Liberal comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bill-maher" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Maher</a> and former Los Angeles Democratic Mayoral candidate Rick Caruso said on Friday that President-elect Donald Trump was right about the wildfires in California.
The two made the remarks during Maher&#8217;s HBO show &#8220;Real Time&#8221; while discussing how Caruso would have handled the catastrophic fires that have caused tens of billions of dollars worth of damage.
“To know there’s a fire coming, to know you’re in fire season,” Caruso said. “We had a fire three weeks ago in Malibu. Six years ago we had a fire in Brentwood, and for those that don’t know the Brentwood area, it’s 15 minutes from where the Palisades Fire was. There’s 40-year-old vegetation between Brentwood and the Palisades, and at that time, I said, ‘If that fire travels, it’s gonna come through and wipe out the Palisades.'&#8221;
“I’m so sad that I was right,” he added. “It was predictable, Bill. And what’s predictable is preventable.”
“And then on top of it, to have a main reservoir out of service during peak fire season. I mean, that’s border negligence,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And so we’ve got to get to the backstory of this, but you’ve gotta make good business decisions. Running this city is running a business for the benefit of the residents and what everybody should have been saying, ‘We had all the alerts about the firestorm coming in or the winds coming in … why wasn’t more done?'&#8221;
Maher interjected: “I remember when we had a fire when Trump was president, and he came in and he said, ‘You don’t rake, you’re not raking.&#8217; And I did — we all did jokes about it. But, we’ve got to get over this thing.”
“Is he wrong, usually? Yeah,&#8221; Maher said. &#8220;But I’m not going to — I remember when he took Ivermectin or something and then Ivermectin, which won the Nobel Prize, and it was like that became snake oil. No, just because Trump says it doesn’t mean it’s automatically wrong. Did he have a point about that?”
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“Of course he did,” Caruso said.
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US-CHARITY-BABY2BABY

Rick Caruso And Bill Maher Agree: Trump Was Right About California Fires

Bill Maher

Donald Trump

Karen Bass

Los Angeles

Politics

Rick Caruso

Wildfires

On Friday, a union representing more than 3,000 Los Angeles city firefighters gave its full-throated support for Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who was reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/la-fire-chief-reportedly-called-to-mayors-office-to-be-fired-heres-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called into Democrat Mayor Karen Bass&#8217; office</a> last week to be fired, though she ultimately kept her job.
Mayor Bass and Crowley have been at odds while the city of Los Angeles battles historic wildfires that have so far killed 25 people, and others remain missing. Additionally, Crowley was recently the subject of an anonymous letter from “retired and active LAFD chief officers&#8221; condemning her performance as chief, and specifically her decision to <a href="https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1877827973895893084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877827973895893084%7Ctwgr%5E585d526402d13d1ba29fc4ec80f388dbccb9aa40%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fla-fire-chief-reportedly-called-to-mayors-office-to-be-fired-heres-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">call out Mayor Bass</a> on television.
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 condemned the letter admonishing Crowley, which they said was signed by &#8220;disgruntled and anonymous individuals.&#8221; The union also thanked Crowley for being “willing to fight” for her staff and the agency’s budget, the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-17/firefighter-union-rallies-behind-lafd-chief-denounces-attack-on-her-performance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“While we haven’t agreed on everything, you’ve been the only fire chief in decades to repeatedly demand adequate resources,” the union said.
Crowley bluntly told the press last week that city leadership “failed” her department &#8212; a moment the letter admonishing Crowley referred to as an &#8220;outburst.&#8221;
“Chief, please focus on your current duties and responsibilities which currently should be focused on mitigating and stabilizing the Palisades fire,&#8221; the anonymous letter said. &#8220;Your outburst regarding the budget and the statement that the ‘City failed the LAFD’ was ill-advised, poorly timed and took away from the most important issue, the Palisades fire.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley turns on Los Angeles leadership, says they failed her.
Remarkable interview.
Crowley called out the city for having no water in the Santa Ynez Reservoir.
Reporter: &#8220;Did the city of Los Angeles fail you and your… <a href="https://t.co/fUQPoW32QA">pic.twitter.com/fUQPoW32QA</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1877827973895893084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
Mayor Bass has been accused of ignoring warnings of the forecasted high winds and fire threat, opting to leave town for a taxpayer-funded trip to Africa. The mayor also cut the fire department budget by <a href="https://abc11.com/post/los-angeles-cut-175m-fire-department-budget-months-before-palisades-signed-mayor-karen-bass/15782731/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$17.5 million</a> just months before the fires broke out, as highlighted by Crowley. Currently, an online petition signed by <a href="https://www.change.org/p/demand-the-immediate-resignation-of-mayor-karen-bass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 155,000 people</a> calls for Bass&#8217; immediate resignation.
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There is also much controversy about the LA Fire Department&#8217;s priorities, specifically its focus on DEI goals over competence and effectiveness. For example, the department’s assistant chief, Kristine Larson, appears in a video in which she says that if someone complains about a woman firefighter’s inability to carry a man out of a fire, her response would be, “He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
LAFD Assistant Chief Kristine Larson:
&#8220;Am I able to carry your husband out of a fire? He got himself in the wrong place.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/BofTVr6dWP">pic.twitter.com/BofTVr6dWP</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1877458240050446339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
Journalist Michael Shellenberger has reported whistleblowers&#8217; stories about detrimental DEI standards with the department.
&#8220;DEI didn&#8217;t hurt the LA Fire Department&#8217;s response to the catastrophic fires, say the media. But anything that trumps meritocratic standards would,&#8221; Shellenberger posted online. &#8220;And now, whistleblowers within LAFD say the Department lowered standards on ladders, hoses &amp; push-ups to meet DEI quotas for women.&#8221;
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/la-fire-chief-reportedly-called-to-mayors-office-to-be-fired-heres-what-we-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LA Fire Chief Reportedly Called To Mayor’s Office ‘To Be Fired.’ Here’s What We Know.</a>

