Los Angeles Fires pt 4 (formerly “Palisades” in pts 1 &2)

Thanks, OP.

Thanks, OP

How do you even begin the cleanup process?

The mind boggles.

Are they going to ask the tourists to stay away?

Gavin Newsom will ease California’s strict environmental laws and permitting requirements for fire victims who want to rebuild.

It is going to look very ugly after the fire. Scorched earth.

We need Jeanette.

Newsom is making a huge blunder. Re-building is precisely when STRICTER codes should be instituted.

R2, the Palisades isn't really a tourist area. Ditto Altadena.

Cleanup will be a slow and steady process, I assume. How do cities that get hit by hurricanes regroup? Or tornadoes? I guess we'll do the same. But it's daunting to even think about for sure.

R3, that was a smart as fuck move by Gavin. Thank goodness.

R6, you have to be joking. If you've ever built anything in LA you will know that it is next to impossible to get even the okay on the smallest of permits to, say, move a tree or build a shed. And, of course, I doubt he's talking about relaxing regulations on various fire proofing methods. I assume he means the endless, endless, endless hoops you have to jump through for anything and everything that have nothing to do with fire or earthquake safety.

Exactly, r7.

[quote]How do cities that get hit by hurricanes regroup? Or tornadoes? I guess we'll do the same.

r7

Before the climate started changing, it would take 3 or 4 years, even with major hurricanes like CAT 5 Andrew. Granted some things were never the same, like the Miami Zoo. Bloomingdale's never returned to the Falls. Overall, an area that looked like a warzone, came back.

Smaller hurricanes require only clean-up.

In the last few years, storms have become stronger and more frequent, this coincided with Republican governors. Western Florida has been hit several times and has not recovered. Whole areas are still devastated. The insurance payouts are insufficient to rebuild. DeSantis let them do whatever they wanted. He is strictly pay-for-play; the insurance industry bought him as soon as he was sworn in.

R4: From above Tarzana, Saturday afternoon, looking southeast. For reference, the little bit of housing development that you can see under the chyron is at the very top/end of Reseda Blvd. All the vegetation in the "open spaces" south of the ridgeline, from Mandeville Canyon west to (almost) upper Topanga Canyon, is gone.

I can't even wrap my mind around the scale of it (not to mention what will happen when it finally rains again). I used to hike all over the trails, canyons & fire roads in that burned-out area, all so beautiful. I can't even find the words (Mary, I know)...just shock & profound sadness.

Thanks R9. Believe it or not, that gives me a glimmer of hope for LA.

Oh -- fuck DeSantis.

I'm so sorry, R10. I have no words. This is so awful.

[quote] Gavin Newsom will ease California’s strict environmental laws

Great. 500 houses made out of wood. God, he’s an idiot.

Shit, I didn’t even consider what would happen if it rains now.

Hopefully, when it dies, it will be a steady drizzle on and off so it can soak all the way in and not cause another fucking disaster.

[quote] Shit, I didn’t even consider what would happen if it rains now.

Possible landslides and debris flows.

I'm not sure what it's like the US, but in my part of the world there are insufficient builders or tradespeople to manage standard home building, let along 1000s all at once.

Have to say Anderson Cooper's special on CNN right now is a good, journalistic retelling.

We’re power lines already underground in these areas? If not will that happen? $$$$$

R17 Yes and it's harrowing.

[quote] I assume he means the endless, endless, endless hoops you have to jump through for anything and everything that have nothing to do with fire or earthquake safety.

Those hoops are there because Los Angeles sprang from the desert with ineffective zoning and building codes for wildfire and earthquake disasters. Whatever is rebuilt in the Palisades will have to make fire safety paramount...for the Los Angeles of 2055 that was untouched or will not remember what happened in 2025.

Ominous news...

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service is forecasting a PDS ("particularly dangerous situation"), their highest warning.

They've declared a PDS 3 other times this season & all lead to catastrophic fires (Mountain, Franklin, Palisades, Eaton).

(To be read in the voice of Bill Hader's Stephon): This video is WILD. It has EVERYTHING -- Jamie Lee Curtis comparing the the Palisades to literal Gaza; Russell Brand in a bathrobe comparing the LA fires to literal Sodom and Gomorrah, before casually mentioning he'sjust done a cold plunge; someone else's friend's son is named Caleb.. Another actress who cannot move her upper lip tries to cry and can't. Jillian Michaels reads Gavin Newsom for FILTH; some ditzy Gen Z-er with pink hair bragging about how grateful the firefighters were because she brought them pizza; David Spade offers $5000 to anyone who catches someone lighting a fire ("but don't stage it"); Ben Stiller got old -- he looks so old, I didn't realize he'd become so, so old (also didn't realize he doesn't live in La anymore); there are prayers for peace by some random black twins in cream sweaters; Jane Seymour opens her house to friends (I think it's Scott Bakula); another rich woman bragging about sending clothes from her vast walk-in closet to a shelter; and alongside all of this the Hollywood bullshit there are some truly harrowing images. And some roller skating midgets dancing around with sparklers to "I Feel Love."

R13 What worries me most is that Newsom and Company will have 100% of so-called “disaster response” costs paid in full for the next 6 months courtesy of Joe Biden and the American taxpayer.

Newsom likes to promote himself as a forward-thinking and civic-minded governor, but has thus far wasted an obscene amount of money on failed or questionable projects like high-speed rail, ending homelessness and benefits for illegal immigrants.

It is a very bad idea to hand an incompetent leader like Newsom a blank check to help Los Angeles recover. His warped priorities and fiscal ineptitude practically guarantee waste and mismanagement on an epic scale.

Yawn, r23.

R23, good. I hope that happens just to piss you off and all of the other FOX-news watching zombies

How can Russell Brand sleep at night? Shameless, transparent grifting for the clicks of his fanatical fans.

LOL JLC really did go there with the Gaza comparison!

"I live in a different canyon," is another great line from her.

r23 fantasizes about rimming Steve Bannon.

She lives on another planet.

Shut up, old woman.

NEW: Per ICE sources, the man seen in a viral video being subdued by residents & arrested by police w/ a blowtorch near the #KennethFire in West Hills is an illegal alien from Mexico named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva. He is in custody on a probation violation & has NOT been charged w/ arson. I'm told ICE will place a detainer request on him with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, but they do not expect it to be honored due to California's Sanctuary State law. I'm told Sierra-Leyva will have a court appearance tomorrow. Again - he has not been charged w/ arson and is in custody only on a probation violation at the moment, as multiple agencies have been interviewing him.

If Gal Gadot and co release a video “singing” All You Need is Love/I’ll Get By With A Little Help From My Friends I will set myself on fire

R7

[quote]...you have to be joking. If you've ever built anything in LA you will know that it is next to impossible to get even the okay on the smallest of permits to, say, move a tree or build a shed. And, of course, I doubt he's talking about relaxing regulations on various fire proofing methods. I assume he means the endless, endless, endless hoops you have to jump through for anything and everything that have nothing to do with fire or earthquake safety.

Bill Maher did a recent interview with Jane Fonda and Fonda disagreed when Maher complained about all the permits and regulations. Maher stopped her cold by telling her that he was required to have 3 inspections when he wanted to replace his garage door. (Something he thought he should not have to have any inspections for. Jane was apparently stunned because she then agreed that that did seem overkill.

I've also heard Maher complain that he was trying to install solar, but has tried repeatedly to get the necessary permits without success.

[quote] NEW: Per ICE sources, the man seen in a viral video being subdued by residents & arrested by police w/ a blowtorch near the #KennethFire in West Hills is an illegal alien from Mexico named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva.

This entire disaster is a gift to Trump and Republicans.

It was one fire not all. And once again he has not been charged with arson.

R20 have you tried to build any structure in Los Angeles? I'm guessing not.

No one is saying houses won't be built to all safety codes for fuck's sake. It just won't take three months to get the green light to plant a tree. My partner used to build houses in LA and stopped years ago because everything took nine thousand years. He never, ever complained about any fire and safety standards. Any builder understands how crucial those are in the city. But he very much complained about the time and hoops one had to jump through to get anything approved. It was ridiculous.

Also, Los Angeles (especially the Palisades) is not a desert. It's a Mediterranean climate.

I don't understand.

What is it like tonight? CNN has abandoned live coverage to save money.

Any Weird Shifty Mc. Weirdo slinking down the sidewalk with a blowtorch while LA burns to a crisp should be shot on sight. Sorry not sorry.

I wouldn't trust Bill Maher 100%.

R23 Your post is 1) in error, and 2) annoying. For example the high speed rail is a project passed as an state initiative - passed by the voters of the state.

It's just astonishing to me to see how folks are using this horrendous tragedy as an excuse for promoting their personal peeves and politics. This is LA's 911. Get a clue folks, this is not time to gloat and demean and show how very, very little you are.

