Palisades Fire Incinerates Future Career of Mayor Karen Bass, Gavin Newsom’s Presidential Aspirations
California literally turned into a red state overnight.
I have been following the progress of the Palisades fire and several others in the Los Angeles area since my initial post last night.
According to Watch Duty, the blaze charring Pacific Palisades now covers over 15,000 acres and is ZERO percent contained…just as the Santa Ana winds are about to begin peaking.
However, other significant wildfires are burning through the region as well. The Eaton Fire in the Altadena/Pasadena area has already destroyed 10,000 acres and claimed five lives. The Hurst Fire around Sylmar has already hit 700 acres. There is also ZERO percent containment for both of these blazes.
Of course, it is hard for understaffed firefighters to suppress wildfires when there is no water to quench them.
LADWP CEO Janisse Quinones confirms that firefighters battling the Pacific Palisades fire – which is still 0% contained and growing – had NO ACCESS to water.
“The consumption of water was faster than we can provide…at 3 am all of the water went dry in the Palisades.” pic.twitter.com/H0OYp3uKtY
— The Persian Jewess (@persianjewess) January 8, 2025
The lack of firefighting resources is just one of the long-term problems that contributed to the historic destruction of Los Angeles. The magnitude of destruction is so vast that any of our nation’s terrorist enemies would be delighted to claim responsibility for it.
However, the state and local leaders ultimately created all the conditions that resulted in a disaster that will likely outstrip Maui’s total devastation in our collective memories. I will note many of these problems have been discussed at Legal Insurrection whenever we have reviewed wildfires in California previously.
Let’s start with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who was in Africa for the inauguration of new Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. She returned to face questions about significant cuts to the fire department budgets under her leadership.
This might be the greatest takedown of LA Mayor Karen Bass that I have ever seen.
No response. Not one word. Just blank, blinking panic.pic.twitter.com/Q30f5lg0J3
— Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) January 8, 2025
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) budget was reduced by $17.6 million, from $837,191,237 in the 2023-2024 fiscal year to $819,637,423 for 2024-20251. Bass initially proposed a more substantial cut of $23 million, but the final approved budget settled on the slightly lower figures. These cuts to the LAFD were the second-largest in the city’s budget, trailing only behind the $21.6 million reduction in street services.
This looks so bad that even the owner of the Los Angeles Times had questions.
Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes and are seeking shelter. Fires in LA are sadly no surprise, yet the Mayor cut LA Fire Department’s budget by $23M. And reports of empty fire hydrants raise serious questions. Competence matters… Follow @latimes for live…
— Dr. Pat Soon-Shiong (@DrPatSoonShiong) January 8, 2025
Bass looked rather sheepish when she finally got some grilling from the media.
This might be the greatest takedown of LA Mayor Karen Bass that I have ever seen.
No response. Not one word. Just blank, blinking panic.pic.twitter.com/Q30f5lg0J3
— Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) January 8, 2025
In 2022, Los Angeles also sent firefighting equipment to…Ukraine.
Boots, hoses, nozzles, body armor and medication were among the items packed and shipped out during an event earlier this week.
The care package was loaded at an L.A. County fire station in Inglewood on Thursday afternoon. Fire Chief Daryl Osby and county supervisor Janice Hahn were in attendance and helped pack up the items.
“As Ukrainian firefighters continue to work under extreme peril to remove victims with limited resources, we felt the need to step up and help in some way,” said Osby in a news release.
LA county sent their surplus firefighting equipment to Ukraine. https://t.co/PxZWaD1X6L
— Abigail (@RandomPatriot22) January 8, 2025
There was also a shortage of firefighters to battle these blazes.
I first heard about the LAPD call for more fire fighters with trace gallagher when he broke in more news on Palisades fire ravaging all over the hills of west LA It's surreal worst firefighter shortage this shouldn't be happening honestly https://t.co/GuidEHrRYo
— chuck harrison (@0SweetSolace0) January 8, 2025
Perhaps focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender politics did not produce the best candidates or inspire qualified individuals to join the service.
LA Fire Chief is being hailed as the first female and LGBTQ fire chief in Los Angeles. She says her priority is DEI.
