California experienced heavy rainfall last year, yet lacked the necessary infrastructure to store it.

Despite California not experiencing a water shortage, firefighters fighting the intense fires in Los Angeles are struggling with limited resources to control the fire that has endangered thousands of lives, homes, land, and wildlife.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's call to "not play politics" is being challenged by critics who argue that political mismanagement is the root cause of the issue.

"Edward Ring, the director of water and energy policy for the California Policy Center think-tank, stated in an interview with Planet Chronicle Digital that the entire cause of the issue is political. He added that they politicize it by claiming it's about climate change, which is a political tool they use frequently, despite it being one of the least significant factors contributing to the problem."

The state's forestry management and outdated water reserves system are the primary reasons for the experts' blame. California's reservoirs have limited capacity, with many constructed in the mid-20th century.

Despite record-breaking rainfall last year due to an atmospheric river event, the state's water infrastructure struggled to manage the sudden influx of water. As a result, a significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean.

Environmentalist extremists in the state have advocated for stricter regulations, such as the Endangered Species Act, which mandates that freshwater flows through rivers and into the Pacific Ocean to safeguard the endangered delta smelt and salmon. These regulations limit the amount of water that can be diverted to storage, even during wet years.

According to Ring, although there is an abundance of water, the main obstacle to transporting it to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley and cities in Southern California is not the infrastructure's capacity but rather environmental policies. He emphasizes that there is a consensus among the bureaucrats and board directors responsible for California's water management, which prioritizes preserving more water in rivers to protect endangered fish.

Although he acknowledged the efforts made, the salmon and smelt populations have not recovered, and there is concern that sturgeon may soon be classified as endangered.

He stated that the reason for leaving water in the rivers is due to the endangered fish.

The drainage systems in urban areas, such as Los Angeles, were initially constructed to prevent flooding, not for water storage. As a result, this presents an additional challenge for the area.

"According to Ring, the biggest issue with water supply in Los Angeles is the neglected water infrastructure. The reason for this neglect is that the city prioritizes funding for other projects. Despite bringing water from the California Aqueduct and importing it into the city, the reservoirs are depleted, and they haven't brought enough water in."

"They haven't spent money on it, and they've justified that by saying they have to use less water. As a result, they've been encouraging people to use less water, even rationing or forcing them to do so. However, this has resulted in a less robust system."

A former California legislator stated that the state's inadequate water infrastructure is causing severe damage to California.

Despite the passage of Proposition 1 in 2014, which authorized $2.7 billion in bonds for water storage capacity expansion, no new reservoirs have been completed as of January 2025.

""We haven't moved the project forward despite having $100 billion in surplus, and it's been years since we started. The frustrating part is that we had the funds but didn't use them to make progress," Dahle said."

As of midday Thursday, Cal Fire reported that the Eaton Fire, the largest of the wildfires, had burned over 27,000 acres near Altadena and Pasadena.

Izzy Gardon, Newsom's spokesperson, stated that the Governor's primary concern is safeguarding individuals and ensuring firefighters have the necessary resources, rather than engaging in political maneuvers.