On another matter, as I posted in previous threads... folks worried about how these neighborhoods can ever come back from this, or how long or how possible rebuilding even can be... check out the Santa Rosa fire where miles of suburban houses were completely burned down. 2017. Current pictures show those neighbohoods completely rebuilt, improved.

For those in darkness now... we will come together and rebuild.

R33, why? Because in your feeble-addled mind, you think this is going to turn California red?

Yes, Rose, R41. R33 thinks California will turn red...from all the fire trucks.

No it's because it was an illegal alien that was walking around with a blowtorch in a neighborhood not near other fires where a new fire suddenly emerged. And he had probation violations. It's a cliche the MAGATs will use to validate their deportation agenda.

R42, who gives a flying fuck what MAGAts think?

I couldn't agree more, R43. I was just explaining what R33 was talking about. I personally think we need to resist politicizing this tragedy right now. Now is not the time.

What caused the Palisades fire? A beloved hiking trial may hold answers.....

MAGA or not, California went for Biden by 29 points. Kamala's victory decreased to 20 points. LA is my second home; there are many people there who aren't happy with Dems. Many people there are disgruntled with Dems. I posted throughout last year that I was a lifelong Dem who voted for Biden in '20, but wouldn't do so again. I was call3d a troll. Thia fire won't help the leaders in charge. Newsom is already trying to shift the blame elsewhere by calling for investigations. He wants to ensure other leaders catch the blame.

Frankly, r45, I've always found hiking a trial.

LoL, r46, your only post?

Troll harder

Gavin Newsom didn't start the Palisades fire. Democrats didn't start these fires. Why would these fires make people turn from Dem to Republican?

Is it that Newsom was remiss in fixing one of the water tanks so there wasn't enough water? Something hokey with a reservoir? Newsom didn't cause the draughts either.

Was it about the Fire Chief saying he needed more help three months ago in anticipation of any potential wildfires?

Is it that California spends too much money on bleeding heart issues and not on infrastructure and public servicies?

What did Democrats do or not do to create this fire? Why are people politicizing the fire? Spell it out for me like I'm five.

Some of the most harrowing footage I've seen yet. For those who want to match up the locations, it starts around 1340 Monument St, heads down the hill a bit to 1291. Then moves somewhere unknown. The last part takes place on Pampas Ricas Blvd at and near Chapala Dr.

This house at 1324 Monument has been for sale for a while with the note that "the property is involved in an ongoing legal dispute related to water intrusion issues." It somehow survived the fire and the listing has already been updated with that info.

[quote]One of the only homes to make it through the fire, seems to be untouched!

R46 so your unhappiness with imperfection would drive you to vote for a rapist, felon, traitor, treasonous, insurrectionist instead? Cute.

Springsteen sang it best

R40 LA is a gorgeous and unique world city. I am genuinely sorry for all the people who have lost everything they have.

I want nothing more than to see Los Angeles make a full recovery and come back better than before. And, as a resident of the southern Rockies, I can tell you I despise wildfires and the terrible devastation and suffering they cause for humans and wildlife alike. It is nothing less than horrific.

This next part is important, so listen up.

Ever heard of disaster capitalism? I hope you have. Because if you think Gavin Newsom and his cronies won’t engage in it and exploit this catastrophe for their own benefit? Then you are incredibly fucking naive. Unscrupulous profiteers and modern-day carpetbaggers are already on their way as I type these very words.

Take a look at what happened to New Orleans after Katrina. People whose families were there for generations had to leave and are never coming back. The same will happen in LA, only on a much larger scale, unless ordinary - particularly native - Angelenos hold their elected leadership accountable. Even if they DO happen to be Democrats.

What's the total of people estimated to lose their home? I've just read an article about how landlords are going to increase rent by a lot to take advantage.

Can you elaborate on disaster capitalism? I understand the notion of a politician exploiting a disaster by, say, getting a kickback and investing in companies and giving them contracts. But maybe I'm wrong. Is that what you mean? I can totally imagine any Republican doing that. Think Ted Cruz. It's not a party thing, it's a politician thing. Across the board.

Why would unaffected landlords raise prices?

r54 is also:

[quote]Newsom likes to promote himself as a forward-thinking and civic-minded governor, but has thus far wasted an obscene amount of money on failed or questionable projects like high-speed rail, ending homelessness and benefits for illegal immigrants.

[quote]It is a very bad idea to hand an incompetent leader like Newsom a blank check to help Los Angeles recover. His warped priorities and fiscal ineptitude practically guarantee waste and mismanagement on an epic scale.

R57 Supply and demand.

"Landlords have been illegally raising prices due to the Los Angeles wildfires, says Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim.

The LA property mogul, who owns the luxury real estate brokerage at the centre of the Netflix reality show, said one client had been asked for thousands over the original asking price to rent a home - despite California's anti "price gouging" laws.

Thousands of people have lost homes in LA and displaced victims say they are facing sky-high rental prices and hotel fees.

Oppenheim said his business, known for selling LA's most expensive and glamorous homes, was offering its services for free and had received dozens of calls from people who had lost homes.

He described sending a client to visit a property where the landlord had previously been asking for $13,000 per month in rent.

"[My client] offered $20,000 a month and he offered to pay six months upfront and the landlord said 'I want $23,000'," he said.

"There are price gouging laws in California, they're just being ignored right now, and this isn't the time to be taking advantage of situations."

Disaster capitalism is for heartless MAGAS. California has already hit insurance companies with a law they can't drop anyone covered for a year I believe. You forget California is different. Pro employee, pro renter, pro union, pro consumer. We are not trash. Especially with so many eyes on the recovery Newsom isn't going to be gratuitous.

[quote] Why would unaffected landlords raise prices?

There are no "unaffected" landlords. The displaced will have to find alternative housing. Landlords raise rents based on demand.

[quote]Especially with so many eyes on the recovery Newsom isn't going to be gratuitous.

Exactly, r60.

Like their orange warlord MAGA trash assumes everyone will react as they would. And grift like they would.

I'm not R54, but another name for disaster capitalism is the shock doctrine. Naomi Klein (NOT to be confused with lunatic Naomi Woolf) wrote her most well-known book about it.

On example of how it played out in the aftermath Katrina is that while the public schools were in shambles, charter school acolytes swooped in with their quick-moving private capital and used New Orleans as their charter school playground, making essentially all the schools charter schools and firing the union educators.

I don't know how it will play out in California, but there are always people and power brokers looking to see how they can exploit a tragedy for their own agenda and/or bottom line. Mike Davis has a whole chapter in his book "Ecology of Fear," written in the 90s, that touches upon how various entities have used the chaos and tragedy of LA's fires to consolidate land, money and resources, going all the way back to the beginning of the 20th century.

"Design for Disaster: The Story of the Bel Air Conflagration", narrated by William Conrad.

Seems like all we've really learned (or changed) since 1961 is not to build with wood-shingle roofs.

They can't explain it, R49.

They just want to blame the left (aka "own the libs") for anything and everything. So they do. Half truths. Outright lights. Cherry picking something small and twisting it into something bigger.

Facts and reality be damned, as long as the left is to blame.

So many tedious Trump posts.

R22 made me laugh.

Sounds like a utility tower caused it. Shut up with this other stuff. That’s what the 1% wants you to believe. Oh oh an illegal alien started it! Power company deflects, management gets usual bonuses.

California IS different. It has been experiencing a net loss in domestic population for some time now.

Instead of sticking around to elect new leadership that would enact effective and pragmatic policies, people are just throwing up their hands and leaving. Common reasons for emigration include cost of living, high taxes, crime and over-complicated regulations for businesses.

Tax revenues are crashing and the state lost a congressional seat this last election cycle and is expected to lose 4-5 more by 2030.

Get a load of this:

“In October 2023, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research found that California was ‘hemorrhaging residents to neighboring states like Texas, Arizona, and Nevada’ at ‘higher levels than ever before’ across all income levels, and especially among college graduates.”

That’s from Wikipedia, mind you. Not Breitbart or InfoWars.

They even have a name for it. It’s called the “California Exodus.”

Guess not everyone in California thinks it’s the perfect, utopian paradise that you do, R60, the miracles of Saint Gavin notwithstanding.

A lot of the California exodus is to Texas and Florida and a lot of them regret it once they find out they're both Rethug hellholes.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Jamie Lee Curtis is going to ride this to Oscars nominations for Pam AND herself.

R22, "So, Stephon, with Malibu up in flames, what do you suggest the tourists do to enjoy a night out?"

"Well, Seth, the hottest club around is....'FIRE!!'

Located in rubble and ashes, it has everything! Government bloopers, Canadian Scoopers, smoke-induced stupors, and Roman J. Israel, Esquire.

Plus, there's a new game catching on fast: 'The Newsom Solution.'"

"That sounds like it might be fun. How do people play it?"

"Well, you stoop down and the bartender lights your hair with a Flaming Dr. Pepper."

"That....doesn't sound like something tourists would enjoy much, Stephon. Where's the 'solution'?"

