Governor Newsom Absent During Historic Building Destruction

This week, while Governor Gavin Newsom was on a private trip out of state, a historic building in California was destroyed. It’s just the latest instance of the governor being away during emergencies.

As reported, several structures were lost to fire in the historic Gold Rush Town of Chinese Camp. Firefighters are currently battling multiple blazes in the Mother Road area, according to California fire officials.

Emily Kilgore, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, confirmed that the fires affected several landmarks significant to California’s heritage. However, she couldn’t specify how many structures were impacted or which historical buildings remained intact.

On Tuesday morning, a surge of dry lightning sparked numerous fires across California. The Tuolumne-Calaveras unit of Cal Fire noted that over a dozen fires were reported in the hilly regions.

Newsom’s office acknowledged he was out of state but has not disclosed his location. In his absence, Deputy Governor Eleni Kounalakis hosted the State Labor Day commemoration.

Earlier this year, Newsom traveled to South Carolina amidst ongoing wildfires in California that he was tasked with managing. Two years prior, he took a vacation to a beach in Mexico while a snowstorm trapped residents in the San Bernardino Mountains, even declaring a state of emergency before leaving.