It’s now been more than three weeks since both the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire exploded in Los Angeles and its suburbs, killing 29 people, destroying or damaging more than 18,000 structures, and torching 37,000-plus acres.
Initial responses on Jan. 7 from officials who suggested that wind conditions were so extraordinary that not much could be done in response have long since been discredited. , some officials sniped at L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley after she blamed reduced funds for problems with her department’s response by countering that her budget had actually gotten bigger. But subsequent reporting showed the operating budget had been cut by $17.8 million and that the only reason it increased overall was because of pay raises. Crowley’s Dec. 4 warning — the cuts have “severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires” — hangs over L.A. City Hall.
There has also been considerable attention paid to another warning that arguably didn’t get the attention it deserved. On Jan. 6, the National Weather Service used what CNN described as “the most dire language possible” to warn about the likely effects from the windstorm. But the formal reaction from Los Angeles didn’t reflect this urgency, and, rather incredibly, boasted about city brush clearance efforts.
It’s no wonder that the L.A. blame game rages on. But among San Diego County residents, the focus needs to be on what our communities — also at grave risk — should learn from our neighbors to the north. The Editorial Board thinks the most important lesson is obvious: When everyone is responsible, no one is responsible. It’s impossible to read about L.A.’s nightmare without quickly noticing how many different governments — and how many different agencies within each government — had at least some fire safety duties. Sometimes cooperation was strong. Sometimes it wasn’t. But there was no loud voice demanding everyone be on the same page.
This is why it’s time for San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, county supervisors and the mayors of all the larger cities in the county to begin discussing the appointment of a regional fire safety czar. This individual could ride herd on local governments’ preparations — speaking candidly and in real time about agencies that were falling short.
Many in government won’t want to face stern judgments from an independent outsider. But for nearly a decade, Californians have been warned we are in a terrifying new era of fire risks because of our hotter, drier climate. If our elected leaders want to protect us, it’s time to break with the old approach that so plainly failed in Los Angeles.
