OPINION:
After a week, Southern California’s rampaging wildfires are not fully contained. More than 12,000 homes in some of the nation’s most affluent neighborhoods have turned to ash. Two-dozen lives have been lost. State and local officials now expect Uncle Sam to cover the $250 billion cost of rebuilding Los Angeles.
Not so fast.
Gross mismanagement by the city, county and state officials charged with protecting the public must carry consequences. Asked about this, House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “I think there should be conditions on that aid, that’s my personal view … It will be part of the discussion for sure.”
As progressive policies invited this disaster, it would be foolhardy for Congress to mail a blank check to Sacramento. Doing so would let Hollywood celebrities rebuild their mansions, only for the structures to burn to the ground the next time the Santa Ana winds blow.
It’s too early to know the exact cause of each fire, but investigators are gathering clues. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Monday dispatched a team to examine burn patterns, surveillance footage and other evidence to determine whether the devastating blaze in Pacific Palisades involved arson.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported the suspected firebug nabbed with a blowtorch in the West Hills was an illegal alien from Mexico already on probation for felony assault. Despite the obvious danger in doing so, the potential pyromaniac was released. The Azusa Police Department also announced it had arrested a “transient” named Jose Carranza-Escobar, who reportedly admitted he started a small brush fire in Pioneer Park.
Handing billions in unconditional disaster aid to sanctuary cities and sanctuary states would be hazardous to the health of residents. It would be equal folly to rescue the local leaders who ignored urgent warnings about the perilous situation.
A week ahead of the disaster, the National Weather Service accurately predicted when the “critical fire conditions” would strike. “Heads up! a life-threatening, destructive, Widespread Windstorm is expected,” the agency repeated on X a day before the disaster.
The clerks placed in charge of the Los Angeles Fire Department and city utilities were too busy celebrating diversity, equity and inclusion to do anything of significance to prepare. The Santa Ynez reservoir near Pacific Palisades was left empty, depriving firefighters of 117 million gallons of water they could have used to combat the conflagration.
As the inferno raged, state lawmakers in special session allocated millions in taxpayer dollars to sue incoming President-elect Donald Trump when they should have examined the reckless water and forest management policies that have sacrificed human lives on the altar of environmental extremism.
These omissions ought to put DEI and environmental policies on the negotiation table when it comes to federal relief.
In September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis illustrated how proper planning can stop bad weather from becoming a calamity. Knowing Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, was on the way, the governor pre-positioned 37,000 electric linemen who ensured downed power lines would be swiftly repaired. Evacuation orders were issued, and the National Guard was summoned in advance. Needed supplies and equipment were in place.
It’s the job of public safety administrators to develop risk-management plans to deal with these situations, but officials in this instance were too distracted to perform their core mission.
Perhaps California Gov. Gavin Newsom shouldn’t be handed any federal cash until he takes a few leadership lessons from Mr. DeSantis.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.