California Gov. Newsom should take 'no-brainer' action to crack down on wildfire lawlessness, DAs say
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Southern California district attorneys are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend price gouging protections to further aid wildfire victims, calling it “a layup for the governor.”

“I mean, this to me seems like a no-brainer,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told Fox News Digital. “I think the governor would absolutely want to protect the fire victims if they’re trying to find housing in surrounding counties.”

Newsom, a Democrat, issued an executive order in mid-January fast-tracking temporary housing aid to people displaced by the Southern California wildfires in Los Angeles County. California Attorney General Rob Bonta also said at the time that his office would prosecute those engaging in price gouging amid the natural disaster. 

Currently in California, price gouging protections only come into play during a state of emergency and bars sellers, contractors, business owners, and other similar entities from charging more than 10% more than what they were charging or advertising before the crisis.

One of Newsom’s most recent executive orders extends the protections in L.A. County until March 8. 

California wildfire

Southern California district attorneys are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend price gouging protections to further aid wildfire victims, calling it “a layup for the governor.” (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)

Newsom also issued an executive order this week expanding price gouging protections “to leases of any length, rather than only leases of one year or less.”

State officials announced just last week that a second California realtor had been charged with allegedly price gouging victims of the deadly wildfires. 

Bonta announced that the state was filing charges against a real estate agent, who was not named, alleging that they attempted to price gouge a family who was evacuated due to the Los Angeles Eaton Fire. 

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report. 

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