Prominent historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson has issued a sharp critique of California’s leadership, accusing the state’s top officials of neglecting critical infrastructure and making deliberate policy decisions that are de-industrializing and de-civilizing the state.

Hanson particularly targeted Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, arguing their policies have exacerbated California’s vulnerabilities in areas like fire prevention, water management, and energy development.

Hanson described California’s situation as a “total systems collapse,” blaming the state’s leadership for failing to invest in vital infrastructure. “So it was a total systems collapse from the idea of not spending money on irrigation, storage, water, fire prevention, and forest management, a viable insurance industry, a DEI hierarchy,” Hanson said.

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He pointed to a pattern of neglect and mismanagement that has left California ill-prepared for crises like wildfires and water shortages.

Hanson criticized what he called a deliberate effort to dismantle the state’s capabilities in critical sectors, including energy production and timber industries. “We are deliberately making these decisions not to develop energy, not to develop a timber industry, not to protect the insurance industry, not to protect houses and property, and we’re doing it in almost a purely nihilistic fashion,” he said.

Hanson was particularly scathing in his critique of Governor Gavin Newsom, whom he compared to Nero.

“Gavin Newsom was fiddling. He’s almost Nero Newsom,” Hanson said, accusing the governor of prioritizing ideological policies over practical governance.

Hanson argued that California’s leadership envisions a return to a pre-industrial state while failing to prepare its 40 million residents for the consequences. “What we’re seeing in California is a state with 40 million people, and yet the people who run it feel that it should return to a 19th-century pastoral condition,” Hanson said.

“They are de-civilizing the state and de-industrializing the state and de-farming the state, but they’re not telling the 40 million people that their lifestyles will have to revert back to the 19th century.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also came under fire, with Hanson pointing to her decision to cut nearly $18 million from the fire department budget and her allocation of fire protective equipment to Ukraine instead of addressing local needs.

“She came to the airport back from Africa. She had nothing to say,” Hanson remarked.

“She was confronted at the airport. Why were you in Africa? Why did you cut the fire department? They cut the fire department by almost $18 million. They gave fire protective equipment to Ukraine’s first responder, and she had nothing to say. She had nothing to say because she couldn’t say anything.”

Hanson expressed concern about the broader implications of California’s policy decisions, warning that the state risks descending into third-world status if these trends continue.

“I don’t want to be too pessimistic or bleak tonight, but this is one of the most alarming symptoms of a society gone mad,” Hanson said. “If this continues, and if this were to spread to other states, we would become a third-world country, if we’re not in parts already.”

🚨NEW: VDH weighs in on the LA fires: “It’s something like a DEI Green New Deal hydrogen bomb — the alarming symptoms of a society gone mad.”

An incisive, two-minute breakdown of the political and ideological issues that led to this disaster:

“It was a total systems collapse… pic.twitter.com/QVyUFvcV2R

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) January 10, 2025

Hanson’s remarks highlight growing frustrations with California’s leadership, as residents face increasing challenges related to wildfires, water shortages, and infrastructure decline.

As these issues persist, calls for accountability and policy reform continue to grow louder.