California authorities have confirmed that 24 have died as wildfires continue to rage around Los Angeles on Sunday. Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing criticism for approving a budget that slashed $100 million in firefighting and fire prevention funding.

As wildfires in California caused at least two dozen deaths and billions of dollars in damages, some social media users accused Governor Gavin Newsom of slashing money to prevent fires. Many posts including by Fox News stated Newsom cut about $100m in fire prevention from the state’s budget months before the Los Angeles fires.

Just over $100 million was cut from California's wildfire and forest resilience fund in the latest budget, though total spending has grown sharply since 2014.

Cal Fire’s total base wildfire protection budget has nearly tripled over the past 10 years, from $1.1 billion in 2014‑15 to $3 billion in 2023‑24.

The wildfires ravaging Los Angeles are getting embroiled in politics as Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response and preparations have come under criticism from