"Five drunken midgets spit on you."

[quote]Sounds like a utility tower caused it. Shut up with this other stuff. That’s what the 1% wants you to believe. Oh oh an illegal alien started it! Power company deflects, management gets usual bonuses.

Someone needs to start this "rumor" as to the start of the conflagration on right-wing sites and see how many of those assholes continue to spread the info. Here is how it started:

What is about to be lost with the demise of Meta's fact-checking department:

“Fires and looting. A regular Democrat run city,” read the caption on an Instagram video showing men removing a television from a home amid the fires.

After Lead Stories fact-checked the claim and found that the men were not looters, but in fact the resident’s family helping save their belongings, Meta placed a fact-check label on the video. When a post is labeled as false or misleading, Meta says it applies penalties that “significantly reduce that content’s distribution so that fewer people see” it and also notifies users who try to share the post.

There was no shortage of water. Elon and Republicans are trying to create a false narrative that Democrats can't run things. You won't see this false propaganda directed towards red states when they experience a natural disaster.

Magats don’t realize that you can’t just plop down fire hydrants all over the side of a mountain and expect them to work.

Hopkins and his wife owned two houses in the Palisades, both of which have burned down. The actor has been in the UK this week.

LA County has started a website documenting the damage, street by street, with photos of structures. They've only started and maybe 10-15% of the Eaton/Palisades damage is documented, but I'll post a few photos of the houses that escaped unscathed, within destroyed neighborhoods, to see if anyone can determine what might have protected them, structurally or architecturally.

This house is in the Temescal Canyon Rd neighborhood, either on that street or adjacent. Very close to the high school:

I can't wrap my head around the fact that Encino will be gone soon, probably by the end of today. We remember going to screenings of Encino Man, memorizing all the movie dialogue with friends, screaming with laughter.

Another clear house, slightly further south on the same road. Nearly all surrounding homes were destroyed or damaged:

This one off of Topanga Canyon Blvd, in south Palisades, was unscathed while all other neighborhood house burned:

[quote]I'll post a few photos of the houses that escaped unscathed, within destroyed neighborhoods, to see if anyone can determine what might have protected them, structurally or architecturally

There But for the Grace of God, There Go I

Not just the houses but surrounding trees and shrubs look okay too.

How is that stone house in r82 up to code? Wouldn't that disintegrate in an earthquake?

[Quote] We remember going to screenings of Encino Man,

Thank you, Queen Elizabeth II

Well it survived the worst fire in the area ever, so I'm sure the owners were happy with how it was constructed r86.

The houses made of non-wood material, without eaves or overhangs or fancy trim, seemed to survive the best. Here's another one from the Palisades, that survived while neighboring houses didn't:

At least she ain't Margaret "We have become a grandmother" Thatcher!

[Quote] Hopkins and his wife owned two houses in the Palisades

Why do rich people buy two houses in the same neighborhood?

I get the multiple houses thing of course, but why in the same place?

Maybe it's a Woody Allen thing: the spouses actually reside in separate residences, remaining married.

Queuing up "Encino Man" in my Amazon feed so I can get a mental picture of the area in case it's gone in a couple days.

R64 Klein (and the many others who write about this) describe something structural about late-stage capitalism,. Witness the billionaires who exponentially increased their wealth during and after the COVID disaster. Anger about this fuels "populist" movements around the world (fueled by anti-immigrant resentment, etc,.), yet results in leaders who only increase the accrual of extreme wealth to the already-wealthy. Musk/Trump want exactly this.

Yes, resources coming into a community affects the economy, both local and oligarchical. But rebuilding can happen, and happen quickly. Check the history and results of what happened in the Santa Rosa Tubbs fire.

Given that the trees and vegetation around those intact houses are not burned, it looks like the fire/embers just never encroached on their properties. Seems a matter of luck rather than building materials.

R70 CA population increased in 2023 and projects to continue that increase in 2024. I am exhausted with the MAGA nut-brain anti-CA lying. Especially now. What small, small humans you are.

R70 CA budget has SURPLUS as of Jan, 2024. What does lying do for you? What is your need?

Encino isn’t going anywhere. They’ve stopped the fire heading in that direction since Saturday. Winds are now blowing away from Encino.

[quote] Given that the trees and vegetation around those intact houses are not burned, it looks like the fire/embers just never encroached on their properties. Seems a matter of luck rather than building materials.

Certain kinds of vegetation are fire-resistant. That huge banyan tree in the middle of the Lahaina fires did survive.

But yeah, I do think some of it is just luck and a result of the way that the winds were blowing.

R86 it’s just a cladding.

Where's the address for that site, R82?

R69 Is that you, Phillywhore? I was about to request a wellness check on you.

I don't have the exact location r99, but it's on or just off Temescal Canyon Road, just southeast of the high school.

R100 R102 That house is at the corner of Radcliffe and Carthage. It was under construction as of eight months ago, and you can see that it has traditional wood sheathing.

A world without Encino is not a world I choose to live in.

"The motel in Encino" was where Brett Somers was always threatening to rendezvous with Gene Rayburn after the Match Game taping.

It is thereby a historic city and must be preserved at all costs.

"What most people don't seem to realize is that there is just as much money to be made out of the wreckage of a civilization as from the upbuilding of one… There's good money in empire building. But, there's more in empire wrecking."

Universal cancels all Grammy-related events, but not the Grammys themselves.

This cunt doesn't deserve to live.

[quote]Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has made it abundantly clear that she didn’t study atmospheric sciences in college, launching an unhinged suggestion that officials could end the Los Angeles wildfires by manipulating the weather. “Why don’t they use geoengineering like cloud seeding to bring rain down on the wildfires in California?" the Republican asked Sunday in a post on X. “They know how to do it.”

[quote]It is not the first time Greene has dabbled in wildfire commentary; Shortly after her election to Congress a Facebook post emerged in which she had blamed California wildfires in 2018 on a Jewish-controlled “space laser”.

I'm getting really tired of stupid fucking idiots. On a mountain peak high above Topanga Canyon, there is an awesome 30-acre, fully-automated helicopter water-filling station called 69 Bravo. It consists of four pools called "pumpkins" from which multiple helicopters can draw water (simultaneously), and are then automatically refilled after the helicopters fly away. It is a critical resource for fighting fires in the western Santa Monica Mountains.

Saturday afternoon, fire officials had to request law enforcement/National Guard be sent to 69 Bravo because there were multiple civilian looky-loos who had hiked on to the site, wandering around & interfering with operations. I heard the initial call to dispatch on the fire department scanner, shortly before 2:30 pm. It didn't specify what the dumbasses were doing. I highly doubt they were actively *trying* to impede/sabotage operations (up-close video for stupid social media clicks), but their mere presence, so close to the "pumpkins", made the pilots deem it unsafe to use until LEO got them out of there.

Beatings. Public beatings.

Instead of Ms Green, I prefer to focus on other responses to the family. This, I guess, has gone viral. The Halpin Family, losing their home of 37 years in Altadena.

My niece and her husband lost their home in Atadena too.

One guy found his dog alive. That poor animal must be starving.

Is Encino going? That depresses me to my soul. What a world.

R112 No. Pay attention.

So many trolls roaming these threads, both paid and free range.

The maps are embedded in this article.

Genius, R74!!

"Encino is fine, it sends her love."

But seriously....Encino is fine, it is not going to burn down tonight.

Belmont Music Publishers

R95 Clearly, you didn’t read the link. California’s population loss is a decades-long trend. The odd year might show a slight gain but only because of foreign immigration from abroad. American citizens have been leaving California for decades with fewer numbers from other states moving in to replace them. The LA wildfires will only hasten the trend.

Anecdotally, I’m in northern New Mexico. The ongoing influx of California transplants here is undeniable and increasing. My new, next-door neighbor is a mid-30s college-educated California native who says she can’t afford to live there anymore.

Isn't late stage capitalism fun?

[quote]Isn't late stage capitalism fun?

I particularly like the way we're all organizing bake sales to rebuild parts of Los Angeles while the incoming administration heavily implies they'll withhold aid if a. the governor doesn't kiss the ring and b. all their insane Trumpista demands aren't met.

California state budget information is readily available to anyone who cares enough to do a simple internet search. You are either lying yourself, R96, or you just don’t give a shit.

The truth is Gavin Newsom keeps “promising” Californians budget surpluses but, lo and behold, they never seem to materialize. Thanks to reckless overspending and overly optimistic revenue projections, California’s budget went from an assumed $98 billion surplus to a massive deficit in only about two years.

The California Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal analyst’s office (LAO) estimates a $27 billion deficit for 2023-24 and a $55 billion deficit for 2024‑25. Are you going to accuse them of lying too?

Fuck the pretty squabbling and help these poor people, fo fuck's sake. Jesus.

Some of those houses may have had people there putting out spot fires from ember strikes. If you are well prepared and aren't surrounded by a lot of vegetation it's not insanely risky to stay - you definitely need a pool and a pump.

