{"id":362487,"date":"2025-01-17T14:21:10","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T13:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=362487"},"modified":"2025-01-17T14:21:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T13:21:12","slug":"california-government-fighting-incompetence-malfeasance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=362487","title":{"rendered":"<\/font>California government fighting incompetence, malfeasance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From CFACT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By<\/font> Craig Rucker<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

California’s annual wildfires follow a pattern: wet fall and winter months spur plant growth; arid summers turn trees, brush and grass into tinder-dry fuel, primed for ignition by lightning, sparks, careless campers and arsonists; strong, gusty Santa Ana winds fan flames into infernos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most critical, poor to nonexistent local, state and federal forest management result in far too many skinny, thirsty trees per acre, millions of diseased and dead trees left uncleared, and forest floors covered<\/a> in brush and debris. It\u2019s a recipe for disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2018 Paradise Fire had been the most destructive and deadly in California history. But the multiple fires still burning uncontrollably near Los Angeles this year have already set records for the value of property destroyed, because so many were multi-million-dollar homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2025 fires have already reduced more than 12,000 homes and other buildings to ash, chimneys and concrete foundations. Dozens of people have died. The numbers are still climbing. AccuWeather\u2019s loss forecasters say the Palisades and Eaton Fires alone will destroy property worth $135-150 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is this possible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incompetence, negligence, malfeasance and indifference appear to run rampant in local, state and federal government. Elected officials and bureaucrats not only learned nothing from hundreds of wildfires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They repeatedly give climate change, fish and forest preservation, DEI hiring and other progressive ideologies precedence over their most fundamental responsibility: safeguarding constituents against fires, earthquakes, and mudslides triggered by recurrent downpours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Altadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades are surrounded by Topanga State Park and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area forestlands, where timber harvesting and thinning have been delayed, restricted or prohibited for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unprecedented fuel buildup is the primary reason<\/a> wildfires have become dramatically more catastrophic than in the past. Just getting one forest-thinning project approved takes five years and millions<\/a> of dollars in studies. Lawsuits, inadequate budgets and \u201clet nature run its course\u201d attitudes delay work even longer, while massive wildfires incinerate water and biotic resources<\/a> they claim to be protecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resistance to building more water storage and transport projects, often to protect insignificant species like the delta smelt<\/a>, means insufficient water to fight fires \u2013 or keep storage tanks full and hydrants working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claiming older forests are increasingly threatened by climate change, President Biden greatly restricted tree thinning in national forests, before curtailing the policy<\/a> as California fires raged. Meanwhile, California\u2019s 2020 wildfires alone released twice as many greenhouse gases<\/a> into the atmosphere as state-mandated fossil-fuel restrictions on vehicles and electricity power plants reduced 2003-2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governor Gavin Newsom<\/a> and his solidly Democrat legislature intend to spend some $50 million to challenge Trump Administration policies, and a measly $2.6 billion on \u201cforest and wildfire resilience.\u201d Meanwhile, they plan to spend another $14.7 billion on zero-emission vehicles and the \u201cclean\u201d energy transition, billions more on the already $100-billion \u201cbullet train,\u201d and additional tens of billions on wind and solar projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve also driven insurance companies<\/a> out of the state, by restricting risk analyses and what they can charge for home insurance in high-fire-risk areas, leaving hundreds of thousands of families uninsured or dependent on the state\u2019s FAIR Plan, which in June 2024 had only $385 million in reserves<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass<\/a> cut $17.6 million from the Fire Department budget, suspended or fired over 100 firefighters who refused to get Covid vaccines, and flew to Ghana for an inauguration amid the fire season. LA Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley has criticized these actions but spent millions on DEI programs and hiring more women, gays and minorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Capping it off, LA Water and Power Department CEO Janisse Qui\u00f1ones<\/a> drained the 117-million-gallon Santa Ynez Reservoir that would have replenished Pacific Palisades\u2019 three-million-gallon water storage tanks that firefighters relied on to supply water to battle the infernos. Fire hydrants and hoses went dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cracks in the reservoir\u2019s concrete floor required repairs. However, drainage began in February 2024, and no workers, equipment or materials were on-hand for 24\/7 repair work once the reservoir was empty. In fact, no contractor was hired until November 2024!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can citizens do? Fire these incompetent elected officials and unelected bureaucrats. End \u201cwoke\u201d DEI policy supremacy. Hire people who care enough to focus on fundamental responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognize that Santa-Ana-powered wildfires can carry huge flaming branches hundreds of yards and even a mile or more. Plan and prepare accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fix reservoirs and build new ones, to capture wet-season rains for dry seasons. For coastal communities like Malibu, consider using seawater for firefighting and buy the necessary equipment. (Would such limited saltwater really ruin soils? Do firefighters really need freshwater or treated potable water?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Develop codes for homes and buildings, to make them fireproof or at least fire-resistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do what the Getty Villa<\/a> and several neighbors<\/a> did in Malibu: have fire hoses, fire-retardant gel and other equipment on hand ahead of fires; clear brush and limit tree numbers and heights around you; develop a plan and practice executing it \u2013 so that you can save your homes, businesses and lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have evacuation plans, bugout bags, and fully fueled cars ahead of time, to at least save your lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And ignore politicians, media hacks and activists who blame climate change. Baloney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earth\u2019s climate has changed throughout geologic and human history. We cannot separate natural from manmade factors, control natural forces, or regulate soaring greenhouse emissions from China, India and other countries. We must do what our ancestors did during the Little Ice Age and other periods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adapt to warming and other changes \u2013 and prepare for fires that threaten us every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article originally appeared at NewsMax<\/a><\/em><\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

