runs out."

"We're all pushing in the same direction. Everybody wants those firehouses open. It really does come down to dollars and cents," Covington said.

EXCLUSIVE: Former San Jose State University assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose's contract with the university expired Friday, and she has been told that it will not be renewed, she exclusively told Fox News Digital. 

Her departure comes after a season plagued by a scandal involving a trans athlete, in which Batie-Smoose took a firm stance to oppose the university's defense of that athlete. She and her family initially moved to California from the East coast to accept the job in 2023. 

"We didn’t make the decision to move our family across the country lightly, but I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I was meant to be at San Jose State to stand up for these young women and do everything I could to protect future generations. In my 30 years of coaching, this is one of the most amazing groups of young women that I've been around. Their strength and resiliency during a difficult season was inspiring and one of the reasons why I had to take a stand," she told Fox News Digital.

San Jose State declined to comment on Batie-Smoose's contract situation when contacted by Fox News Digital. 

"SJSU does not comment on personnel matters," a university spokesperson said. 

Batie-Smoose was suspended from the program on Nov. 2 after she filed a Title IX complaint against the university regarding its alleged handling of a situation involving former transgender player Blaire Fleming. The complaint included allegations that Fleming had conspired with an opponent to have Slusser hit in the face during a match in October.

"I spoke up for the young women on the team who were being silenced and gaslit while dealing with having a male athlete in their locker room, on the court and rooming with them on the road. I could not be silenced and manipulated any longer so I had to stand up for what was right," she said. 

"Speaking out to protect these young women and future women was too much to ignore. This has cost me my job, but we need more coaches to stand up for what is right. I just have to pray that by doing the right thing that justice will prevail and I will be able to continue to do what I was meant to do." 

Batie-Smoose is also currently engaged in a lawsuit against San Jose State and the Mountain West alongside 11 current and former conference players. 

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The lawsuit is led by former San Jose State co-captain Brooke Slusser, who alleges that she had been made to share bedrooms and changing spaces with Fleming for an entire season while the university withheld the truth about Fleming's birth sex from her and other players. 

Both Slusser's lawsuit and Batie-Smoose's Title IX complaint allege that Fleming conspired with Colorado State volleyball player Malaya Jones ahead of the match between the two programs on Oct. 3. The complaint alleges Fleming provided a scouting report to Jones to ensure a Colorado State competitive advantage, and established a plan to set up Jones with a clear lane to spike Slusser in the face during the contest.

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Slusser was never spiked in the face during that match, but Colorado State did win in straight sets. 

A Mountain West investigation into Batie-Smoose's allegations did not find sufficient evidence to assign discipline to any player who was named in the allegations, which was stated in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital that was addressed to San Jose State athletic director Jeff Konya and Colorado State athletic director John Weber from Mountain West Deputy Commissioner Bret Gilliland.

That letter did not address allegations in Slusser's lawsuit that provided further context on the incident, nor did it address the specific notion of an alleged conspiracy to have Slusser hit in the face. The letter simply referred to all the allegations listed in the complaint as "manipulation of the competition."

Gilliland claimed that any evidence to back the claims in the complaint was insufficient, but did not explicitly state that the allegations were false, according to the letter.

The letter stated that the conference's investigation included interviews with coaches and student-athletes at both San Jose State and Colorado State. However, the letter did not specifically state which individuals had been interviewed. The conference declined to provide any details on the individuals who had been interviewed when asked by Fox News Digital.

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Slusser's attorney Bill Bock later provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that the investigation had been "infected with bias." 

"Because the MWC’s investigation was inadequate, and anything but thorough, and because the MWC’s close-out letter is riddled with errors, the undersigned is issuing this rebuttal and demands that the MWC immediately and publicly release: (1) the investigative report prepared by its investigator(s), and (2) all documents connected to the MWC’s claimed ‘thorough investigation’ and upon which the MWC’s decision not to proceed further was based," read the statement from Bock. 

Slusser previously told Fox News Digital she has been spiked in the face by a volleyball in the past, and that the experience "stings, but you kind of just brush it off." However, in their first season together in 2023, Slusser said she took one of Fleming's spikes to her thigh, then had to nurse dark bruises on her thigh for an entire week after that. Slusser says she did not even know that Fleming was a trans athlete back then.

Slusser also previously told Fox News Digital that Batie-Smoose's suspension left some of her teammates in tears.

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"After we found out that she was released, a lot of the team just kind of broke down and was kind of freaking out, and even one of my teammates was like, ‘I don’t feel safe anymore,' because there's no one now that we feel like we can go and talk to about our concerns or our actual feelings and can actually speak freely in front of," Slusser said.

Slusser said she did not feel safe speaking with anyone else involved in the program, especially head coach Todd Kress. 

"You can't truly voice how you're feeling without them just trying to cover it up or act like it's all OK. With Melissa, you could voice how you felt, and she could comfort you and validate your feelings and at least make you feel heard, compared to the other coaches," Slusser said.

SJSU went on to play in the conference championship game against Colorado State on Nov. 30 but lost. The loss kept Fleming, Slusser and the rest of the Spartans out of the NCAA tournament. Batie-Smoose was at the match in Las Vegas, Nevada, that weekend to support her former players, despite being suspended by the program. 

Nearly every one of the players on SJSU's 2024 team that has remaining NCAA eligibility has entered the transfer portal, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

"I think that it speaks volumes that the majority of the team transferred because they did not want to be subjected to the mental anguish the university  put them through. They had had enough of the lies and manipulation, and I wish them the best," Batie-Smoose told Fox News Digital.

Meanwhile, Slusser's lawsuit against the school and conference has not yet gone to trial. Slusser is also engaged in Riley Gaines' lawsuit against the NCAA over its policies on gender ideology that allows trans athletes to compete in women's sports. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire that burned a total of nearly 40,000 acres in the Los Angeles area have been 100% contained, fire officials said on Friday.

The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres on the west side of Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire set 14,201 acres ablaze starting on Jan. 7, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The two major fires and several smaller ones created the worst natural disaster in Los Angeles County history, killing 28 people and damaging or destroying more than 16,000 structures, Cal Fire said.

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At the height of the fires, 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, according to Los Angeles County officials.

Damage and economic losses are estimated at more than $250 billion, according to private forecaster AccuWeather.

Rain finally fell in Southern California in the past week, which aided firefighters in containing the fires but also increased the risk of flash floods and mudslides in the hills and the spread of toxic material left behind in the fire's devastation.

Full containment is largely symbolic at this point as fires still remain isolated in steep mountain terrain, fire officials said.

"It's more important when we say forward progress is stopped," Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart told Reuters.

Progress was stopped about a week after the Palisades and Eaton fires swept through the region.

LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE

Stewart said the rain was "more of a hindrance" because it led to mudslides and blocked roads first responders needed to access.

"Had this rain come two weeks ago, it might have been more helpful," Stewart said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

A Malibu real estate agent warned California homeowners about the need to protect themselves after a serial squatter reportedly targeted the beachfront community for years, a problem she said could become worse after the Los Angeles wildfires.

