Auberry family says Harris and Newsom trespassed in damaged home for photo op

 

An Auberry family says California Governor Gavin Newsom and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris trespassed during their tour of Creek Fire damage.

 

On Tuesday, Newsom and Harris arrived in Fresno County to survey areas that suffered major damage due to fire.

 

During the trip, Harris and Newsom were briefed by Cal Fire and U.S. Forest Service officials about the challenges they've faced with this fire.

 

Newsom and Harris stopped by Pine Ridge Elementary in Auberry, before going across the street to look around a burned down home.

 

Senator Harris commented that many residential areas had been badly impacted.

 

"The fire just swept through. So everything is gone except the chimney. Those chimneys, they remind me - when you look at a neighborhood that's been wiped out, those chimneys remind me of tombstones."

 

In several Facebook posts shared since then, the homeowner's family says neither Harris or Newsom had the right to be on their property.

 

Trampas Patten says that he is the son of the homeowners and thinks the home was merely used for a photo op.

 

"What has me really frustrated right now is the fact that these two politicians used my parents loss for a photo opportunity to push their political agenda! Political party wouldn’t have made a difference in this moment. Decent human beings that have character and class, wouldn’t air someone else’s misfortune on national television!" Trampas wrote in a Facebook post.

 

He says that his parents never gave permission for Harris or Newsom to enter their property.

 

His sister, Bailee Patten, adds that her family hasn't even had to opportunity to visit the home themselves.

 

"When we saw those photos, it was - there aren't words, because it's like, we haven't even seen our house. We haven't seen our property. There is no house, we haven't even seen our property."

 

The home on Auberry Road is still under an evacuation order, so the owners have not been able to check up on their property themselves yet.

 

"This isn't just devastation, this is our lives. This is where we grew up, these are our memories. And to not have that - to feel so helpless - and I guess that's what we've all been thinking, is that we were so helpless. Because we weren't there, we haven't gotten to deal with our loss. Instead, we're having to watch it play out on social media and news."

 

Senator Harris told reporters filming her around the property, "These are the stories behind these fires."

 

She continued, "The people who are victimized by these, they could care less - and their children could care less - who they voted for in the last election."

 

Patten says that community should not be classified as victims.

 

"We're survivors. We're gonna get through this, but the whole community has lost. And to just take a picture of one loss, it's not enough."

 

She says that neither Newsom or Harris have reached out to see if the family needs any help.

 

"Do you want this kind of leadership, using you and your loss for political gain?!" Trampas Patten asked in his post.

 

"What you did do is take my families loss and parade it all over social media and news networks to push your agenda," Bailee Patten wrote on Facebook.

 

FOX26 News has reached out to the Communications teams for both Governor Newsom and Senator Harris.

 

We haven't heard back from Governor Newsom.

 

Senator Harris's Communications Director, when asked for a statement, told FOX26 News Reporter Marie Edinger over the phone, "I'm not going to have anything about that," and declined to comment further.

 

https://kmph.com/news/local/auberry-family-says-harris-and-newsom-trespassed-in-damaged-home-for-photo-op