During a particularly heated fight over the budget with Congressional Republicans, former Democratic Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu was quoted as saying, “A budget should reflect the values and priorities of our nation and its people.”
By that, she meant that if you regard something as a pressing issue, you throw money at it. Conversely, if you don’t think the issue is that important, you whip out the meat cleaver.
That philosophy holds true not only at the federal level, but at the state and local level, as well.
There is no place where this is more evident than the city of Los Angeles, which is still dealing with the aftermath of this January’s devastating fires in the Pacific Palisades.
A month before they broke out, the city’s fire chief said that budget cuts were crippling the department’s ability to respond to emergencies.
In response, LA Mayor Karen Bass booked a flight to attend a presidential inauguration in Ghana.
In a December 4th memo, LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote to the Board of Fire Commissioners that the budget cuts “have adversely affected the Department’s ability to maintain core operations.”
Crowley specifically said that a $7 million reduction in overtime hours “severely limited the Department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies” and affected their capacity for brush clearance inspections and residential inspections.
Crowley sounded the alarm and the city did nothing.
I guess the mayor decided, ‘hey, what are the odds that a massive inferno could turn the Palisades into a smoldering wasteland?’
After the fires, when asked by CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, if the cuts impacted the department’s response to the blaze, Crowley said, “we did exactly what we could with what we had…Something that is significant as this particular fire, I would say we threw exactly what we could with what we had.”
Ouch.
In terms of emergency fire response, Crowley had just given Bass a participation trophy.
Subsequently, we also learned that there wasn’t enough water in the fire hydrants to fight the fire, the nearby reservoir was empty, and the mayor’s liaison to the fire department, Brian K. Williams, was out on administrative leave for making fake bomb threats over the telephone.
This news was obviously upsetting to the victims, as Angelenos already pay a fortune to live here, and the working assumption is that an essential city service such as the fire department has the resources it needs to adequately fight fires in the city.
Think again.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in a classic case of throwing cold water on a whistle-blower, didn’t like Crowley letting the cat out of the bag on that one, so Bass relieved Crowley of her duties as chief.
All of this leads to the question, where did the money go? If the LAFD wasn’t a priority for Bass, what was?
Well it’s funny you should ask. On July 30th, the city of Los Angeles Civil Rights Department unveiled a new citywide initiative called “Just Say Hello.” It’s a ridiculous campaign calling on Angelenos to “fight hate with human connection and kindness.”
According to the department, “The launch event featured powerful multi-lingual visuals, cultural performances, music by DJ Puffs, and remarks from city officials and community leaders. “Just Say Hello” is the latest expansion of LA Civil Rights’ award-winning LA For All initiative — a citywide anti-hate campaign promoting inclusion, equity, and solidarity through public messaging and partnerships.”
D.J. Puffs? Yea, I was wondering what Sean Combs’ next new name would be.
Just imagine, an anti-hate event featuring things that most people hate.
Capri Maddox, the executive director of the LA Civil Rights Department, who was paid over $270,000 in 2022 and is married to Kerman Maddox, who served on Mayor Karen Bass’ transition team, wrote in a statement that, “In the face of rising hate and fear — especially in immigrant communities — ‘Just Say Hello’ is about choosing connection over division…We’re reminding Angelenos that a simple greeting can be a powerful first step to healing, safety, and understanding throughout our communities.”
As part of the initiative, campaign visuals will be featured on sanitation vehicles, recreation facilities, and digital billboards across the city — including more than 75 transit shelters and arrival and departure signs throughout LAX terminals. Additionally, the department will invest $8.5 million into community‑based organizations.
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Bass couldn’t come up with $7 million for the fire department, but has $8.5 million for her frivolous social-engineering DEI indulgences.
Sounds like the mayor thinks she has money to burn. Maybe that’s how the fires in the Palisades got started.
Dumb decisions like this are the reason so many Angelenos are choosing to say ‘goodbye’…and they’re doing that for free.
John Phillips can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 pm on “The John Phillips Show” on KABC/AM.
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