Los Angeles City Council members whose neighborhoods were devastated by recent historic wildfires are calling for accountability from city and state officials after reservoirs emptied and firefighting efforts were hampered. , raising questions about how prepared the city is to host the next world-class event. A few years.
“While this fire was unlike any we have ever experienced, it is no secret that Los Angeles is chronically underinvested in critical infrastructure and public safety,” the City Council said. Rep. Tracy Park told FOX News Digital in an interview Monday.
“And I think there are a lot of questions about what more could have been done or what could have been done differently and what needs to happen in Los Angeles to make sure something like this never happens again.” she said.
“President Trump's district'' first public hearing in California; special session canceled due to forest fire in chairman's district
“While this fire was unlike any we have ever experienced, it is no secret that Los Angeles is chronically underinvested in critical infrastructure and public safety,” said City Councilmember Tracy Park told FOX News Digital. (Apu Gomez/Getty Images)
Last week's devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles Mountains raised concerns about malfunctioning fire hydrants and millions of dollars in cuts to fire department budgets.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded Friday by calling for an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to look into water supply issues during the state of emergency.
In a letter to LADWP's chief executive officer and chief engineer, Newsom wrote, “During the fire, some local fire hydrants lost water pressure and water supply from the Santa Ynez Reservoir is unavailable. The continuing reports are extremely concerning to me and the community.” Janice Quiñones and Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said in a letter.
Democratic lawmakers, meanwhile, defended state leadership.
“Obviously, I have a lot of concerns about water,” Park said. His district includes the Pacific Palisades, one of the first and hardest hit areas by wildfires.
“I was personally at Will Rogers' command post when this volcano of fire came over our mountains, through our towns, and onto the Pacific Coast Highway. And it continued into the night. Throughout these events, I was hearing anecdotes about firefighters not being on fire. There's enough water,” she said. “And I think we all have questions about what is expected of us. How are firefighters supposed to fight a fire if they don't have what they need, which is water?”
'Is now the right time… to take on Donald Trump?': California House speaker fends off tough questions from reporters
Mayor Karen Bass and the LA wildfires (AP)
Park, whose Westchester district office collects critical aid to distribute to voters, also worries about disaster preparedness as Los Angeles aims to host the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics. He said he was doing it.
“I was concerned about what our level of preparedness was before something like this happened,” Park said of the wildfires. “And I certainly think in the last few days we've seen some of those gaps on full display.”
Park thanked Newsom and “his support at the state level,” as well as partners in the county and Cal Fire, but added, “The reality is that our city has millions of people… “We accept that our resources are already spread very thinly,” and that a lot of work is needed to do a lot of strategic planning to continue preparing for the upcoming big event. it is clear. ”
'Devastating': California suffered record rainfall last year but lacked infrastructure to store it
Gov. Gavin Newsom joined “Meet the Press” on Sunday to discuss the ongoing wildfires in California. (Screenshot/NBC)
In the months leading up to the wildfires, Los Angeles officials cut the fire department's budget by just under $18 million, according to the department.
At the state level, experts and lawmakers are blaming top leadership's handling of the state's forest management and a lesser-known problem: the state's outdated water storage system. California's existing reservoirs can only hold so much water, many of which were built in the mid-20th century.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2024, the state experienced record rainfall due to an atmospheric river event, and existing water infrastructure faced difficulty coping with the sudden influx of water. A significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean.
In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act, which approved $2.7 billion in bonds to increase the state's water storage capacity through the construction of new reservoirs and groundwater storage facilities. was approved. However, according to local reports, the new reservoir under Proposition 1 has not yet been completed.