Others may have done well to keep trees away from the building structure, and were lucky that no ember strikes set the roof on fire.

So at work today, 3 colleagues had videos that they took themselves of people setting something on fire in their neighborhood. They are all men, who look to be homeless. Police were called on all 3 incidents, but the men weren't arrested, even with supporting videos and photos. Apparently it isn't worth it to them to arrest them.

There was also another firestarter in West Hollywood today,

WTF is wrong with people?

When people have nothing to lose...

R124 looks like a real estate developer

I am 59. I grew up in Altadena. The house I grew up in burned down last week. The winter Santa Ana winds have been crazy up there for years. We get them a few nights a year every year. I still have pictures that my dad took of a huge tree that fell on my dad’s Cadillac in our driveway in 1972. The best way that I can describe this situation to me - your longtime family dog who had never shown any aggression suddenly bites you out of no where. Whose fault is it? It is a total surprise. …. Last Tuesday about 5pm I texted a childhood friend who still lived in Altadena. I texted something like “Wow - you are in for a windy night” Aboit a half an hour later she texted that the power went out. She had a flashlight and was going to settle down in bed and read until the power came on. no drama - the wind hits every year. She had to evacuate and the house burned down. It was a terrible fluke.

A memory of what once was.

Winds are picking up today.

R128 looks really nice, but like a ghost town, hardly a moving car or a person walking to be seen.

If you live somewhere like that does anybody ever walk the streets, or would it look odd and maybe suspicious?

R129 For such an expensive and wealthy community the houses are so close together and they don't have much property

Pink everywhere

R131 that’s the paradox of California —in many high-income neighborhoods all the houses are cheek by jowl, few neighborhoods with gracious spreading landscaping. Well, maybe on the SF Peninsula in places like Atherton where the Silicon Valley billionaires live. But otherwise no.

If you’re used to how older neighborhoods on the east coast developed, it’s surprising to see all these California areas filled with huge houses, plastered right next to each other. Especially if your idea of the West as being wide-open spaces.

R132, can you get it in other colors? I like blue.

It's Los Angeles, not Flyoverstan. So, yes, on premium real estate with access to the ocean, houses will be close together.

R130 that was during Covid.

People who live in “Flyoverstan” still have their homes and pets today, R135.

Are there any California DLers? CNN is doing the soap opera on Capitol Hill, so can't watch that. Any updates?

[quote] It's Los Angeles, not Flyoverstan.

The demos say otherwise. Homeless all over the place, druggies shooting up and crapping on the street and third world shitheads clogging up the joint. It’s trash.

Okay, R138.

KTLA has an app to watch their news free, KTLA+. I have been using this to keep up from San Francisco, it’s free-I am watching it on my Roku.

[Quote] It's Los Angeles, not Flyoverstan.

R135 Los Angeles is certainly flyover now!

[quote]The demos say otherwise. Homeless all over the place, druggies shooting up and crapping on the street and third world shitheads clogging up the joint. It’s trash.

Sounds like typical coastal cities, both east and west.

I live in Los Angeles. It’s not perfect but there are few other places I’d rather live. Even with the wildfires putting me in an evacuation area.

R139 So, what magical city do you live in, where there are no problems of any kind? Other than worrying if Mr. Haney will rip you off or if the Cannonball will cease operations or if Mr. Drucker is out of rutabagas?

Hooterville? Pixley?

[quote]r145 = Hooterville? Pixley?

Bugtussle

R146 That explains a lot. Bugtussle elites.

R144 I completely agree!

"third world shitheads"

R139 your relatives or spouse?

If you want boring but very safe weather, London is the place to live. No hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, tsunami, heavy snow, floods ..

Off topic: I accidentally blocked someone - how do I unblock this person?

Click the ignored tab with the circle and diagonal line. Just click the Xs on the posts that you see.

Ha! I’ve done the exact same thing, r151!

Tried to W&W someone and accidentally blocked them.

Why couldn't the fire have burnt down Skid Row?

If you're into local history (or just curious as to why this keeps happening), this is an excellent 1996 article/essay about the fire history of Malibu & Santa Monica Mountains (which was reposted/republished following the Woolsey Fire in 2018). It's long, but so worth reading.

I hope that it didn't burn down in the fires...

BT, DT, R150.

The Great Fire of London couldn't happen now because all the housing isn't made of wood now.

And there's barely any residential housing in the City of London (The Square Mile), where the fire happened.

R153

What helped me is entering into the internet search bar “New Mexico” because I remembered the poster was writing about living there. Then I clicked through to the ignored posters and “searched page” on New Mexico and found the poster then I ignored him. Sadly, I’ve had to block a lot of MAGAt trolls recently so it was a bit of a slog.

[quote]A lot of the California exodus is to Texas and Florida and a lot of them regret it once they find out they're both Rethug hellholes.

Receipts?

The fact is, conservative Texas and Florida are two of the fastest growing states, while ultraliberal California and New York are losing residents.

No one is moving back.

[quote]You forget California is different. Pro employee, pro renter, pro union, pro consumer..

And the laziest workers.

The customer service is horrendous!

[quote]The customer service is horrendous!

That's everywhere since COVID, love. People are tired of being paid shit to put up with people.

R49 the point is, the optics aren't good.

This whole disaster makes the Democrats look very bad and inept to the general public, like it or not.

No, r 164, the GOP is doing their thing and making sure a natural disaster makes Dems look bad. And either you fell for it or have an interest in promoting it.

R35, Maybe the multiple checks and balances---the "hoops"--- were in place for the shoddy builder, the corrupt builder, the corners-cutting builder, your partner, of course, excepted.

As for Bill Maher's garage door, r32, we don't know his circumstances, now do we? Is his garage oddly situated on his property? Where is his water meter (mine is next to my garage door)? Had the installation prior ever been inspected? Was there electricity involved? Is the house under "historic property" architectural restrictions? Etc.

R162, You found Customer Service NOT located in the Philippines or India?!

R158 and r159, You make my point:

London learned.

The depopulation of the City of London has nothing to do with fire prevention, and greater London is even more densely built-up than it was in the 17th century, dear. They do have better fire codes, but that came in the 20th century.

[quote][R139] So, what magical city do you live in, where there are no problems of any kind?

North Massapequa

[quote]So, what magical city do you live in, where there are no problems of any kind?

Emerald.

R164, not people who have their heads out of their asses.

Darrowby, r139.

Darrowby 385, Siegfried Farnon speaking!

R162 troll who has never set foot in any resturant or retail establishment in the Freedumb State of Flawduh

If you're really curious about the state of the fires, you can download the free watch duty app and put in Los Angeles county and you can see the winds, fires, etc in real time.

[quote]not people who have their heads out of their asses.

A vanishingly small percentage of Americans, unfortunately.

OFGS, r169. STHU. Like my "BT, DT" at r157 indicated serious historical similarities.

Gee, is London "densely built up"? Is it urban? I wouldn't know, as I've been there only ten times.

r178, your issues with taking feedback/correction are not our fucking problem. I've been to McDonald's 10 times but don't know how to make a Big Mac.

I can serve fries, r179!

R161 = California Derangement Syndrome

Tommy Tuberville Says California Fire Victims 'Don't Deserve' Any Aid

R182 - His last name is spelled Gooberville.

You know - “West Covina” here. I lost my childhood home and neighborhood in the fire. I know 9 people whose homes burned to the ground and maybe more. Everyone here is stunned. And depressed. And survivors guilt. And all of the poor animals. And worried. …… If your dad died in an accident - people wouldn’t say “your dad was a drinker wasn’t he? Did he leave you anything? Well , he doesn’t deserve a funeral …” that is what all of this crapping on California feels like. Geez - this is uncharted territory. So much negativity blah!! And The Orange slime coming - so scary. ……… On the lighter side - there was a really upbeat piece that ran on ABC 7 yesterday. “Altadena Girls” - a young girl set it up on her phone and contacted influencers - I’m too old to know who anybody is - but they are sending underwear, clothes, shampoo to get these girls feeling good. That will probably make it easier on parents, too. It will probably the young people that will figure a lot of this out .

Speaking of blaming the victim R184 LAFD Chief Christine larson appears to shift blame onto fire victims for their circumstances.

Larson said, "Am I able to carry your husband out of a fire? He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out"

Such a lack of empathy for victims of a fire from the deputy chief f the LAFD.

DEI=DIE

Quit it with your propaganda. She's talking about people who choose not to comply with mandatory evacuation orders.

R184 - Thanks for your heartfelt post of the situation in CA. I can't imagine how devastating it would be to loose EVERYTHING - house, possessions, friends, family, pets and community.

Those that relish in hateful comments (little Tommy Gooberville for one) have no empathy or compassion for others. I read somewhere that CA should withhold their federal contribution to the treasury which would certainly put a crimp on the operations of the red states that rely on blue state revenue to function. It's only a matter of time (soon hopefully) where there will be numerous powerful Hurricanes to pummel the Gulf states and FL wiping out even larger communities than what is affecting CA.

