LIVE THREAD>>> California Wild Fires

[jafo2010]

Gov Newsom is very much responsible for this fire, as is the mayor of LA.

First, I think it is safe to say this fire was started by the endless number of deadbeats living on the streets and woods of California, and I seriously doubt for a nanosecond they practices safety measures when it came to fire prevention.

After hearing about a homeless guy using torching the landscape and being tackled to curtail his activity, who is to say he was the only one setting the countryside on fire? 

When Trump is POTUS, I say he helps the folks of North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee before lifting a finger for the idiots of California that elected total incompetents to lead the state.  Help Hawaii next before California.  And then he should basically say to CA, until you clean up your political quagmire, then and only then will I open an eye to you dead from the neck up nitwits.

Newsom shoulders zero responsibility for this disaster which is totally manmade in every dimension.  Another thing Trump should do is provide assistance to anyone wanting to leave California. 

[DCPatriot]

Gov Newsom is very much responsible for this fire, as is the mayor of LA.

First, I think it is safe to say this fire was started by the endless number of deadbeats living on the streets and woods of California, and I seriously doubt for a nanosecond they practices safety measures when it came to fire prevention.

After hearing about a homeless guy using torching the landscape and being tackled to curtail his activity, who is to say he was the only one setting the countryside on fire?

...snip

Remember!  The "Torchman" who screamed "I CAN'T STOP!" had FIVE cell phones in his possession.

It's a shame that Leftist California law enforcement as well as the National FBI and CIA/NSA are all  corrupt at this time.

We'll probably never know the real truth as to how deep this rabbit hole goes.  The neighbors who apprehended him should have used the torch on him. POS would have given up all kinds of information.

[rangerrebew]

LAFD bosses sent just 5 fire engines to Palisades Fire — while holding back 1,000 firefighters and 35 trucks in critical first hours
Story by Emily Crane • 22h


Los Angeles fire bosses deployed a just fraction of its firefighters and trucks to the deadly Palisades Fire until it was already out of control — sending just five the 40 available fire engines and holding back 1,000 firefighters, according to a damning new report.

The critical decisions — blasted by experts and ex-fire chiefs as a spate of “missteps” — were made even as extreme warnings were coming in about life-threatening winds the turned the blaze into the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

“You would have had a better chance to get a better result if you deployed those engines,” former LAFD Battalion Chief Rick Crawford told the Los Angeles Times.
 
“You give yourself the best chance to minimize how big the fire could get. … If you do that, you have the ability to say, ‘I threw everything at it at the outset.’”

“That didn’t happen here,” he continued, adding the choices were part of a “domino effect of missteps” by officials.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lafd-bosses-sent-just-5-fire-engines-to-palisades-fire-while-holding-back-1-000-firefighters-and-35-trucks-in-critical-first-hours/ar-AA1xf3gl?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=60db64614aab40e4aea4d3be2db035c0&ei=32

[rangerrebew]

‘We shouldn’t have been blindsided’: California officials disappointed over collapse of $1.5 billion plan to expand Contra Costa County reservoir
Story by Paul Rogers, The Mercury News • 11h


SAN JOSE, Calif. — The collapse of a $1.5 billion plan to enlarge Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County and share the water with residents across the Bay Area is a disappointing setback for the state’s efforts to expand water storage, and should be studied to reduce the chances of it happening again with other projects, state water officials said Wednesday.
 
At a meeting in Sacramento, several members of the California Water Commission, a state agency which had promised the project $477 million in state bond funding in 2018, said Contra Costa Water District leaders should have kept them better informed when negotiations between Bay Area water agencies on costs and risks began to unravel this summer.

“I’ve been doing difficult projects in this state for 30 years,” said water commission board member Alex Makler, an executive vice president with Calpine Corporation in Walnut Creek. “And I will tell you every project dies a thousand deaths. The question is whether or not you make it fatal. And what you guys did in withdrawing from this program is you’ve taken a project out that this state has invested about a decade of valuable time and money to support.”
]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/we-shouldn-t-have-been-blindsided-california-officials-disappointed-over-collapse-of-1-5-billion-plan-to-expand-contra-costa-county-reservoir/ar-AA1xh2vD?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=60db64614aab40e4aea4d3be2db035c0&ei=95

[MeganC]

Last year Gov. Newsom vetoed a bill that would have let CalFire retain seasonal firefighters to help with staffing shortages. His veto forced the layoff of thousands of seasonal firefighters, who he never replaced despite his promises. This is negligence of the highest order.