Fire Chief Kristin Crowley

LA Fire Chief Gets Backing From Union After Reportedly Being On Mayor’s Chopping Block

Fire

Natural Disaster

U.S.

Filmmaker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mel-gibson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mel Gibson</a> has become the latest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patricia-heaton-blows-up-on-la-mayor-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrity to torch</a> Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after losing his home in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southern California fires</a>.
Speaking on the “Arroyo Grande” <a href="https://x.com/RaymondArroyo/status/1879912134114513236">podcast</a>, the 69-year-old actor reflected on the destruction of the Palisades Fire and what was left of his home due to the failure of the state&#8217;s leadership.
&#8220;Well, first I thought it was, &#8216;Oh gee, bad luck, tragedy,'&#8221; Gibson explained. “But then I came to realize that it was monumental mismanagement by our elected officials; and that’s the nicest thing you can say about it.”
&#8220;I mean, as a citizen here, Newsom and Bass, they want us to trust them to reimagine the city, our city, and how they think it should be,” he added. “I mean, look at what they’ve done so far to this town. You got nothing but rampant crime, acute homelessness, high taxes, mismanagement of water, firefighters, defunding the department, and we’re supposed to trust them with millions of dollars to sort of remake where we live?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Mel Gibson on LA 2.0: “Newsom and Bass, they want us to trust them to re-imagine the city, our city… look at what they&#8217;ve done so far to this town, you know…It&#8217;s our city, it&#8217;s the city of the people, and they have another plan.” 
Subscribe to the full ARROYO GRANDE… <a href="https://t.co/nFnTUfVsIM">pic.twitter.com/nFnTUfVsIM</a>
— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) <a href="https://twitter.com/RaymondArroyo/status/1879912134114513236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
“It’s our city, it’s the city of the people, and they have another plan,” the director continued. “There’s still people from the Woolsey Fire still living in trailers. … When have you seen the government ‘build back better?’ It’s just social engineering, environmental regulation, and spending; that’s the last thing any of us who have been burned out need are a bunch of bureaucrats tellings us how to rebuild our communities.&#8221;
Gibson recently spoke to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hE9VvdUXf8">NewsNation</a> and said he wasn’t even in town when the fires consumed his Malibu home because he was in Austin, Texas, recording an episode with Joe Rogan for “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-heart-just-breaks-jeff-bridges-mel-gibson-and-others-become-latest-to-lose-homes-in-fires">reported</a>.
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“I was doing the Rogan podcast. … And [I was] kind of ill at ease while we were talking, because I knew my neighborhood was on fire, so I thought, I wonder if my place is still there. But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there,” Gibson said. “I went home and I said to myself, well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore.”
The &#8220;Braveheart&#8221; actor admitted he was still dealing with the “devastating” impact of losing the home that he’d lived in for more than a decade.
“It is obviously, it’s kind of devastating. It’s emotional,” the famed actor said. “You live there for a long time, and you had all your stuff. You remember George Carlin talking about your stuff? I had my stuff there, and it’s all like, I’ve been relieved from the burden of my stuff, because it’s all in cinders.”
Gibson remarked on the destruction left by the fire and said he’d never “seen a place so perfectly burnt. You could put it in an urn … I’ve never seen such complete burn.”
“It’s like someone did it on purpose to really destroy every aspect of it,” the actor said. “My place looked like Dresden. It’s emotional and I lived there for about 14, 15 years, so it was home to me. I had a lot of personal things there I can’t get back.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-heart-just-breaks-jeff-bridges-mel-gibson-and-others-become-latest-to-lose-homes-in-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Your Heart Just Breaks’: Jeff Bridges, Mel Gibson, And Others Become Latest To Lose Homes In Fires</a>

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson Becomes Latest Celebrity To Torch Newsom, LA Mayor After Losing Home