Thoughts and prayers are somewhat hollow but I feel that having positive thoughts to combat suffering can be beneficial.

The best to you and all the folks affected by this global tragedy.

Global tragedy?

R187 relishes in hateful comments.

We're getting megatrolled at the moment, r189, so it tracks.

Music mogul Irving Azoff is organizing a mega concert called “Fire Aid” on January 30th at LA’s Intuit Dome. This should be along the lines of the “The Concert for New York” that was held after 9/11. “Fire Aid” will raise money for wildfire relief charities. The show will be produced along with Live Nation.

You're a disgusting troll, r185.

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again …”

This made me smile & laugh. I think most have us seen the story of this guy, Casey Colvin, whose dogs were trapped inside his house during the evacuation of the Palisades last Tuesday (and one was lost for several days). Yesterday, he & the dogs were reunited with the firefighter that went to his house to save them. "And you look like a Ken doll!"

"You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency, whether it's a medical call or a fire call, that looks like you," she said in the same video.

R186 do you know the meaning of the word propaganda? She's more concerned with diversity than competency or ability than the question over whether a fenale firefigter would be able to carry a man out of a fire in any circumstance.

^^^ female

You aren't fooling anybody, r196. Take your trolling somewhere else.

R192 R197 Pete Repete you must have worn ot the letters T-R-O-L on you keyboard with all your trolling.

Nah, I'm someone else and we know who you are. r192/r197 is right on target.

'We' Sybil? Sure! I know who you are. An idiot who thinks anyone who they don't agree with is a troll and who can't address issues with persuasive posts so you resort to name calling. You sound like a 5th grader. Fon't bother resonding. I've blocked ypu.

Someone's a little melting snowflake when she gets feedback, isn't she?

Anyway, it looks like the major emergency part of this is coming to an end, and that's very good news indeed.

Time to buy tents and porta pottys.

[quote]“You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency, whether it's a medical call or a fire call, that looks like you," she said in the same video.

omfg are you kidding me? WTF r195 She couldn’t possibly ..

No, you fucking moron “Fire Chief” Christine Larson, I want to see someone who can help. Who THE FUCK cares who someone looks like?

Very very unfortunate sound bite.

You really are working hard to propagadize these LA Fire threads, but nobody's buying it. It's hilarious to watch you fail repeatedly.

Oh, ok, r204 here, these were comments that “resurfaced,” apparently, so Chief Larson made them some time ago & someone dug them up … these weren’t recent comments in reference to this fire, it doesn’t look like.

Who knows when she made them, the Newsweek piece doesn’t say.

At least she looks like she could carry someone's husband out of a fire, so there's that.

Chief Larson is speaking eloquently and clearly in the briefing now.

Also:

[quote] “Like most people I had to [evacuate], I got lucky. The winds moved. But the fire was coming and all that stuff, so I feel lucky. And I think everybody did a great job — unlike the internet, you know?” Burr began at the top of his “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” appearance. “Oh my god, all these fire experts. ‘Why don’t you just fly a helicopter into the ocean?’ I don’t know, because it was 100-knot winds? You want to do that? You want to do that at night, you f—king lunatic?

I've said this from the beginning. If you weren't actually HERE last Tuesday, sit down and SHUT👏THE👏 FUCK 👏UP👏. You have no concept of what you're talking about & your opinions are meaningless.

R206 She's speaking in general. It doesn't matter what fire she's talking about for in any fire there would be a need for a person who would have the ability to carry someone out. Particularly someone who is invalid or in a wheelchair. So, what does it matter when it was said.

The Campfire in 2018 consumed over 150,000 acres of land in Northern California destroying nearly 19,000 structures and killing 85 people and it was a malfunctioning Pacific Gas and Electric company transmission line that started it. It was the deadliest fire in California history.

About 75% of California's 20 most destructive wildfires measured in terms of structures burned- have occurred since 2015 and no new reservoirs have been built in the ten years since Proposition 1 was passed.

You can't fight fire with fire.

If anyone actually bothers to watch interviews with FIREFIGHTER, they will tell you that once the wind is blowing over 30 mph, they are no longer "fire-fighters"......just observers with a hose. No municipal hydrant system could have handled that many hydrants being open all at once, in those winds.

esp. difficult when so many hydrants are empty, and the 117-million-gallon water storage complex in Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline and empty when the firestorm exploded. R212

Former Nanny fingers teens for the Palisades Fire. Bored teens going unsupervised in the area. Palisades School District was due back Wednesday January 8 and the fire is thought to have started at about 10am on Tuesday January 7. Something about the boys all getting $4000 motorbikes which I think means they were likely to have been out exploring. Something about the high school basically backing up on to the Temescal Canyon trails. Another account hinted at a possible active cover up by parents and that the truth will come out.

Land that has endured a massive fire is not receptive to new growth. To rebuild they are going to have to scrape off a good amount and bring in fresh soil. I'm guessing there won't be many grasses or vegetation to put in. California will come up with something. But it won't be as pretty. Those palm trees have to go.

Did a Rich Boy start the Palisades Fire? @Yomamarice thinks so..

For me the *damning* thing wasn't that Santa Ynez reservoir was offline/empty, in & of itself. If it needs repairs, you gotta drain it at some point & that's just really unfortunate timing. But I will never understand how some of the top fire officials didn't *know* that Santa Ynez was empty. I'm just some ordinary hiker-schmo in the Valley, and even *I* knew that thing had been empty since last Feburary last year for repairs.

More uninformed criticism. Sigh.

Zip-it, trolly R213. This -- the water pressure dying -- happens during every significant wildfire in the mountanside developments of Los Angeles, since the 1960s. Gravity is a bitch.

So why the investigation R218 R219? Seems lke you trollinas have all the answers

r213 = bloody stool

bloody shame R222

My bad 100,000 unhoused

[quote]Land that has endured a massive fire is not receptive to new growth. ..... Those palm trees have to go.

Really? That's news to me! - Planet Earth 4.5 Billion and counting.

Professor cockroach here's an article you might find informative

R153

I miswrote. I UNignored him.

As comedian Bill Barr (the MAGA darling) says... fucking "fire experts" on the internet know why the fire happened and who is to blame... his comment to you:? "Shut the fuck up!!"

R184

I know this will seem simplistic but I and pretty much everyone I know are deeply sorry and concerned and heartbroken about what’s happening. I lived in Hollywood for three years but my community who don’t know LA well are also truly upset about this disaster. We talk about it constantly and share ways to help y’all.

Sending love and strength and peace and patience to all of you from Texas.

[quote]So why the investigation [R218] [R219]? Seems lke you trollinas have all the answers

Because fuck-tards like you act like this has NEVER happened before.

I'm happy most people escaped safely, that was one fast fire due to insane wind. I would have been terrified.

R230 but Newsom is calling for answers fuck-tard! You mean HE doesn't realize this has happened before?

Its almost like getting rid of me led to a few issues eh Cali?

I never said a thing about Newsom, R232. (in support or against). Your reply says more about you, and your political agenda, than it does about me.

But you do know that Newsom is calling for the investigation as I posted fuck-tard which says a lot about your lack of reading comprehension.

JFC, yes, I DO, R235. But it doesn't change the fact that your an idiot-asshole.

glad to see those anger management classes are working out so well for you R236

Was there an insane asylum somewhere in Pacific Palisades that opened the gates to the inmates during the fires?

Most of the DL has been overrun fucking lunatics recently.

R231 That's a story no one is telling yet. How can a disaster of this proportion, and volatility, have so few fatalities? California Derangement addicts won't ever see it... but the number of dead is tribute to the first responders of LA City and County. They deserve our gratitude.

Again, R237, you're a fucking asshole of the first order. But you know that, and you relish in it. What sad, little life you have.

Still not sure what was grossly mishandled. Super dry conditions and very high winds = fires in Southern California. And, especially so along the coastal areas in Malibu/Pacific Palisades. There really shouldn't be humans in that area, other than for brief visits.

Death toll is low. No mass hysteria. The fire fighters are working efficiently. The huge loss of housing is a disaster and the government is going to have to make a concentrated effort to crack down on things like price gouging and to make sure the people affected are taken care of but....yeah. The blame game stuff is ridiculous.

and yet here you are R240 spending your time responding to a person who has a 'sad little life' again and again. Don't you have anything better to do?

R238 that asylum is known as the streets of LA

I can't believe what the fire chief said. What if I am a middle-aged white man, am I'm going to expect a firefighter who looks like me to carry me out of the house?

Interesting that you're wasting your time focusing on *that*, r244.

Oh, yeah, that's good burn, R 242. I am so ashamed. 🙄

Fire is scary, it has the upper hand.

[Quote] There was also another firestarter in West Hollywood today, WTF is wrong with people?

R124 I heard that many people on meth are obsessed with fire.

Am I correct in understanding the risk has died down for now? I thought the winds were picking back up?

