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Acrid smoke isn't the only thing floating in Los Angeles right now.
There is fear, anxiety, and pain. When will this fire be extinguished? What will you do if the wind gets stronger? What would you do next if it was in my neighborhood?
For those who have been evacuated: When can I return? Why won't they let me have a pet? Or my medicine?
Map shows extent of wildfire damage and destruction of homes
Worst of all, for those who have lost their homes or, in a small but tragically increasing number of cases, their loved ones, it is complete despair. And a sense that those in charge aren't responding with the urgency, energy, or, frankly, empathy we'd expect.
And that leads to another emotion that is very evident in Los Angeles today: anger.
Anger at the governor, who waved his arms and said, “Ask the locals,'' when confronted with the shocking fact that fire hydrants are running dry and reservoirs are empty.
Fury at Mayor Karen Bass, a “local person.” The mayor simply froze in front of the camera when questioned about not being prepared for this disaster and not even being in town. A strange and pathetic two minutes of silence instead of the strong leadership we need.
But these short-term failures in preparedness and response pale in comparison to the long-term failures that got us here.
Los Angeles wildfires: Deadly fires fear to spread with Santa Ana's returning winds
My new book, Califailure – Reversing the Ruin of America's Worst-Run State, which will be published in March, explores the terrifying combination of incompetence and ideological extremism that has pushed California to the top of everyone's wishlist. I plan to catalog it. From the highest poverty rate in the country to the worst business environment, it's at the bottom of the want-to-be-top list. Housing costs are the highest and homeownership costs are the lowest. Out-of-control crime and homelessness. All paid for with the highest taxes in America.
Now, we can all see how badly things went with the Los Angeles debacle.
Every aspect of the wildfire crisis was caused or made worse by Democratic policies and Democratic politicians.
Of course they are trying to blame “climate change”. However, other places with similar climates and similar geographies do not seem to suffer in the same way.
In California, environmental extremism has shut down efforts to manage so-called “fuel loads” in forests and places of worship. Thinning thick forests and clearing undergrowth and shrubs is discouraged by misguided Democratic policies.
Funds that should be spent on fire prevention were diverted to ideological obsessions like EVs that do nothing to reduce wildfire risk.
We often hear about “droughts,” but in reality, most of them are man-made. We have all the water we need. We don't collect it, we just store it and deliver it to the right place.
And at the root of it all are insane rules and regulations, a crazy nanny state, an endless army of bureaucrats and busybodies who can't build the housing and infrastructure we need or get anything done. making it impossible.
Newsom defends fire response on fact-checking site linked to Democratic fundraising platform
Their “green” bureaucracy is delaying or even blocking critical work such as burying and insulating power lines that cause wildfires. How is it good for the environment?
The time has come to stop this nonsense. Now is the time for common sense policies and competent government.
That's what I focus on. My California policy organization, Golden Together, brings together leaders from business, faith communities, and firefighting and prevention experts to discuss how to help people now and ensure we do the right thing to help them recover. We are developing forward-looking, practical ideas about this. and rebuild immediately.
Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills is mobilizing churches and places of worship to support displaced families and brave (and exhausted) first responders.
We need to get rid of the ridiculous rules that hinder relief and recovery efforts. For example, absurd “climate” regulations that make it impossible to bring in emergency generators from out of state to provide power to places where the supply is disrupted.
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Get rid of the bureaucracy that keeps you tied down. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he wants to “expedite” permits for housing reconstruction. wonderful! But what exactly does he mean by “acceleration”? Will it take more than 120 days? To get permission to rebuild the house that was previously there? Everything is very unclear at the moment. But it has to be instant!
After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, then-Governor Pete Wilson, a Republican, waived that rule and awarded cleanup and construction contracts to help rebuild Santa Monica's freeways in 66 days.
I spoke with Governor Wilson. We incorporated his suggestions into our policy recommendations, along with many practical ideas from home builders and entrepreneurs.
I asked Silicon Valley technology leaders to develop a plan for a new “fire brigade” that would leverage AI, drones, and autonomous fire trucks to find and extinguish potentially dangerous wildfires before they start. .
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All this and more can be found in our policy paper 'Relief, Reform and Rebuild'.
It's time for change in California, and this is the first step.
Click here to read more from Steve Hilton
