Govs. Brown, Newsom To Join Trump On California Wildfire Tour

CHICO, CA -- California Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will throw out the ceremonial welcome mat to U.S. President Donald Trump Saturday for his visit to console victims of the catastrophic fires that enveloped the state in the last week, the Governor's Office reported Friday afternoon.

The three dignitaries will tour alongside top officials from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Cal Fire, California Highway Patrol and California National Guard as well as local and federal emergency managers. The tour marks only the second visit Trump has made to the state since he was elected.

It's unclear where President Trump's tour will lead, but he's landing in Beale Air Force Base eight miles east of Marysville, which is closer to Butte County than Malibu. He may tour both areas, as the visit details were not revealed during Thursday's announcement.

“We welcome the President’s visit to California and are grateful for the quick response to our aid requests,” the governors announced in a joint statement. “Now is a time to pull together for the people of California.”

The visit comes as a bit of a surprise given the terse exchange following his Twitter tweet that fire officials claim oversimplifies the very complex issue of forest management. With fires raging from both ends of the state, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding to the state and delivered a scathing criticism of how California handles its wildland acreage.

He wrote: "There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly fires in California," adding: "Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments."

Trump did issue an emergency declaration providing federal funds to assist fire agencies battling the blazes, but the damage was done.

The California Professional Firefighters President Brian Rice fired back, saying Trump's statement was "ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines."

The remark came across to those battling the blazes every day to be insensitive and a gross misrepresentation of the issues surrounding land management, fuel reduction and relief funds. In the state's historically devastating Camp Fire alone, the amount of acreage the federal government owns dwarfs state, county and city property. Private land represents the vast majority -- as the town of Paradise was leveled, killing 71 people at last count, destroying more than 12,000 structures, evacuating more than 47,000, injuring three firefighters and placing a large scar on the land and in the hearts and minds of those affected.

And the problems are far from being over. More than 1,000 people have now made the missing persons list.

The wind-whipped blaze broke out at 6:29 a.m. Nov. 8 off Camp Creek and Pulga roads and roared through the madrone-filled Feather River Canyon that butts up to Magalia and Paradise. It's only 50 percent contained. Full containment is expected Nov. 30.

Of the 145,134 acres scorched as of Friday afternoon, Cal Fire Incident Command reports:

• 30,311 belongs to the federal government (of that the U.S. Forest Service manages 26,341)
• 2,759 belongs to the state
• 111,758 belongs to private parties

--Images courtesy of the San Mateo County strike team, Getty Images