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Zachary Levi blasts ‘incredibly poor’ leadership for devastating LA wildfires

‘Shazam!’ star has been an avid proponent of Donald Trump

Inga Parkel
in New York
Friday 10 January 2025 02:53 GMT
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California wildfire spreads

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Shazam! star Zachary Levi has faulted governmental leaders for the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, declaring that they must be held responsible for “criminal negligence.”

The 44-year-old Hollywood actor and vocal Donald Trump supporter recently appeared on Fox News’ Jesse Waters Primetime show, where he slammed California Governor Gavin Newsom for doing “nothing” to avoid these natural disasters.

“This is the most devastating fire in Los Angeles history,” Levi said. “My family’s from Ventura, California. I grew up there most of my life, and then I was in L.A. for 15 years.”

Comparing the devastating scenes aired on the news to “a post-apocalyptic war film,” he went on to blame “incredible mismanagement, incredibly poor leadership” for the “catastrophic” blazes.

“I would go so far as to saying that it’s criminally negligent because, I mean, Gavin Newsom has been either the governor for five years or lieutenant governor prior to that for eight, nine years, some of the worst fires we’ve ever had in California under that watch. He clearly knows that the biggest problem that we suffer in California are these fires. And, by the way, the mudslides that follow,” Levi stated.

The Independent has contacted Newsom’s office for comment.

Zachary Levi said that government leaders ‘must be held responsible’ for the fires
Zachary Levi said that government leaders ‘must be held responsible’ for the fires (Getty Images)

Levi continued: “And for them to do essentially not just nothing, but worse than nothing, when firefighter budgets are being cut, when they are specifically, intentionally not doing the work that could be done to avoid these problems or to be able to effectively serve them when they are happening.

“There is something that’s almost criminally intentional about this. Like, what are they doing? I don’t know,” he added. “I have no idea why they are doing or not doing the things that they are doing. But they must be held responsible. This is not good leadership.”

Levi isn’t the only celebrity who blamed the fires on officials. Salvador actor James Woods, who lost his home in the Palisades, wrote on X/Twitter that fires weren’t due to “climate change” but because of “liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and [Los Angeles Mayor] Karen Bass.”

Meanwhile, Sarah Michelle Gellar scrutinized the mayor for traveling to Ghana amid the wildfires, tweeting: “The mayor is apparently in Ghana. The fire departments budget was apparently cut by 17 mil. And someone made the decision to not refill some of the reservoirs - now some fire hydrants are dry. Leadership in California is beyond negligent. This is completely unacceptable.”

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Three of the most ferocious blazes remain at zero percent containment
Three of the most ferocious blazes remain at zero percent containment (AFP via Getty Images)

There are currently multiple fires tearing through the L.A. area, with three of the most ferocious blazes — the Palisades, the Eaton and the Sunset fire — at zero percent containment. At least five fatalities have been reported, while more than 100,000 residents have evacuated.

The incoming president has also taken a swipe at Newson, calling for the Governor to resign. “One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump fumed on his Truth Social platform. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”

Newsom, however, has hit back, angrily attacking Trump for attempting to “politize” the tragedy as his office accused the President-elect of engaging in “pure fiction.”

“People are literally fleeing. Kids have lost their schools. Communities have lost their churches. Families have lost their homes. Some have even lost their lives,” Newsom posted on X/Twitter. “And the President-Elect’s response is to politicize it. We’ll continue to focus on what matters: saving lives and putting out these unprecedented fires.”

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