"I don't know how she got away with it for so long in Malibu with the amount of people that she did," Liz Benichou, a Malibu real estate agent and lifelong resident of the area, explained to Fox News Digital about the accusations against Ellie Mae McNulty. "It's a very small, tight-knit community. You see the same people. You get this familiarity. You think that everyone's like you because we're all doing the same thing, so you kind of gain that trust. You live in this bubble in Malibu."

McNulty, an actor and screenwriter, according to her biography, allegedly swindled dozens of Malibu homeowners over the last decade, charming her way into their lives before becoming a nightmare roommate, Vanity Fair first reported. 

"First of all, how she's been able to do this for so many years without getting caught, I think that just has to do with her overall charm. I think she's a predator, and she finds people that are weak that she can prey on," Benichou said.

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According to Vanity Fair, McNulty met 65-year-old Alden Marin in 2021 at a beach at Point Dume, where the two shared a pleasant exchange, before Marin opened his home to her, as she claimed she was "waiting for her new place to get ready." 

But days quickly turned to weeks, then a month, then two, and Marin's sister reported a change in McNulty happened, and she continued to make excuses about why she could not provide rent. 

"People really feel as though it's a very tight-knit, secure community. Why would anyone want to take advantage of that? But again, people do. And it's almost easy to get away with if you're consistently showing your face, like this predator seemed to do," Benichou said.

"People in L.A. want to see people who seem special. And she portrayed that special thing. She's like, 'OK, I'm an actor. I know these people. I have these connections.' So you kind of get blinded by that. And this is coming from someone who went to Beverly Hills High School. I grew up in L.A. so I've seen this throughout my entire life."

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Marin's family claimed that McNulty "unleashed a campaign of psychological terror" on him that landed him in a medical facility. While he was in care, the family reported that McNulty changed all the locks on the home and uncovered that Marin was not her first victim, according to Vanity Fair's report.

The family took the matter to court and a judge eventually ordered McNulty to leave the property, Vanity Fair reported. Fox News Digital reached out to McNulty for comment.

Benichou said that this is not the only example of someone who has pulled schemes like this in the Golden State. She said that there could be more scamming like this in response to the wildfires.

"I feel like it's something that, unfortunately, we see a lot of, especially out here in California, because people do have really big hearts and they want to help, and they want to see the best in people," Benichou said.

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"It's such a mental illness that they really don't see what they are doing. It's so pathological," Benichou said about people running these types of squatting schemes. "They don't see what they've done is wrong at all. So, for her, it seems as though she feels entitled to it. And even though she's getting bad press, she's still getting attention."

California, known for being one of the most tenant-favorable states in the country, protects tenants from certain rent increases, and they may also be protected from certain types of evictions.

"If you're in a place for more than 14 days, I think within six months, you can claim it as your own," Benichou explained, referring to California's tenancy laws.

State law also mandates that guests who occupy a room in a house, even if they are not paying and have no contract, can be considered "tenants at will." 

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The state’s laws were created to prevent landlords from unfairly evicting renters.

A spokesperson for the California Department of Justice told Vanity Fair that not paying rent, being a "nuisance" and "engaging in criminal activity on the premises" are all considered "just cause for eviction" under state law.

As Benichou pointed out, evictions can take months, even years, and police are not allowed to forcibly remove a resident, but can "persuade" the person to leave the home.

"California is a state that's known to be very soft on crime and squatting is a crime. It doesn't seem to me that much is going to change, especially after the fires, after all of these people have lost their homes. You can't just throw people out on the streets," Benichou said.

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Benichou added that since California is a sanctuary state, she believes it's going to take a lot of work to get the tenancy laws to ever change. 

"It'll take a lot of work to get these laws to change, to be more in the favor of the homeowner. This is just something I see time and time again. So unless homeowners really band together and try to actually make these changes happen, it's going to be more in the favor in California of the tenant because it is a sanctuary state," Benichou said.

"And that doesn't just stop at immigration or anything. It kind of continues on into housing. And it's why we have had a housing crisis, and it's been made even worse now. So it's just going to get a bit more difficult after the fires, unfortunately." 

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The wildfires weren't the first crisis to expose the housing crisis in California, as Benichou said she really saw corruption and schemes come to light during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think a lot of people took advantage during COVID of being able to stay in their places because of that moratorium. And I think now a lot of people are going to use this (the fires) as an excuse," she explained.

"But on the flip side of that, there are also tenants that I represented that have landlords trying to get more money out of them than what they were previously paying before the fires. So there are two sides to this coin right now after the fire. And now, there are new laws that have been put into place where you can't just evict someone. But I do see landlords who are now trying to kind of get the tenants to leave on their own volition," Benichou said.

Benichou was referring to emergency orders by California Gov. Gavin Newsom put into place in response to the wildfires that will prevent price gouging and prohibit such price hikes of more than 10% in Los Angeles County through March 8. The restrictions apply to existing tenants and new leases during the emergency period, according to the order. 

"In the face of natural disaster, we should be coming together to help our neighbors, not attempting to profit off of their pain," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a previous press release. 

Cal Fire reported that more than 12,000 homes, businesses and schools have been lost to the fires and more than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes.

Bonta's office said in order to protect Californians affected by the Southern California wildfires, the Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting price gouging and has sent more than 650 warning letters, with more coming, to hotels and landlords who have been accused of price gouging.

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"There are so many sides to this," Benichou said. "And it's hard because there are great tenants and there are great housing providers and then there are those who take advantage of every single situation. And unfortunately, because of the fact that we live in California, and certain cities within Los Angeles, like Santa Monica, for example, have rent control, so it's harder to get a tenant out in Santa Monica than it is in, say, Burbank, which doesn't have rent control.

"So there's so much that goes into this whole tenant housing provider. And unless there are laws that change that are changed throughout California, you still have to deal with all the city laws."

While legislators in the Democratic trifecta are trying to pass bills to "Trump-proof" the state, California Republican Kate Sanchez plans to introduce a bill that would crack down on what may be a "sanctuary state" loophole protecting criminal illegal immigrants involved in sex-trafficking minors.

"It would eliminate all of the unnecessary restrictions for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal law enforcement in order to go after those that have been accused or convicted of sex trafficking of minors, and currently there is a clause that they cannot communicate as openly as possible," Sanchez told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

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These restrictions are part of California's "sanctuary state" policies, which are designed to limit state and local law enforcement's involvement in federal immigration enforcement. For her part, the specific provisions that Sanchez wants to amend are found in the California Values Act (SB 54), which was enacted in 2017, that restricts local law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect or arrest individuals for immigration enforcement purposes. 

There are exceptions in SB 54 for individuals convicted of certain serious or violent crimes. However, sex trafficking is not always classified as a violent felony under California law – making it so that some convicted sex traffickers may not meet the criteria for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities – potentially thwarting deportation efforts.