California

Celebrities

Entertainment

Gavin Newsom

Hollywood

Comedian and HBO host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bill-maher" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Maher</a> laid into Governor Gavin Newsom during a recent TMZ interview, arguing that if California leadership could cut through oppressive regulations and &#8220;red tape,&#8221; they should have done so before the southern part of the state had burned to the ground.
Maher argued that it wasn&#8217;t really a Left or Right issue, but one of accountability, telling TMZ hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere that he&#8217;d had previous run-ins with California&#8217;s extensive building regulations when he had tried to install a shed and some solar panels on his own property.
&#8220;I always think there’s a middle of the road, actual practical solution to everything and for this I would say, was California’s uber progressive politics the cause of this fire? Of course not. Did it impede them to some degree? Absolutely. That’s the margin of error that I’m saying we can’t abide by anymore,&#8221; Maher explained.
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The comedian, who had previously detailed his own difficulties with the state&#8217;s excessive red tape on his own show — HBO&#8217;s &#8220;Real Time&#8221; — said that he was in favor of holding all government officials accountable.
&#8220;Now, as far as the red tape, I see that they’re all — Newsom, Bass — they’re all saying, we’re going to cut red tape, as if they’re doing us a favor,&#8221; Maher continued. &#8220;My question is, well, if you can do it now, why didn’t you always do it? Obviously, it can be done. It’s not a favor to us to cut the red tape. Why do we live in this state, in this red tape nightmare the other times of the year when we’re not on fire?&#8221;
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Newsom announced that he would slash red tape for residents who chose to rebuild in the aftermath of the devastating fires, and also promised to prosecute any developers who attempted to sweep in and buy up the land.
Toward that end, the Democrat governor signed an <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/01/14/governor-newsom-issues-order-to-protect-fire-victims-from-predatory-real-estate-speculators/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> on Tuesday &#8220;barring opportunist and predatory investors from making unsolicited undervalue offers to families impacted by the firestorms to buy their land, taking advantage by offering fast cash for destroyed property.&#8221;

Bill Maher Unloads On Newsom, Demands To Know Why He Didn’t Cut Red Tape ‘When We Were Not On Fire’

Bill Maher Unloads On Newsom, Demands To Know Why He Didn't Cut Red Tape 'When We Were Not On Fire'

Media

Filmmaker Justine Bateman warned that California Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom</a> needs to be removed immediately following the disaster of the fires in Los Angeles “before something worse happens&#8221; in the state.
In a post on <a href="https://x.com/JustineBateman/status/1879389040085983501">X</a>, the 58-year-old actress called on voters in the Golden State to watch how insincere Newsom appeared in a video of him talking about working with President-elect Donald Trump to provide resources to those affected by the Southern California fires, while at the same he has set aside tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to fight Trump.
“I really want other CA voters to see the lack of sincerity, the dismissiveness, the dedication to pretentiousness, and the dereliction of care for the citizens of California,” Bateman wrote. “He has always demonstrated this. In every video.”
“You cannot trust this kind of person with any role, and especially not one upon which our wellbeing depends,” she added. “Gavin Newsom needs to be removed, before something worse happens here.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I really want other CA voters to see the lack of sincerity, the dismissiveness, the dedication to pretentiousness, and the dereliction of care for the citizens of California. He has always demonstrated this. In every video. 
You cannot trust this kind of person with any role, and… <a href="https://t.co/tvO977cWKn">https://t.co/tvO977cWKn</a>
— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustineBateman/status/1879389040085983501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
In an earlier <a href="https://x.com/JustineBateman/status/1879674563979608465">post</a>, Bateman said not only should Newsom be replaced, but Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, too, following the mismanagement of the city’s resources, which led to the disaster of the three fires in LA.
“We already knew that the city and state was being mismanaged, before these fire disasters,” the filmmaker said.
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“This will only get worse. I am not willing to find out how unprepared the city and state is for a major earthquake, structure-destroying mudslides, water system poisonings, power grid collapses, or any of the other things that could befall us here,” she added. “We have all the demonstration[s] we need to want something different.”
The actress’ comments were similar to ones she made during her appearance with <a href="https://x.com/JesseBWatters/status/1877528141951840593">Jesse Watters on Fox News</a>.
“If you are going to run a city or run a state, you have to take care of the basics, and that’s make sure that your fire and your police department are well funded,” Bateman said, noting that it includes being prepared for when disasters occur in the area like fire, earthquake, rain, and the mudslides afterward.
“If you are not doing everything you can to [mitigate disasters] if they arise, then get out,” she added. “You are useless to us. If you can’t cover the basics, get out of our city. You are useless to us, you are a liability and you have destroyed people’s lives because you didn’t do your job.”
“You didn’t do what we paid you for and you should resign out of shame and responsibility for the people whose lives you’ve destroyed right now,” Bateman continued.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patricia-heaton-blows-up-on-la-mayor-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patricia Heaton Blows Up On LA Mayor As Fires Rage</a>

Justine Bateman

Filmmaker Justine Bateman Warns Newsom Has To Be Removed ‘Before Something Worse Happens’

