When the people whose fire insurance was cancelled in the last months start to come out of the shock of having lost everything to the fires they will face the harsh reality that there is no way to rebuild. The time to get permits in California can be up to 3 years, even without battling the Coastal Commission. So reminiscent of Lahaina, the option many will take will be to sell out to Vangard or Blackrock for the value of the land, pennies on the dollar, and leave the state.
Funny how convenient that will be for those who will proceed to build the mythical 15 minute Smart City in time for the upcoming Summer Olympics.
Sounds more like this affects future cancellations or non-renewals; not reinstatements of past cancellations. Need to learn more, but not sure there is any state power that affects prior cancellations made before the fire.
The Hill: ...... "California’s insurance commissioner issued a one-year moratorium on policy nonrenewals and cancellations in areas affected by devastating wildfires in and around Los Angeles. “I am using my moratorium powers to prevent insurance companies from canceling or non-renewing policies in wildfire-impacted areas, ..."
My Farmers policy in Alta Mesa was cancelled in November, it took a month to get CA FairPlan in place. Or so I thought. Paid for. Now yesterday they are demanding major landscape destruction.
A good news and bad new reportPlease tell us more, Pat. What are they requiring for cleared perimeter around your home.
That came up after the Painted Cave Fire too - remember when many insurance companies were demanding reimbursements, since home owners had not maintained a "safe space"? That went no where, but it did create the element of a quid pro quo to get insurance when fire zones are an issue. What will be our new reality, when the city of Santa Barbara requires hearings and permits to even trim a tree.
Even though I have already PAID the more than tripled rates for new policies I have been told that an inspector came creeping around my house and now I have 30 days to trim back any trees overhanging the roof line. I'm doing that tomorrow, to the letter of the request, and hoping that satisfies.
Our best defense against the scourge of "climate change" is planting more trees. But no, lush landscaping is forbidden. Unless, of course, you live in Montecito. Et tu, Oprah?
The Getty Villa in Malibu had an aggressive "defensible space" plan in place, and it paid off 100% in the middle of this recent inferno. You are doing the right thing now, if you are on the edge of wild lands.
Pat, last year my Fair California Plan inspector came and walked around my house, later I was required to trim the bougainvillea that was just beginning to creep on to my tile roof and looking so beautiful! Alas It was trimmed off the roof just meeting the edges of the roof. We also trimmed some hedges lower.
When I was a child in the 60-70s the hills behind Montecito had wide fire breaks, I remember one near Toro Canyon, you could see them from the beach.
We must make our voices heard over the religious cult of Environmentalism. This should start with not letting water flow out to the Pacific Ocean, more reservoirs etc. Stopping wind farms that kill birds & whales. What kind of conservation is this? It’s getting old the “Green New” scam!!
My understanding is that it does not retroactively nullify all past cancellations but prevents new cancellations or non-renewals for one year in the specified areas around the LA fires.
The Democrats only have to answers for anything. 1) Climate change did it not us. 2) Trump did it not us. It’s not going to work anymore. Newsom and the Democrats just watched their hopes of beating Republicans next time literally go up in flames.
Who was in charge? Transparent California discloses the multimillions of dollars of talent that was running the LA city fire department. Starting with one $900K compensation package at the top of the list, down through pages and pages of $500K plus talent also on the LA City fire department taxpayer payrolls.
When the smoke clears, it will be good to learn what this mass of well-funded talent has to say about lessons learned and what changes need to be made.
I look forward to their reports, but only if they eliminate the use (excuse) of "climate change" in every single document they produce. Make it real, LA city fire department.
Walter - you don't like women is mostly what I'm getting from your posts from X. I think I can find that Kelly's DNA is 50% alien on the same platform.
More Incompetence Info for you Thomas John and I quote>
"Here is the LA Department of Water and Power CEO Janisse Quinones, who makes $750,000 a year, explaining how Pacific Palisades ran out of water. Funny - she doesn’t mention anything about the dry reservoir."
