Liberal California may have a political 'reawakening' after wildfire disaster, historian predicts

"So, there is a group of people in California that could fuel a revolt of liberals or Democrats," Hanson, a Hoover Institution public policy think tank senior fellow, told Fox News Digital in an interview on Tuesday. 

"So, the shock of LA is most of the people that were burned out in Pacific Palisades or on the areas around it were very, very left-wing and very wealthy," Hanson said. "And this was what's shocking politically, because the consequences of their votes and their ideology had never really personally affected them to this degree.

"This is going to be an accelerant or a force multiplier. That's because it affects two different groups of people," Hanson explained. "It affects the very wealthy. For the first time, they got firebombed. Looks like Dresden, and that's going to be $300 or $400 billion when it's all over. And they're going to have to deal with the Coastal Commission, the Los Angeles Planning Commission and permits for building. And they're going to be irate when they have to do that.

"The net result is, I don't think any California politician is going to have a national profile after this."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' absence during the first 24 hours of the inferno, coupled with empty hydrants, a malfunctioning reservoir, a defunded fire department and a lack of new water infrastructure - despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's backing of billions for new reservoirs - highlighted severe flaws in the state's response, noted by lawmakers and experts.

"Goodbye, red tape," Newsom wrote in a post on X. "Through an executive order, we are making it easier for victims of the SoCal fires to quickly rebuild their homes and lives."

"If he could do it now, why didn't he do it before the fire?" Hanson said of the order. 

Many former California residents have relocated to states with lower taxes and more business-friendly environments, such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina. Top companies - Tesla, Oracle, Charles Schwab and Chevron - have also moved to other states.