"California's state and local officials have a choice to stand with President Trump in enforcing the rule of law or kowtow to violent protestors defending criminal illegals," Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) tweets. "The choice should be simple."

Sen. Blackburn is exactly right. It should be simple. Problems can ensue when levels of government do not coordinate their responsive actions to meet an urgent need. It is particularly troubling when bitter partisan attitudes disturb the flow of a response and contribute in unhelpful ways to an already difficult situation.