Here she is waving a pride flag at a pride parade while dressed in uniform. pic.twitter.com/E2mjsGN2KK
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 8, 2025
Meet the LAFD's head of DEI who earns $399,000 after she complained about racism and sexism
Meanwhile the LAFD doesn't have the resources to fight fires
Maybe it can try smothering the fires with DEI experts pic.twitter.com/yBSRkb9DBG
— Daniel Greenfield – "Hang Together or Separately" (@Sultanknish) January 9, 2025
However, this disaster can’t solely be laid at the feet of Bass. State leadership also has significant culpability.
In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1, the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. A $7.5 billion water bond was supposed to upgrade the state’s water infrastructure.
Over 10 years later, only smaller-scale projects have been completed. The larger, more complex water storage projects are still in development due to extensive planning, permitting, and construction requirements. The only major projects on the docket for Los Angeles are a water purification facility and a toilet-to-tap system, which are still being built.
Meanwhile, Newsom chortles about removing dams because fish are more important than California’s citizens.
We’re making progress on the largest river restoration project in US history.
By removing 4 dams along the Klamath River, we're bringing life back to the river & honoring our commitments to tribal nations.
By fall, the river will be free-flowing for the first time in 100 years. pic.twitter.com/Futefy4WGk
— Governor Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 7, 2024
I have previously written about insurance companies no longer offering homeowners insurance in this state. As firms fled the state, Newsom had other priorities.
State Farm canceled 1,600 policies in Pacific Palisades last year because California wouldn't allow them to raise premiums to cover their exposure.
Instead of fixing an immediate problem, Gov. Newsom worked on 'Trump Proofing' his state to protect illegal immigrants. pic.twitter.com/66YaczHuRl
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) January 9, 2025
Last year, State Farm canceled 1,600 policies in Pacific Palisades because the state would not allow them to raise premiums enough to cover their exposure. The affected homeowners would then likely have to rely on the state-run FAIR Plan, an expensive last-resort insurance… pic.twitter.com/xe9bLPtaN3
— Laura Powell (@LauraPowellEsq) January 9, 2025
Finally, many are angry at Newsom’s hands-in-the-pocket photo-op taken as the fire began to surge through the area.
This asshole is entirely to blame for the California fires 🔥
Gavin Newsom needs to resign
Year after year the state burns, his policies drove insurance companies out, fire hydrants empty
People will be penniless.
While the POS poses for a photo op
— 🇺🇸𝕄𝔸𝔾𝔸 𝑵𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒚 ن ♱ (@45LVNancy) January 8, 2025
There are many other significant problems created by Bass, Newsom, as well as other progressive politicians in this state. However, blog space is short.
In conclusion: Bass’ future in politics and Newsom’s presidential aspirations can be added to the list of items destroyed in the Palisades fire.
California literally turned into a red state overnight.
California literally turned into a red state overnight. https://t.co/3fM48Kc9zf
— Leslie Eastman ☥ (@Mutnodjmet) January 9, 2025
For our sake, and the sake of the nation, I hope the change also translates to the political.
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Comments
No, it doesn’t.
This isn’t even the first major fire under Newsom.
He’s just going to deflect it all to ‘climate change’ nonsense, and the leftists will just eat it up.
Bass MIGHT be a different case, but I wouldn’t be shocked if she still gets re-elected. Because again, they’re going to scream about ‘climate change’, and because California elections are a joke.
I disagree. This is Maui-bad. Newsom’s opponents in whatever race he runs will tie him directly to this disaster.
Oh, its an horrific disaster and 100% due to their insane policies.
I just question whether there will actually be political fallout.
Just watch. If anybody tries to challenge Newsom on this he’s going to start deflecting about them ‘just repeating Trump’s talking points’, and the leftists will reflexively back Newsom.
If this happened last October, Trump may have won California. There is so much tape of him talking about this. Katrina for Democrats. No fun saying that, either.
Trump didn’t even get 40% of the vote. This may have given him something in the low 40s, tops. However, the GOP would have almost certainly done appreciably better with the House races, several of which that were lost by razor-thin margins would have been won, perhaps decisively. The Orange County race comes to mind immediately.
Don’t kid yourself. The times are changing and people are tuning in to the fact that their pretend benefactors were pretenders.
