- Outgoing President Joe Biden claimed that power providers cut off electricity to water pumps, causing water shortages in Los Angeles during wildfires, in an attempt to defend Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass.
- The two Democratic leaders faced criticism for mismanaging California’s water supply and cutting the city fire budget, which came shortly before the fires.
- Biden clarified that the lack of water in fire hydrants was due to power being cut off to water pumps as a result of the wildfires, not a water shortage.
- Both Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power refuted Biden’s explanation, stating that their water pumps and flows were not affected by power outages.
- Biden’s use of the term «demagogues» was seen as a criticism of President-elect Donald Trump, who also accused Newsom of failing to secure sufficient water supplies for Los Angeles.
In an attempt to defend Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, outgoing President Joe Biden has repeatedly claimed that electrical providers cut off power to pumps that supply water to LA fire hydrants during wildfires in the city.
Newsom and Bass have been facing criticism for the LA wildfire catastrophe. Critics have been accusing Newsom of mismanaging California’s water supply and criticizing Bass for the recent $17.6 million cuts to the city fire budget, which came shortly before the fires. Newsom labeled these criticisms as «lies» and instead, blamed local officials for the fires.
In line with this, Biden clarified in a press briefing on Jan. 9 that Los Angeles fire hydrants had not run dry due to a water shortage, but rather because power had been cut to the water pumps as a result of the devastating wildfires. The disaster zone, including around 10,000 destroyed buildings, is serviced by two electricity providers, Southern Cal Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. (Related: Wildfires ravage Pacific Palisades, forcing 30,000 to flee as Santa Ana winds fuel uncontained blaze.)
«What I know from talking to the governor, there are concerns out there that there’s also been a water shortage,» Biden said. «The fact is the utilities, understandably, shut off power because they are worried the lines that carried energy were going to be blown down and spark additional fires. When it did that, it cut off the ability to generate pumping the water, that’s what caused the lack of water in these hydrants.»
Biden even repeated these claims the next day in the Oval Office during a virtual meeting with Newsom and Bass
«What this is all about is the utilities, understandably, what they did is they cut off power because they’re worried about these high-tension lines coming down and causing more fires, right? And when they do that, guess what? They shut off the power that controls the ability to pump the water,» Biden stated.
«This is complicated stuff. You’re going to have a lot of demagogues out there trying to take advantage of it, but you’re doing the right thing.» Biden’s use of the term «demagogues» was a direct criticism of President-elect Donald Trump, who also accused Newsom of failing to secure sufficient water supplies for Los Angeles.
Southern California Edison and LADWP refute Biden’s explanation
Biden repeatedly reiterated his narrative even though both the Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) refuted these claims.
«LADWP water pumps and water flows were not affected by power outages,» a spokesperson said. The department further clarified that «the tremendous demand for water in the Palisades, which was four times as much as our normal demand in the area, lowered the water pressure.»
Southern California Edison echoed the same sentiment, noting, «We have had no issues from local water agencies or firefighting agencies in our service area» and that «they are prioritized to remain in service» in times of emergencies.
Read more similar stories at JoeBiden.news.
Watch this Jan. 9 episode of «Brighteon Broadcast News» as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how the Pacific Palisades fire in southern California is burning down entire neighborhoods.
This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Palisades Fire becomes L.A.’s most destructive wildfire amid water shortages and power outages.
Hollywood Hills ABLAZE: Wildfires devastate Los Angeles, forcing mass evacuations and claiming lives.
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