Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Councilwoman Nithya Raman, a socialist, has proposed banning backyard barbecues on days of high fire danger.
Yeah…that will win over the masses, lady:
Raman introduced a motion Wednesday directing city officials to examine emergency restrictions on grilling during Red Flag Warning days, when high winds and dry conditions significantly increase wildfire danger across Los Angeles.The proposal specifically asks officials to consider possible limits on backyard barbecues, fire pits and other open flames in residential neighborhoods during those high-risk weather events.
The ban included “restaurants that cook with open flames.”
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez blocked the proposal with “a separate motion that stripped Raman’s barbecue ban.”
“The last thing Angelenos need is a ban on hosting a carne asada in their own backyard,” Rodriguez said in a statement to The California Post. We’re not checking the weather for red flag conditions before planning a backyard barbecue. This is what families do. Birthday parties. Carne asadas. Family gatherings. A lot of people barbecue.”
Rodriguez also said restaurant owners shared their concerns with her, stressing that the ban would affect their businesses.
The data support Raman’s theory, but only for charcoal grills.
Grills caused a few fires in Los Angeles, but as far as I can tell, none of them have been anything like the Palisades Fire or any of the other major fires.
Rodriguez pointed out that the LA Fire Department responded to about 33,000 fires in homeless encampments in 2025 alone.
“How about Ms. Raman focus on enforcing against the encampments that are the majority source of our fires instead of singling out residential neighborhoods and folks having backyard barbecues?” asked Rodriguez.
Good idea. Why not concentrate on actual problems?
Data shows the fire department responded to over 75,000 homeless encampment fires since 2020:
The numbers fluctuate month-to-month, but the trend is unmistakable. In 2020, LAFD logged 7,165 homeless-related fires.From January through mid-December 2025, that number climbed to 16,982, an average of 46 fires every day in the city of Los Angeles.Most of these fires are small and quickly extinguished, but some spread with devastating consequences.
Many people told ABC7 about incidents, including one family that lost their two dogs:
Last month, a Larchmont family lost their home and their two dogs after a fire they believe was started by squatters next door.”I spoke to LAPD to kick them out and they did nothing, and my house burned and my dogs are dead,” homeowner Jonathan Galicia said in the aftermath.For residents like Sidney Johnson in Westlake, the fires have become routine. Palm trees near his apartment, including those by nearby schools, are charred from repeated fires.7 On Your Side asked Johnson if he had ever seen school age children walking by any of these fires.”Our building contains an after-school program,” said John. “So that answers the question. Yes.”
Insane.
[Featured image via YouTube]
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