Kamala Harris Addresses California Wildfire Aftermath
LOS ANGELES — Kamala Harris has a message for the California politicos eagerly awaiting her decision on the state’s governor’s race: Give me some time.
The former vice president, who has kept a relatively low-key presence since returning from Washington last month, made the sort of public appearance on Thursday — touring damage from the Palisades Fire and visiting displaced residents in a nearby Red Cross shelter — that stokes speculation of a possible return to political life.
But as Harris stood at a microphone outside the shelter to address an assemblage of local reporters, she glided past questions about her plans.
“I have been home for two weeks and three days,” Harris said. “My plans are to be in touch with my community, to be in touch with the leaders and figure out what I can do to support them, and most importantly, to lift up the folks who are surviving this extraordinary crisis and do what I can do to to offer any assistance, even if it is a kind word along the way.”
Pressed again on whether the day’s events would influence her decision about the race, she dodged.
“I am here and would be here regardless of the office I hold, because it is the right thing to do, which is to show up in your community and thank the folks who are on the ground doing the hard work,” Harris said.
In the immediate aftermath of her failed White House bid, Harris had privately conveyed to allies that she was keeping her options open — including another presidential run four years from now or next year’s California gubernatorial contest.
This is Harris’ second visit to the areas devastated by a series of wildfires that gripped Los Angeles last month. She stopped by Altadena, the neighborhood that saw the highest number of deaths, immediately upon touching down in her hometown after attending the inauguration of her 2024 rival, President Donald Trump.
She said the increased frequency of extreme weather conditions that lead to devastating fires and floods, like last fall’s Hurricane Helene, means governments should not only be preparing how to respond to such catastrophes, but how to build up resiliency before they happen.
“We, as a nation, as we think about where we are headed, we must see the opportunity that these crises are presenting to understand how we must do better,” she said.
Harris toured the fire wreckage with Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, a Democrat who represents the Palisades neighborhood. Horvath said Harris had been in close contact ever since the early days of the fire, when Harris’ Brentwood home was part of the mandatory evacuation zone.
“She called me to ask what she could do,” Horvath said, adding that she believed Harris, even as a private citizen, would be a help in the long recovery process.
“She’s offered support on the front lines in the immediate, and she’s offered support in our long-term planning and vision from Los Angeles County, and our resilient recovery, and so I know that she will be a support to us,” Horvath said. “She’s offered that and we will certainly call upon her.”
