Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton rallied Sunday in Pacific Palisades, the Los Angeles neighborhood devastated by the January 2025 wildfires, blaming Democratic leadership for the destruction and the slow pace of recovery just days before voters choose the state's next governor.
Addressing supporters and residents, Hilton expressed sympathy for those affected. «I’m so sorry. And it’s so sad about what happened because it could and should have been avoided», he said. «This place is a symbol of 16 years of Democrat failure.»
The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed roughly 6,800 structures, many of them homes. Driven by powerful winds and dry conditions, the blaze displaced tens of thousands of residents and devastated large sections of the community, leaving a massive rebuilding effort in its wake.
Hilton argued that the disaster and its aftermath reflected broader failures of California's Democratic leadership, spanning wildfire prevention, emergency response and rebuilding. «These are not random, disconnected events», he said. «These are what has gone wrong in the state of California over 16 years of one-party rule.»
Democrats have held the California governorship for the past 16 years. Hilton faces Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden, in Tuesday's election to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. Hilton, a former Fox News commentator who previously advised British Prime Minister David Cameron, has made criticism of the state's Democratic leadership a central theme of his campaign.
At the rally, Hilton accused state and local officials of failing to adequately prepare for the fires and to help residents rebuild, blaming what he called a combination of «incompetence, ideology and corruption». He also criticized environmental and land-management policies, arguing that inadequate brush clearance contributed to the destruction. «The ideology that for years and years and years not just failed to clear the brush that could have prevented these fires here and in Altadena... but deliberately chose not to do that», Hilton said.
Hilton pledged that, if elected, he would appoint a recovery CEO to oversee rebuilding efforts, arguing that residents had waited too long for their communities to recover. «I spent the time, I’ve listened, and I can tell you right now, when I’m governor, I will appoint a recovery CEO to finally get things done, to finally get what you deserve», he said.
He closed by urging voters to reject the idea that California must remain under Democratic control. «This is not a blue state. It is not a red state. It’s the Golden State», Hilton said. «And we are going to fight with everything we’ve got.»
The rally comes as the race enters its final days. Hilton's campaign has centered on the governor's record over the past decade and a half, and his message in Pacific Palisades was aimed directly at residents still living with the consequences of the fire.