Los Angeles Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karen-bass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karen Bass</a>’ deputy mayor, who was in charge of overseeing the city&#8217;s fire department, was not on the job in the weeks and days leading up to the historic wildfires that erupted last week because he was placed on leave after he was raided by the FBI.
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/14/us-news/bass-appointee-was-put-on-leave-after-alleged-la-bomb-threat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Los Angeles Police Department initially indicated when the incident happened last month that Deputy Mayor Brian Williams was likely the “source of the threat.”
The FBI took over the investigation because of Williams&#8217; connections to the local police department, the report said.
The raid happened less than three weeks before the fires broke out — burning more than 40,000 acres, causing $50+ billion in damages, destroying 10,000+ structures, and killing more than a dozen people.
Williams was in charge of overseeing several of the city&#8217;s largest departments, including the fire department, police department, and more, the report said.
The controversy is just the latest negative development for Bass, who has seen widespread criticism for her lack of preparedness and the fact that she was in Africa when the fires erupted despite pledging in 2021 to never take international trips if elected as mayor.
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Bass has also faced intense scrutiny over cutting millions of dollars from the city’s fire department budget.
In a memo dated December 4, 2024, L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote that the nearly $18 million in cuts “severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.”
“Without this funding, pilot compliance and readiness are jeopardized, and aerial firefighting capabilities are diminished,” Crowley wrote in the memo that was presented last month to the Board of Fire Commissioners, a panel of mayoral appointees who oversee the management of the department.
Crowley said that the overtime hours funded “Heavy Equipment Operators (HEOs) who make fire control lines around wildland fires, manage firefighting robotics, wildland fire road maintenance, post-fire demolition services, and other allhazard emergency services.”
“Ultimately, loss of funding impairs the Department’s ability to mitigate wildland fires and other hazards effectively,” she wrote.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karen-bass-ignores-questions-about-her-handling-of-devastating-fires">Karen Bass Ignores Questions About Her Handling Of Devastating Fires</a>

LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 17: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass announces establishing a task force to investigate, apprehend and prosecute suspects who have committed retail theft as businesses grapple with an uptick of smash-and-grabs in recent weeks a press conference held at City Hall in Los Angeles, CA.

LA Mayor Bass Appointee Who Oversaw Fire Dept Was On Leave Over Alleged Bomb Threat

Crime

Actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actor-michael-rapaport-signals-shift-on-trump-after-years-of-fervent-opposition-my-political-views-have-changed">Michael Rapaport</a> torched California Gov. Gavin Newsom for the Los Angeles wildfires after Newsom turned his focus on making the state “Trump-proof” ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
In a lengthy rant on <a href="https://x.com/MichaelRapaport/status/1879152133582598389">X</a>, the 54-year-old actor called on Newsom to resign and said the governor was done in the state following the devastation of the three fires in Southern California.
“You thought you were going to be president,” Rapaport blasted. “You’re never, ever, ever gonna be president, Gavin with the good hair. I don’t care how slicked back it is … little Nancy [Pelosi’s] little nephew.”
&#8220;Gavin with the good hair, you have overseen two of the most important cities in California and you’ve ran them, nose-dived into the ground,” he added. “San Francisco is apocalyptic. I’ve been there; I’ve seen it with my own eyes. You ran that gorgeous, iconic, totally unique American city into the ground. It’s a dump pot, a cesspool.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gavin with the good hair Newsom 
aka Nancy’s Nephew blew it, there’s no learning curve, resign <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GavinNewsom?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GavinNewsom</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CaliforniaWildfires?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CaliforniaWildfires</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/iamrapaport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iamrapaport</a> <a href="https://t.co/eTFHA7diwh">pic.twitter.com/eTFHA7diwh</a>
— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelRapaport/status/1879152133582598389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
“And you turned Los Angeles … you let Los Angeles turn into a dump hole also,” Rapaport continued, calling the city “dirty” and full of homeless people. “The crime, the catch and release in California, and now these, the Los Angeles fires, you were woefully and pathetically unprepared for. And you keep talking, ‘We need to learn from our mistakes.’ Get the f*** out of here. There’s no more mistakes for you; you’re done!&#8221;
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The Hollywood star said Newsom has been talking about making the state “Trump-proof” when he should’ve been &#8220;fire-proofing California.”
&#8220;You’re talking about Trump this, Trump that. He’s not even president,&#8221; Rapaport blasted. “This is on you. This is on you. You’re the governor … you’re done.&#8221;
The comments were the latest from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/completely-unacceptable-celebrities-slam-ca-leadership-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrities who have been blowing up</a> on Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass following the multiple fires that have nearly destroyed whole towns due to days of out-of-control blazes.
Actress <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/patricia-heaton">Patricia Heaton</a> recently called out both Newsom and Bass for the devastation in L.A.
“We have a mayor who cut the budget of the fire department in California by over $17 million dollars,” Heaton said in a video posted on <a href="https://x.com/PatriciaHeaton/status/1877112025207419073">X</a>. “Fire is the biggest hazard in Los Angeles. Why would you cut that budget? There was no water in the fire hydrants in the Palisades.”
“The people running the show just decimated [CA]. Drugs, homelessness with mentally ill people on the streets, crime … taxes. What do you pay all these taxes for to see your neighborhood go up in smoke?” she added.
“It is so enraging,” the actress continued. “That they took one of the most beautiful states, maybe the most beautiful state in the union and just continue to destroy it. Gavin Newsom standing there with his hands in his pockets … I just really feel for everybody there.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/patricia-heaton-blows-up-on-la-mayor-as-fires-rage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patricia Heaton Blows Up On LA Mayor As Fires Rage</a>