Another quote for you "The Pacific Palisades reservoir was EMPTY AND OFFLINE when the firestorm exploded, per LA Times. This is CRIMINAL." "Overpaid Dept. of Water and Power officials have now been forced to admit the reservoir being offline likely contributed to dry fire hydrants and low water pressure."
And lastly and you just cannot make this this up it is that BAD>
"It's important to me that everything we do is with an equity lens and social justice and making sure that we right the wrongs that we've done in the past."
Thank you Mr. Walther. I agree with you that positions should be merit-based. I was posting that calling an elected leader of LA "a DEI hire" is nothing more than derogatory. And your piling on more DEI hire junk form X was only fanning that fire.
I read this article by Mr. David Samuel McCalmont titled "The Great L.A. Fire"
that should read "The Great On-Going Fires & Threats in CALI" and I quote from
same> "This is a tragedy that didn’t need to happen in such a gargantuan way. The Perfect Storm of abject incompetence and mediocrity was demonstrated and illustrated for all but the deaf to hear and the blind to see. ... Who’s in charge?" Actually NO ONE IS IN CHARGE.
Years before my wife and I were compelled to drive around Montecito as a huge storm was
fast approaching, the day before the Mudslides. There were few there, some SBFD putting up 20 sandbags around the creeks soon to be rivers. No one planned or sought to protect the Citizens. You could feal The Threat coming and it did ..............
I again quote from McCalmont's article > "P.S. January 9 is the 7th anniversary of the Montecito Debris Flow in the middle of the night that killed 23 residents, many of them in their sleep. Rest-in-Peace; Memory Eternal."
Now yet again more fires and more deaths in LA .... "Rest-in-Peace; Memory Eternal."
Time to Move-Out-Of-California, we did. We do not want to wait for the LA Mudslides coming.
Howard Walther, member of a Military Family
PS1 - "Remembering the Montecito Mudslides Three Years Later" > Jan 08, 2021
California, and specifically LA, should immediately beg Gov DeSantis to come here and take charge of the recovery. There is no other governor in the US who is as able as he is when dealing with catastrophic events. Just ask Floridians who have dealt with some of the worst hurricanes in recent history.
As I write this I am sitting in a travel trailer parked above what remains of Lahaina, still emotionally smoldering from its night of horror some 16 months ago. The open casket of a dear friend--Old Lahaina--won't soon be sealed and buried. The shock of a town ceasing to exist overnight after decades brimming with joyful life, culture and community is still unplumbed...friendships & families sundered by thousands forced to exit the island indefinitely, without housing, jobs, or hope for either.
Our daughter's home was incinerated in that conflagration and her community was vaporized, as well. Thankfully--but by exception not rule--she had sufficient insurance coverage, and a willing carrier, to enable her family to rebuild...beginning sometime in the next couple of weeks, we are told. But her neighbors are gone, many without coverage, and homes that were the neighborhood she enjoyed and that formed the set for her "It's a Wonderful Life" will sit for months and years as weedy, burned out tombs of "Apocalypse Now." Her good fortune may be a pyrrhic victory....but as I witness the poetic power of overcoming loss for the benefit of the next generation, for souls yet to know deep connection which precedes such profound loss...well, it makes watching the infernos of LA so much more than the arithmetic of fire.
Good question JB. A special prize to anyone who can find this answer on the California Dept of Insurance webpage: https://www.ca.gov/departments/175/
This Dept of Insurance website now provides a link to CalFire, I suspect due to increased enquiries. But CalFire is not going to answer their insurance questions, which is why I suspect there is increased traffic on the Insurance Dept website.
Considering Newsom has been robbing the state reserve accounts to make it look like he is passing a balanced budget this year, I suspect the real answer to your questions is no and yes. There are not sufficient funds, and yes this will require a tax increase to cover these losses.
Particularly since Newsom promised he will "Trump proof" California, which must include declining all federal disaster funds should they be offered by the Bad Orangeman.