I worked with a woman who's son was an arsonist and was sent up. The psychiatrist told her it's caused by sexual frustration.

As Frankenstein would say:

Mr. Asshole should consider for a goddamned second that Newsom is calling for the investigation precisely because it will find the winds guilty, regardless of circumstance, and recommend new best practices to fight Santa Ana wind conditions. It's an exercise in sociopathy to make this a political blame game when the cold, hard facts are that anything over 30 mph winds makes any sort of firefighting useless.

Frankly, I hope the grifty Fox News types keep it up so we have a clear example of how disdainful they are of first responders and people who actually care about effective firefighting.

[quote] I can't believe what the fire chief said. What if I am a middle-aged white man, am I'm going to expect a firefighter who looks like me to carry me out of the house?

What did he say?

They really need to get rid of the sign language people. They’re such a distraction and look like morons. Just put up closed captioning. Enough virtue-signaling.

So we're moving on to this sign language interpreter Republican talking point now that you've been soundly trounced here on the other one? Fuck off and leave disabled people alone. Deaf people say they need this, and I believe them.

Victims from the Palisades and Eaton fires are suing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and Southern California Edison respectively.

The Palisades suit alleges water supply failures added to the damage from the blaze.

It wouldn't be LA without a shitstorm of lawsuits.

It wouldn't be America without a shitstorm of lawsuits.

Fire is over, it has exited the news cycle.

R253 Not a man. Or the LAFD Chief.

Equity and Human Resources Deputy Chief Kristine Larson basically said that if a man is too big and heavy for her to carry out of a fire, he doesn’t deserve to be rescued.

Anyway, we're out of the news cycle, but so many questions. How many families displaced? Where are they going to go? Are hotels booked up?

Trump will have the fires totally extinguished before his inauguration. All he has to do is say the word and it will end.

Unbelievable.

Apparently, LA Deputy Mayor Brian Williams has been on administrative leave since the FBI raided his home in December over a bomb threat he allegedly made against City Hall.

An appointee of Mayor Karen Bass, Williams was given significant public safety responsibility, including oversight of the Los Angeles fire department…

You can’t make this shit up! Angelenos deserve better than the incompetent clowns currently in charge of their city.

For the zillionth time, r263, fuck off with your Fox News talking point editorializing.

Rr264 hates facts that disrupt her narrative

No, I hate your parroting of the Fox News line and posting links that Dear Leader wants you to.

California Derangement Syndrome is a deep wound in so many. I guess all we can do is love them to better health. In the meantime, we need to address those in real pain as a result of this disaster and discuss how best to build back.

[quote]Former Nanny fingers teens

Pics please.

r239

[quote] How can a disaster of this proportion, and volatility, have so few fatalities?

The official number of fatalities in the Great Fire of London is . . . 6. Some estimate that the real number was in the hundreds; but even that number is pretty low considering that largely messy and ramshackle London was one of the most populous cities in the world. I guess Londoners were good at listening for their neighbors to shout, "Fire! Run!"

R266 Don’t watch cable “news.”

You don’t think it’s even the least bit unsettling that the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles called in a bomb threat to City Hall?

Maybe he didn’t feel like going to work that day.

It was fortuitous that this happened at a time when many people were at work, school or going about their daily chores and not at home. Imagine what it would have been like if this happened during the middle of the night

I don't believe a fucking word you say, r 270. You posted a link that was syndicated from a Murdoch media property to MSN. You know what you're doing, and don't give a flying fuck about telling the truth. You care about making sure the right wing narrative is proliferated.

Also: He was already being prosecuted/invrstigated, so why post about this here and now? Don't piss on my leg and say it's not raining.

[quote]Don't piss on my leg and say it's not raining.

You absolutely sure you got that right?

You get the drift, scumbag.

Funny how MAGA trash is quick to spread their bullshit but give them one fact about sex pest cabinet nominees, rapist insurrectionist presidents, and thieving, lying party leaders and it's a witch hunt, "anonymous smears", and left wing attacks.

R276 Pro tip: quit saying “MAGA” in all of your posts.

Readers can immediately tell it’s the same person posting with multiple accounts.

R272 That’s good. You should be skeptical.

How do you learn about current events?

R277

R272 you have a lot more in common with those right wing nuts than you would ever care to admit.

Both of you only care about your side, your narrative, your candidate, your way of thought. Everyone else is wrong and evil. Reevaluate yourself because your post read as unhinged.

You assume a lot, r 280. All you're doing is showing your own hand more by projecting it on me. Encouraging media literacy and pointing out the latest right wing talking point is not a return fire of propaganda, except in your biased world.

Gavin Newsom smacks down Trump & Elon Musk over fire lies

I’m glad the wind gas calmed down and the fires are under control.

Now some rain would be nice. Just a drizzle for an hour or so to cool stuff off and soak in a bit.

R279

R277 you really are a fucking moron. Go back to your dark web. Those conspiracy theories aren't going to find themselves.

R285 The “dark web” is all weirdos and sick fucks like you. No thanks,

Who is David Hansen and why is his house and his mother’s house identified on a live feed? Granted, the sound is off.

Article about the hard hit neighborhood of Altadena.

Rebuild the churches and restaurants in every single neighborhood.

Stand. Don’t be moved.

R272/r280: No space between the "r" and the post number.

R56 Been giving your question some thought.

You will see government authorities seizing property for the “common good.” It’s called eminent domain,

Expect a new hospital or freeway.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said in an interview with CNN, "We have over 100 fire apparatus out of service. Having these apparatus and the proper amount of mechanics would have helped. So, it did absolutely negatively impact."

A bit about r 292's source:

Blaze Media is an American conservative[1][2] media company. It was founded in 2018 as a result of a merger between TheBlaze and CRTV LLC. The company's leadership consists of CEO Tyler Cardon and president Gaston Mooney.[1] It is based in Irving, Texas, where it has studios and offices, as well as in Washington, D.C.

I wonder if they're going to rebuild all the mansions and sell them for 3x amount they were before, or if they're going to do a cleanup and build shelters for the homeless and migrants and Newsom will ship all of them down from San Francisco?

thank you, R292 Wikipedia is, such a reliable source. btw are the quotes from the LAPD Fire chief accurate.

One home that survived the fire was crushed today by a mudslide.

[Quote] thank you, [R292] Wikipedia is, such a reliable source. btw are the quotes from the LAPD Fire chief accurate.

L.AFD fire chief Kristin Crowley

These threads have become agenda-driven to the point they've become worthless, but there isn't any real news happening anyway. Now, it's a long hard slog while all this mud slinging happens in the background and draws focus away from solving problems for people on the ground who need them.

The house at R286 had been listed for rent, $14,000/month.

That whole hillside has been crumbling for years. You can see tarped hillsides nearby in some of the listing photos (and satellite views).

The two homes directly above it burned down in the fire.

1.) Stephen King is calling for a boycott of attendance if the Oscars proceed.

2.) Big "Fire Aid" concert on the 30th.

Does the author of Firestarter think that Los Angeles will still be burning in March

So Stephen King wants to hurt one of LA's biggest industries by boycotting the Oscars? What a stupid idea. I guess we should just shut down every business in LA for the next 12 months and destroy the city for good.

Thousands of firefighters are battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. About 82,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and another 90,000 are under evacuation warnings.

It ain't over till it's over

No offense intended to Chief Crowley, but of course she’s got to cover her ass so that in the event that something like what happened happens, she can credibly point fingers. But I don’t buy for a moment that a less than two percent budget cut that didn’t affect personnel one way or the other is where the blame lies.

Trump delivers SHOCKING threat to Los Angeles

R305, no offense to you , but you're stupid! You're going to impugn the chief for what reason? Are you obtuse? Have you not seen the reports of how the budget cut did affect LAFD? Dir you not see the hundreds of fire trucks that weren't in use because they can't hire more mechanics? Less than two percent equates to 17 million dollars - not an insignificant amount. Save your time and ours and dobt post such nonsense.

Trump has no soul.

[bold] California Derangement Syndrome is easily cured with a bullet to the back of the head.[/bold]

r267 r181 Stop bringing fact-checking and platitudes to a gunfight.

There was a time when a hastily assembled band of Californians defeated a Confederate raid into their state.

California contributed men to the Union forces battling in the East, fighting in many major battles, including Gettysburg, Antietam, and Fredericksburg.

The California Brigade's most famous action at Gettysburg was defending the Angle on Cemetery Ridge during Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. Saving the battle and perhaps the Union itself.

California placed monuments at Gettysburg to commemorate where they stopped the Confederate attack.

[quote]I worked with a woman who's son was an arsonist and was sent up. The psychiatrist told her it's caused by sexual frustration.

HAWT!

Trump does too have a soul!

Granted his soul consists of 7 crack-smoking squirrels spinning around in his brain, but that counts.

I believe you, r306, but I'll never voluntarily listen to his creepy sexual-assaulter voice.