Premiere Of Showtime’s “White Famous” – Arrivals

Michael Rapaport Torches Newsom For SoCal Fires After Gov Focuses On ‘Trump-Proofing’ State

Michael Rapaport

Patricia Heaton

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of The Los Angeles Times, said during an interview this week that it was a &#8220;mistake&#8221; for the newspaper to have endorsed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karen-bass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karen Bass</a> to be the city&#8217;s mayor.
Soon-Shiong made the remarks during an interview with 2Way&#8217;s Sean Spicer following the severe backlash that Bass has faced over the last week in the wake of the wildfires that erupted, causing $50+ billion in damage.
Spicer asked Soon-Shiong how much blame should be placed on Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom as the catastrophic fires continue to rage.
&#8220;Well, first of all, we&#8217;ll accept some blame,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So at the L.A. Times, we endorsed Karen Bass. I think right now in front, that&#8217;s a mistake and we admit that.&#8221;
&#8220;So I thought it was very early, important early on for me to come out,&#8221; he continued.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
LA Times owner <a href="https://twitter.com/DrPatSoonShiong?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrPatSoonShiong</a> says it was a “mistake” for his paper to endorse Karen Bass for Mayor in 2022.
“Competence matters,” he says.<a href="https://t.co/0NJeZgXekD">pic.twitter.com/0NJeZgXekD</a>
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) <a href="https://twitter.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/1878836756965138487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
In a series of posts on X, Soon-Shiong repeatedly hammered home the issue of competency.
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&#8220;Maybe the lesson we learned out of this catastrophe in California is to now vote not based on left or right or D versus R but perhaps based on competent or no experience in operating a job!!&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;We have to elect based on competence…yes competence matters.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Maybe the lesson we learned out of this catastrophe in California is to now vote not based on left or right or D versus R but perhaps based on competent or no experience in operating a job !! We have to elect based on competence…yes competence matters.
— Dr. Pat Soon-Shiong (@DrPatSoonShiong) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrPatSoonShiong/status/1877569001322123528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2025</a></blockquote>

Inside The JPMorgan Healthcare Conference

LA Times Owner: It Was A ‘Mistake’ To Endorse Karen Bass

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karen-bass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karen Bass</a> signaled this week that she regrets taking her trip to Ghana despite her city being at risk of wildfires at the time due to the powerful Santa Ana winds and dry conditions.
Bass was asked by a reporter at the end of a press conference on Tuesday about the trip.
&#8220;Looking back, would you have taken that trip overseas?&#8221; the reporter asked.
Bass responded, &#8220;You know, I am gonna focus today on what we&#8211;&#8221;
When the reporter started to push back, Bass responded bluntly by throwing her hands up, declaring &#8220;no,&#8221; and walking away.
Bass was more than 7,000 miles away from the fires when they erupted last week.
She was visiting Ghana with three others for the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama, who was elected last year.
Bass has also faced intense scrutiny over cutting millions of dollars from the city&#8217;s fire department budget.
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In a memo dated December 4, 2024, L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote that the nearly $18 million in cuts “severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.”
“Without this funding, pilot compliance and readiness are jeopardized, and aerial firefighting capabilities are diminished,” Crowley wrote in the memo that was presented last month to the Board of Fire Commissioners, a panel of mayoral appointees who oversee the management of the department.
Crowley said that the overtime hours funded “Heavy Equipment Operators (HEOs) who make fire control lines around wildland fires, manage firefighting robotics, wildland fire road maintenance, post-fire demolition services, and other allhazard emergency services.”
“Ultimately, loss of funding impairs the Department’s ability to mitigate wildland fires and other hazards effectively,” she wrote.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karen-bass-ignores-questions-about-her-handling-of-devastating-fires">Karen Bass Ignores Questions About Her Handling Of Devastating Fires</a>

