Tag: wildfires

Can California Afford Its Luxury Beliefs After This? Let’s Look at the Books.

California is undergoing a crisis of competence. Surrounded by ashen heaps of what used to be thousands of homes and businesses, voters finally may realize that luxury beliefs sound nice at cocktail parties and the gym, but somebody should make sure there’s water in the reservoirs and fire hydrants. 

We learn that a crucial reservoir was down for maintenance during Santa Ana season, which left the fire hydrants dry. The latest reservoir was finished in 1979. Planning for the next one started in the 1950s and may break ground sometime allegedly in 2026. Gavin Newsom has taken down dams and patted himself on the back. 

The man Newsom styled his look after, former Lakers Coach Pat Reilly, used to say, “The main thing is the main thing.” The hairstyle stuck, but not the message. L.A. is spending other peoples’ money on stupid things while pretending to do the main thing. 

We’re now up to $150 billion in losses so far in the 36,000-acre blaze that started Tuesday. The multiple fires have flattened Pacific Palisades, houses along the PCH in Malibu, and lovely old homes in Pasadena. 

The LAFD Chief makes more than $439,000 per year for not checking the fire hydrants. A fire captain makes more than $800,000 a year because of overtime, double time, and aggregated time off. 

The person in charge of DEI at the L.A. Fire Department makes $399,000 per year. 

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Where’s the Outrage? Biden Gives SoCal a Blank Check While FEMA Leaves North Carolina Out In the Cold

The nation’s attention continues to be hyperfocused on Southern California as devastating wildfires continue to burn in and around Los Angeles. The fires have displaced thousands of people and destroyed entire towns. There is an overwhelming need for immediate aid, and the recovery from these disastrous fires will take years.

With less than two weeks left in office, President Joe Biden has informed California Governor Gavin Newsom that the federal government will be picking up the tab for California’s recovery for the next six months. Biden has told them to spare no expense.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the residents of Western North Carolina have been all but forgotten. Thousands remain displaced from flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. Entire neighborhoods were washed away, and many of the buildings that survived the flooding are unlivable because of dangerous mold.

FEMA has been on the ground in North Carolina for months—not that you can tell. Many North Carolinians live in tents because assistance has been scarce, difficult to obtain, or unreachable.

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Biden Can’t Even Read a Phone Number From a Script in Front of Him During California Wildfire Briefing

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Thursday held a briefing on the California fires from the White House.

Tens of thousands of acres have burned, more than 10,000 structures have been reduced to ashes after several fires broke out in Los Angeles and the greater LA area this week.

Fire hydrants were bone dry and there weren’t enough firefighting resources because of Democrats like Governor Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.

Most of the destruction could have been prevented if fire authorities cleared the underbrush and hydrants actually had water in them.

On Thursday Joe Biden announced the federal government would pay California 100% of the disaster response for the next 6 months.

During the briefing, Biden couldn’t even read a phone number from a script in front of him.

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Newsom Orders “Independent Investigation” Into Lack of Water in Fire Hydrants After Los Angeles Burns

California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom ordered an independent investigation into the lack of water in fire hydrants after Los Angeles burned.

“I am calling for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir,” Newsom said.

“We need answers to ensure this does not happen again and we have every resource available to fight these catastrophic fires,” he said.

Newsom’s letter was addressed to Janisse Quiñones, the overpaid bureaucrat who oversees fire hydrant maintenance.

Local news reporters captured shocking footage of firefighters encountering dry fire hydrants as structures burned in the LA fires.

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LAPD Claims ‘No Probable Cause’ for Arson as Suspect Caught with Blowtorch Attempting to Ignite Fires

A man apprehended near the Kenneth Fire in Los Angeles will not face arson charges due to insufficient evidence, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, was detained on Thursday after witnesses reported observing him attempting to ignite a fire on Ybarra Road in Woodland Hills.

Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said during a press conference on Friday:

“They interviewed this suspect. After the interview and additional investigative steps, looking at some additional evidence that was present, they made the determination that there was not enough probable cause to arrest this person on arson or suspicion of arson, and therefore this person was arrested on a felony probation violation.

This investigation is ongoing, however, and I’d like to thank those community members that were involved in this and helping us bring this person our attention, and so we can have an ongoing investigation.”

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Pacific Palisades Reservoir Found Empty and Offline During Firestorm Catastrophe – 117 Million Gallons Could Have Saved the Day

Outrage is boiling over after revelations that the Santa Ynez Reservoir, a critical water source in Pacific Palisades, was empty and offline when a devastating wildfire ripped through the area.

The Los Angeles Times reported that despite the reservoir’s critical role in the city’s water infrastructure, it had been offline for nearly a year.

The Santa Ynez Reservoir, with a capacity of 117 million gallons, could have played a critical role in providing water pressure to firefighters battling the devastating fire that destroyed thousands of homes and buildings in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Malibu.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s (DWP) officials claim the reservoir had been offline for “a while” due to a tear in its cover.

Now, incompetent Governor Gavin Newsom has labeled the situation “deeply troubling” and ordered an independent investigation into the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP).

