California authorities have confirmed that 24 have died as wildfires continue to rage around Los Angeles on Sunday. Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing criticism for approving a budget that slashed $100 million in firefighting and fire prevention funding.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom demanded an independent investigation into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power after fire hydrants went dry during the devastating fires.

NEW: Joe Rogan and Mel Gibson blast California Governor Gavin Newsom for failing to prepare Los Angeles for the devastating wildfires. "They spent $24 billion last year on the homeless, and what did they spend on preventing these wildfires?" "In 2019, Newsom said he would take... pic.twitter.com/xJaQeDVMIA

The order targets opportunistic real estate speculators who make unsolicited cash offers well below market value in attempts to exploit victims of the Los Angeles-area fires.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom downplayed Donald Trump's nickname for him as the Los Angeles wildfires entered their second week

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was roasted online after he posted footage of himself visiting the fires burning Los Angeles – with critics accusing him of turning the disaster into a photo-op. “On the ground getting briefed,

Newsom said it was a "ridiculous lie" that he cut $100 million, a retort he included on his new website, California Fire Facts. But the website didn’t dissect the $100 million; it focused on the big picture of the budget during his tenure, asserting that the budget had grown for California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Cal Fire.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for the Pacific Palisades after a massive wildfire erupted on Tuesday, quickly growing to engulf more than 2,900 acres and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate.

Gavin Newsom ... losing supplies from fire hydrants likely impaired the effort to protect some homes and evacuation corridors,” Newsom wrote in a letter to Los Angeles Department of Water ...

Gavin Newsom has ordered a probe into why Los Angeles’ fire hydrants ran out of water amid a spate of wildfires that have decimated the region. The California governor has been slammed this week over the issue,

The minute something goes wrong, then you have excuses and cop-outs and really no direct response,” one resident fumed.

Just over $100 million was cut from California's wildfire and forest resilience fund in the latest budget, though total spending has grown sharply since 2014.