Monday, e g., will be closed-captioning.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said in an interview with CNN, "We have over 100 fire apparatus out of service. Having this apparatus and the proper amount of mechanics would have helped. So, it did absolutely negatively impact."

[Quote] But I don’t buy for a moment that a less than two percent budget cut that didn’t affect personnel one way or the other is where the blame lies.

R305 The 2% you mentioned works out to be $17.3 million Money that could have bought equipment and help pay for the repair of fire engines

$17.3 million can buy a lot, and in a state that has seen 75% of the largest wildfires in their history since 2015 who cuts the budget of the fire department!

Do shut up, r313.

I just hope they learn the lesson.

I mean they have had soooo many fires in the past, did they try to correct their mistakes each time?

[Quote] I just hope they learn the lesson.

You mean like how to prioritize spending tax dollars R315? now thanks to the fires they have 10s of thousands additioal homeless

^^^additional homeless (or if you prefer, 'unhoused')

[quote]You don’t think it’s even the least bit unsettling that the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles called in a bomb threat to City Hall?

Meh, let us know when he spends more than a month planning an insurrection injuring hundreds of police officers, and MAGAts defecating on the floor of the Ca;ital.

Until then, please do uncluch your pearls with your orange scat stained hands.

[quote]I just hope they learn the lesson. I mean they have had soooo many fires in the past, did they try to correct their mistakes each time?

If you really were intellectually honest, you would be more concerned about all the people in Florida who get wiped off the map with a hurricane every damn year and rebuild with FEMA tax dollar. Year, after year, after year, after year.

Enshittified thread best left to die. Move on, and let the propagandist talk to themself.

A palate cleanser:

FireAid will be held at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum on January 30th.

Musicians announced so far include Billie Eilish & Finneas, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gracie Abrams, Green Day, Gwen Stefani, Jelly Roll, Joni Mitchell, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Pink, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rod Stewart, Sting, Stephen Stills, Stevie Nicks, Tate McRae, Dave Matthews Band, & John Mayer. More acts are set to be announced between now and the concert.

FireAid will be broadcast and streamed live on Apple Music and the Apple TV app, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudum, Paramount+, Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM, exclusively on LIFE with John Mayer, Spotify, SoundCloud, Veeps, and YouTube, and at select AMC Theatre locations in 70 US markets.

what about the migrants? did they spend billions on the migrants like in NYC?

No Billy Porter at FireAid? Would this be the only event on earth not graced with his presence? Maybe the producers thought that they had seen enough flaming to last a lifetime.

Oh, honey/ R315, I've got more lessons to teach than you or anyone else will ever learn. But maybe we can start with the fossil fuel industry.

R322, they get free health care. CA is the only state that gives free healthcare to illegals.

"This expansion—which was approved in legislation in May—will make around an additional 700,000 undocumented residents eligible for health insurance, according to California State Sen. María Elena Durazo."

The California Health and Human Services Agency will provide $835.6 million in funding between 2023 and 2024, and $2.6 billion annually to expand Medi-Cal to residents regardless of immigration status."

R321, Please see my post at r301.

R325 Undocumented labor works in fields to produce the food you eat. We complain about inflation and cost of food... but ignore the simple fact that this labor force is why our food is a cheap and plentiful as it is. Not just fresh produce, but all the processed foods as well. It's simple human compassion to provide healthcare for these workers. They are out in the fields in CA seven days a week, no matter what the weather. They get injured by their labor.

It's time to have true immigration reform... not to just jerk people off with anger about an "open border"... enhance border security, have guest worker programs, provide paths to citizenship to those who have been here for years and years. It's time to move FORWARD not just stay in the economic, cultural, political quicksand that serves the purposes of the super rich and screws everyone else.l

r325's only other post:

Michelle Obama will not attend Trump Inauguration

[quote]Yawn. She won't be missed.

R328, it's the truth. No one is going to miss her ass. I'm flattered I annoyed you enough that you wasted your time looking up my previous posts. My other post at R325 is the truth as well. I guess the truth annoys you.

LoL, r329, trifle away. You aren't fooling anybody.

R319 Thank you for your concern but hurricanes unlike wildfires, earthquakes, mud slides and landslides are predictable. Hurricanes are basically here today gone tomorrow events and don't spread nor need containment. The wildfires are still not fully contained and are continuing to spread even after a week and in addition to the toxic air, number of water systems have been comprised across the region making water not safe to drink. Thanks for the concern but remember we didn't start the fire.

[quote]Hurricanes are basically here today gone tomorrow events and don't spread nor need containment.

Never been through one, huh?

If you don’t make health care available to undocumented folks, disease would spread through ghe broader community.

R332 yes. Hurricane Sandy in the northeast. One of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. Its duration in the New York area was Monday night through Tuesday morning. It was less than a 24-hour event; The average duration of a hurricane is between 12 and 24 hours

CA can't catch a break!

And the anticipatory dread is anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks, r334.

I see no reason for you to attempt to diminish the absolute horror of a hurricane.

You're so *special*, r334.

I didn't R336 I pointed out that it was one of the deadliest in US history.

R325 Not true.

🚨#BREAKING: Evacuation orders have been issued after a lithium battery plant caught fire releasing hazardous toxins into the air

📌#MossLanding | #Californa

Currently, numerous emergency crews are on the scene of a massive fire broke out at the Moss Landing Power Plant's lithium battery storage facility in California. Evacuation orders have been issued, and residents in the vicinity are advised to shelter in place immediately due to hazardous toxins being released into the air. Authorities are urging people to follow these safety measures Seal all doors and windows: Use tape or damp towels to cover gaps and prevent smoke ingress. Turn off ventilation systems: Disable fans, heaters, and air conditioners to avoid drawing in outside air. This incident marks at least the fourth occurrence of battery-related emergencies at the Moss Landing facility this is still developing.

I am in the Moss Landing battery fire area. Battery fires are not like wildfires... water can't put them out, they need to burn out. Things are mostly safe in the area now, the winds are keeping the contamination in a fairly small area. One of the fires there in previous years was a Tesla battery plant.

We really need to move beyond traditional battery technology... it's dangerous in ways that many people aren't aware. The number of Tesla's burned in LA are contributing to the concern about contamination.

^^ Teslas, not Tesla's... we are losing this punctuation pattern, aren't we?

Megyn Kelly Goes Nuts And Blames 'Obese Lesbians' For California Fires

Megyn Kelly now makes Anne Coulter seem like La Pasionaria.

[Quote]And the anticipatory dread is anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks

What anticipatory dread R336? Knowing a hurricane was approaching gives people time to prepare for it but no one was preferring one to two weeks before. People were working and out and about the day before Sandy hit. I didn't have to work that day and stayed home and charged my devices and made sure that I had enough nonperishable food and made sure my gas tank was full.

here's a video of people in NYC buying groceries on Sunday, the day before Sandy hit.

Yep. Still an enshittified right wing propaganda thread.

Rosie posted that she has officially left LA and moved back to NYC.

^^See, there's always something good that comes out of every bad situation.

LA's gain is NY's loss.

^^^ BUMP

Who knew that hurricanes were such low-key disasters?

It cannot be possibly clearer that R334 never set foot in NYC during or after Sandy. Half of BK under water, Wall St. flooded, no power below 14th street, people walking carrying knives because of no street lights....

And yes my neighborhood in Queens was completely untouched by Sandy. I got to witness what the rest of the NYC region went through.

Wrong R351 I talked about the duration and predictability of hurricanes. Never said it didn't cause long term problems for many

[Quote] hurricanes unlike wildfires, earthquakes, mud slides and landslides are predictable. Hurricanes are basically here today gone tomorrow events and don't spread nor need

[Quote]yes. Hurricane Sandy in the northeast. One of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. Its duration in the New York area was Monday night through Tuesday morning. It was less than a 24-hour event; The average duration of a hurricane is between 12 and 24 hours

[Quote] Hurricane Sandy in the northeast. One of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. Its duration in the New York area was Monday night through Tuesday morning. It was less than a 24-hour event; The average duration of a hurricane is between 12 and 24 hours

Let it go, r352. Please?

You experienced a hurricane. In the northeast. One.

[Quote] And the anticipatory dread is anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks, [R334].

[Quote] I see no reason for you to attempt to diminish the absolute horror of a hurricane.

sorry R353 if I offended you by diminishing the absolute horror of a hurricane and the dread of 1-2 weeks that precedes them. Overreact much? Your bullshit is noted, and btw I have experienced several hurricanes and am disregarding you.

“No matter where you live in L.A. County, if you have slopes behind your homes or you’re located on top of a slope, these slopes have become fragile,” Pestrella said. “The soil that is supporting your home [has] all become fragile and damaged, due to the events that we’ve had, wind included. ... There are mud and debris flow hazards that are existing even when it’s not raining, so we want people to be very careful.”

