by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has left the state on a “personal trip” as thousands of desperate residents remain trapped in snowy mountain communities where the National Guard has not arrived as promised.
Newsom belatedly declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, March 1 — a week after a snowstorm hit the state and stranded residents of Crestline, Lake Arrowhead and other towns in the San Bernardino Mountains.
CRESTLINE, CA – MARCH 03: Crestline, CA – March 03: Residents of San Bernardino Mountain brave long lines for groceries at the Goodwin & Son Market in Crestline on Friday, March 3, 2023 amid a shortage, caused by heavy snowfall and delivery difficulties Truck access on Highway 18. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda/MediaNews Group/The Press-Enterprise via Getty Images)
As of Saturday, three days later, the California National Guard had not arrived at Crestline. The Los Angeles Times reported:
On Saturday, desperate San Bernardino County residents wondered when National Guard troops would arrive. Residents said hundreds of people have been lining up at community distribution events for groceries, dog food and firewood in recent days. Many of them left empty-handed, according to local residents who spoke to The Times.
Residents are running out of food and medicine. Some are still trapped in their homes, where meter-high snowdrifts block access to driveways and doors. And people are starting to panic about the rescue.
CRESTLINE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 3: An aerial view of residents (L) waiting in line to receive donated groceries outside the local grocery store (R), which was badly damaged when its roof fell under the weight of several feet of snow collapsed after a series of winter storms in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California on March 3, 2023 in Crestline, California. Some residents have been stranded in Crestline for more than a week due to heavy snowfall while the grocery store has been the main grocery shopping hub in town. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for 13 counties, including San Bernardino County, over winter storms, and the California National Guard is supporting relief efforts in the mountains. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Residents in some mountain communities have been without power for a week, according to the Associated Press. And officials say some residents may not be able to walk for a week. The AP described conditions:
Shelah Riggs said the street where she lives in Crestline hasn’t seen a snowplow in eight days, leaving people in about 80 homes along the street with nowhere to go. Usually a plow comes in every day or two when it’s snowing, she said.
…
Devine Horvath, also of Crestline, said it took her and her son 30 minutes to walk down the street to check on a neighbor – a hike that normally only takes a few minutes.
Horvath said she was lucky enough to make it to the local grocery store before its roof collapsed a few days earlier, but hasn’t been able to leave her street since.
Meanwhile, Newsom himself left the state to an undisclosed location on Thursday for undisclosed reasons.
Californians are trapped in their homes without power. More storms are on their way. And Governor Newsom just left the state for “personal travel.”
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) March 2, 2023
Newsom remained active on social media, tweeting attacks on Republicans in other states for their socially conservative positions on issues like abortion.
They are not for life. https://t.co/77emBtAFru
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 3, 2023
Back home, desperate Californians ran out of food and medicine.
Crestline, CA – March 03: Crestline, CA – March 03: Shoppers like Courtney Hebert are seen at Hilltop Liquor in Crestline Friday, March 3 due to food shortages caused by heavy snowfall and challenges accessing vans. March 2023, faced with almost empty shelves. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda/MediaNews Group/The Press-Enterprise via Getty Images)
The San Bernardino sun reported:
Milika’a has breast cancer and was only two weeks into treatment when the snowstorm hit her home in Running Springs. While Milika’a is due for treatment Thursday, like many others in the San Bernardino Mountains, she is snowbound and can only walk.
She contacted the sheriff’s department, who suggested she take a shuttle from a local animal shelter — which she would have to walk to — but said as a cancer patient, that wasn’t feasible.
…
Near Lake Arrowhead, Rebecca Arrowood’s diabetes supplies were due to be delivered on Saturday. But they never arrived.
County officials were overwhelmed by the disaster, and many criticize them for failing to anticipate the magnitude of the snowstorms. Some residents called the state in desperation. But help was often lacking.
Newsom’s office tweeted about ongoing relief efforts being coordinated by government agencies, but these weren’t enough — and Newsom himself is nowhere to be found.
CA has mobilized to help communities severely impacted by these winter storms – particularly in San Bernardino.@CaltransHQ @CHP_HQ @CAL_FIRE @CalGuard @Cal_OES and more clearing roads, getting supplies for cut-off areas, and rescuing people from their homes. pic.twitter.com/wQlaSAgtso
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) March 4, 2023
Newsom likes to troll Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) about social issues. But in Florida, the governor is declaring days of emergency Before a storm is coming – less than a week later. And he doesn’t dare leave the state while the citizens are still suffering.
The national media is largely absent as Newsom prepares for a possible presidential bid — in 2024 or beyond.
California is snowed in. Full blizzards. Barely reported. This is the expected pattern.
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 5, 2023
Meanwhile, Californians themselves — including Democrats — are telling pollsters they don’t want to see him run.
Despite this, Newsom was easily re-elected in 2022 after defeating a recall attempt in 2021. The recall came after Newsom was caught eating at elite French restaurant Laundry with lobbyists after he told Californians not to eat out during the pandemic.
Last year, Newsom was also caught leaving the state for a vacation in Montana, despite a ban on state-funded travel to conservative states that had passed abortion or transgender restrictions.
The state saw more snow this weekend. Breitbart News reported that snowpack is visually impressive from the air as recent storms have eased California’s drought. But local conditions remain dangerous.
Voters in mountain communities tend to support the state’s small Republican minority, which has largely been reduced to an afterthought as Democrats control supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and presenter of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday nights from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography Rhoda: “Comrade Kadalie, you’re out of order”. He is also the author of the recently published e-book, Neither Free Nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is a 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship winner. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
