(PCC)California once again has become notoriously stupid! I can say that because I live there, and many of my friends in the burned-out areas are suffering needlessly!
California has long been considered a bastion of liberal ideals and is a deep blue state that claims to lead the nation in compassion, equity, and swift action in times of crisis. But when rhetoric meets reality, the results can be painfully, even cruelly, absurd.
Case in point: the stunning bureaucratic failure unfolding in the wake of the devastating Palisades fire in Los Angeles. Despite nearly 7,000 homes being damaged or destroyed in one of the most catastrophic fires in the city’s history, the City of Los Angeles has, as of March 24, approved only four permits to rebuild. You read that right: four. In 75 days.
In January, the Palisades fire ravaged Pacific Palisades, a scenic coastal enclave in Los Angeles, resulting in a trail of charred homes and broken spirits. As if losing homes, heirlooms, and decades of memories wasn’t enough, now survivors are being held hostage by a permitting process so glacial it borders on sadistic. Remember, a significant number of the victimized homeowners lacked insurance. Their loss was not due to their refusal to obtain coverage, but rather because no insurance company would provide it.
But it doesn’t stop there. Because of the lack of prudent government management of the undergrowth and forest conservation, Southern California became a tinderbox ready to explode in fire, and this is precisely what it did! The government becomes the outlaw when it forbids clearing out underbrush and properly managing trees and open spaces!
Mayor Karen Bass celebrated the issuance of the first four permits like it was some great accomplishment, a “milestone” in recovery. But for the thousands of displaced residents living in limbo, it’s just another slap in the face. One permit was for a minor repair. The others? Two full rebuilds. The impact has affected nearly 7,000 properties. That’s less than 0.06%.
City Councilmember Traci Park put it best during a community meeting: “When I hear… that only four permits have been issued, and we’re on day 75 post-fire, that is concerning to me.” She suspects what many are beginning to fear: that the culprit isn’t just red tape, it’s systemic failure, the same type of failure that set the stage for California’s worst fire!
Permitting involves several phases, including hazardous waste removal and soil clearance. Understandably, safety is important. But that doesn’t justify this molasses-paced rollout. Los Angeles is not new to wildfires, and yet it behaves like every crisis is its first.
Where’s the efficiency?
The urgency?
The leadership?
The care?
Making matters worse, Mayor Bass decided the best use of taxpayer funds was to fork over $10 million to Hagerty Consulting, a private firm, to oversee the recovery process. Meanwhile, the city is facing a looming $1 billion budget deficit. What are the benefits of hiring an outside contractor when city departments already possess the experience and infrastructure for disaster recovery? OMG!
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was blunt: “We have city departments who know how to do this recovery… and yet they can’t be afforded the opportunity to hire the personnel that they need.” Instead, the money goes to consultants to “write a report.”
This type of performative governance leads to people becoming cynical about politics. In a moment when trust is essential, LA’s leadership opted for optics over action.
California prides itself on progressive values, but how progressive is it to leave thousands of homeowners in a bureaucratic purgatory after a natural disaster? These are not just statistics. These are families. Parents. Seniors. Children. And yet, we’re asking them to navigate months of administrative red tape just to start rebuilding their lives.
Should the word ‘progressive’ be reinterpreted as ‘regressive’ in the case of California revictimizing its residents? The answer is a resounding YES! This isn’t just a case of government inefficiency; it’s re-victimization. The very institutions that claim to protect citizens are prolonging their suffering with inaction, deflection, and mismanagement.
The government that outlawed safe conservationism has become the outlaw!
Los Angeles needs more than just a new consulting report. Los Angeles requires a moral awakening. Fast-tracking permits, cutting red tape, and actually listening to affected residents would be a good start. Transparency in spending and accountability from city officials wouldn’t hurt either.
Final Word: Many of these families went from proud homeowners with cozy, paid-off homes to homeless indigents dependent on a dysfunctional outlaw government for their survival!
https://patriotcommandcenter.org/forum/california-is-re-victimizing-homeowners