Actor and longtime Los Angeles resident Zachary Levi has issued a strong critique as California battles devastating wildfires, urging state leaders to hold them accountable and saying the situation is his fault. He said it was “very personal” to him.
“This is the most devastating fire in the history of Los Angeles,” a visibly shaken Levi said on “Jesse Watters Prime Time” Wednesday night. “My family is from Ventura, California. I spent most of my life there and then lived in Los Angeles for 15 years.”
He also likened the news coverage of devastating wildfires to “watching an apocalyptic war movie.”
Levi outlined why he believes California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and state leadership should be held accountable.
“This is just an incredible mismanagement, an incredibly poor leadership. I would go so far as to say this is criminal negligence, because Gavin Newsom has been governor for five years or… He previously served as lieutenant governor for eight or nine years. Some of the worst fires that have ever happened in California, he obviously knows that the biggest problem we have in California is these fires and the landslides that follow.” Levi explained.
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“And especially at a time when firefighter budgets are being cut, when firefighters are intentionally not doing the work they could be doing to avoid these problems or allow them to serve firefighters effectively. , they essentially do nothing, and it's worse than doing nothing.
“There's almost a criminal intent to this. Like, what are they doing? I don't know,” Levi questioned.
“I don't know why they are doing it or not doing it, but they have to take responsibility. This is not good leadership,” he added.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has come under intense criticism for traveling to Ghana while the city was battling devastating fires and grappling with budget cuts for the Los Angeles Fire Department last year.
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The “Shazam!” star also referenced the infamous French Laundry incident during the coronavirus pandemic, where Newsom was photographed dining with friends in violation of state regulations. He criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom's “character.”
“I mean, listen, this guy was having dinner with friends at the French Laundry in the middle of a pandemic, when people were locked down to go out and gather. What does it say about the character of this man who hasn't done anything to help the people of California? I don't believe he is,'' Levi said. “So I think there needs to be some kind of accountability, not just for California, but for our nation's leaders.”
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Ms Levi said she considered the fire insurance to be the “most criminal” aspect of the situation.
“I don't know if you know this, but like 70% of insured people in Southern California who had fire insurance on their homes months ago, that insurance has been taken away. ,” Levi said. “The insurance companies said, 'No, we don't offer fire insurance anymore.' What do we need to do with flood insurance and fire insurance? This is a fire risk. Of course, that's what they need. And just a few months ago, this was not okay in any way. ”
He urged people to keep Southern Californians affected by the wildfires in their thoughts and prayers. “We need to send all the love, light and support we can to everyone affected right now,” Levi said.
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