The California National Guard usually has 14 firefighting teams, but President Trump’s decision to deploy its troops to quell protests in Los Angeles has diverted most of those, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.
Mr. Newsom said the move has left the state vulnerable as the wildfire season gets underway.
He said the firefighting effort, known as Task Force Rattlesnake, is operating at just 40% capacity after Mr. Trump federalized the troops.
“With peak fire season well underway across California, we need all available resources to protect communities. President Trump: Rescind your illegal order and get the guard back to the critical firefighting and prevention work that actually keeps communities safe,” the Democratic governor said in a statement.
Mr. Newsom’s blame comes after devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area this year left dozens dead and tens of billions of dollars in damage.
The governor faced severe criticism for the state’s early handling, and he seems intent on making sure any repeat this year gets blamed on Mr. Trump.
Mr. Newsom said that in addition to the guard deployment, Mr. Trump has overseen a reduction in U.S. Forest Service personnel, with many of those coming from federal wildfire prevention efforts.
Mr. Trump federalized the state guard and deployed thousands of soldiers — as well as some active-duty Marines — after he said state and local authorities were slow to respond to pleas for help as protesters tried to break into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement center where illegal immigrants were being processed.
A federal judge said the president’s move was unconstitutional, but an appeals court disagreed and let the president’s deployment continue.