Press conference on continuing wildfires in Los Angeles

Karen Bass Regrets Taking African Trip Amid Fire Dangers

Reality star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/khloe-kardashian">Khloe Kardashian</a> had strong criticism for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles">Los Angeles</a> Democratic Mayor Karen Bass amid the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fire">wildfire</a> crisis which has caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and forced residents to flee their homes.
 The 40-year-old mom of two made her opinion known over the weekend when she shared a clip of LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley on social media discussing a $17.5 million budget cut to her department, per <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/11/entertainment/khloe-kardashian-rips-la-mayor-karen-bass-amid-wildfire-disaster-you-are-a-joke/">the New York Post</a>.
In the clip, Crowley told a Fox 11 reporter that the city failed her department.
The influencer wrote, “I stand by YOU Chief Crowley!!!! You spoke the truth and you had tears in your eyes because I can tell you didn’t even want to say that but it was THE TRUTH!!!!”
“Thank you for being honest,” the caption said. “Mayor Bass you are a joke!!!!”
The outlet noted that Khloe and other members of her family who live nearby were forced to evacuate as fires raged on in the area. 
Kardashian also shared an image of a memo sent by the LAFD to the board of fire commissioners stating that the budget cut would “severely limit the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.”
The celeb shared in a follow-up post that firefighters and other first responders are “truly inspiring.” 
“The work you do is nothing short of heroic,” Kardashian wrote. “We are deeply grateful to your unwavering commitment to keeping us safe…Please know that your efforts do not go unnoticed, and we are forever grateful for everything you are doing.”
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Kardashian was criticized as a hypocrite by several social media users who brought up a previous <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-22/kim-kardashian-kevin-hart-california-drought-water-waste">news report</a> revealing that the Kardashians were among the biggest water wasters in parts of Los Angeles County.
At least 24 people are dead, and more than a dozen others are missing as the fires continue to burn in the Los Angeles area. According to the latest updates from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, at least three major fires are still burning in Los Angeles County.
Bass was also criticized for being out of the country when the fires broke out despite being warned that the risk was high. The LA mayor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/let-me-finish-karen-bass-snaps-at-reporter-who-dares-to-question-her-leadership">avoided questions</a> from a reporter about her role in the disaster, but she has been active on social media, speaking directly to residents via X.
“Angelenos, we&#8217;re still going through it and to any of you and all of you that have experienced a loss, the grief, the anger, the just utter shock. I&#8217;ve seen the devastation. It is unbelievable the amount of loss that people have experienced, but we have to get through this crisis and I know that we will,&#8221; Bass <a href="https://x.com/MayorOfLA/status/1878295018810876077">said</a> in a tweet.

Khloe Kardashian

Khloe Kardashian Blasts LA Mayor Karen Bass For Fire Dept Budget Cuts: ‘You Are A Joke’

Khloe Kardashian Blasts LA Mayor Karen Bass For Fire Dept Budget Cuts: 'You Are A Joke'