Sanchez argues this creates a loophole that could allow illegal immigrants who are involved in sex trafficking to remain in the U.S. after serving their sentence. In 2023, Newsom signed Senate Bill 14 (SB 14), reclassifying the trafficking of a minor as a "serious" felony, but other forms of human trafficking may still not be considered violent felonies under state law.

"So, we want to make sure we remove that piece of the penal code and allow them to communicate and do their job fully," Sanchez said. 

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Sanchez's bill may align well with President Donald Trump's mass deportation plan currently underway, but it faces an uphill battle in her state legislature, which is dominated by Democrats. Currently, Democratic assemblymembers – in collaboration with Newsom – are trying to pass a series of bills that would bolster the state's legal defense against the Trump administration. The State Senate already passed the bills last week.

Democrats were set to pass the $50 million special session bill Thursday, but Assembly lawmakers reportedly blocked the package over concerns that there may be changes that need to be made to the immigration-related proposal. At issue is Newsom's $25 million allocation for nonprofit organizations to defend illegal immigrants from deportation, and whether those funds would be used as well for criminal illegal immigrants. 

Newsom's office told Fox News Digital previously that no funds would go to criminal illegal immigrants. 

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Newsom called a special legislative session quickly after Trump's electoral victory to secure additional funding for the state's legal defense against the administration. Reacting to the development on his TruthSocial account at the time, Trump said, "He is using the term 'Trump-Proof' as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to 'Make California Great Again,' but I just overwhelmingly won the Election."

Sanchez – who says she has been shut out of the legislature's Hispanic Caucus because she's a Republican – said the legislature should be focusing on "fireproofing" the state, or rather, "Newsom-proofing California." 

"Take it for what it's worth, but I genuinely feel like there are victims and there are people in need that we should be advocating for protecting our most vulnerable, protecting the innocence of our children," Sanchez said. "It is an uphill battle in Sacramento, but I do feel the tide is turning, and I know we will be looking to our federal counterparts to be helpful in this matter as well."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom's office for comment.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust will hold a hearing next week addressing overregulation in California following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, stating California’s "onerous regulatory regime" may have worsened the disaster, Fox News Digital has learned.

The "California Fires and the Consequences of Overregulation" hearing will examine the real impacts of regulatory policy on the prevention of natural disasters, particularly in the case of California's wildfires, according to a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

It will also address how excessive regulation on insurance and permitting serves as a roadblock to those recovering from disasters.

Cal Fire reported more than 12,000 homes, businesses and schools were lost to the fires and more than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes.

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Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, described current disaster regulations as a "nightmare."

"Democrat-run California's excessive regulations make preventing and recovering from natural disasters a nightmare," he said. 

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Jordan added that California needs a streamlined process, as suggested by President Donald Trump, to remove regulation and ensure citizens can rebuild and prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., said the wildfires were a preventable tragedy, and Congress must examine whether California’s "onerous regulatory regime" worsened the disaster.

"For years, California’s liberal government has prioritized environmental activism over effective forest management and disaster mitigation. Meanwhile, the politicization of their state insurance regulator has driven insurers out of the state and forced taxpayers to foot the bill," Fitzgerald said.

Witnesses will include Steve Hilton, founder of Golden Together; Steven Greenhut, resident senior fellow and western region director of state affairs for the R Street Institute; and Edward Ring, director of water and energy policy for the California Policy Center, according to the statement.

The hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. 

Highly combustible lithium-ion batteries used in electric and hybrid vehicles are complicating cleanup efforts in the Los Angeles neighborhoods ravaged by wildfire damage. 

Phase 1 of the federal cleanup is underway, as surveyors with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) work to remove and dispose of hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries found in charred vehicles and decimated homes. The EPA warned that batteries should be considered "extremely dangerous," even if they are believed to be intact, and "can spontaneously re-ignite, explode, and emit toxic gases and particulates even after the fire is out." 

The Palisades and Eaton fires aftermath is estimated to require the "largest lithium-ion battery pickup, cleanup, that’s ever happened in the history of the world," EPA incident commander Steve Calanog reportedly told local KNBC. He explained that removing lithium-ion batteries – even those that do not appear damaged – from fire wreckage requires "technical sophistication and care," as hazardous material crews find and deionize the batteries so they can be crushed or safely shipped for disposal. 

"We don’t know the long-term effects of all this exposure, and we haven't seen this on this large of a scale and this many electric vehicles," Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told KNBC. "This is an unprecedented amount of electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries in there."

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According to the California Energy Commission, more than 99,000 zero-emission vehicles were sold in Los Angeles County in 2024 alone, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles. 

The Tesla models Y, 3 and Cybertruck were the top three selling zero-emission models sold in Los Angeles County last year, according to the commission's online tally. 

Authorities are warning that residual heat poses danger for days, weeks and even months after the initial fires, potentially causing lithium-ion batteries to spontaneously combust. 

"With the lithium-ion batteries, even if they look like they are intact they could have damage on the inside, so they continue to off gas and the off-gas from these batteries can be toxic to your health," VanGerpen said.

Besides in electric and hybrid vehicles, lithium-ion batteries can be found in personal electronics, vaping devices, power tools, and home energy storage systems, which have become increasingly popular during California's power outages. 

LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: CALIFORNIA CITIES VOW TO ‘SHUT DOWN’ EPA’S DUMPING SITE FOR ‘TOXIC’ WASTE

President Donald Trump toured the Palisades Fire burn area on Friday. His executive order issued that same day to provide water resources in California and improve disaster response will allow the EPA "to complete its hazardous materials mission responding to the Los Angeles, California Wildfires as soon as practical," the EPA said in a statement on Monday. "EPA’s work removing hazardous materials is Phase 1 of the federal cleanup response." 

"According to the EPA incident commander, there will be upward of 1,000 people working on Phase 1 cleanup by this weekend," the statement continued. "This work, conducted at no cost to residents, is a mandatory process to ensure the safety of residents and the workers who will – after the hazardous material is gone – conduct the Phase 2 debris removal in the burn footprints, and to prevent these materials from being released into the environment." 

Phase 2, which begins automatically once Phase 1 is complete, will involve debris removal and will be coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

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"Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA is doing everything within our power to expedite cleanup of hazardous debris and to help provide Californians safer access to their property as soon as possible," EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Chad McIntosh said in a statement. "With President Trump’s Executive Order, he has authorized a whole of government response to the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles – an effort that has never been seen before. EPA is working with local, state and federal partners in addition to the private sector to aid in California’s recovery."

California Republican Rep. Bill Essayli is seeking answers from liberal Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration about whether bills introduced in the legislature's special session to "Trump-proof" the state would thwart the president's mass deportation program.

During a hearing on Tuesday to discuss two bills that Newsom has proposed, which allocates a $50 million initiative to bolster the state's legal defenses against anticipated federal policies from President Donald Trump's administration, Essayli questioned officials from Newsom's office about whether the funds would be used "to defend illegal immigrants from deportation."

