Wildfires - Page 5

Los Angeles County will test the soil for contaminants after the debris of burned homes and structures is removed, stepping in where federal and state authorities have not, according to a report Wednesday by the Pasadena Star-News.

The Los Angeles Times published text messages Wednesday between L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath that suggest Bass is failing to cooperate with other local government leaders.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday that she “wasn’t aware” of warnings about the extreme winds that led to the devastating Palisades Fire on January 7, but she posted those warnings on her official X account on January 6.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is blaming L.A. Fire Department (LAFD) Chief Kirsten Crowley — again — for they city’s failure to prepare adequately for the extreme winds that spread the Palisades Fire on January 7.

A former high school classmate of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has written to the L.A. Times to defend the mayor’s conduct during the Palisades Fire — which broke out when Bass was abroad at Ghana’s presidential inauguration.

California appears unlikely to follow Tennessee’s example of refunding the property taxes of victims of natural disasters — even though the failure of state and local services, including water and firefighting, caused their suffering.

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) could have pre-deployed ten engines to the Pacific Palisades ahead of the deadly Palisades Fire on January 7, but chose not to, according to former fire chiefs quoted by the Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has hired a top law firm to defend itself against lawsuits by residents who blame it for the spread of the Palisades Fire — especially as the Santa Ynez Reservoir was almost empty.

Mudflows in Malibu washed a firefighter, in his vehicle, from the Pacific Coast Highway and into the ocean on Thursday, as intense rains swept sheets of water over the hillsides and mountains scorched by the Palisades Fire last month.

The Eaton Fire, which burned through parts of Altadena and Pasadena, east of Los Angeles, last month, also saw fire hydrants lose water pressure — even though, unlike Pacific Palisades, there was no empty reservoir to blame.

Los Angeles residents are furious at an announcement by the Army Corps of Engineers that there will be no testing of local soil for toxins after the first six inches of topsoil are taken away during debris removal that began this week.

California is finally enjoying an abundance of rain, making this the third wet winter in a row — but the rainfall comes too late to save Southern California from the fires that burned large parts of Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Malibu.

Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to stage a photo-op Tuesday afternoon to mark the start of debris removal after the Palisades Fire — even though the state government has little to do with it.

Steve Hagerty, the founder of Hagerty Consulting, which Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass chose behind closed doors to lead the city’s rebuilding effort, had a disastrous tenure as mayor of the liberal college town of Evanston, Illinois.

Developer Rick Caruso slammed the Los Angeles city government for an apparent delay in construction at a venue that is to be used during the 2028 Summer Olympics that officials are blaming on the recent Palisades Fire.

Two former disaster recovery experts at Hagerty Consulting, which L.A. Mayor Karen Bass appointed to lead rebuilding efforts after the recent wildfires, pleaded guilty in 2022 and 2023 to defrauding New York City of Hurricane Sandy relief funds.

Los Angeles Chief Recovery Officer Steve Soboroff once mocked Trump supporters as “all white” in a post on Twitter (now X) during the 2016 election, when he was on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. The post was then deleted.

Los Angeles “Chief Recovery Officer” Steve Soboroff said Saturday night that he would work for free, after coming under fire for earning $500,000 for three months of work, even though his salary was to have been paid privately.

A local mother whose neighborhood was destroyed in the Palisades Fire is fighting back after the New York Times smeared Pacific Palisades residents as the “rogue rich” who are exploiting the disaster to buy up the lots of their neighbors.

Jacob Soboroff, a familiar face on MSNBC and NBC’s political and national correspondent, has a deeply personal connection to the Palisades Fire: he grew up in town, and is the son of L.A. “Chief Recovery Officer” Steve Soboroff.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass awarded the “rebuilding” contract for the recent fires to Hagerty Consulting for an unknown amount of money after a process that was conducted behind closed doors and without any public bids.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed two bills providing $50 million to fight President Donald Trump’s policies — after returning from a trip to Washington, DC, where he sought federal aid money for recent wildfires in his state.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) plans to ban the use of plants within five feet of residential homes in what are designated as “fire-prone” areas — which could include much of the state of California, given the recent wildfires.

The right thing to do — the manly thing, if one can still say that — would be for Newsom to veto the $50 million and concede that maybe now is not the time to be poking President Donald Trump and federal taxpayers in the eye.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner said the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) will “do exactly what it’s called to do” to help victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.

LOS ANGELES, California — Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin told residents of the Pacific Palisades that his agency was “working ’round the clock” to remove hazardous material from the burn area.

Ambassador Ric Grenell told federal, state, and local leaders that he would not tolerate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criteria slowing down the process of cleaning up and rebuilding after L.A. fires.

Emergency alerts for residents of west Altadena came too late, leading to a cluster of fatalities in the area as the wildfire raged on.

Governor Gavin Newsom is heading to the White House on Wednesday to ask President Donald Trump for federal money to address California’s wildfires, after state legislators passed $50 million to fund anti-Trump measures.

Penelope, a calico cat that had been missing for four weeks since the Palisades Fire, has been reunited with owner Trish Alison after a lengthy search, bringing hope to the members of a family who lost their home in the

NEW YORK (AP) — The stars came out for FireAid and so did wallets — the massive benefit concert last week to raise money for those affected by the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires is expected to raise more than $100 million.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom blamed trapped residents of the Pacific Palisades for failing to evacuate from the advancing fire on January 7 — apparently not realizing that they were stuck due to government incompetence.

California Democrats passed $50 million in spending Monday to fight President Donald Trump’s administration and its policies — while also seeking billions of dollars in federal aid to clean up and rebuild after devastating wildfires.

Developer Rick Caruso launched a non-profit organization, “Steadfast L.A.,” on Monday to help the private sector lead the rebuilding effort in communities damaged by the recent fires in the Los Angeles area.

The New York Times has produced a lengthy analysis of the failures of state and local government in the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, California, including the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire (in Altadena and Pasadena).

The landscape in the Temescal Canyon canyon trail is charred almost beyond recognition. And yet, on the canyon floor, life once again defies the odds