Palisades Fire live updates: Wildfires spread in Los Angeles, prompting mandatory evacuations, as Santa Ana winds expected to intensify

[essentialsaltes]

But “normal” people are being distracted!

"I don't like it."

A white cis hetero able Christian man doesn't like something! Quick, what can we do to help serve him better?

 

[Vambram]

Leaked Memo Exposes Incompetent LA Mayor Karen Bass’ $49 Million Fire Department Budget Cut Demand Just One Week Before Wildfires Erupted — Plan Would Shut Down 16 Fire Stations

According to the memo:

“The LAFD is still going through a FY 2024/2025 $48.8 million budget reduction exercise with the CAO. The Fire Chief, Board of Fire Commissioners, COA, and UFLAC are steadfast in their message of defending what resources we currently have in place.
The only way to provide a cost savings would be to close as many as 16 fire stations (not resources, fire stations); this equates to at least one fire station per City Council District. The details of this plan have not yet been developed. This is a worst-case scenario and is NOT happening yet. The Fire Chief will have a “Chat with the Chief webinar next week to clarify the situation and the budget.”

Sources within the LAFD revealed that Mayor Bass’s decision prioritized reallocating funds toward homelessness programs at the expense of public safety.

One 25-year veteran firefighter described the situation as “untenable,” citing chronic understaffing, outdated equipment, and a skyrocketing call volume.

“They did not want this out. It’s an internal memo not to be distributed,” a veteran firefighter told Daily Mail.

“They’re trying to allocate more money for the homeless, and they need to start taking from everybody. But we already exhausted our budget. It’s already tapped. That’s why they cut the fire academy in half, so they could save more money. That’s why we’re not testing if hydrants work any more. We’re doing everything we can to save money.

“We have fire engines we can’t get parts for. When one breaks down we strip it of parts to put on other fire engines because we can’t buy any more parts. If you shut down 16 stations, that’s about 750 personnel. Then they expect us to take the same call volume. And yesterday we did 3,800 calls, almost twice of what our daily call volume usually is.

“We’re already shy 200 paramedics, and we’re on the verge of another 200 quitting because we can’t do this any more. If we don’t work overtime, they suspend and threaten to terminate us. It’s untenable.,” he concluded.

Leaked Memo Exposes Incompetent LA Mayor Karen Bass' $49 Million Fire Department Budget Cut Demand Just One Week Before Wildfires Erupted — Plan Would Shut Down 16 Fire Stations | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hᴏft

A recently leaked memo reveals LA Mayor Karen Bass's controversial demand to cut $49 million from the Fire Department budget just days before devastating wildfires struck. Discover the full story behind this alarming decision.

www.thegatewaypundit.com

 

[Vambram]

x.com

x.com

 

[essentialsaltes]

#1: That's a budget exercise. "it is NOT happening yet."
#2: Mayor Bass's actual proposed budget called for a cut of $23 million, not $48.8.
#3: The shortfall was addressed by allocated spending from the city's general budget (as opposed to the LAFD budget) to increase firefighter pay after union negotiations.

Did Mayor Karen Bass really cut the fire department budget? The answer gets tricky​

Her proposal, unveiled in April, sought $23 million in cuts to the department, with much of it focused on reduced equipment purchases.

In May, the City Council approved the mayor’s 2024-25 budget, reducing the size of her proposed spending reductions at the fire department to $17 million

As part of the budget, more than $100 million for salary increases was placed into an account known as the “unappropriated balance,” which serves as something of a holding tank for expenses that are expected but not finalized.

The City Council approved the firefighter raises in November, adding more than $53 million in additional salary costs. By then, the council had also signed off on $58 million for new firetrucks and other department purchases.

Once those two line items were added, the fire department’s operating budget actually grew by more than 7% compared to the prior fiscal year, according to the city’s financial analysts.

 

[Vambram]

https://ktla.com/news/california/wildfires/brush-fire-erupts-amid-eratic-winds-in-granada-hills/

A brush fire erupted in Granada Hills Friday prompting evacuation orders that were later downgraded to warnings amid what fire officials described as “erratic winds.”