But he retained all the DEI officials. 

[MeganC]

Remember!  The "Torchman" who...had FIVE cell phones in his possession.

So what?

[verga]

How many of the upper echelon were DEI hires?

[DefiantMassRINO]

They were probably concerned about busting the LAFD budget with too much overtime.

If they send too many engines, they need to backfill those fire stations with mutual aid from other fire departments or call in extra firefighters, whom they may have to pay overtime.

This is what happens when municipalities cut public safety budgets instead of cutting school budgets - where money goes to disappear.

New schools are costing $100 million+ each.  That's obscene and irresponsible.

[Cyber Liberty]

Having issues with this thread Cant see posts past

There was a bum link in a post...I fixed it.

[corbe]

[Wingnut]

There was a bum link in a post...I fixed it.

 

[Free Vulcan]

https://twitter.com/TheKevinDalton/status/1879555292029194703

[IsailedawayfromFR]

How California will rebuild.  One big ghetto

[GtHawk]

How California will rebuild.  One big ghetto

Will they learn how from the east coast?

[mystery-ak]

LA authorities searching for at least 36 missing people as wildfire death count rises to 25

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna says more remains could be recovered from wildfire areas
By Stephen Sorace Fox News
Published January 16, 2025 2:07pm EST

As fire crews continue to battle the wildfires consuming Los Angeles County, officials on Thursday said at least 36 people remain missing while two additional deaths brought the toll to 25.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters during a news conference that search and rescue teams discovered one of the deceased in the Eaton Fire area and the other in the Palisades Fire area. 

"We continue to work with multiple partners, not only in the recovery of remains, but then ultimately the identification of the deceased and then the notification to the next of kin," Luna said.

Luna said it was likely that more remains would be discovered in these areas, which is why officials are keeping evacuation orders in place around those sites.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/us/la-authorities-searching-least-36-missing-people-wildfire-death-count-rises-25

[libertybele]

???? What the heck is it??

[mystery-ak]

 Published January 16, 2025 3:22pm EST
LA officials were warned about budget cuts to fire department: 'Someone will die'
Underfunded LAFD asked for millions to fund EV charging stations and DEI program

 By Breck Dumas FOXBusiness


Los Angeles' budget priorities continue to face scrutiny over cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), after several people warned officials ahead of the ongoing Southern California wildfires that cuts to the department could have devastating consequences.

Mayor Karen Bass slashed the fire department's budget by over $17 million last year, a move that has drawn intense criticism after multiple fires were sparked in the area earlier this month, resulting in untold property losses and the deaths of over two dozen people.

In May of last year, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley warned, "We are at that breaking point where firefighters can no longer do more with less."

Crowley went on the record pleading for funding to hire more firefighters. Data shows the LAFD is woefully understaffed compared to other major cities, with less than one firefighter per 1,000 residents. The recommended level is 2.5 firefighters per 1,000 residents.

more
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/la-officials-were-warned-about-budget-cuts-fire-department-ahead-deadly-fires

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Will they learn how from the east coast?

Even worse, from China, where this picture was taken

[IsailedawayfromFR]

???? What the heck is it??

Stacey Abrams perhaps?

If he/she/it smiled, we could certainly tell from the teeth

[mystery-ak]

Real Estate
LA residents whose homes burnt down in wildfires will still have to pay off mortgages, property taxes
By Snejana Farberov   
Published Jan. 16, 2025, 3:03 p.m. ET

As deadly wildfires continue scorching their way through Los Angeles and the surrounding area for the second straight week, homeowners are worried about the prospect of defaulting on their mortgages in the wake of the unprecedented disaster were offered some reprieve from the nation’s major lenders.

On Monday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled mortgage assistance and relief options for customers reeling from the historic Southern California fires.

Both government-backed corporations are offering 12-month forbearance plans, meaning that struggling homeowners could either reduce or suspend their mortgage payments for up to a year without incurring late fees, foreclosure, or other types of legal proceedings.