"It's not very clear to me, but basically, these groups provide free legal services to illegal immigrants," Essayli told Fox News Digital in an interview. "And what I wanted to know is, if they're going to be defending illegal immigrants from deportation who have criminal records, and they could not answer the question. I think the answer is, absolutely they are."

IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME ... TO FIGHT DONALD TRUMP?': CA HOUSE SPEAKER DODGES FIERY QUESTIONING FROM REPORTER

During the hearing, Essayli asked one of Newsom's officials if the money would be used to defend criminal illegal immigrants from deportation.

"Assembly member, as a budget staffer, I can only tell you what the grant is for, I don't know that I can get you that level of guarantee," she responded.

She later added she's "not certain about that" when asked further if any funds given to nonprofit organizations would go to defending criminal illegal immigrants.

Newsom's proposal includes earmarking $25 million to the California Department of Justice to enhance its capacity to sue the Trump administration over policies that could "harm Californians," including environmental regulations and abortion access. An additional $25 million is designated for nonprofit organizations to defend "immigrant families."

'DEVASTATING': CALIFORNIA HAD RECORD RAINFALL LAST YEAR, BUT LACKED INFRASTRUCTURE TO STORE IT

"All of this is for show, just to say, ‘Oh, we had a public hearing on these bills,’ and then we're supposed to vote," Essayli said. "We didn't get any questions answered."

Spokesperson for Newsom's office, Brandon Richards, told Fox News Digital in a statement that "none of this funding will be used to support immigration-related services for criminals. Period."

Fox News Digital followed up with Newsom's office inquiring whether funds would be used to defend any illegal immigrants in California from deportation. In response, Richards repeated his previous statement. 

The Trump administration has been moving full steam ahead with first deporting illegal immigrants who have already been convicted of committing crimes. In the last week, the Department of Homeland Security said that "law enforcement officials have removed and returned 7,300 illegal aliens."

NEWSOM PROPOSES $25M FROM STATE LEGISLATURE TO 'TRUMP-PROOF' CALIFORNIA

Newsom called a special legislative session quickly after Trump's electoral victory to secure additional funding for the state's legal defense against the administration. Reacting to the development on his TruthSocial account at the time, Trump said, "He is using the term 'Trump-Proof' as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to 'Make California Great Again,' but I just overwhelmingly won the Election."

The state has a history of legal battles with the Trump administration, having filed 123 lawsuits during his first term, primarily concerning environmental, illegal immigration and healthcare issues. California was also among the first states to establish itself as a "sanctuary state" for transgender transition treatments for minors, a practice that Trump barred from receiving federal support through an executive order on Wednesday.

The California Senate has already approved Newsom's proposal, and the Assembly will vote Thursday. If the Assembly passes the measures without amendments, they will be sent to Newsom's desk by Friday.

Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said she does not believe conditions should be placed on federal support for wildfires sweeping through Southern California, after President Donald Trump suggested he wanted wildfire aid to be conditional.

The district Chu represents includes Altadena and northern Pasadena, which have been impacted by the deadly Eaton Fire.

"There have never been conditions laid on disaster aid in the history of America," Chu told Inside California Politics.

"I know that I have voted for disaster aid in red states and for blue states, she continued. "I’ve never considered whether they were Republican or Democrat. And let me say, wildfires have no political affiliations. They don’t have a political party."

TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND

This comes after Trump said on Friday that two conditions must be met in California before the federal government offers disaster relief. He said he wants lawmakers to approve voter identification legislation and that water needs to be allowed to flow across the state.

"I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state," Trump told reporters in North Carolina as he was touring hurricane recovery efforts in that state. "Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen."

Trump visited Los Angeles later on Friday to view damage from the wildfires and meet with local officials and residents.

Chu said she wants Trump to tell the working-class victims of her district that they would only see aid to address the devastation if there are conditions.

"I want him to see how these everyday Americans are being terribly devastated and also I want him to hear from their voices," Chu said. "I want him to look, in fact, in the victim’s eyes and say that he wouldn’t provide aid unless there were conditions."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Trump's comments about conditional aid. The governor's office said several other states — including some won by Trump — do not generally require identification at the voting polls and that California residents must provide identification when they register to vote. Newsom's office also said the state pumps as much water as it could under policies from Trump’s first-term.

LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE

"Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong," Newsom's office said on X.

Republicans in Congress have suggested tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase or changes to California’s fire-mitigation policies, but Democrats have argued against placing conditions on federal assistance to Southern California.

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency after touring the devastation of the Los Angeles fires with residents who were personally impacted by the disastrous event.

Trump traveled to Southern California on Friday to survey the damage from the recent wildfires that destroyed over 10,000 structures in the Los Angeles area and tragically took the lives of nearly 30 people. 

Trump took an aerial tour of the area before his landing, with images showing the once ritzy neighborhood in ashes.

The president and first lady Melania Trump then experienced the damage up close, meeting with local law enforcement and members of the community for a tour of the destroyed Pacific Palisades neighborhoods.

‘FEMA IS NOT GOOD’: TRUMP ANNOUNCES AGENCY OVERHAUL DURING VISIT TO NORTH CAROLINA

"Not even believable," Trump told reporters on site.

Trump sat down for a roundtable with LA Mayor Karen Bass and other state officials. When the president entered the room, individuals were heard chanting "USA, USA, USA!" Bass greeted the president and said that his presence was welcomed.

"This is an honor to be with you," during the meeting, saying that homeowners told him that they want to rebuild their homes in the area.

At one point, the president criticized Bass for not using her emergency powers to respond to the wildfires.

"You have emergency powers just like I do … you have to exercise them also," Trump told Bass, who responded that she did exercise them.

Trump said he would sign an executive order to open up the water valves in the area.

"I don't think you can realize how rough, how devastating it is until you see it," Trump said of the wildfire damage. "The federal government is standing behind you, 100%."

Trump said that he is going to waive federal permits for rebuilding in the area. "I'm gonna be the president to help you fix it," he said. "We're going to waive all federal permits... Because a federal permit can take 10 years... we don't want to take 10 days."

LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE

After the fires broke out, Trump blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic city policies for the damage, citing their forest and water management policies. 

Newsom was waiting for Trump on the tarmac when he exited Air Force One and was seen shaking hands with the president in their first face-to-face encounter since the inauguration. 

"Thank you first for being here. It means a great deal to all of us," Newsom told Trump after they met on the tarmac of LAX in Los Angeles just after 3 p.m. local time. "We’re going to need your support. We’re going to need your help." 

Speaking about his meeting with Newsom, Trump said that "we had a good talk, a very positive talk."

Trump traveled to North Carolina to tour the hurricane damage, before heading to California for his first visit to the state since becoming president.

LIV Golfer Bryson DeChambeau has a grand plan for the $125 million he's receiving from his Saudi Arabian bosses. 

The controversial 31-year-old golf star said during an interview on "The Joe Pomp Show" he bought 200 acres of land in his hometown of Modesto, California, and plans to expand the town by 30%.

