Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton rallied Sunday in Pacific Palisades, a Los Angeles neighborhood impacted by recent wildfires, to blame Democratic leadership for the destruction and slow recovery. He characterized the area as "a symbol of 16 years of Democrat failure."
The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed approximately 6,800 structures, displacing tens of thousands of residents.
Hilton argued that the disaster and its aftermath reflect broader failures of California's Democratic leadership, encompassing wildfire prevention, emergency response, and rebuilding efforts. "These are not random, disconnected events," Hilton stated. "These are what has gone wrong in the state of California over 16 years of one-party rule."
Democrats have held California's governorship for the past 16 years. Hilton is challenging Democrat Xavier Becerra in the upcoming election to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom.
A former Fox News commentator, Hilton has made criticism of the state's Democratic leadership a central theme of his campaign. He accused state and local officials of inadequate preparation for the fires and insufficient assistance for residents in rebuilding, attributing these issues to "incompetence, ideology and corruption."
He also criticized environmental and land-management policies, suggesting that insufficient brush clearance contributed to the scale of the destruction. "The ideology that for years and years and years not just failed to clear the brush that could have prevented these fires here and in Altadena... but deliberately chose not to do that," Hilton said.
Hilton pledged to appoint a recovery CEO to oversee rebuilding efforts if elected, asserting that residents have waited too long for their communities to recover. "When I’m governor, I will appoint a recovery CEO to finally get things done, to finally get what you deserve," he said.
Hilton urged voters to reject the notion that California must remain under Democratic control, concluding, "This is not a blue state. It is not a red state. It’s the Golden State. And we are going to fight with everything we’ve got."