Did California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife create Cal Volunteers to steal money raised by FireAid? No, that’s not true: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, not Newsom, created California Volunteers, also known as Cal Volunteers, in 2006. FireAid, which was organized to help victims of the Los Angeles fires in January 2025, has listed the California Volunteer Fund as a potential recipient of a grant, but it is a separate organization and Newsom and his wife have no role with it.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted on TikTok on July 25, 2025, with the title:
Gavin Newsom Creates An Organization Just To Steal Money Raised To Help Fire Victims…