"We are doing a mega project," DeChambeau said. "It’s been in the works for a couple of years now, and we’re at the place where we are getting permits to build. People know about it now. 

"We have acquired massive amounts of land in my hometown, and it’s a three-phase process to build a whole community and increase the size of where I grew up by 30%"

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DeChambeau says his intention is to create a prominent golf presence in the community, adding the timeline for completing this project is just over a year. 

"It’s a full-scale plan, fully thought out. It’s not only to bring golfers to the game but also to bring people to the central valley. You build a community around a multisport complex center," he said.

"It’s going to take 12-15 months to get the permits approved for the full scope. It’s over 200 acres of land what we have right now. It’s going to be a multisports complex center — driving range, golf course, residential community center, the whole thing."

DeChambeau was paid a reported $125 million to join LIV Golf in June 2022. He says his latest project is only possible because of the massive salary from the Saudi-funded organization.

WOMEN'S GOLF STAR CHARLEY HULL FAWNS OVER 'BRILLIANT, LEGEND' TRUMP AFTER DOING HIS DANCE AT TOURNAMENT

"A lot of the reason why I have been able to do this is because of LIV. They gave me the economic viability to do these things and the platform to be able to do it, growing on YouTube," he said. 

DeChambeau was one of many American golfers to compete in the Saudi-backed league when it launched.

Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Jon Rahm were other prominent PGA stars who chose to accept the massive LIV paychecks during the league's aggressive pursuit of the sport's biggest names. 

DeChambeau is also a close friend of President Donald Trump's and invited Trump to play with him in a video on his YouTube channel. 

DeChambeau told Fox News Digital at the time he had no regrets about it.

"There’s always risk associated to that. But, from my perspective, it was focused on entertainment," DeChambeau told Fox News Digital in August at Maridoe Golf Club, site of the LIV Golf Team Championship. 

"We can talk about politics. That’s a whole different conversation, something that I was not trying to do on my YouTube channel. It was solely on providing great entertainment."

DeChambeau joined Trump, Elon Musk and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to watch the SpaceX rocket launch in November. 

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Rock star and actor Marilyn Mason is in the clear after a four-year probe into allegations of sex assault and domestic violence, according to Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman's office.

The 55-year-old Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, had already fended off similar accusations in civil lawsuits. He has always denied the allegations.

In a statement, Hochman cited two factors in the decision. First, the statute of limitations has expired on domestic violence allegations. Second, authorities said they could not prove sex assault beyond a reasonable doubt.

PROSECUTOR TO ‘REVIEW’ MARILYN MANSON RAPE ALLEGATIONS AFTER VICTIM CALLS OUT DA WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION

"We recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experiences, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation," the DA's office said in a statement. "While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault."

Hochman's predecessor, George Gascon, announced in October that he was reviewing the investigation after Manson accuser Esme Bianco, who played Ros on "Game of Thrones," went public with allegations that the embattled prosecutor had "mishandled" her case from the start and sat on it for two years without making a decision on whether to file charges.

Bianco sued Manson in 2021, alleging violent sexual assault, trafficking and abuse. Through an attorney, the rock star denied the allegations as "provably false." The sides settled out of court in 2023.

MARILYN MANSON 'IMMEDIATELY' DROPPED FROM RECORD LABEL FOLLOWING ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

Court documents show that another Manson accuser dropped her own case and claimed that Bianco and Evan Rachel Wood manipulated her into leveling false accusations against him, according to a source close to the legal team.

Manson has also been accused of sexual and physical abuse by actress Evan Rachel Wood, his former fiancée, as well as other women, including one who was 16 at the time of her alleged assault. Some of the claims have already been tossed out in court.

Unrelated legal troubles also led to a 20-hour sentence of community service in New Hampshire after he allegedly blew his nose on a videographer.

Bianco had endorsed Hochman on the campaign trail.

MARILYN MANSON ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING MINOR IN 1990S IN NEW LAWSUIT

The DA's office said it was acknowledging and commending Manson's accusers regardless of the outcome. The attention on the case helped lead to an extension of the statute of limitations for domestic abuse locally and in other parts of the country.

"Due to their efforts, victims of domestic violence have a greater voice in our criminal justice system and prosecutorial offices around the country have improved tools to hold domestic violence abusers accountable for their actions," the DA's office said.

On Friday, January 24, President Donald Trump was expected to arrive in Los Angeles to see for himself the devastation caused by the recent wildfires, even as new, menacing fires broke out in Los Angeles County and elsewhere in southern California. 

But it's not just the fires that are out of control. So too is the political posturing of California Democrats who seem more interested in "fighting back" against our new president than putting the interests of Californians first by asking for his help. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom has railed against Trump's misinformation over the fires' causes. As usual, when the left complain about misinformation, it's really just things that are true that they don't like. It may not be comfortable for Newsom that Trump is drawing attention to the incompetence and long-term policy failures that made this disaster so much more destructive than it need have been. But Trump is right on every point. 

CALIFORNIA FIRES: ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM

My policy organization Golden Together just published a paper with practical ideas to help Los Angeles and our state after these fires. But the Trump visit provides an immediate chance to make things happen right now. 

Why can't California's leftist politicians realize that Trump's promise of a new "Golden Age" for America is also a golden opportunity for the Golden State? An opportunity to recover from these fires, rebuild faster and better, and to prevent anything like this from ever happening again. 

There's been a lot of talk about federal aid to California, and whether it should have "strings attached." Ultimately, that will be determined in Congress, and as California Rep. Kevin Kiley told me in a recent interview, given California's terrible track record of wasting federal money — for example COVID-relief funds — it's vital to put safeguards around any funds that are sent to California. 

But perhaps even more important than federal money is the expertise that Trump could offer. Here are three things California Democrats could ask him for, if they could just get over their pathetic political point-scoring. 

We have a builder as president. Someone who has a lifetime professional understanding of how to build things quickly, economically and to high quality.  

California should take advantage of this unique opportunity. Ask Trump's advice about how to get the job done in Los Angeles. We have the Super Bowl, soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games all coming up in Los Angeles in the next few years. We can't afford to waste time. We need to Build, Baby, Build as well as Drill, Baby, Drill!  

Trump is, above all things, a practical leader. He's not interested in ideology, but outcomes. He just wants to get things done. I'm sure he will have incredibly useful, specific ideas about how to rebuild Los Angeles and who can help do it — listen to him! 

One of the most high-profile disputes between Newsom and Trump has broken out over water, and California's failure to supply adequate water to our cities and farmers. Trump is absolutely right about this. So-called journalists mocked Trump for talking about a "giant faucet" that sends water to southern California, which Gavin Newsom restricts in order to protect a tiny fish. But in doing so, they just reveal their own ignorance. 

Most of California's water supply is in the north of the state, much of it from rivers and reservoirs fed by the melting Sierra Nevada snow pack. Most of the population lives in the south, and there are two main supply routes bringing water there: the Delta-Mendota Canal, built and run by the federal government, and the California Aqueduct, run by the state. Each of these has a giant pumping station, close to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, that regulates water flow. 

