Lefty California Gov. Gavin Newsom is shortchanging the state’s vital fire-prevention programs while shelling out tens of billions of dollars on “Don Quixote’’ Green New Deal handouts, critics — including some environmentalists — say.

The embattled governor’s new budget slashed the state’s firefighting efforts by $101 million, to just $2.6 billion, in June — only seven months before devastating wildfires began wreaking deadly havoc in Los Angeles.

But that hasn’t stopped Newsom from ringing up a mind-boggling $14.7 billion price tag in transitioning the state to zero-emission-only vehicles and other clean-energy initiatives — and $100 billion in costs over the next several years for even more “pure political’’ climate initiatives, reports have said.

Critics have savaged fire prevention efforts by both Newsom and leaders in Los Angeles. Mayor Karen Bass cut $17.6 million from the LAFD in this year’s budget, which Chief Kristin Crowley warned would hamper her department’s response to fires. Crowley, meanwhile, has been criticized for focusing more on DEI than on fire prevention after taking the helm in 2022.

“Even with the funding, many projects get delayed or stalled because of [the California Environmental Quality Act], lawsuits, and bureaucracy,’’ seethed California Republican Assembly leader James Gallagher on X last week.

He noted that the town of Berry Creek had been trying to clear out dead wood and other fuel to help prevent wildfires when it was stopped by environmental laws. The northern California town was later all-but destroyed by 2020 wildfire.

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Malibu residents returned to their destroyed homes, grappling with the devastation left by the ongoing Palisades wildfires. The destruction in other nearby Los Angeles neighborhoods, including Altadena and the Pacific Palisades, has left thousands displaced and homeless.

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Donald Trump's team is reportedly discussing a trip for the president-elect to visit Los Angeles and see the fire devastation there.

California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom — whom Trump (and a fleet of others, including liberal Hollywood stars) has criticized greatly for the state's fire response and lack of preparedness — invited Trump to "take a look for himself."

Shortly after wildfires began tearing through LA County last week, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, blasting Gov. "Newscum" and LA Mayor Karen Bass’ “gross incompetence” that he said led to a “total wipeout.”

California Rep. Judy Chu, also a Democrat, said on CBS News Sunday that she intended to extend invites to both the President-elect and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), as well.

Vice President-elect JD Vance said on "Fox News Sunday" that Trump wanted to visit California, but was unsure when he would make the trip. It is unclear if his visit would happen before or after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

Dean Cain, who grew up in Malibu, California, told Fox News Digital that all of the homes he once lived in there, and in nearby Pacific Palisades, have been destroyed during this week’s Los Angeles-area wildfires.

“I ended up having three different houses in Pacific Palisades, one that I owned, two that I rented and lived in,” Cain said. “The three of those Pacific Palisades’ [homes], all of those burned, gone. Pacific Palisades looks like someone dropped a nuclear weapon on top of it and just flattened everything. I’ve never seen anything like that. Also, three of the houses that I lived in in Malibu are gone.” 

The “Lois & Clark” star called the devastation "shocking and horrific, but not unexpected. It’s part of the reason I left California was this perfect storm of mismanagement and a failure of leadership.” 

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President Biden has released a statement after the death toll from the Los Angeles fires climbed to 24 Monday.

"Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires across Los Angeles," the president said in a White House statement.

"Jill and I pray for them and their loved ones. We are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the unprecedented ongoing wildfires across Southern California."

Biden has been "frequently briefed on intensive efforts to suppress the wildfires" and has "directed our team to respond promptly to any request for additional federal firefighting assistance," he said.

"At my direction, hundreds of federal personnel and unique federal aerial and ground support has been sent to California to support the firefighting efforts and help communities in need. My Administration remains laser-focused on helping survivors and we will continue to use every tool available to support the urgent firefight as the winds are projected to increase.

"To the brave firefighters and first responders working day and night to suppress these fires and save lives: our nation is grateful. You represent the best of America and we are in your debt."

Former California first lady Maria Shriver is the latest to blame the current Democratic leadership of Los Angeles for the deadly wildfires posing a historic threat to the region.

“LA cannot go forward with the status quo. LA is no longer what it was. It has to be different,” the ex-wife of former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote Sunday.

“It has to prioritize the safety of its citizens, police, fire, schools,” Shriver, 69, tweeted on Sunday. “LA residents deserve better.”

Shriver’s post was a response to a tweet highlighting how Los Angeles Fire Cief Kristin Crowley openly criticized Democratic Mayor Karen Bass for leaving her department “understaffed, underfunded and under-resourced” when the wildfires hit.

“Chief Crowley is saying LA cannot sustain itself. It needs more help. Chief Crowley says she rang the bell,” Shriver continued in her post, viewed nearly 2 million times since Sunday.

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While Los Angeles police said Monday that they haven't determined a cause of multiple wildfires there, they haven't ruled out arson for any of them.

"Right now we have the task force that is robust," LAPD's interim Chief Dominic Choi said Monday. "They're identifying cause and origin for each of these separate fires. None of them have been ruled out as arson. They are ongoing investigations.

"The Palisades Fire specifically, there’s been no definitive determination that it’s arson at this point, but we’re looking at every angle," he added.

Wildfire debris littering Los Angeles won't be cleaned up until at least mid-summer, a representative from the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday.

FEMA will cover the entire cost of clearing out debris for 180 days, but said the project will likely take longer.

“It’s going to take more than six months to remove this debris,” FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said on CNN.

The agency will be hiring government contractors to remove hazardous waste and wildfire debris, clearing several inches of top soil and impacted homes' foundations.

The Los Angeles Unified School District announced that it would reopen most of its schools and all of its offices Monday — though schools in the highest-impact areas remain closed due to mandatory evacuation orders.

“Conditions have improved for a majority of areas across the Los Angeles region and the district is confident it is safe for students and employees to return to campuses,” the school district wrote in a release.

More than 63,000 people are still without electricity in California, according to power outage tracker PowerOutage.us.

More than 34,500 of these outages are in Los Angeles County.

After nearly a week of battling flames, Los Angeles firefighters had managed to contain at least 33% of the Eaton Fire by Monday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

The Eaton Fire has burned at least 14,117 acres (22 square miles) and destroyed 7,081 structures, according to the LA County Fire Department.

The Palisades Fire remains at 14% containment with 23,713 acres (37 square miles) burned, and the Hurst Fire was listed at 89% containment with nearly 800 acres (1.25 square miles) burned Monday morning.