California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was obsessing over suppressing free speech as he desperately tried to conceal institutional failure to prevent and address deadly wildfires.
As fires continue to rage in the Golden State, evidence emerged online that Newsom and other California officials slashed firefighting budgets, wasted vast quantities of water on climate projects and declined to do basic fire prevention measures.
Several prominent voices have shared these politically-damning facts and opinions on the governor on X. In response, Newsom began whining about so-called “misinformation,” a term used by leftists to justify censorship of content with which they disagree. 
Conspicuously, Newsom had signed a bill in 2024 requiring Big Tech to remove supposedly “deceptive” content online.
Amid the passionate debate about fires, for instance, X owner Elon Musk shared a post mocking Newsom for reportedly decriminalizing looting despite his current condemnations. This jest appeared to refer to Newsom’s law that made thefts of more than $950 a mere misdemeanor, an offense that often goes unprosecuted. Newsom countered Musk’s comment, claiming, “Stop encouraging looting by lying and telling people it’s decriminalized. It’s not.”
Stunningly, X Community Notes used Newsom’s claims to censor free speech. Newsom shared a user’s post accusing the governor of coordinating zoning changes in the burned areas, claiming, “This is not true.” Community Notes pounced on the user, lecturing “Gov. Newsom has said this claim is not true,” and linking to Newsom’s post as its sole source.
Newsom apparently grew tired of engaging in free speech debate, announcing a website officially approved by his campaign site that he asserts will provide “reliable” information, in contrast to X.
“A lot of misinformation out there,” Newsom complained. “Just launched a new site to ensure the public has access to fact-based data around the Southern CA wildfires.”
Unsurprisingly, the website talking points deny Newsom bears responsibility for any major failure:
The TRUTH:
- CA did NOT cut our firefighting budget. We have nearly doubled the size of our firefighting army and built the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet.
- CA has INCREASED forest management ten-fold since we took office.
- California will NOT allow for looting.
Get the facts: californiafirefacts.com
While Newsom has apparently not directly ordered social media censorship, he recently signed a law pressuring Big Tech to censor speech which he arbitrarily deeps “deceptive.” It seems that free speech is being torched in the deadly California fires.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “misinformation” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