California’s annual wildfires follow a pattern: wet fall and winter months spur plant growth; arid summers turn trees, brush and grass into tinder-dry fuel, primed for ignition by lightning, sparks, careless campers and arsonists; strong, gusty Santa Ana winds fan flames into infernos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":362488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818068,691832541,691818913],"class_list":{"0":"post-362487","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-santa-ana-winds-saws","10":"tag-wildfires","12":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0Screenshot-2025-01-17-141448.png?fit=1469%2C870&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1wiz","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":362183,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=362183","url_meta":{"origin":362487,"position":0},"title":"Assigning Responsibility for the Tragic Los Angeles Fires","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/15\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"First understand Southern California is naturally dry. Its Mediterranean climate means it rarely rains in the summer and has a limited winter rainy season. Three deserts in the region attest to its dry climate.","rel":"","context":"In \"Global warming\"","block_context":{"text":"Global warming","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=global-warming"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0los-angeles-wildfire-1-1736603486615.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0los-angeles-wildfire-1-1736603486615.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0los-angeles-wildfire-1-1736603486615.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0los-angeles-wildfire-1-1736603486615.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0los-angeles-wildfire-1-1736603486615.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":363086,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=363086","url_meta":{"origin":362487,"position":1},"title":"Scapegoating climate to hide callous government malfeasance","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/23\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Wildfires near Los Angeles have left Pacific Palisades looking like Dresden after the WWII fire-bombings. Over 12,000 homes, schools and businesses have been incinerated, dozens of people have died, at least 70,000 have been left homeless, and fires still rage.","rel":"","context":"In \"California\"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=california"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0Goat-face.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0Goat-face.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0Goat-face.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0Goat-face.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0Goat-face.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":362890,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=362890","url_meta":{"origin":362487,"position":2},"title":"Scapegoating Climate to Hide Callous Government Malfeasance","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/21\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Abject failures from Biden, Newsom, LAFD and others can no longer be ignored","rel":"","context":"In \"California\"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=california"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0iStock-157523542.jpg?fit=1200%2C572&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0iStock-157523542.jpg?fit=1200%2C572&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0iStock-157523542.jpg?fit=1200%2C572&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0iStock-157523542.jpg?fit=1200%2C572&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0iStock-157523542.jpg?fit=1200%2C572&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":305769,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=305769","url_meta":{"origin":362487,"position":3},"title":"6 WARNING SIGNS CLIMATE SCIENTISTS ARE LYING ABOUT WILDFIRES.","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/04\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Although a 20-year period of a drier climate associated with La Nina-like conditions will dry out the biggest dead logs, so they more easily burn, changes in wildfire frequency and burnt area extent, have absolutely nothing to do with climate change.","rel":"","context":"In \"arsonists\"","block_context":{"text":"arsonists","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=arsonists"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0GHx3pYjakAAkrhk.jpeg?fit=1200%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0GHx3pYjakAAkrhk.jpeg?fit=1200%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0GHx3pYjakAAkrhk.jpeg?fit=1200%2C784&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0GHx3pYjakAAkrhk.jpeg?fit=1200%2C784&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0GHx3pYjakAAkrhk.jpeg?fit=1200%2C784&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":366076,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=366076","url_meta":{"origin":362487,"position":4},"title":"The LA fires were man-made, but not like they say","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/14\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The political fires that ignited with President\u00a0Donald Trump\u2019s\u00a0second inauguration shifted national attention away from the devastating wildfires in\u00a0California. Now entirely contained, the\u00a0Los Angeles\u00a0County fires should not be allowed to fade into the history books, chalked up to yet another consequence of man-made global warming. Politicians trying to pin the blame\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"California\"","block_context":{"text":"California","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=california"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0Fire-closeup.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0Fire-closeup.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0Fire-closeup.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0Fire-closeup.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/0Fire-closeup.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":361109,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=361109","url_meta":{"origin":362487,"position":5},"title":"No, Mainstream Media, Climate Change Isn\u2019t to Blame for California\u2019s Wildfires","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/09\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"he devastating wildfires in Los Angeles have once again become a rallying cry for those blaming climate change for natural disasters. Recent coverage, such as stories in\u00a0Axios\u00a0and by the\u00a0BBC hastily and falsely connect these wildfires to a \u201crare confluence of climate factors,\u201d a narrative that has become all too familiar.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"AXIOS\"","block_context":{"text":"AXIOS","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=axios"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0LA-Wildfire.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0LA-Wildfire.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0LA-Wildfire.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0LA-Wildfire.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/0LA-Wildfire.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=362487"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":362492,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362487\/revisions\/362492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/362488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=362487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=362487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=362487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}