Blog

Perhaps ineptitude is to be expected when a state (or country) is ruled for long periods of time by a single Party. The lack of opposition or new ideas can be stifling and left unchecked, can become noxious to the citizens of the state. This blog could have been written about any number of irresponsible representatives elected by Californians over the past few years. Because of current events I decided to focus on Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass’ combined incompetence concerning the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.

It would be unfair, even dishonest, to blame the wildfires totally on either Newsom or Bass. It is neither unfair nor dishonest to blame their actions for the magnitude and intensity of the fires. Climate change almost certainly played a part early in the disaster. But before, and after, the fires started it was a combination of poor planning, lack of preparedness, bad decisions, and carelessness, by both Newsom and Bass that turned the fires into deadly infernos.

Before I start pointing fingers, I will make some observations. Santa Ana winds are an annual event. They don’t surprise anyone. They are predictable. While they differ in frequency and intensity, wildfires also happen annually in California. Since 2000, the year with the fewest fires in the state was 2008 when 6,255 occurred. The highest number recorded was in 2020 when 9,639 fires scorching over 4 million acres were reported. One would think the frequency of wildfires would place fire prevention high on a Governor’s list of priorities. Apparently not if you are Gavin Newsom.

I’ll start with the hapless Mayor of LA, the honorable(?) Karen Bass. For at least 3 years, Kristen Crowley, Fire Chief of the LA Fire Department (LAFD), had warned that her department was not properly prepared to handle large wildfires. Crowley said that over 100 pieces of firefighting equipment were out of service due to a lack of mechanics. She requested $1.9 million to restore 16 maintenance positions, including mechanics, that were deleted in the previous year’s budget cuts. Mayor Bass ignored her requests and cut the LAFD budget by $17 million. Chief Crowley said: “Let me be clear. The $17 million budget cuts and elimination of our civilian positions, like mechanics, did and will continue to severely impact our ability to repair our apparatus. We can no longer sustain where we are. We do not have enough firefighters.” What’s past is prologue.

Bass’ incompetence pales in comparison to that of Governor Newsoms. There are work horses and there are show ponies. Work horses don’t look for accolades, they simply put their heads down, dot the i’s and cross the t’s and do whatever is necessary to get the job done. Show ponies avoid getting their hands dirty. They leave the i’s and t’s to the ‘little people’ while prancing around in search of accolades. It is said the most dangerous place to be is between a show pony and a camera crew. Newsom meets the definition of a show pony. Since being elected in 2018, he has refused to take advantage of many opportunities to better prepare his state to deal with potential tragedies.

In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1: The Water Quality Supply & Infrastructure Improvement Act. It was a $7.5 billion bond deal that dedicated $2.7 billion for the purpose of constructing new reservoirs. It took a Commission 4 years (wow, just 4 years!) to decide they could afford 8 new reservoirs. The Commission gave bidders until 1/1/2022 (just 8 years!) to produce feasibility studies, environmental impact reports, proper permitting, etc., etc., etc. From 2014 to 2022, tens of thousands of fires, destroyed millions of acres, thousands of structures, and killed too many citizens in California. A work horse might have clomped into a Commission meeting and slashed the red tape. This show pony understood that, should the unthinkable happen, the Commission would be a perfect scapegoat for his own inaction. As of this writing, 7 of the reservoirs have been contracted, not one has been built. A real leader would not have allowed this to happen.

Speaking of reservoirs, the 117-million-gallon Santa Ynez reservoir was built to service the Palisades community near LA. It was built high above the Palisades and would have provided desperately needed water pressure to the fire hydrants that ran dry. Unfortunately for the people of Palisades, it was shut down for minor repairs since February of 2024. We can never know how much of a difference it might have made in fighting the fires. There can be no argument that 117 million gallons of water would have had an impact. The bigger questions are why weren’t the repairs (still not completed) treated with greater urgency? And why wasn’t the water held in the reservoir until repairs were ready to begin? The Governor has ordered an investigation as to why the ‘little people’ allowed this to happen.

Any number of people had warned Newsom of the importance of cleaning up the dead underbrush from the forests. It acts as an accelerant once a fire gets started. He had been in charge long enough to have witnessed that firsthand. Newsom had been told, repeatedly, of the importance of doing controlled burns. But he is owned, lock stock and barrel, by the climate change loons. He chose to risk the lives and property of his citizens to keep contributions from the “Greenies” flowing. He knew he could depend on them, not just for cash, but to help him lay blame for the fires on climate change.

In 2024, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed CalFire to retain seasonal firefighters and to help fill staffing shortages. His veto forced the layoffs of thousands of seasonal firefighters. Again, we can’t know what difference thousands of additional firefighters might have meant in the fight to save homes and lives. One needn’t be a rocket scientist to know they would have made some difference. By the way, Newsom promised to replace the firefighters. He lied.

A year or so ago, a few insurance companies began limiting the number of homeowner’s policies they issued in California. Others cancelled policies altogether and left the state. Insurance companies are for profit organizations. There is nothing altruistic or benevolent about them. If they thought they could make a buck in California, they’d still be there. When their risk managers reckoned that politicians weren’t serious about mitigating the fire risks in the state, they cautioned their employers. Insurance executives approached the state legislature with a request for increased premiums to offset the additional risks. When the requests were refused the companies started leaving California. A chimpanzee would have recognized the predicament this would create for his citizens. In an effort to protect its citizens, a work horse would not have allowed this to happen. He would have pulled the parties together and bashed out an agreement amenable to all involved. The show pony recognized a potential fall guy in the insurance companies. He could always blame the guys that nobody likes for his citizens losses. Perfect!

That the fires happened can’t be blamed on either Newsom or Bass. The catastrophic loss of lives, livelihoods, and property, falls directly on their shoulders. Their lack of planning, poor decisions, failure to act, and ideological policies, have resulted in unimaginable damages. For that they are, and should forever be, held responsible.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my thoughts. Bob