There&#8217;s now a very noticeable pattern that plays out every time we witness a colossal failure on the national stage. It happened after the Secret Service allowed Donald Trump to get shot in the head in Pennsylvania. It happened after Harvard&#8217;s president was exposed for plagiarism, and after Kamala Harris lost the presidential election.
Here&#8217;s how it usually goes: Conservatives pointed out that DEI was involved in some way. And then everyone on the Left acted with shock and indignation at the mere suggestion that DEI might have backfired. 
DEI, they tell us, is an essential mandate that always adds value. It&#8217;s vital to every organization. And then, in the same breath, they tell us that DEI can&#8217;t possibly be related to any failure by any organization or government agency that practices DEI. In other words, DEI is either critically important or not important at all, depending on how things are going. 
As entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles are destroyed by fires, once again, we&#8217;re seeing this familiar pattern play out. As we talked about yesterday, conservatives have pointed out that DEI has infected every aspect of the government of Los Angeles, and in particular its Fire Department. And in response, as they usually do, the Left has insisted that DEI actually had nothing whatsoever to do with the fires, or the disastrous response to them. And they&#8217;re wagging their fingers at anyone who suggests otherwise.
Rolling Stone, in particular, was upset with my response to the wildfires. The published an article the other day <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/right-wingers-blame-los-angeles-fires-diversity-democrats-1235230047/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">entitled</a>, &#8220;RIGHT-WINGERS ARE BLAMING THE L.A. FIRES ON DIVERSITY.&#8221; Here&#8217;s <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/right-wingers-blame-los-angeles-fires-diversity-democrats-1235230047/">part of it</a>: &#8220;Climate-denying conservatives are instead blaming the devastation on California&#8217;s &#8216;woke&#8217; policies. &#8230; &#8216;Los Angeles deliberately set out to exclude white men from becoming firefighters, and now they don&#8217;t have enough firefighters to prevent their city from burning to the ground,&#8217; wrote right-wing commentator Matt Walsh in one post endorsed by Elon Musk. &#8216;DEI is a cancer that destroys everything it touches.'&#8221;
Now, first of all, I had to look up who wrote this article, because it reads like something our PR department would come up with. The whole article is just a series of quotes — from myself, Alex Jones, Elon Musk, Megyn Kelly, and so on. And sure enough, the author is one Nikki McCann Ramirez, a former Media Matters staffer. She&#8217;s apparently found another organization that&#8217;s willing to pay her to write articles about my tweets, after Elon Musk sued Media Matters into the ground.
The only original contribution that Nikki Ramirez made to the article is this line of commentary at the end. It reads: &#8220;There&#8217;s no evidence that the fire department&#8217;s push for diversity has any effect on its ability to fight fires.&#8221;
It&#8217;s a line that made me realize we need to do another deep-dive on DEI in the Los Angeles Fire Department, because it&#8217;s completely false. But a lot of people on the Left are still repeating it. And they&#8217;re repeating this line because they think it&#8217;s safe. In their minds, it&#8217;s impossible to find a &#8220;smoking gun&#8221; that proves DEI leads directly to failure. After all, DEI is a bureaucratic system. And the whole point of bureaucracy is to make it impossible to assign blame.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mws-ep-1512-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
Unfortunately for Rolling Stone and the rest of these activists, the leaders of the Los Angeles Fire Department haven&#8217;t been subtle about their DEI policies, and the impact these policies have on their job performance. In fact, they&#8217;ve actually been quite direct about it. Here&#8217;s a video of Deputy Chief Kristine Larson, the head of the Fire Department&#8217;s &#8220;Equity and Human Resources Bureau.&#8221; You may have seen a shortened version of this video online, because it&#8217;s going viral. I found a longer, unedited version of it. And it&#8217;s worth watching because it implicates both the LAPD and the LAFD. And it also includes the context, to the extent you need it. Here it is:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="001 DEI Responders" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bnkHLJtjdB0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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It looks like some kind of AI-generated parody, but it&#8217;s not. So let&#8217;s review what we just saw.
The first claim from the Deputy Fire Chief is that, when you have a medical emergency or when your house is on fire, all you care about is seeing first responders who &#8220;look like you.&#8221; You don&#8217;t care if they&#8217;re good at their jobs. You&#8217;re not worried about their CPR certifications, or their ability to put out fires. Instead, the most important thing is the appearance of the firefighter — meaning their skin color and gender. And the LAPD sergeant agrees with that.
This isn&#8217;t a claim that needs to be broken down and dissected in a million different ways. But just for fun, let&#8217;s do that.
First of all, let&#8217;s assume this is true. Let&#8217;s assume that, when white people call 911 in Los Angeles because their house is burning down, they really don&#8217;t want to see black firefighters show up. So when a team of all-white firefighters show up, in Kristine Lawson&#8217;s worldview, it would be totally normal and appropriate for the white homeowner to say, &#8220;Thank God they didn&#8217;t send any black firefighters.&#8221; After all, he wants to see people who look like him. What&#8217;s wrong with that?
Of course, what Kristine Larson really means is that non-white firefighters should want to see non-white firefighters respond to their house. But there&#8217;s still a big problem here. I&#8217;d wager a lot of money that there&#8217;s not a single black person on the planet who would react with relief or joy, if they called 911 and someone like Kristine Larson waddled up to their door. That would be a moment of sheer panic for anyone, regardless of skin color. That would be the moment they knew that their life was over.
But even if we assume that black people demand to be saved by overweight black lesbian firefighters like Kristine Larson, there&#8217;s still another problem with Larson&#8217;s explanation, which is this: How exactly would dispatchers know what race of firefighters to send to a particular call? Should the dispatcher demand to know the callers&#8217; race? Should they dispatch race-matching fire crews? Is any of this happening right now in Los Angeles? By the logic of the Deputy Fire Chief, it should be happening.
And then, of course, comes the second part of the video, in which Larson responds to someone who&#8217;s worried that, as an overweight black lesbian, she won&#8217;t be able to lift a man and remove him from a house fire. Larson&#8217;s response is that the man shouldn&#8217;t have put himself in that position in the first place.
She couldn&#8217;t be making it any clearer that DEI hiring compromises the fire department&#8217;s ability to do its job. She thinks it&#8217;s a laugh line, apparently. This is how DEI hires at the highest levels of the Los Angeles Fire Department are talking about the impact of DEI on their jobs.
But Larson has never been disqualified or punished in any way. She has a job paying well over $300,000 a year at the Los Angeles Fire Department, in which she enforces various equity mandates while she laughs at people who ask why she&#8217;s so overweight. And part of that job apparently entails weeding out alleged &#8220;bigots&#8221; in the ranks of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="002 Chief Kristine Larson" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zy91lf-YNnY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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This is reminiscent of Lloyd Austin&#8217;s big plan to purge the Pentagon of &#8220;extremist white supremacists,&#8221; by which he meant, white people who support Donald Trump and refuse to take the COVID shot. It&#8217;s the kind of thing that no public agency in the United States should be doing, for about a million reasons.
First of all, the idea of &#8220;racism&#8221; in fire departments and police departments has been stretched beyond all recognition, to the point that it&#8217;s completely meaningless. As we discussed earlier this week, fire departments all over the country are getting sued right now for &#8220;racism&#8221; because they attempt to enforce basic standards of literacy and competence in the admissions process.
Secondly, this is a department that&#8217;s now very short of manpower during a historic crisis. Barring extreme circumstances, they should not be weeding out any competent firefighters right now. The Los Angeles Fire Department should be focused on retaining as many firefighters as possible — not firing them for liking an offensive meme or something. And if you doubt that, take a look at Ferguson, Missouri, or Minneapolis, or Baltimore. Have any of these cities become safer, after the BLM revolution? Of course not.
The real purpose of all of these purges is to punish anyone who thinks an unapproved thought that also happens to be true. They don&#8217;t want people to make obvious observations like this one: Women shouldn&#8217;t be firefighters at all. Any effort to include more women is by definition an effort to make the fire department less equipped and less capable.
The same is true for police departments, which are being gutted all over the country in the name of equity. Just this week, the Maryland State Police agreed to a $3 million settlement with Joe Biden&#8217;s DOJ over their hiring practices. As one local news station <a href="https://www.wbaltv.com/article/maryland-state-police-agree-27-million-settlement-civil-rights-lawsuit/63381102" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a>: &#8220;The lawsuit claimed that the Maryland Department of State Police violated Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it used a certain physical fitness test and a certain written test to hire entry-level troopers. The lawsuit claimed the tests disqualified more women and African American applicants than others and were not job-related.&#8221;
In other words, in the world of policing, physical fitness and literacy are no longer &#8220;job-related,&#8221; apparently. This is how many police and fire departments now operate. They know they have to hire and promote incompetent people.
This is the kind of deliberate sabotage that has directly contributed to the disaster that&#8217;s unfolding in Los Angeles. Instead of spending every moment thinking about protecting their state, the leadership of California has been busy appointing &#8220;equity&#8221; overseers. So, when a disaster occurs, they have no idea what to do.
That led to this clown-car performance from Gavin Newsom yesterday. He told a constituent he was on the phone with Joe Biden. Then, when she asked to talk to Joe Biden, he admitted he didn&#8217;t have cell service. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="003 Woman Confronts Newsom" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WVF3R_8k3no?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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If thousands of people weren&#8217;t having their lives destroyed right now, the incompetence would be pretty amusing. Instead, given the staggering nature of this catastrophe, it’s infuriating. And people are very, very tired of this kind of thing. They want competence to make a comeback.
That would mean the Los Angeles Fire Department would have to fire some overweight lesbians who are making $300,000 a year. But it would also mean that, the next time a massive wildfire engulfs the city, Los Angeles might actually have water in the fire hydrants. They might have a mayor who&#8217;s on the scene, coordinating a response, instead of pandering in Africa. They might have enough firefighters to put out the blaze.
That&#8217;s a turn of events that outlets like &#8220;Rolling Stone magazine&#8221; desperately wants to prevent. But at this point, it&#8217;s looking more likely than ever. DEI has been tried, and it has failed in spectacular fashion. Now it&#8217;s time for competent people to take over — even if they happen to be white men. The residents of Los Angeles might not understand much, but they understand survival. And at this point, that&#8217;s exactly what survival will take.