“I am calling for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir. We need answers to ensure this does not happen again and we have every resource available to fight these catastrophic fires,” Newsom wrote on X.

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Leaked memo reveals LA Mayor Karen Bass demanded her fire department cut an extra $49 million just ONE WEEK before wildfires broke out

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass demanded her Fire Department make an extra $49million of budget cuts last week, a leaked memo revealed.

This cut is already on top of $17.6million of cuts in her latest budget.

The extra cuts, requested just days before fires broke out and devastated swathes of Los Angeles, would have shut down 16 fire stations and crippled the department’s ability to respond to emergencies, sources said.

DailyMail.com interviewed current and former senior LAFD officers briefed on the shocking proposed cuts, and exclusively obtained the memo from an LA Fire Department (LAFD) whistleblower who posts on social media under the moniker ‘LAFD Watchdog’.

The memo is dated January 6, only a day before the devastating Palisades Fire started.

According to the sources, it was sent from LAFD ‘top brass’ at City Hall to division chiefs and captains – after a fraught meeting the previous Friday between Chief Kristin Crowley and Mayor Bass.

‘The LAFD is still going through a FY [financial year] 2024/2025 $48.8million budget reduction exercise with the CAO [City Attorney’s Office],’ the document said.

‘The only way to provide a cost savings would be to close as many as 16 fire stations (not resources, fire stations); this equates to at least one fire station per City Council District.

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Democrat Megadonor Couple With Monopoly On Calif. Water Supply Blamed For Exacerbating LA Fires

Amid the deadly fires currently devastating Los Angeles, California, a widely circulated video reveals that a husband and wife known for their significant donations to the Democratic Party have been diverting hundreds of billions of gallons of water annually.

The “More Perfect Union” presentation exposes Lynda and Stewart Resnick for essentially taking over the California water industry decades ago.

According to the nonprofit newsroom, the Resnicks seized control of California’s public water supply via a series of secret meetings back in 1994.

After Golden State taxpayers footed the bill for the Kern Water Bank, the couple eventually gained a 60% ownership of the water resource.

The Resnicks also have a stake in several other major water banks throughout the state.

Now, the power couple sells the state’s water back to the very citizens who have a right to the natural commodity.

Of course, donating massive amounts of money to California Democrat politicians such as Gavin Newsom and Dianne Feinstein ensures their monopoly stays intact.

In addition to funding leftist politicians, the Resnicks donate huge sums to the University of California system in exchange for collegiate departments releasing studies that suggest federal and state taxpayer dollars be used to fund water projects that further benefit the family’s H2O enterprise.

Ana Kasparian, the liberal co-host and producer of The Young Turks, shared the “More Perfect Union” report on 𝕏 and lambasted Democrat officials in L.A. for draining water supplies.

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Moment Locals Detained Arsonist Who Used Blowtorch To Start More LA Fires Caught On Camera

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, citizens witnessed a man using a blowtorch to start fires amid the city’s ongoing disaster and apprehended the individual until officers arrived to make an arrest.

Speaking with News Nation on Thursday night, an officer said the fire was intentionally sparked by the man who ended up being detained by the heroic locals.

The man carried a large blowtorch and rode a bicycle down the street while stopping to try and light garbage cans and old Christmas trees on fire, according to eyewitnesses.

When angry residents saw this, they reportedly chased him down and restrained him while waiting on the police.

A neighbor named Renata Grinshpun told KTLA, “We were sitting in the backyard and suddenly, we hear a car come to a screeching halt, and the guy is running out saying, ‘Stop! Drop what you’re holding! Neighbors, he’s trying to start a fire! Call 911!’”

The suspect is believed to be responsible for the Kenneth fire, which has burned over 900 acres so far and still threatens nearby communities and infrastructure.

The individual is allegedly homeless and speaks Spanish as his first language, hinting he may be an illegal immigrant.

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Newsom, Woke Policies, and Nonsensical Climate Strategies Exacerbated the California Fire Disaster

The California wildfires, which have destroyed thousands of homes and forced tens of thousands to evacuate, were exacerbated by strong winds, increased population density, and Governor Gavin Newsom’s failures in managing forests and conducting controlled burns.

Claims about failing to fill reservoirs for hydrants are substantiated and result from two sources: infrastructure and demand issues, as well as mismanagement of water resources.

While there is no evidence that DEI initiatives hindered the response, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has emphasized DEI as a priority and implied a focus on increasing diversity in hiring rather than hiring the best candidates.

Critics, including actor James Woods, argued that Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley’s emphasis on DEI in her leadership priorities detracts from the department’s ability to respond.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has emphasized the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

In November 2022, alongside then-Mayor Eric Garcetti, she launched the department’s first-ever DEI Bureau, focusing on creating a safe and inclusive workplace.

Chief Crowley has stated that fostering a diverse workforce enhances the department’s ability to serve Los Angeles’s varied communities effectively.

She has expressed a commitment to promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity within the entire organization.

Just weeks before the wildfires, Chief Crowley warned that budget cuts were hampering the fire department’s ability to respond to emergencies, including training, preparation, and large-scale incidents like the ongoing wildfires.

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