Just to add to that grimness ^^....a few days ago, I heard a retired fire-chief interviewed on one of the local L.A. news stations. When you see those patches of WHITE on burned-over hillsides, that is particularly BAD....beyond the "regular" type of bad, regarding run-off. Means it burned at 1400+ degrees Fahrenheit, releasing parafins in the soil....which makes those patches of ground especially resistant to rainwater, but then when they DO start absorbing it....larger *sheets* of soil start sliding off the hillside.

R334

Enjoying reading about Tropical Storm Allison from 2001. The storm hovered over Houston for days, causing billions in damages and killing many. Houston got 35 inches of rain over the course of a few days.

Since the Israel/Hamas ceasefire was announced on Wednesday, the LA fires have been totally pushed out the national news cycle.

Wait until Monday, r358, with the completion of our 2025 Trilogy, from tragedy to history to comedy.

Luigi Mangione and the Menedez brothers are a dim memory, but the LA fires are still front page R358

Lara Trump proves she's not the smart one

[Quote] “You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency, whether it's a medical call or a fire call, that looks like you," she said in the same video.

I don't care if this woman is a lebanese I agree with her totally. I don't want to see some person who doesn't look like me serving in me my meal!

Research led by Dr. Michael Jerrett finds almost two decades of gains in limiting air pollution lost in a single year! And in 2025, in a single week.

[Quote] And in 2025, in a single week.

My comment not Dr. Jerrett's

Tyra Banks house burned down to oo

Strong winds again.

Here we go again with the Hughes fire. 5,000 acres and 0% containment.

Has anyone checked on Brad Pitt? He owns a few homes and he hasn't said a word.

I'm watching KCAL on YouTube. The Hughes fire looks terrible. What an awful situation that seems to never end. Sandy was the worst disaster I've dealt with, mainly helping my brother and his neighbors clean up and rebuild. That went on for months and was very difficult, but once the storm was over, it was over. These fires don't stop and are unpredictable.

Trump's "comeback" this month was enough.

Not sure if I have the strength for yet another round of horrific fires.

JFC.

KTLA's Sky 5 captures a deer fleeing the flames.

At least it looks like this fire is by a lake. Use that water!

[quote] As comedian Bill Barr (the MAGA darling) says..

Bill Burr is a MAGA darling??

Yes, r373. By DL standards, Bill Burr is preparing the ovens for us now.

the system let them down

Early morning update

Shit! That’s a terrifying picture, r376!

Especially since you know half those idiots stopped to gawk instead of driving like they stole it!

R371

Ugh, my heart hurts.

[quote]All 17 deaths in Eaton Fire were in a zone where evacuation orders took hours to arrive

Jesus, R375, that's HORRIFIC. Those people weren't just "let down" by the system, they were essentially murdered by incompetence! How avoidable and tragic. Good god.

How do elderly people without cell phones or internet access get notified of evacuation orders?

West Covina here - it just started to rain.

[Quote] Enjoying reading about Tropical Storm Allison from 2001. The storm hovered over Houston for days, causing billions in damages and killing many. Houston got 35 inches of rain over the course of a few days.

R357 I'll take the hurricane. Wildfires have been breaking out for weeks and are still not contained and now there's a threat from potential mudslides and health problems caused by smoke inhalation could stretch far beyond the burn zone and linger for years to come.

Wildfire smoke is about 10 times as toxic as the regular air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels, and there's no safe level of exposure, Stanford experts say, the more we breathe, the worse the range of health outcomes.

Dollface-squatter alert: 525-lb. Black Bear found hiding out under evacuated Altadena home.

More "Barry": I came across this video which was posted by a homeowner in Altadena about a year or so ago. No idea how far it is from the home in R383, but it's definitely the same bear! (Look at the ears; same tweaked/floppy right ear).

Asshole who crashed drone into one of the Super Scoopers identified.

Something's gotta be done about all this shit flying in the air It's dangerous!

Aw, Mr. Bear looks sad.

R383 Awwww, poor thing! 🐻😍😭

So it was a 55 year old white guy who worked for a video game company who flew the drone. 60k fine which he will probably never pay. What an idiot, he broke the first rule set by the FAA with regards to drones is that it must be within the pilots visual line of sight (VLOS).

Dipshit flew it over 1.5 miles from his launch site. Claims he lost sight of it. But here is the part the article does not say. That was a DJI Drone, he had a controller in his hand that hooks to a smartphone and shows live what the camera of the drone sees. He did not lose a connection. Also, at any point he could press a return to home button and it would automatically retrace it's flight back. And even if he lost the connection, those DJI drones will trigger a safety feature to return which he would have known about.

I liked that Barry the bear is “too fat to tranquilize” and had to be lured out from underneath the house with a rotisserie chicken.

Not just a rotisserie chicken, but some "delightful" sides, too! Sardines, apples, peanut butter, tomato sauce, and....a butterscotch spray (or sauce)? (strangely, none of these things are available at Zankou or California Chicken Cafe).

The wildlife biologist who examined Barry (once tranquilized in the trap/trailer) said that he has never dealt with a bear that large. The adults he's examined in the past were 200-300 pounds. Barry was/is so massive, it took three people to roll his hindquarters up far enough for the biologist to determine his sex.

He also said that Barry is an "older" bear (didn't give a number, just "older"). I think his face says that. Barry has seen some things...including a few scrapes with other bears/predators. (probably why his right ear is jacked-up)

What a fucking moron, R389 -- and he has a PhD from Cal! (his parents must be so proud). I might have expected this from a 20-30 year old, click-chasing dingbat...but a 56 year-old?? As Charles Barkley would say: "C'mon, man!" He's old enough to know better.

I read that he faces up to one year in prison (TBD by a judge), but as part of his plea agreement, he has agreed to pay $65,000 restitution to the government of Quebec (not local govt) for repairs to the Super Scooper, and will perform a 150 hours of community service related to wildfire relief efforts. I'm unclear whether he has to pay a fine ($75,000) to the FAA. That might be for a *felony* offense, and he pled guilty to a misdemeanor. Regardless, I sincerely hope the judge imposes the maximum one-year prison sentence, even if the guy has been cooperative & agreed to all this other stuff. Examples need to be made so other dumbasses get the message. He could have killed those Scooper pilots if the drone took out an engine, or hit the cockpit windshield.

R386, your Kobe "joke" (on two threads?) landed pretty flat, didn't it. Gigi would have been a freshman at UConn this year. And those other girls would have been starting college, too. Go fuck yourself, miserable dickwad.

Barry must be pretty smart to survive that long- no other animals seemed to have hidden themselves under houses.

No doubt, Barry is smarter than your average bear! He MUST be, if he weighs 525 pounds!

But I'll bet there are other wild animals that have been hiding out in the crawlspaces of evacuated homes in those wildland-urban-interface neighborhoods -- bobcats, coyotes, maybe even a mountain lion. (P22 did that in Los Feliz many years ago)

[quote]“I don’t know where this water is going, but this is the wrong time of year to be releasing water from these reservoirs. It’s vitally important that we fill our reservoirs in the rainy season so water is available for farms and cities later in the summer,” Gleick said. “I think it’s very strange and it’s disturbing that, after decades of careful local, state and federal coordination, some federal agencies are starting to unilaterally manipulate California’s water supply.”

Actually, they were apropos R393 and you don't fool anyone with that righteous indignation!

[Quote] Unfortunately, too many people choose convenience and speed over safety —Kobe

Safety over convenience: D.C. Mayor on the need to revisit air traffic policy after deadly crash

R393 Are America’s skies simply too crowded? | KTLA

While we don’t know yet the cause of the deadly collision over the Potomac River, aviation experts are already pointing a finger at America’s increasingly crowded skies.

R397: Huh? What? Who am I trying to "fool", and to what purpose? (go do a troll-dar on me; I've always bled purple & gold). My point remains: Your Kobe "jokes" didn't land, no one gave you a WW, or whatever your little dick measuring stick is.

glad to see those anger management classes are working out for you R399😋😆🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️

Deja vu! That's your go-to "insult" isn't it, R400?

as opposed to shut the fuck up, fuck-tards, idiot asshole, go fuck yourself, you're a fucking asshole of the first order, miserable dickwad, little dick measuring stick, R401

Yep, that's me! 😘

[quote]I liked that Barry the bear is “too fat to tranquilize” and had to be lured out from underneath the house with a rotisserie chicken.

I met a bear like that a bathhouse once.

only with retards like you and your sad little life R403 it's an inverted compliment

#JeSuisBarry

[Quote] These fires don't stop and are unpredictable.

R369 and they happen year round

[Quote] idiot asshole, a fucking asshole of the first order, miserable dickwad

[Quote] Yep, that's me

it certainly is R403

R22

[quote] Jane Seymour opens her house to friends (I think it's Scott Bakula);

Not Scott Bakula. It was Joe Lando (at the 12:36 mark) who played the love interest on "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman".

What's going on there? A couple of airplanes crash and Pacific Palisades is Norma Desmond.