In his first administration, Trump ordered the federal pumping station to increase water supply. Unbelievably, California retaliated by reducing supply from the state pumping station, in order to leave more water in the Delta. Why? They themselves admit that it was to protect salmon, and the three-inch delta smelt, a species that died out in 2020 anyway, only to be revived by biologists at UC Davis. 

Trump has issued a new Executive Order — Putting People Over Fish — to increase water supply in the federal system. California should welcome this instead of fighting it like last time. 

On both of these issues — water, and rebuilding L.A. — there is a massive self-imposed obstacle: California's astonishing, worst-in-the-nation red tape and bureaucracy.   

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In fact, this is standing in the way of getting anything done in California these days: rebuilding Los Angeles, building the new water infrastructure we desperately need, building the new homes we need to solve our housing crisis. We have the highest housing costs in America, along with the lowest homeownership. We pay the most for water, for electricity — for everything. And a huge part of the reason is the sprawling bureaucracy in Sacramento that has built up over decades of one-party rule by far-left Democrats.  

Their 'climate' extremism has become an excuse for slowing down or blocking any project. Those that manage to go ahead are hit with endless, constantly changing environmental regulations pushed by unaccountable state bureaucracies like CARB (the California Air Resources Board) or the Coastal Commission. (These two, by the way, bear the lion's share of responsibility for the devastation of the L.A. fires. It was their rules that blocked vital brush-clearing work in the area.) 

On top of the environmental extremism, we have over-the-top labor regulations, imposed at the behest of the unions that fund California's Democrat politicians. Extortionate labor costs and forced use of union labor mean many construction projects are killed because they are just not viable. And on top of that, the taxes, fees, permits and mind-boggling bureaucratic processes all add up to give California the worst business climate in America — 10 years in a row. 

Trump knows how to deal with all of this. He put Elon Musk in charge of getting rid of federal bureaucracy: now let's do the same in the state with the worst bureaucracy in America. Yes, it's time to DOGE California! 

California desperately needs a dose of common sense and competence. President Trump can help provide it — if only Gavin Newsom and the rest of his California Democrats will listen.  

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When President Donald Trump lands in California on Friday to survey the devastating wildfires that have ravaged metropolitan Los Angeles this month, the state's Democratic governor will be among the officials greeting him.

But Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to be showing up uninvited.

"I look forward to being there on the tarmac to thank the president, welcome him, and we’re making sure that all the resources he needs for a successful briefing are provided to him," Newsom told reporters on the eve of Trump's stop in Los Angeles.

A couple of hours before Trump touched down in Los Angeles, Newsom director of communications Izzy Gardon told Fox News Digital that "in coordination with the White House, the governor will greet President Trump on the tarmac upon his arrival in California."

"The governor is committed to advocating for the needs of Californians in partnership with the federal administration," he emphasized.

Since the fires, which have killed nearly 30 people and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, broke out earlier this month, Trump has repeatedly criticized Newsom's handling of the immense crisis. He has accused the governor of mismanaging forestry and water policy and, pointing to intense backlash over a perceived lack of preparation, has called on Newsom to step down.

UNINVITED NEWSOM SAYS HE'LL BE ON TARMAC TO GREET AND BRIEF TRUMP

"Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!" Trump charged in a social media post on Jan. 8, as he repeated a derogatory name he often labels the governor.

And in his first Oval Office interview since returning to power in the White House, Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity this week, "This fire was just raging, and then it would catch to another area, another area, another area."

"It took a week and a half — and I’ve never seen anything like it. We look so weak," Trump argued during his appearance on "Hannity," as he pointed towards his repeated claim that a main reason the blazes raged was because firefighters didn't have access to water.

TRUMP PLEDGES FEMA OVERHAUL DURING STOP IN HURRICANE RAVAGED WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

Trump and some top Republicans in Congress have pushed toward placing conditions on continuing the massive federal wildfire aid to California in order to force policy changes.

The president said on Friday, ahead of his arrival in Los Angeles, that he wanted to see "two things" before he would support federal disaster relief funds for California.

"I want to see two things in Los Angeles: Voter ID so that the people have a chance to vote. And I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state. Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen," Trump said.

Newsom on Thursday signed a $2.5 billion state relief package. But California will need much more help from the federal government.

And Newsom — the governor of the nation's most populous state, one of the Democratic Party's leaders in the resistance against the returning president and a potential White House contender in 2028 — has pushed back, as the two larger-than-life politicians trade fire.

The governor has noted that reservoirs in the southern part of California were full when the fires first sparked, and has argued that no amount of water could tackle fires fueled by winds of up to 100 miles per hour.

Newsom has also charged Trump has spread "hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation."

And in a letter to Congress last week, Newsom emphasized that "our long national history of responding to natural disasters, no matter where they occur, has always been Americans helping Americans, full stop."

The wildfires are far from the first time Newsom and Trump have taken aim at each other. Their animosity dates back to before Trump was elected president the first time in 2016, when Newsom was California's lieutenant governor.

The verbal fireworks continued over the past two years, as Newsom served as a top surrogate on the campaign trail for former President Joe Biden and then former Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democrats' 2024 standard-bearer last summer.

Following Trump's convincing election victory over Harris in November, Newsom moved to "Trump-proof" his heavily blue state.

"He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election," Trump responded.

While pushing back against Trump's attacks amid the wildfires, Newsom also knows he needs to work with the president.

Newsom, who two weeks ago invited Trump to come to California to survey the damage, said in a statement on Monday following the inauguration ceremony, "I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild."

He emphasized "finding common ground and striving toward shared goals" with the Trump administration.

"In the face of one of the worst natural disasters in America’s history, this moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to facts, and mutual respect — values that enable civil discourse, effective governance, and meaningful action," the governor said.

Veteran California-based political scientist Jack Pitney at Claremont McKenna College noted that "this is a very difficult balance" for Newsom.

"As a governor of California, he needs to work with the president to get federal aid for the state. As a national political figure, he feels pressure to attack Trump. It’s hard to do both of those at the same time," Pitney told Fox News.

Fox News' Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: GOP Congressman Darrell Issa has introduced a bill in response to the devastating California wildfires aimed at slashing through the regulatory burdens that prevent firefighters from most effectively preventing the fires.

Issa, who represents California’s 48th Congressional District, is putting forward the Green Tape Elimination Act which would exempt hazardous fuel reduction activities on federal lands from federal regulations for a decade. 

Eliminating those regulatory burdens, Issa says, will allow firefighters to clear brush, cut shrubs, prescribe fires, along with other fire prevention activities without being hindered by six major federal environmental regulations.

Those regulations include the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Clean Air Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Migratory Bird Conservation Act.

