There are few politicians more duplicitous and self-serving than California Governor Gavin Newsom. Not too terribly long ago, he went on Meet the Press to lament lying politicians and how people can't stand them. That prompted many to ask if Gavin Newsom had met Gavin Newsom, because he lies as easily and as often as he breathes.
Case in point: he's been busted lying about the causes of the Pacific Palisades wildfire in court.
I hope you’re sitting down, but not only has Gavin Newsom been lying about the recovery and rebuilding of the Pacific Palisades, but now there are allegations that state mismanagement caused the Palisades wildfire and lied about it in court.
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) November 18, 2025
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We're (not) shocked at this news.
The state of California is facing new scrutiny on the origins of the Palisades Fire, including allegations that state mismanagement caused the wildfire and the state lied in court about it.
According to documents obtained exclusively by NewsNation, it began in the early morning hours of Jan. 1 when an alleged arsonist started the Lachman Fire.
Six days later, underground embers reignited, starting a second and more devastating fire, the Palisades Fire.
In a response to a lawsuit filed by more than 3,000 Palisades residents alleging that the state failed to monitor embers from the initial fire, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office told NewsNation the state wasn’t responsible.
“The state didn’t start this fire (that was an arsonist), and the state wasn’t responsible for responding to or monitoring the fire,” his office said in a statement.
In a report on NewsNation, anchor Elizabeth Vargas shared the investigative work that revealed Newsom's office is lying.
"Last week, our exclusive reporting found that a state representative was present near the burn scar, which had all the embers deep underground of a fire that had not been completely turned out," Vargas said. "Well, it eventually turned into the Palisades fire and apparently according to our reporting a state representative was on the scene ordering firefighters around, telling them where they could and could not go."
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Vargas continued, "Tonight, we not only have confirmation that a state representative was there, but we now know exactly when they arrived and why."
Rich McHugh broke the story. "It's really shocking and ultimately comes down to two really big questions," he said. "Number one, did state mismanagement ultimately cause the Palisades file, and did they lie about it in court, lie about all of it in court? And these new documents that we've obtained suggest that's absolutely what happened."
McHugh then lays out the timeline of events.
"In response to a lawsuit from over 3,000 Palisades residents alleging the state failed to monitor embers from that initial fire, Governor Newsom's office told NewsNation, 'The state didn’t start this fire (that was an arsonist), and the state wasn’t responsible for responding to or monitoring the fire'," McHugh said.
"In new court filings, the state goes further and says the Palisades victims cannot allege that the state had notice of the Lachman fire because it never had notice. State records show a call at 12:27 am on January 1, but with the rest of the incident report redacted, completely blacked out, basically. Including their response to that call," McHugh said.
"But a Los Angeles Fire Department record tells us all the details," McHugh continued.
It turns out the LAFD notified the state of the Lachman fire shortly after midnight on January 1, and the state sent a state park representative at 1:46 in the morning on January 1, according to Roger Behel, an attorney for the Palisades fire victims.
"That state park representative arrived on the scene at 4 am on January 1," Behle said. "If the state had no responsibility for this land, why are they sending a state park rep? The state is playing hide the ball."
"They're not being transparent with the public," Behle said. "Tell us that you sent a state park rep. Tell us what that state park rep did. Tell us on the next day, January 2, that you sent another state park rep who directed firefighters and said they couldn't bulldoze."
McHugh said he's reached out to Newsom's office and the California state parks, who have declined to answer any questions.
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