Sean Hannity Criticizes California Officials Over Wildfire Response

Fox News host Sean Hannity criticized California officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom, for their handling of the ongoing wildfires during his show ‘Hannity’ on January 8, 2025. Hannity accused state and local leaders of failing to adequately prepare for and respond to the crisis, which has devastated Southern California.

Hannity highlighted the lack of controlled burns and proper forestry management as key factors contributing to the severity of the wildfires. ‘Much of the dry brush all across Southern California has not been cut back for quite some time,’ he said. ‘They have a science. It’s called forestry. You have control burns. You prevent disasters like this from happening.’

The Fox News host also pointed to underfunding and understaffing in the Los Angeles Fire Department as critical issues. ‘The L.A. Fire Department, they are understaffed. They’re underfunded,’ Hannity stated. He noted that Mayor Bass had recently increased the city’s library budget by nearly $15 million while cutting the fire department’s funding by $17.6 million.

Hannity further criticized the allocation of federal funds, citing a $400 million grant from the Biden administration for green environmental efforts at the Port of Los Angeles. ‘They spent another two plus billion dollars, and they can’t afford to pay firefighters – knowing that disasters like you’re watching on your screen are common,’ he said.

The wildfires have caused widespread destruction, displacing thousands of residents and straining emergency resources. Officials have yet to respond to Hannity’s comments, but the ongoing crisis has reignited debates about wildfire preparedness and resource allocation in California.