BILL MAHER TRASHES KAREN BASS, CALI OFFICIALS FOR RESPONSE TO FIRES: 'FIDDLING IN GHANA WHILE THE CITY BURNED’

"For years, environmental rules have become regulatory ‘green tape’ — locking in dangerous conditions and contradicting common sense reforms," Issa, who will be touring the Palisade Fire devastation with President Trump on Friday, told Fox News Digital. "That’s why this is no time for tinkering around the edges. We can’t wait for the next deadly disaster."

"Giving a blank check to finance even more of California’s mismanagement would be like giving matches to an arsonist," Issa continued. "We’re dedicated to helping the victims of this disaster first and working to prevent the next one. It’s a message I’ll bring to President Trump when I see him today in Los Angeles."

The Golden State's struggles with preventing or at least moderating severe wildfires over the past few decades has been a longstanding concern that was only exacerbated by the recent Eaton Fire and Palisades fire which killed at least 28 people. 

CALIFORNIA WATER SUPPLY CRUCIAL FOR LA WILDFIRE RESPONSE ALLOWED TO RUN DRY MONTHS BEFORE INFERNOS: LAWSUIT

Many have argued that a wide range of federal and state regulations make it more difficult to conduct mitigation activities, like prescribed burns or treatments to remove hazardous trees and vegetation.

Chuck Devore, a former member of the California State Assembly and the chief national initiatives officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told FOX Business in a recent interview that federal and state rules have hampered wildfire mitigation efforts, resulting in larger fuel loads that drive more intense wildfires."

"The nature of the wildfire problem changes a little bit from north to south… In both cases, you have the issue of air quality management districts that are under both federal and state mandate to clean up the air. That makes it difficult to have prescribed burns with the sort of frequency that needs to happen to be able to reduce the fuel load," Devore said.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were photographed Friday boarding Air Force One for the first time in four years. 

Trump and his wife — who was wearing a green jacket and aviator sunglasses — were seen getting onboard the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.  

The president is heading to North Carolina to survey damage from Hurricane Helene last September. 

NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT CALLS FOR ‘LARGER FEDERAL RESPONSE’ TO HELENE DAMAGE AHEAD OF TRUMP VISIT 

"We're going to North Carolina. It's a horrible thing, the way that's been allowed to fester. And we're going to get it fixed up. Should have been done months ago from the hurricane that took place almost four months ago," Trump told reporters after leaving the White House. "North Carolina has been treated very badly." 

TRUMP TO VISIT CALIFORNIA AFTER RIPPING ‘IDIOT’ NEWSOM ON WILDFIRE 

"So we're stopping there and we are then going to go to Los Angeles and take a look at a fire that could have been put out if they let the water flow but they didn't let the water flow, and they still haven't for whatever reason. So, I think we're going to have a very interesting time," Trump added. 

Trump was last photographed stepping off Air Force One on Jan. 20, 2021, while Joe Biden was being sworn in as president that day. 

During his inaugural address, President Donald Trump criticized California's response to the Los Angeles wildfires as he is scheduled to visit the Golden State to survey the damage on Friday. 

Trump has been vocal of his disapproval of the way California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have handled the fire response, accusing them of "gross incompetence," even suggesting that Newsom resign as governor. 

In his first televised sit-down interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity since returning to the White House, Trump ripped Newsom for his leadership leading up to the deadly wildfires and his defense of sanctuary cities.

"If you actually polled the people, they don’t want sanctuary cities," Trump told Hannity. "But Gavin Newsom does, and these radical left politicians do. I watched Gavin Newsom try to answer that question. He looked like an idiot. He was unable to answer."

Trump claimed the lack of forest management and Newsom's reported refusal to allow stormwater from the north to flow down freely to Southern California helped contribute to one of the most destructive wildfires in the state's history.

Izzy Gardon, director of communications for Newsom's office, previously combated criticism of the governor's wildfire handling in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

"The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need," Gardon said. 

On Thursday, Newsom signed off on a relief package where the state will spend $2.5 billion to help with the Los Angeles wildfires recovery. 

"This is about distilling a sense of hopefulness," Newsom said during a news conference.

Newsom's administration added that the state expects to be reimbursed by the federal government for the disaster relief funding.

It is not known if Trump plans to meet with Newsom during his visit Friday. 

"We are glad President Trump accepted the governor’s invitation to come to Los Angeles," Newsom's office told Fox News Digital. "We are glad he took our invitation to heart." 

Trump's criticism of California and Newsom's leadership in the state spans years, with the president singling out forest management, sanctuary cities, homelessness, crime and spending as contributing factors to the state's condition. 

Trump is not the only person ripping Newsom for what is happening in California.

In the aftermath of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, actor Mel Gibson, along with a number of other elite residents, accused Newsom and elected officials of mishandling the prevention and response to the disaster. 

"As a citizen here, Newsom and [Los Angeles Mayor Karen] Bass, they want us to trust them to reimagine the city, our city, and how they think it should be. I mean, look at what they’ve done so far to this town," Gibson said in a previous exclusive interview with Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo. 

"You got nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, high taxes, mismanagement of water, firefighters, defunding the department, and we’re supposed to trust them with millions of dollars to sort of remake where we live? It’s our city, it’s the city of the people, and they have another plan. … There’s still people from the Woolsey Fire still living in trailers. … When have you ever seen the government ‘build back better’? … At the very least, it's insensitive."

MEL GIBSON CALLS OUT 'MONUMENTAL MISMANAGEMENT' OF LA FIRES BY CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT AFTER LOSING HIS HOME

The massive and deadly fires broke out in the Los Angeles area on Jan. 7, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee for safety as their homes and businesses were destroyed.

Gibson also told Arroyo the elected officials’ mismanagement is another reason why Americans continue to flee the city. 

Other celebrities, including Justine Bateman, called out Newsom and other Los Angeles officials to be removed from office because of the fires.

The governor's office previously shared a letter addressing water hydrants running out of water, stating that "while overall water supply in Southern California is not an issue, water mobility in the initial response was an issue."

"That is why @CAGovernor Newsom has ordered a full, independent review of LADWP. This cannot happen again," the post read. 

Prior to the Los Angeles wildfire crisis, California leadership were being scrutinized for not being able to explain what happened to $24 billion meant to curb the homelessness issue. 

California GOP leaders are calling for more accountability after the state auditor found that despite roughly $24 billion spent on homeless and housing programs during the 2018-2023 fiscal years, the problem didn’t improve in many cities.

The report also uncovered that the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH), which is responsible for coordinating agencies and allocating resources for homelessness programs, stopped tracking whether the programs were working in 2021.

CALIFORNIA GOP LEADERS CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER STATE CAN’T ACCOUNT FOR $24B SPENT ON HOMELESS CRISIS

The audit found it also failed to collect and evaluate outcome data for these programs due to the lack of a consistent method.

California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher laid the blame on the Newsom administration. 

"This is standard Gavin Newsom – make a splashy announcement, waste a bunch of taxpayer money, and completely fail to deliver," Gallagher said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

"Californians are tired of the homeless crisis, and they’re even more tired of Gavin’s excuses. We need results – period, full stop." 