The Archer Fire was reported shortly before 10:30 a.m. in the 17200 block of West Sesnon Boulevard. It was initially said to have burned 2 to 3 acres, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
A mandatory evacuation order was temporarily issued for areas west of Balboa Boulevard, east of Tampa Avenue, south of Sunshine Canyon Road and north of Sesnon Boulevard. The order was downgraded to an evacuation warning at 11:42 a.m.
Evacuation warnings that were put in place for areas south of Sesnon Boulevard east of Tampa Avenue, west of Balboa Boulevard and north of Rinaldi Street have been lifted.

Sky5 was over the fire at 11 a.m. showing the blaze burning near homes on Sesnon Boulevard. A hand crew and bulldozers could be seen making their way through some rough terrain to gain access to the flames.

Firefighters appeared to be getting a handle on the blaze, which officials said burned 31 acres, and had doused the majority of flames a short time later. There were no immediate reports of injuries resulting from the incident.
The cause of the fire is unknown.

 

[Pommer]

Leaked Memo Exposes Incompetent LA Mayor Karen Bass’ $49 Million Fire Department Budget Cut Demand Just One Week Before Wildfires Erupted — Plan Would Shut Down 16 Fire Stations

According to the memo:


Sources within the LAFD revealed that Mayor Bass’s decision prioritized reallocating funds toward homelessness programs at the expense of public safety.

One 25-year veteran firefighter described the situation as “untenable,” citing chronic understaffing, outdated equipment, and a skyrocketing call volume.

“They did not want this out. It’s an internal memo not to be distributed,” a veteran firefighter told Daily Mail.

“They’re trying to allocate more money for the homeless, and they need to start taking from everybody. But we already exhausted our budget. It’s already tapped. That’s why they cut the fire academy in half, so they could save more money. That’s why we’re not testing if hydrants work any more. We’re doing everything we can to save money.

“We have fire engines we can’t get parts for. When one breaks down we strip it of parts to put on other fire engines because we can’t buy any more parts. If you shut down 16 stations, that’s about 750 personnel. Then they expect us to take the same call volume. And yesterday we did 3,800 calls, almost twice of what our daily call volume usually is.

“We’re already shy 200 paramedics, and we’re on the verge of another 200 quitting because we can’t do this any more. If we don’t work overtime, they suspend and threaten to terminate us. It’s untenable.,” he concluded.

Leaked Memo Exposes Incompetent LA Mayor Karen Bass' $49 Million Fire Department Budget Cut Demand Just One Week Before Wildfires Erupted — Plan Would Shut Down 16 Fire Stations | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hᴏft

A recently leaked memo reveals LA Mayor Karen Bass's controversial demand to cut $49 million from the Fire Department budget just days before devastating wildfires struck. Discover the full story behind this alarming decision.

www.thegatewaypundit.com

Mayor bad for not being able to see into future!
(And, of course, for being a Democrat).

 

[essentialsaltes]

Mayor bad for not being able to see into future!
(And, of course, for being a Democrat).

The homeless situation in Los Angeles is intolerable!
The fire department situation in Los Angeles is intolerable!

 

[BPPLEE]

Charlie Kirk's trenchant criticism of LA's emergency response.

I think the needs of hearing impaired people are more important than him being distracted.

 

[keith99]

One thing I forgot before.

We should be well into the rainy season, such as it is on Los Angeles.

That makes it reasonable to have scheduled repairs and maintenance that would have things offline right now.

Stupid if one can see into the future, which seems to be the standard some want to hold California officials to.

Instead, the rainy season has not started. Only a couple of days where the sidewalks were wet from what was more mist than rain.

 

[Vambram]

State to probe why Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline, empty when firestorm exploded

A reservoir in the Palisades that holds 117 million gallons of water was offline this month for previously scheduled maintenance.

www.yahoo.com

A DWP official acknowledged that the reservoir's absence likely contributed to some diminished pressure and dry hydrants in upper regions of the Palisades.

However, a spokesperson for the utility said in a statement that DWP was still evaluating the effect of the reservoir being placed offline, and that staffers were conducting a root-cause analysis.

"Our primary focus is to provide water supply throughout the city," the DWP spokesperson said, adding, "The system was never designed for a wildfire scenario that we are experiencing."

