Newsom, Cruz spar over executive order barring predatory real estate offers amid fires

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sparred over a California executive order barring predatory real estate offers amid recent wildfires.

“Today, I signed an executive order prohibiting greedy land developers from ripping off LA wildfire victims with unsolicited, undervalued offers to buy their destroyed property,” Newsom said in a post on the social platform X Tuesday. “Make no mistake — this is a prosecutable crime.”

The executive order features actions like a three-month barring of “any unsolicited offer to an owner of real property" located in a number of zip codes affected by the wildfires. It also bans those in the Los Angeles area from purchasing or acquiring "any interest in the real property for an amount less than the fair market value of the property or interest in the property" prior to the fires breaking out.

Cruz took a shot at Newsom's order in a post on X, saying it would only "hurt the victims" of the devastating fires.

“Misguided CA policies (1) limited fire mitigation efforts, (2) produced water shortages & (3) under-funded fire fighters,” Cruz responded Wednesday to Newsom’s earlier post on X. “Now, Dem politicians are making it HARDER for those devastated by the wildfires to sell their destroyed properties.”

“This will only hurt the victims,” Cruz added.

Newsom shot back at the Texas Republican via X only a few hours after Cruz’s response.

“Openly shilling for scammers and bottom feeder land speculators is a weird play -- even for you, Ted,” the California governor said. “Our Executive Order doesn’t prevent anyone from selling their property. It prohibits scammers from making unsolicited offers to buy property for pennies on the dollar.”

Newsom has also faced attacks from President-elect Trump during the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area, which have resulted in numerous deaths and destroyed property en masse.

“One of the best and most beautiful parts of the United States of America is burning down to the ground,” Trump posted to Truth Social last week. “It’s ashes, and Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!”

The Hill has reached out to Cruz’s office for comment.

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