Los Angeles has been run by Democrats for 24 years, and the collection of failures built up over that time are on display as wildfires rage across the city.
My colleague, Tiana Lowe Doescher, already detailed all the ways that blame for this lies with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and state Democrats, and that blame is certainly deserved. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and local Democrats shoulder their own share of the blame as well, though, starting with the COVID-19 vaccine. Los Angeles suspended 113 firefighters without pay in 2021 for not being vaccinated. Others were fired outright, and Los Angeles reserved the right to fire those who were suspended even after the city lifted its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The Los Angeles Fire Department chief declared Wednesday that the city does not have enough firefighters to combat the blazes. Perhaps firing a bunch of young, healthy firefighters for not taking a vaccine they didn’t really need was a bad idea after all.
We also know that Los Angeles saw 13,909 homeless fires in 2023, double the number from 2020 and an average of 38 per day. That problem becomes enhanced by winds of up to 80 miles per hour, which are driving the spread of fires in Los Angeles right now. Bass has fought against Newsom’s directive to clear homeless encampments.
Moreover, the second-biggest budget cut Bass made in her 2024-2025 budget was to the fire department, slashing $17.6 million, including $7 million in overtime pay that was used to fund pilot training and helicopter coordination for wildfires. On the flip side, Bass negotiated a $316 million increase in raises and benefits with the city’s civilian employee unions because union giveaways rank just slightly higher on her priority list than fire preparedness.
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Apparently, many things actually rank higher for Bass than fire preparedness, as she couldn’t even be bothered to be in Los Angeles during this crisis. Despite warnings about the threat of wind and the effect it would have on fires a week in advance, Bass still went on a trip to Ghana to attend the inauguration of its new president. Why any such trip would be appropriate in the first place for a local leader on the taxpayer’s dime is already a question, but Bass’s decision to go through with this trip while warnings loomed of a possible wind-driven disaster proves how little she cares about the job.
Newsom and state Democrats deserve all the blame they get for terrible forest management and water storage policies. So, too, do Bass and Los Angeles Democrats for weakening their fire department, enabling homeless firebugs by fighting against clearing encampments, and being absent in the face of a crisis. Every Democrat up and down the state and city government has failed in preventing and acting during this disaster, and Bass may be at the top of the list.