Emptying of the reservoir began in February after a tear in the floating cover measuring several feet allowed debris, bird droppings and other objects to enter the water supply. State regulators ordered DWP to drain the site to avoid contamination.

DWP sought bids for the repair in April, at a cost of up to $89,000. In November, the utility signed off on a contract with a Lakeside firm for about $130,000, records show.

The status of the repairs is unclear. The DWP's employee union leader condemned the months-long wait to restore the reservoir.
"It's completely unacceptable that this reservoir was empty for almost a year for minor repairs," Gus Corona, business manager of IBEW Local 18, said in an interview with The Times.
"This work should have been done in-house, and they shouldn't have depended on a contractor to do it," he said. "I truly believe it's something that could have been avoided."
Joseph Ramallo, a chief communications officer for DWP, said the reservoir was scheduled to reopen in February.

 

[Vambram]

Pastors Bring Hope Amid Devastation as Wildfires Continue to Ravage Los Angeles
Pastors and Christian ministries are mobilizing to provide relief for those affected by the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, California.

Pastors Bring Hope Amid Devastation as Wildfires Continue to Ravage Los Angeles - Milton Quintanilla

Pastors Bring Hope Amid Devastation as Wildfires Continue to Ravage Los Angeles, Milton Quintanilla - Read breaking news headlies with a Christian perspective and commentary from Milton Quintanilla.

www.crosswalk.com

 

[Vambram]

Far from Hollywood's wealth, Los Angeles fire survivors feel forgotten​

ALTADENA, California (Reuters) -In the close-knit Los Angeles suburb of Altadena, where rows of neat bungalows once nestled in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, smoldering ruins and the skeletal frames of burnt-out cars now lie.
While the fires that have devastated celebrity neighborhoods near Malibu have caught the world's attention, a similar-sized blaze in Eaton Canyon, north of Los Angeles, has ravaged Altadena, a racially and economically diverse community.
Black and Latino families have lived in Altadena for generations and the suburb is also popular with younger artists and engineers working at the nearby NASA rocket lab who were attracted by the small-town vibe and access to nature.

Many residents told Reuters they were concerned that government resources would be channeled towards high-profile areas popular with A-Listers, while insurance companies might shortchange less affluent households that do not have the financial means to contest fire claims.
"They're not going to give you the value of your house ... if they do, you really have to fight for it," said Kay Young, 63, her eyes welling up with tears as she stared at a sprawl of smoking rubble, the remnants of a home that has been in her family for generations.

Inez Moore, 40, whose family home in Altadena was destroyed by the fire, said communities like theirs would likely suffer financially more than wealthier suburbs because many residents do not have the resources or experience to navigate complex bureaucratic systems.
"You're going to have some folks who are not going to get as much as they deserve, and some folks who may get more than actually they need," said Moore, a lecturer at California State University.

Reuters contacted major home insurance companies in California for comment.
State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate, Mercury, Liberty Mutual and Farmers responded with statements saying they were working with policyholders to help them make claims, without addressing specific concerns raised by Altadena residents.

Moore, Young and several other residents told Reuters they did not see any fire engines in Altadena in the early hours of Wednesday when they fled flames engulfing their community, fueling a resentment that their neighborhood was not a priority.
"We didn't get help here. I don't know where everybody was," said Jocelyn Tavares, 32, as her sister and daughter dug through the smoking debris of a life upended - a child's bicycle half-melted, a solitary cup miraculously spared from the flames.

Los Angeles County Fire Department did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment.

Far from Hollywood's wealth, Los Angeles fire survivors feel forgotten

ALTADENA, California (Reuters) -In the close-knit Los Angeles suburb of Altadena, where rows of neat bungalows once nestled in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, smoldering ruins and the skeletal frames of burnt-out cars now lie. While the fires that have devastated celebrity...

www.yahoo.com

 

[MrMoe]

These are actual quotes from L.A. Fire Department Deputy Chief Kristine Larson from a resurfaced video now circulating on social media.

LAFD deputy chief faces backlash for past remarks on fire victims

A resurfaced clip appears to show LAFD's Kristine Larson blaming victims of fires for getting into a position where they would need help.

www.newsweek.com

"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. It gives that person a little bit more ease, knowing that somebody might understand their situation better"

""Is she strong enough to do this this?" Or, "You couldn't carry my husband out of a fire." Which my response is, he got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire."