I was going to respond, ‘this is crazy talk.’ But, I just saw a tweet from Sarah Foster, director, writer & producer and daughter of legendary music producer & impresario David Foster, which said…
“We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank god drug addicts are getting their drug kits. @MayorOfLA @GavinNewsom RESIGN. Your far left policies have ruined our state. And also our party.”
https://x.com/saramfoster/status/1877161637926641687
I mean, while it’s not an endorsement of Trump, coming that far off the Democrat reservation would have been unthinkable just 60-days ago. So, maybe you’re right.
Hear you. Not a matter of being right, but simply to communicate that this may be a sea change in California, just as has occurred oll over, as people are stepping from the shadows again.
I think this is an example of ‘liberals getting mugged’. It’s one thing to suspect that the bad public policies and inept political hacks are creating conditions that can be catastrophic. The public can put their head in the sand and refuse to pay attention. When that catastrophe arrives sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the reality of a catastrophe isn’t an option.
Sure many will try to deflect blame for lack of mitigation measures, chronic under investment of critical infrastructure, refusal to build adequate water storage/pumping stations and so on, heck they gonna trot out ‘climate change’ but any reasonable person understands those are BS excuses.
The true believing, kool aid drinking, climate cult members won’t be swayed but others who had convinced themselves that nothing bad would happen despite chronic dumbass govt policies? Some of these latter group will absolutely change their perspective.
Where has this chick been for the last 30 years? And it would be interesting to know who she voted for … though I think we all know the answer to that.
Maui, HI voted for harris
Yep. Maui County voted overwhelmingly for Harris, 61-36. about the same as Wayne Cty, MI (Detroit).
Maui was a far different situation than what is going on in California right now.
How so? They were allowed to burn to a cinder, given no help by anyone – the democrat officials even closed the only escape route – never visited by anyone for anything … And then, a few days after it was over, people treated it as if nothing had even happened over there.
That was extra weird how they closed off the whole area to any press – threatening to arrest O’Keefe … especially odd seeing how the New Orleans terrorist’s home was left open for anyone to walk through and rummage through his stuff that the FBI left.
They both will but unlike the last several years there won’t be a Federal Government echo chamber. Trump has already started to go after Newsome.
Never underestimate the stupidity of a California voter. There’s a reason other states HATE California transplants
Thing about it is… this isn’t really Newsom’s fault. He’s just continuing the insane policies that his predecessors created and the taxpayers voted for. If LA, and California, would like to know who is responsible for what happened… they need a great big mirror.
The old saying “We have the government we deserve” has just been proven. Again.
(And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.)
Biden dropped by to say a few words: “The loss of two lives and thousands of homes is truly horrendous. The good news is, I’m a great-grandfather.”
“My boy Beau died in a fire. And Hunter almost set my great-niece on fire with his crack pipe.”
This is hilarious!!! Not a fun topic but what wit!
That was so pathetic. It’s like when he told the people in Lahaina about his kitchen fire.
That was a classic. Joe Biden in a nutshell.
More likely Elizabeth Warren will stop by to talk about the time her house almost burned down and Biden will do a “me too”.
But he didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl. I guess it was a non-binary thing. Fitting for the Bidens.
It is incredible, almost beyond words, to speak of the destruction wrought on humanity by pretend superior good doers practicing progressivism, a bunch of ideas that mainly help themselves. Now we see first hand that no one is immune. Defund the fire department; NO WATER? And even now so many will resist. Protect the smelt and get Trump. Almost beyond words!
Not that they could have prevented the fire, but certainly they have made it worse by the lack of preparation and performance. It is pervasive. No sense of what actually matters, except the latest social cause thataffects the fractions of us.
Maybe Newsome can convene a meeting at the French Laundry to figure out how they should approach this horrific fire and its aftermath. Or maybe he can join Justine Trudeau on the ash heap of history.
That video of Bass with a blank stare is pretty damning on it’s own merit, but to send equipment to Ukraine while upping the DEI chief to 400 grand a year is just plain evil.
Don’t forget the 400+ fireman fired by the previous LA administration for not getting vaccinated. I don’t know how many, if any, of those firefighters were rehired.
It’s California.
