- California Gov. Gavin Newsom is already looking ahead to an “LA 2.0” post-wildfire.
- He said he is “organizing a Marshall Plan” to hasten the city’s recovery efforts.
- The fires, which started last week, burned through more than 40,300 acres of land and resulted in at least 24 deaths.
As the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles continue to rage, Gov. Gavin Newsom is looking toward rebuilding an “LA 2.0” post-fire.
Newsom was asked in an NBC “Meet the Press” interview on Saturday if California would be ready to host the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics over the next couple of years in the aftermath of the wildfires.
Speaking against the backdrop of a fire-ravaged neighborhood, Newsom said that he’s already “organizing a Marshall Plan” and already has a team “looking and reimagining LA 2.0.”
The Marshall Plan harkens back to the post-World War 2 period when President Truman signed the Economic Recovery Act of 1948. The act saw more than $13 billion invested in rebuilding Western Europe’s economies, bringing investments into the region, and stimulating the US economy by building a market for American goods.
When asked for details of the new “Marshall Plan,” Newsom said he was talking to city, civic, business, nonprofit, and labor leaders about recovery efforts and working to “galvanize the community.”
“We have got to be thinking three weeks, three months, three years ahead; at the same time, we’re focusing on the immediacy, which is life safety and property,” he told NBC.
Representatives for Newsom did not provide further comments in response to queries from Business Insider.
Newsom said in the interview that the wildfires will likely be one of the worst natural disasters in the country’s history, in terms of the costs associated with it and its scale and scope.
AccuWeather, a weather forecasting service, estimated the total economic damage to land between $52 and $57 billion. JPMorgan analysts estimated that insured losses could reach $20 billion.
The wildfires have ravaged over 40,300 acres of land across Los Angeles. At press time, at least 24 people have died, and according to CalFire statistics, more than 12,300 structures have been damaged.
As the fire passed through the wealthy Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the homes of several Hollywood A-listers, like Paris Hilton, Milo Ventimiglia, and Billy Crystal, burned down.
The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, are only 11% and 27% contained, per CalFire.
The governor said he had also ordered an investigation into why fire hydrants ran dry and lost water pressure in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, hindering firefighting efforts.
Newsom’s latest statements come as he faces criticism from President-elect Donald Trump for his handling of the wildfires.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called Newsom “incompetent” and said he was to blame for the wildfires.
Newsom said in the NBC interview that Trump’s comment was “inaccurate.”
He then invited Trump to “come out” to California and “take a look for himself.” Newsom’s team has also launched a fact-checking website to combat misinformation about the fires.