TOPSHOT-US-WEATHER-FIRE

How DEI Is Destroying L.A.’s Fire Department

How DEI Is Destroying L.A.'s Fire Department

Firefighter

Fires

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Hollywood star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/patricia-heaton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patricia Heaton</a> did not hold back her thoughts about Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and blew up on her and Governor Gavin Newsom as the wildfires continue to burn in Southern California.
In a viral video posted on <a href="https://x.com/PatriciaHeaton/status/1877112025207419073">X</a>, the 66-year-old actress said it was mind blowing to her to learn that Bass cut the fire department budget by millions of dollars when fire is the number one hazard in the area.
“It is just so heartbreaking to see what’s happening in the Pacific Palisades in California, in Los Angeles,” Heaton said. “So many good friends who worked really hard for years and created beautiful homes for themselves and their families, it’s all going up in smoke, and preventable, by the way.”
“We have a mayor who cut the budget of the fire department in California by over $17 million dollars,” she added. “Fire is the biggest hazard in Los Angeles. Why would you cut that budget? There was no water in the fire hydrants in the Palisades.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The primary role of government is to secure infrastructure, make sure disaster preparedness is up to date, and protect citizens from harm both criminally and otherwise. Newsome &amp; Co have done the exact opposite. Infuriating. <a href="https://t.co/sdYWR2oE3g">pic.twitter.com/sdYWR2oE3g</a>
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatriciaHeaton/status/1877112025207419073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
The TV star noted how Bass wasn’t even in town during the wildfires because she was taking a “completely stupid trip to Ghana” on “taxpayer funds.”
“Maybe stop doing those trips and fund the fire department,” Heaton said. “The people running the show just decimated [CA]. Drugs, homelessness with mentally ill people on the streets, crime … taxes. What do you pay all these taxes for to see your neighborhood go up in smoke?”
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“It is so enraging,” she added. “That they took one of the most beautiful states, maybe the most beautiful state in the union and just continue to destroy it. Gavin Newsom standing there with his hands in his pockets … I just really feel for everybody there.”
The actress’ comments were similar to ones made by filmmaker and author <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actress-delivers-brutal-film-critics-take-on-trump-victory-meltdown-videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justine Bateman</a> who told <a href="https://x.com/JesseBWatters/status/1877528141951840593">Jesse Watters on Fox News</a> that she was “pretty pissed,” and blasted Bass.
“If you are going to run a city or run a state, you have to take care of the basics, and that’s make sure that your fire and your police department are well funded,” Bateman said, noting that it includes being prepared for when disasters occur in the area like fire, earthquake, rain, and the mudslides afterward.
“If you are not doing everything you can to [mitigate disasters] if they arise, then get out,” she added. “You are useless to us. If you can’t cover the basics, get out of our city. You are useless to us, you are a liability and you have destroyed people’s lives because you didn’t do your job.”
“You didn’t do what we paid you for and you should resign out of shame and responsibility for the people whose lives you’ve destroyed right now,” Bateman continued.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anna-faris-adam-brody-mandy-moore-become-latest-celebs-to-lose-homes-in-socal-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anna Faris, Adam Brody, Mandy Moore Become Latest Celebs To Lose Homes In SoCal Fires</a>

Patricia Heaton-2

Patricia Heaton Blows Up On LA Mayor As Fires Rage

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