In cases where a homeowner has failed to reach out to their lender, mortgage servicers are authorized to offer a forbearance plan for up to three months if they believe the home was affected by a disaster.

“We are committed to supporting homeowners, renters, and communities in need during this challenging time,” said Cyndi Danko, Fannie Mae’s single-family senior vice president and chief credit officer, in a statement. “If homeowners have been impacted by the fires, we encourage them to call their mortgage servicer for assistance as soon as possible.”

Even after the forbearance period ends, homeowners can apply for a repayment plan, a payment deferral, or a loan modification to avoid mortgage delinquency, according to the companies.

more
https://nypost.com/2025/01/16/real-estate/la-residents-whose-homes-burnt-down-in-wildfires-will-still-have-to-pay-off-mortgages-property-taxes/

[mystery-ak]

No escaping property taxes, mortgage payments

The bad news is that wildfire victims whose homes were heavily damaged or even reduced to ashes are still on the hook for mortgage payments and property taxes.

In some cases, lenders fold property taxes into borrowers’ monthly mortgage payments.

Under this arrangement, the client pays one-twelfth of their annual property tax bill along with their mortgage payment, according to Experian.com.

That amount is deposited into an escrow account, which is then used by the lender to pay the property taxes to the county on their clients’ behalf by the due date.

While the value of a home might be significantly reduced, or even nullified, depending on the extent of the damage, the land on which the house had been built might still be worth a lot of money, especially in high-priced areas like Pacific Palisades and Malibu, according to Los Angeles County Tax Assessor Jeff Prang speaking to KTLA this week.

Prang said his office would slash the assessment and taxes on the property but not on the land.

If the home is later rebuilt, it could potentially regain its prefire value, but that would depend on such factors as the real estate market and the quality of the repairs.

The good news is that homeowners whose properties have sustained more than $10,000 in damages could qualify for tax relief if they file a Misfortune or Calamity Relief claim within 12 months of the incident through Prang’s office.

[DB]

Someone who has owned a home there for 20 years is paying much reduced property taxes due to prop 13 which limits the tax increase to 2% maximum per year.

When they rebuild, if they rebuild, the tax assessment will be at current market value. Many people probably can't afford the property taxes under that situation.

The government sticks knives in you from all directions.

[Hoodat]

Someone who has owned a home there for 20 years is paying much reduced property taxes due to prop 13 which limits the tax increase to 2% maximum per year.

When they rebuild, if they rebuild, the tax assessment will be at current market value. Many people probably can't afford the property taxes under that situation.

Doing the math here, consider a house that was purchased for $30,000 in 1979.  The valuation (+2% annual) of that house today would be assessed at $73,135.  Yet the actual value would be at least ten times that amount.

Many California longtime homeowners tolerate the high taxes elsewhere because they get such a break on their property taxes.  Like you said, @DB , they are in for one rude awakening.

[Hoodat]

???? What the heck is it??

The number '10'.

[rangerrebew]

Wildfire survivors blocked from FEMA assistance due to fraud
 
Carol and Kathy DeCastro showed up bright and early at Pasadena City College hoping to get some assistance and relief after evacuating from their Altadena home — with a couple of belongings and the clothes on their back after the wildfires.

The elderly Filipina American sisters were turned away after learning identity thieves stole their information. Someone else used Carol DeCastro’s name for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance, thereby disqualifying the DeCastros from receiving aid.
 
Kathy DeCastro told AsAmNews that her sister Carol is disabled, and they live on a fixed income. Kathy DeCastro, who is also her sister’s caretaker, expected to help Carol get benefits, as FEMA typically allows one head of household — which would be Carol — to apply for the entire household’s assistance package, with few exceptions.

“They asked for her information — the name, the address, the birthday, the social, all that stuff,” Kathy DeCastro explained. “And then, the lady goes, ‘Oh, she cannot go through because there’s already a duplicate application, which I think they applied for last Sunday,’ and I go, ‘We didn’t apply last Sunday.’”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wildfire-survivors-blocked-from-fema-assistance-due-to-fraud/ar-AA1xkx96?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=ad43eb2525194c228e37a387f2cbd256&ei=93