LA councilwoman whose district ravaged by wildfires looks to hold leaders accountable for empty reservoirs

"This fire was unlike anything we have ever seen before, but there is no secret that we have chronically underinvested in critical infrastructure and public safety in Los Angeles," Council member Traci Park told Fox News Digital in a Monday interview. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom responded on Friday by calling for an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to investigate the water supply issues during the emergency.

"The ongoing reports of loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and to the community," Newsom wrote to LADWP Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones and L.A. County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella in a letter.

"Obviously, I have a lot of concerns about the water," said Park, whose district encompasses the Pacific Palisades, the area which was one of the first and hardest hit by the wildfires. 

Park, who has been collecting critical aid at her Westchester neighborhood office to distribute to her constituents, said she's also concerned about disaster preparedness, as Los Angeles sets itself to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games. 

"I was concerned about our level of preparation for those events before this happened," Park said, in regard to the wildfires. "And I certainly think that over the last several days, we have seen some of those gaps on full display."

While Park expressed her gratitude for Newsom and "his support at the state level," as well as county and Cal Fire partners, "The reality is, as we are hosting millions of people in our city, and our resources are already spread so thin, it is clear that we have a lot of work to do a lot of strategic planning to continue our preparations for those big events that are coming." 

In the months leading up to the wildfires, Los Angeles city officials reduced the fire department's budget by just under $18 million, according to the department.

In 2024, the state experienced record-breaking rainfall after an atmospheric river event, but the existing water infrastructure faced difficulties managing the sudden influx of water. A significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean.