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.
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.
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.
Bass looked rather sheepish when she finally got some grilling from the media.
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.
There was also a shortage of firefighters to battle these blazes.
Perhaps focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender politics did not produce the best candidates or inspire qualified individuals to join the service.
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.
I have previously written about insurance companies no longer offering homeowners insurance in this state. As firms fled the state, Newsom had other priorities.
Finally, many are angry at Newsom’s hands-in-the-pocket photo-op taken as the fire began to surge through the area.
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.
For our sake, and the sake of the nation, I hope the change also translates to the political.
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