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By Giulia Carbonaro
Senior Reporter
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California is making moves to prevent potential land grabs following the devastating fires still ravaging Los Angeles County, according to the state's governor Gavin Newsom.
"We are already working with our legal team to move those things forward and we'll be presenting those in a matter of days, not just weeks," the Democrat told Fox 11 during an exclusive interview with the channel on Friday.
Newsweek contacted Newsom's Office and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green's Office for comment by email on Tuesday early morning, outside of standard PT working hours.
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Why It Matters
The fires still burning through Southern California have destroyed thousands of structures across Los Angeles County, including many homes and well-known landmarks, and killed at least 24 people.
Photos and videos from the areas affected show that entire neighborhoods and blocks have been burned to the ground, leaving many Californian homeless.
As recovery is expected to be a very challenging process, the threat of speculation could potentially emerge in the coming days and weeks.
What To Know
Newsom told Fox 11 last week that his administration was "dealing with a million of issues" concerning recovery and rebuilding in the areas devastated by the fires, including staving off the threat of land grabbing.
"I was just talking with Josh Green, the governor down in Hawaii, who had some ideas around some land use concerns he had, around speculators coming in and buying up properties and the likes," Newsom said on Friday.
"We are already working with our legal team to move those things forward and we'll be presenting those in a matter of days, not just weeks."
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The governor has not publicly said more about the threat of land grabbing in the areas affected by the fires.
What Happened in Hawaii?
In August 2023, the Hawaiian town of Lahaina, on the northwest coast of the island of Maui, was devastated by a raging wildfire which killed 102 people and displaced thousands.
In an article published on August 14 of that same year, NBC reported that Maui residents who had just survived the deadly blaze were getting calls from real estate developers trying to buy up their properties.
"There's a lot of real estate speculation happening right now. That's really frustrating," Maui resident Tiare Lawrence told MSNBC on August 11, 2023.
"I just want to remind all real estate investors around the world that Lahaina is not for sale. Please don't reach out to these families and take advantage of them during the most devastating time of their lives."
According to Lawrence, homeowners in Lahaina were being contacted by investors and realtors offering to buy their lands only days after the tragedy.
"This is disgusting," she told the channel. "We just want to make sure that people around the world understand our situation. It's important that the multigenerational families that come from Lahaina get to continue to live in our hometown."
On August 15, 2023, Hawaii's Governor Josh Green said he was exploring "options to do a moratorium on sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed."
Has There Been Any Attempted Land Grab in L.A. County?
There have been no reports of any attempted land grab in the areas affected by the Los Angeles wildfires so far.
Newsom's statement to Fox 11 suggests that the governor is taking preventative measures to stop any such things from happening in the future.
Baseless Conspiracy Theories Grow Around Newsom
Newsom's statement over his intention to fight potential speculation in Southern California has sparked a backlash among those who were already putting much of the blame for fires on the governor.
On social media, many have focused on Newsom's body language while talking about his chat with Josh Green, accusing the governor of being too "excited" while mentioning land grabs.
Some went as far as claiming the governor was happy about the idea of "gobbling up property that used to be family homes" because he was rocking his shoulders while talking, as one X user suggested.
President-elect Donald Trump has fueled the current wave of criticism against the California governor, whom he has entirely blamed for the fires.
"One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground. It's ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.
In response to Trump's repeated accusations, Newsom has warned the president-elect from using "human tragedy for political gain" and spreading disinformation.
He was referring to Trump's claim that he had refused to sign a "water restoration declaration" that would have allowed "millions of gallons of water" to flow from Northern California into the areas affected by the fires.
"There is no such document as the water restoration declaration—that is pure fiction," Newsom's press office wrote on X, contradicting Trump's claims.
"The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need."
Despite the governor's office attempts to make clarity around the fires, conspiracy theories involving Newsom are spreading on social media.
One viral post on X falsely claimed that the Democratic governor was "working with developers" to rezone land burned in Pacific Palisades for apartment construction. Newsom responded on the social media platform by simply writing: "This is not true."
The governor's office has now launched a fact-checking page on its website, called California Fire Fact.
What's Next
As of Tuesday morning, the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned through a combined surface of over 37,000 acres, were only partially contained.
Dangerous winds expected on Tuesday and Wednesday were expected to complicate firefighters' efforts to control and extinguish the blazes.
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