A billionaire couple was accused of withholding water that could help stop Los Angeles’ massive wildfires. Democratic leadership was blamed for fire hydrants running dry and for an empty reservoir. Firefighters were criticized for allegedly using “women’s handbags” to fight the fires. Those are just a few of the false or misleading claims that have emerged amid general criticism about California’s water management sparked by the fierce Los Angeles fires. Much of the misinformation is being spread “because it offers an opportunity to take potshots at California Democratic leadership while simultaneously distracting attention from the real contributing factors, especially the role of climate change,” said Peter Gleick, senior fellow at the Pacific Institute, a nonprofit he co-founded that focuses on global water sustainability.

Related articles:

• CBS News: Claims about who owns California’s water are spreading online. Here’s what to know.
• The Guardian: Opinion: What do the Los Angeles fires tell us about the coming water wars?
• CNN: Right-wing media figures call for withholding California wildfire aid, blame ‘liberals’ for disaster
• USA Today: Lawsuit says critical water source sat dry for months before Palisades Fire
• NBC 7 San Diego: Sweetwater Authority may inspect fire hydrants more thoroughly after LA failures
• Fox 5 KUSI News: Residents near Lake Hodges concerned about reservoir water levels
• Water Online: Wildfires can contaminate drinking water systems with harmful chemicals — here’s what Los Angeles needs to know