California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to ABC7 about Donald Trump’s AI order, rebuilding after LA fires, ex-aide facing charges

LOS ANGELES (KABC)– California Gov. Gavin Newsom spent Thursday in Pacific Palisades and Altadena meeting with fire victims, those who helped rebuild, reflecting on the lives lost and assessing progress.

“2,193 permits were approved last week,” Newsom said. “I’ll put that in perspective. Maui lost about 2,200 homes. Two years later, 465 homes were permitted. I mentioned Paradise. It was 385 after a full year, so there’s real progress there. But it’s progress overall. But no one is living in the overall. So someone at home is watching right now, shaking their head because maybe they had a stubborn experience and frustrating, and that’s what we need to address. I’ve signed twenty-seven decrees, if I have to sign 27 more, I will.”

Newsom says partisan politics in Washington has no role in federal disaster aid or artificial intelligence. On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order that blocks states from enforcing their own AI regulations.

“We also lead the country in regulation and that regulatory path led to the nation’s first model for AI regulation, SB53, which we signed last year. We think it’s a model for the country. Donald Trump doesn’t believe in any regulation. We think he’s wrong and we think the state has the right to regulate businesses and it would be a huge mistake if he succeeded in that effort. We’re going to make sure he doesn’t. We think that it’s blatantly illegal for him to sign an executive order denying state’s rights,” Newsom said.

Eyewitness News asked the governor about his former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who was facing federal charges.

“As far as any independent investigation, the last thing anyone should do in positions like mine, if I’m going to criticize Trump for his involvement in these things, I’m going to be cautious and say let those independent facts flow,” Newsom said.

Williamson has pleaded not guilty to all 23 charges. Newsom’s office placed Williamson on leave more than a year ago when they learned she was under criminal investigation. She left the governor’s office a month later.