California’s Inferno: Newsom and Bass’s Negligence Sparks LA’s Deadliest Wildfires

_{An electrical expert says his companys data shows that power grid faults spiked before the Los Angeles fires started.}

In a spectacle of catastrophic proportions, Los Angeles has been engulfed by wildfires that have not only decimated swathes of the city but have also highlighted the glaring incompetence of California’s leadership. The culprits? Power grid faults, exacerbated by the negligence of Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass.

The recent spate of wildfires, including the devastating Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires, have been linked to surges in power grid faults, a situation that could have been mitigated with competent governance. Bob Marshall of Whisker Labs pinpointed the surge in faults in the hours before the blazes erupted, indicating a stressed grid that was left unchecked. “What we cannot say is one of these faults sparked the fire. We don’t know that,” Marshall clarified, but the timing and location are too coincidental to dismiss, especially when considering the leadership’s track record.

Under Gavin Newsom’s watch, California’s infrastructure has not only aged disgracefully but has become a ticking time bomb. His administration’s focus seems more on green initiatives and less on the maintenance of critical systems like the power grid. The state’s electric grid operator has had to scramble to keep the lights on, especially when fires threaten high-voltage lines, a scenario that has played out repeatedly under Newsom’s governance.

But it’s not just about the state’s oversight. In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass’s administration has shown an equal level of incompetence. The decision to appoint a bureaucrat managing fire hydrants at an unheard-of salary of $750,000 while the city battles these fires is a slap in the face to every taxpayer. This salary hike, especially when some hydrants were reported dry during the fires, screams of misplaced priorities and blatant mismanagement.

The evacuation efforts have been nothing short of a disaster, with traffic gridlock turning evacuation routes into death traps. Celebrities and residents alike have thrown their hands up in frustration, pointing directly at Mayor Bass for the chaos. The lack of effective traffic management during such a crisis shows a shocking unpreparedness that has cost lives and livelihoods.

Moreover, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, crucial for water supply and firefighting, was offline and empty due to scheduled repairs at the peak of the wildfire season. This decision under Bass’s leadership has led to questions about the timing of infrastructure maintenance, suggesting either gross negligence or a staggering oversight of the city’s needs during a known fire-prone period.

The fires have also revealed a darker side of human behavior, with reports of looting amidst the chaos, a situation that could have been managed better with stronger leadership and foresight. Governor Newsom’s response has been to call in the National Guard and implement curfews, but the damage was already done, both literally and in terms of public trust.

In the aftermath, as the city burns, both Newsom and Bass have been notably silent on these specific failures. Instead, we hear about climate change – a convenient scapegoat for their administrative failures. True, climate change is real, but it doesn’t absolve them from ensuring that infrastructure like the power grid is robust enough to withstand known risks, especially in a state where wildfires are as predictable as the sun rising.

California deserves better than leaders who seem more adept at photo ops than at preventing or managing crises. As the ashes of LA’s once vibrant neighborhoods settle, the question looms large: When will the citizens of California demand accountability from Newsom and Bass for their roles in this preventable tragedy? The fires in Los Angeles are not just a natural disaster; they are a stark manifestation of leadership failure at its worst.