I promise you, ZERO were rehired.
Damning but what she was doing was not answering a question, how can she, while looking out the window waiting for someone to wave her to a different area. You can see the guy at the end of the video waving at her and she starts moving.
Watching the coverage is absolutely heartbreaking. With the Palisade’s fire heading toward Santa Monica and also towards Mandeville Canyon in addition to the other larger fires burning, I think what’s most worrying is this is far from over. By the time Sunday gets here, things could be way worse.
Bravo, young Leslie. This is a tour de force. At every paragraph I was running ahead thinking I could comment on… this. Leslie did. That. Leslie did. One more thing. Leslie did. Summation for this deadly fustercluck of corruption and malfeasance. Leslie did.
So, I’ll just just puzzle outloud: As with ‘why does a US Rep from California need to attend a ceremony in Luxembourg on the tax payer dime;’ why does a big city mayor from California need to attend an inauguration in Ghana on the tax payer dime?
Incidentally, I live off just a bit to the east of LA.
The wind is still blowing crazy hard here, and has had several big wind storms in the past couple months.
In the last 6 months they’ve shut off my power for ‘public safety’ 3 previous times (this is now the 4th shut down).
It’s so stupid and arbitrary, though. Wind was actually blowing HARDER last night where I live, and yet my power was still on, but then this morning my power was off and the wind was still blowing hard, but nowhere near as hard as last night. Meanwhile houses a block away still have power.
They need to just bury the freaking power lines and a huge amount of these problems just go away.
Solano county resident here. Two time evacuee, endured half a dozen or more PSPS. The first one was five days. It is like camping in your own house. They undergrounded here for the last 18 months or so. We still had a PSPS a couple months ago. I don’t think undergrounding is going to change much based on recent experience.
I would hope that the State of California is sued for billions for the actions that damaged these citizens. Fire insurance was cancelled for most of these people. The lack of truly preventative measures by the state has made this happen.
It isn’t just ‘lack of truly preventative measures’.
Companies are OUTRIGHT FORBIDDEN from taking those preventative measures.
Power companies in particular – the entire reason ‘power safety shutoffs’ have skyrocketed in the last year is because California declared that they were on the hook for paying for any ‘damages’ if the state decided they caused a fire, while simultaneously forbidding them from cutting the treeline back far enough from the power lines to prevent fires.
Of course they could just bury the power lines, but I’m pretty sure California makes that insanely expensive and impossible to get permitted, either.
Holy Moly. I’m watching KTLA live-feed. They just announced a new fire and evacuation for the Hollywood Hills as defined as 101 on the east, Mulholland Dr on the North, Laurel Canyon on the West and Hollywood Blvd on the South. The live aerial shot shows a significant fire burning. I hate Hollywood and everything it represents. I’ve said many times that if God begins smiting again, this is where He’s going to start…but, I never meant it literally.
Blues from Laurel Canyon indeed. Glad John Mayall didn’t have to see this.
There is a lot of bad things that have happened in the Hollywood Hills. A lot.
PLOT TWIST: “The NFL said Wednesday that a playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings scheduled for Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, would be moved to State Farm Stadium, the Phoenix-area home of the Arizona Cardinals, if necessary.”
State Farm stadium.
Pass the popcorn, this is gonna be fun.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/01/08/pacific-palisades-fire-california-wildfire-los-angeles/#link-C4ONFPUEIJBM5DPAU6CEJ4LDGY
Isn’t it such a shame when they’re total incompetence comes home to roost?
“Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who was in Africa for the inauguration of new Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama… This might be the greatest takedown of LA Mayor Karen Bass that I have ever seen.”
I hope she at least taught the Ghanians how their home handguns had to be “safely and securely stored.”
Gavin, doing the hard work.
Gavin’s press office:
“Woodn’t you know it – beavers are back!”
Are you serious? That came out today?
Publication lead time is such a bitch.
I’m actually not convinced that this will hurt the mayor or the Gov. it isn’t as if this is the first incompetent thing either have done. These people are able to fall into a $hit hole and then climb out with a clean suit.
Mayor Bass and her silent blank look seems to be the first time this ‘progressive’ pol has ever been hit with a hard hitting direct question by supposedly like minded media.
