As firefighters continue to battle wildfires burning through five California counties, celebrities and residents of the Golden State are increasingly critical of government officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, for their ineptitude.
Local authorities have reported that at least 10 people have died, and more than 10,000 houses and structures have been destroyed by the fire since Tuesday.
“If this was a business, everyone in office would be fired,” Aurora Culpo, host of the “Barely Filtered” podcast, told Fox News Digital. “The fact that no one wants to be held accountable and commits gross negligence proves the lack of true leadership we have in our state.”
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patricia Heaton and Jillian Michaels are among the other celebrities who have spoken out to provide government officials with poignant updates.
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Aurora Culpo, mother of two and host of the “Barely Filtered” podcast rips Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for not being prepared before the devastating wildfires. (Aurora Culpo)
Culpo, a native of Rhode Island, is a Manhattan Beach resident who fled the area with her children on Thursday.
“This tragedy didn't come out of left field,” Culpo said. “We knew very well that there could be a fire, and we had the preparedness of a third world country in a place that pays the highest tax in the world. Those in charge should be forced to take responsibility and resign.”
He added that expectations of government officials should be “very high,” and political accountability should be strictly enforced.
“Their lack of skills is costing lives, communities and billions of dollars,” Culpo said of Gov. Newsom and Bass.
“The captain went down with the ship,” he said. “Stop work.”
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Firefighters battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP)
“I don't care if Newsom is a Republican or a Democrat, at this point,” he said. “In a way, you're deflecting the blame because you're calling it a local issue.”
“What I put on my Instagram is that everyone who voted for Newsom for a second term has blood on their hands, and I stand by what I said,” Culpo said. “This is a raw situation. If we can't blame the Democratic Party, then who can we blame? If we can't arrest anyone, how do we think changes should be made?”
The mother of two added that she agrees with President-elect Donald Trump's statement posted on Truth Social that the spread of the wildfires was “due to the incompetence” of Bass and Newsom.
“I agree with him 100 percent,” he said.
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Aurora Culpo, the sister of former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, fled her Manhattan Beach home with her two children during the wildfires raging in California. (Photos by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC)
Culpo said he's “all for conservation, conservation, LGBTQ rights and diversity,” but that safety, above all else, should always be at the top of the list of needs.
“We're not sophisticated enough in society to worry about things like how different our firefighters are,” Culpo said.
“We finance the sexual transformation of prisoners, but we can't fill the dams, because we want to save the fish that melts,” he said.
Since 2017, California has allegedly paid $4 million in taxpayer money for inmate surgeries, including breast augmentation and female facelifts, according to the California Family Counsel.
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Firefighters in California are working tirelessly to contain and contain the wildfires that have displaced residents in many states. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California's top water supply system, is heavily protected due to its reduced runoff and Chinook salmon population.
“Regardless of what your opinion is about sex change in prisoners or fish melting, the bottom line is that our priorities are completely out of sync,” said Culpo.
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Despite the tireless efforts of firefighters to put out the flames, some fires are out of control, and Culpo is moving his children to San Francisco, where his sister, model and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, and her new husband, NFL running back Christian McCaffrey, live.
“I'm worried about my children because of the air quality,” said Culpo. “These are serious air pollutants that can cause long-term problems.”
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