As Los Angeles continues to contend with the disastrous wildfires that have engulfed numerous communities throughout the county, questions are being asked about preparedness (or the obvious lack of it), and many are pointing fingers. There’s very good reason to, as the lack of leadership and the ghosts of terrible past decisions hang over the tragedy like a black (smoke) cloud.
Mayor Karen Bass, for instance, was overseas for a photo-op when the first flames erupted, even though she had been warned that the possibility of a big fire was high. President-elect Donald Trump has been (correctly) blasting Gov. Gavin Newsom for not heeding his advice on brush-clearing and ensuring adequate water was provided for in the area. Meanwhile, when asked why the fire hydrants ran out of water, the craven guv faulted anyone besides himself. "The local folks are gonna figure that out," he said.
That’s what passes as leadership in the Golden State, folks.
Meanwhile, the fire department has been called out for focusing on DEI and LGBTQ issues instead of, you know, firefighting. They threw millions at that effort despite Bass drastically cutting their overall budget.
Absolutely nobody looks good here.
LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, celebrated as the "first LGBTQ+" person to hold the position, has her own blame to cast: directly at city leaders. She was reluctant to turn on her bosses at first in this interview, but watch as she struggles with the question and then finally admits what we all know:
Breaking: Los Angeles Fire Department chief @LAFDChief Kristin Crowley is pressed repeatedly if the leadership of Los Angeles failed her fire department as it tries in vain to stop the wildfires.
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 10, 2025
An emotional Crowley tries to dodge but then admits, "Yes." pic.twitter.com/EYNUEDbPq3
So many mistakes: Fire Damage in LA Reaches Biblical Proportions—Is This What They Wanted? And Could It Be Their Demise? VIP
The chief admitted that budget cuts had impaired the department’s ability to do its job:
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said that the City of Los Angeles failed its over 100,000 displaced residents who were forced to evacuate from the ongoing wildfire siege.
When asked by Fox News' affiliate, KTTV, if the City of Los Angeles, and its Mayor Karen Bass failed the city, Crowley replied: "Yes."
Crowley said that pressing staffing shortages impacted the department's response time when the blaze began tearing across Los Angeles.
"Any budget cut is going to impact our ability to provide service," she said. "That is a ground truth in regard to our ability. If there's a budget cut, we had to pull from somewhere else. What does that mean? That doesn't get done or that there are delays."
She detailed some of the communications she’d had with city officials and her frequent requests to undo the budget cuts, but in the end, admitted, "This is my third budget as we're going into 2025-2026, and what I can tell you is we are still understaffed, we're still under-resourced and we're still underfunded."
Way to go, LA.
Doubtless the money cut from her budget went to ineffectively combatting homelessness and pushing DEI issues and social justice programs.
Once this crisis has finally been contained, questions and investigations will proceed in earnest. Virtually no one in a leadership position – including Crowley herself, despite her valid concerns about the budget cuts—is coming out smelling like a rose on this one.
Progressive California politics doomed Altadena and the Palisades, two historic and beautiful locations, and officials and politicians will be vigorously pointing their fingers at each other in the aftermath. What they should all really be doing, however, is pointing the finger at themselves.
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