Despite the audit’s findings, Cal ICH said it has made improvements in data collection after AB 977 took effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

In a previous statement, Newsom's office said, "The State of California’s doing more than ever. We'll continue to do more. But this will be my final words on this: If we don't see demonstrable results, I'll start to redirect money. I'm not interested in status quo any longer. And that will start in January with the January budget. We've been providing the support to local government that embraces those efforts and focuses on a sense of urgency — and we're going to double down. If local government is not interested, we'll redirect the money to parts of the state, cities and counties that are."

Adding to the list of missteps made by California leadership: the decades-delayed and over-budget "train to nowhere."

California Republicans have reported that the state’s long-awaited high-speed rail network is nearly $100 billion over budget and decades behind schedule.

Former Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who left office in early 2011, first introduced the high-speed rail system project, and his Democrat successor, Gov. Jerry Brown, continued the project.

Shortly after taking office in 2019, Newsom acknowledged in his first State of the State address that he would scale the project down from its original ambitious plan, saying it would cost too much and take too long to stay the course.

Months later, the Trump administration penned a scathing letter to California, informing the state that it was rescinding the multibillion-dollar grant awarded for the project under the Obama administration.

BIDEN ADMIN SENDS BILLIONS TO CALIFORNIA'S OVER-BUDGET, BEHIND-SCHEDULE 'TRAIN TO NOWHERE'

However, in June 2021, the Biden administration said it would reverse the decision and restore the funding. The Biden administration then sent California more than $3 billion in federal taxpayer funds in 2023. 

In December 2024, several prominent California Democrats called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to approve a grant application for $536 million in federal funds to move forward with the project. 

If approved, the federal funds will be boosted by $134 million in state money from California’s "cap & trade" program, according to the Sacramento Bee.

The project was originally planned as a $33 billion project consisting of 1,955 miles of railway connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. Since then, the cost has ballooned to $113 billion and the project's scope has been dramatically scaled down to a 171-mile railway connecting Bakersfield, Fresno and Merced that isn't expected to be operational until 2030.

Overall, if the project is completed in 2030, it will have taken a decade longer than expected while costing $80 billion more and being 91% smaller than originally planned. Because of its repeated shortfalls, the project has been dubbed by critics as the "train to nowhere."

Newsom's office did not immediately provide a response. 

During the presidential election, Trump went after his opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, on the decades-old criminal justice policy crippling California.

Harris was not actually involved with pushing Prop 47 and did not take a stance on the issue throughout the campaign. 

The ballot measure overwhelmingly passed in the deep-blue state and rolled back some of California's most controversial soft-on-crime policies.

Proposition 36, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, sought to undo portions of Proposition 47 by increasing penalties for some crimes, including classifying the possession of fentanyl as a felony.

PROPOSITION 36 OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES IN CALIFORNIA, REVERSING SOME SOROS-BACKED SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICIES

When Proposition 47 passed in 2014, it downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen was under $950, "unless the defendant had prior convictions of murder, rape, certain sex offenses, or certain gun crimes."

Proposition 47 also reclassified some felony drug offenses as misdemeanors.

The initiative has been blamed by law enforcement officials and businesses for the rise in theft and smash-and-grabs that plagued California in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newsom remained opposed to the effort, saying it "takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration."

He also touted that California’s $950 threshold is the "10th lowest, meaning tougher than states like Texas ($2,500) or Alabama ($1,500) or Mississippi ($1,000)." His office noted that "Prop 47 did not change that threshold and neither did Prop 36."

California Labor Secretary Julie Su attempted to put the blame on Trump's first administration for "failing to provide guidance to foil sophisticated unemployment schemes" after state officials reported that at least $11.4 billion in unemployment benefits paid during the COVID-19 pandemic involved fraud.

Officials added that another $20 billion in possible losses was also being investigated.

In January 2021, Su said that of the $114 billion the state paid in unemployment claims during the coronavirus pandemic, 10%, or $11.4 billion, involved fraud and another 17% was under investigation. 

CALIFORNIA UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD SCANDAL GROWS TO $11 BILLION, WITH ANOTHER $20 BILLION UNDER SCRUTINY

"There is no sugarcoating the reality," Su said in a previous press conference. "California has not had sufficient security measures in place to prevent this level of fraud, and criminals took advantage of the situation."

Nearly all the fraudulent claims were paid through the federally supported Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. The program was approved by Congress to provide unemployment assistance to those who usually wouldn’t be eligible, such as independent contractors. 

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Officials added that the program’s broad eligibility requirements made it an easy target for criminals, including from Russia and Nigeria. In December, 21,000 prisoners scored more than $400 million from the state, including 100 prisoners on death row. 

"It should be no surprise that EDD was overwhelmed, just like the rest of the nation’s unemployment agencies," Su said. "As millions of Californians applied for help, international and national criminal rings were at work behind the scenes working relentlessly to steal unemployment benefits using sophisticated methods of identity theft."

The governor's office did not immediately provide a response.

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz, Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Morgan Phillips, Thomas Catenacci, Jamie Joseph and Charlie Creitz contributed to this report. 

With President Biden now in political retirement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is quickly becoming one of President Trump's top targets.

And Trump, minutes into his second term as president, used his inauguration address inside the U.S. Capitol to take aim at the Democratic governor of the nation's most populous state.

"Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency," Trump argued. And he pointed to "Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burned from weeks ago without even a token of defense."

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE SECOND INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT TRUMP

Trump this month has repeatedly criticized Newsom's handling of the horrific wildfires that have razed parts of metropolitan Los Angeles, killing nearly 30 people and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.

POLITICAL FIRESTORM: NEWSOM DEFENDS HIS EFFORTS TO FIGHT CALIFORNIA'S HORRIFIC BLAZES

The governor's press office quickly pushed back, posting on social media four photos of firefighters tackling the blazes.

Trump will head to California on Friday to get a firsthand view of the firefighting and recovery efforts.

"I’m going to go out there on Friday to see it and to get it moving back," Trump said at an inaugural eve rally in the nation's capital. "We’re going to get some of the best builders in the world. We’ll get it moving back."

Newsom, who over a week ago invited Trump to California, said in a statement on Monday following the inauguration ceremony, "I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild."

And he emphasized "finding common ground and striving toward shared goals" with the Trump administration.

"In the face of one of the worst natural disasters in America’s history, this moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to facts, and mutual respect – values that enable civil discourse, effective governance, and meaningful action," the governor said.

Newsom added that "where our shared principles are aligned, my administration stands ready to work with the Trump-Vance administration to deliver solutions and serve the nearly 40 million Californians we jointly represent."

Newsom was a top surrogate on the 2024 campaign trail for Biden and later former Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden last summer as the Democrats' nominee.

The governor, who is term-limited and likely has national ambitions in 2028, was a vocal Trump critic on the 2024 campaign trail and has taken a lead in leading the Democratic Party's resistance in the wake of Trump's presidential election victory.