History repeats. In October 1991 a massive fire swept through the Oakland Hills in a area known as “Upper Rockridge.” Some 3,000 homes burned in an expensive neighborhood. The fire was so hot even foundations were completely destroyed. The incompetence of the Oakland Fire Department caused the entire disaster. The fire started in a vacant lot which the Department put out. But they left the site, and the fire flared up again. That area is full of Monterey Pines and Eucalyptus trees. Once ignited they blow up like roman candles shooting flaming debris everywhere. At that time there were high winds fanning the flames. The flaming cinders crossed CA-24, an 8-lane highway and rained down on Rockridge setting fire to the whole neighborhood. The Oakland Fire Department was unable to fight the fire as the they lost water pressure. They essentially did nothing. One homeowner saved his wood-shingle house with a garden hose. The city let excess vegetation turn dry and pile up. The whole thing was an accident waiting to happen.
Judge Agratellis of the Alameda County Superior Court Northern Division ruled that the Fire Department enjoyed sovereign immunity. I was told the hidden details of what actually happened were far worse than the official story.
As we know, the Oakland city government became worse since that fire. No one was punished. Nothing changed. Similarly I expect nothing will happen to Newsom. Mayor Bass might suffer but don’t count on it. This is California. I personally think the elections are rigged. That’s how these incompetents keep getting elected. Of course the Pacific Palisades fire is far worse, but the pattern is similar. Be glad you don’t live there.
I didn’t know about any of this. Thank you for the historical perspective.
The looting is going to be very, very bad.
She got in by voter fraud. She is a presumptuous dolt filled with Black Privilege.
Evidently, if what I saw is true, she is a serious Marxist, having been in one of Castro’s “foreign legion” type groups that shuttled back and forth to Cuba for years – for training and such – and she was instrumental, they claim, in recruiting one of the rabid lunatic chicks, Susan Rosenberg, from the all-girl terrorist group M19 that bombed the Capitol.
I don’t know if it’s true but that’s the claim that’s out there, now.
It turns out The Atlantic mentioned this in an article they wrote about her in 2020:
So, I guess that video I saw about her was true. She didn’t travel “with” the Venceremos Brigade. She was in the Venceremos Brigade.
Burn in hell Bass
Burn in hell Newscum
Burn in hel Biden
Always keep in mind who put these incompetents in office: the voters!! So when voters blame these incompetents, they should exercise some introspection as to how they voted.
Amen!
So this water supply, brush clearance and controlled-burn incompetence will cost how many years of carbon emissions otherwise saved by the state with its climate change efforts?
I’ll take the other side of that bet. I’ll even give you good odds.
You vastly underestimate the mind numbing idiocy of most Californians.
That is a sucker’s bet.
I live in California . Charles Manson (D, Dead) wins statewide.
At best, the Democrat advantage might drop from 20 pts to 15.
More likely, Bass and Newsom are replaced by further Left types.
I think there’s some chance it actually gets bluer because of interstate migration. In the last mayoral race, the people who voted for Caruso all lived in the places that are burning the most right now, particularly in the Palisades. He won those precincts by 25-points or more. If people leave the state due to this – and I think there’s a strong chance some, even many will – the people who leave will be the ones who probably voted for Caruso, not Bass.
The vile Dhimmi-crat apparatchiks can be relied upon to be perennially incompetent, callous, stupid and negligent in their duties.
It’s too bad that it takes major tragedies to underscore that reality and to get leftist voters to grudgingly and tardily concede it.
Does this mean that the 2028 Dhimmi-crat nominee for president will be harlot-dunce, Kamala 2.0 (“New and Improved”)?
You are under the misconception that communists will do the right thing when in fact they double down and keep destroying for the so-called greater alleged good.. These two people coulf care less about others they only care about themselves PERIOD.
In a sane city and state, yes, this would certainly tank any future political aspirations of a mayor and governor. But we’re talking about CA. Those two will be re-elected.
Gavin can’t be re-elected as Governor. He is term limited out. His next plan was POTUS…until this happened.
I recall an inscription I saw over a doorway on a castle in France.
It roughly translated as “Take what you have paid for.”
Just wait till the new insurance rates come to homeowners.
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