 

[Landon Caeli]

When I lived in Pacific Palisades, I remember hearing the waves from the ocean on my back patio at night and in the morning when the traffic died down from PCH. We used to shop at the Gelsons grocery store there, which had the best glazed fruit tarts in town. My kids went to Pali high, that's where Saved By The Bell was filmed, and our favorite past time, was either picnicking at the beach, or going to the Promenade in Santa Monica on Weekends, to see the street acts, whether it be juggler, dancers, or the guy with the pet monkey who takes your money for his tricks.

...Those were the days. Fortunately, most of the High School was saved, but our old pad is now ashes. Not sure about Gelsons.

 

[Landon Caeli]

After moving from the Palisades, we went to Orange County, across the street from the Angels Stadium, which is about 2 blocks away from Disneyland. Lived there for about 8 years, which was nice, because it was in close proximity to Irvine Spectrum, Jamboree mall, and Costa Mesa Mall. The girls *loved* it, and it was hard to leave...

Now we live in North Bay, about 30 minutes north of San Francisco. It's nice here too, because heading into the city means crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, which is cool, and there's other cool towns to visit like Petaluma and Sausalito... The following picture is a shot from Sausalito looking across the Bay at San Francisco.

 

[essentialsaltes]

The Getty Center is on a hill overlooking the Sepulveda Pass far from the fires.

Glow of Palisades fire seen across L.A.’s San Fernando Valley; swaths of Encino, Brentwood told to evacuate​

I spoke too soon. The Palisades Fire has spread, creating new evacuation zones further east, including some on the east side of the 405 (which runs through the Sepulveda Pass). The Getty Center is now closed.

The Palisades fire can now be seen across Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, an unsettling development as officials worried about the fire expanding into neighborhoods in Encino and Brentwood and possibly jumping the 405 freeway into Bel Air.

A flare-up of the fire caused the Palisades fire, now at 21,596 acres, to move to the north and to the east Friday, chewing through large swaths of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The Getty Center in Brentwood — home to one of Los Angeles’ largest art collections — is complying with Friday evening’s evacuation order and is now closed, with only emergency staff on site, Ali Sivak, a spokeswoman for the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Charlie Kirk's trenchant criticism of LA's emergency response.

By Friday, New York Post columnist Miranda Devine and conservative activist Christopher Rufo also aired their disapproval.

“I'm sorry, but we have to stop with the ridiculous sign language interpreters, who turn serious press conferences into a farce,” Rufo told his followers on X.

"No wild human gesticulators necessary.”

 

[keith99]

Glow of Palisades fire seen across L.A.’s San Fernando Valley; swaths of Encino, Brentwood told to evacuate​

I spoke too soon. The Palisades Fire has spread, creating new evacuation zones further east, including some on the east side of the 405 (which runs through the Sepulveda Pass). The Getty Center is now closed.

The Palisades fire can now be seen across Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, an unsettling development as officials worried about the fire expanding into neighborhoods in Encino and Brentwood and possibly jumping the 405 freeway into Bel Air.

A flare-up of the fire caused the Palisades fire, now at 21,596 acres, to move to the north and to the east Friday, chewing through large swaths of the Santa Monica Mountains.

The Getty Center in Brentwood — home to one of Los Angeles’ largest art collections — is complying with Friday evening’s evacuation order and is now closed, with only emergency staff on site, Ali Sivak, a spokeswoman for the J. Paul Getty Trust, said in a statement.

It is NOT visible from my part of The San Fernando Valley. Not even significant smoke.

But the sound of choppers and planes is constant and they are very visible.

 

[iluvatar5150]

By Friday, New York Post columnist Miranda Devine and conservative activist Christopher Rufo also aired their disapproval.

“I'm sorry, but we have to stop with the ridiculous sign language interpreters, who turn serious press conferences into a farce,” Rufo told his followers on X.

"No wild human gesticulators necessary.”

“We’re not bigots, I swear.”

 

[Gregory Thompson]

How many people in the disaster areas of this wildfire give a flying rip about the birth of Joe Biden's grandchild?

Hey maybe if there are more disasters Trump wont have time to be annexing other countries.