To make this a political issue right now….with fires still ravaging communities and people of all “stripes” losing their homes…seems tone deaf and heartless to me. I sincerely don’t mean to insult anyone posting here. It’s frustrating. There will be plenty of time to dig into where the systems failed, where the forces of nature were just too much for whatever we have and to hold people accountable if there was wrong doing. Can’t we now just come together to think of how to be helpful…not to further divide us into hateful camps, pit us against each other and take the easy way out by pointing fingers? How is that helpful? People are hurting. Mother Nature may just be reminding us that we are guests here on this planet!! We have sooooo many problems. Will there ever be a way to come together to focus on finding solutions other than thinking that a Democrat or a Republican is the answer? There won’t be unless we have the will to make that happen. I pray we will.
We just need competent people to do the jobs they are hired to do. That does not require "coming together". Unless we all agree to tell them ...You're fired.
One does not dig for causation or lessons learned, once it is officially declared upfront there was nothing that could be done. High winds, climate change, and all that.
Dear Mr. McCalmont: My father-in-law (a die-hard MAGA supporter) is a retired fire captain from the San Jose FD. My brother (a Harris-voting Republican) is also a retired firefighter, he in Alameda. Both fought the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 which destroyed 3,500 homes and killed 25; incidentally, during the gobernatoral reigns of Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian--Republicans both. Just as is the case with the current L.A. fires during Gavin Newsom's watch, those governors were not to blame; the hurricane-force winds were.
Also, as noted tirelessly--both by my father-in-law and brother, as well as EVERY department captain fighting these blazes, political mismanagement isn't to blame here. Is was the wind, which prevented firefighting aircraft to be deployed, and the fact that hydrants are only meant to handle small fires (one, two, three houses, maybe a block of them) but not a raging out-of-control wildfire--especially when all the hydrants were being tapped as well as most every home garden hose.
Mayor Bass's proposed budget cut to the FD had nothing to do with it, because that, even if passed, hadn't gone in effect yet. Similarly, Newsom's efforts to save the Delta Smelt had nothing to do with it, because a shortage of water wasn't the issue. Also, the current politically left-leaning legislature had nothing to do with it because some of the water systems are a hundred years old and span both Republican and Democratic administrations.
So, I reckon the real question is: Why lie about this tragic event? But it's not a difficult question to answer. To wit: he MAGA Trump crowd needs to perpetually "go low" and point blame at the Democrats or Independents or even non-Trump wing of the GOP, truth be damned, because they don't have facts on their side. This was true with the "They're eating the pets in Springfield" travesty. This was true with "the 2020 elections was stolen" charade. The "Comet Pizza Pedophile Ring" bullshit. This was true with the "January 6 was a peaceful lovefest" Orwellian reality flip. And this is true with "climate change is a hoax" lie, as with so many other myths spewed by Trump and Musk and the MAGA crowd.
Anyway, I realize I'm just banging my head against a wall here (or whatever is the opposite of "preaching to the choir) but I really wish you--and the S.B. Current--would just stick with the truth. Can it really be that hard? Thanks.
Hello Robert Johnson, I quote from your well written and colorful post "This was true with "the 2020 elections was stolen" charade. The "Comet Pizza Pedophile Ring" bullshit. This was true with the "January 6 was a peaceful lovefest" Orwellian reality flip ...."
As you point out there were many "issues" of the current LA Fires and past Fires and response to same. The REAL ISSUE is how did the LA Fires start and who started them?
That question has already been answered by some "New People" in Santa Barbara since 2015 also down on LA. And the CA Governor was put in Notice of the problems some time ago. The current CALI So-Called-Rulers are utterly Deaf, Blind, Dum and Corrupt.
Time for a change and a BIG CHANGE.
PS1 - It is going to be very interesting with the NEW FBI Director what will be done with
You know nothing of what you speak. You do not know to what extent failures were exacerbated by lame ass Democrat leadership. Nor do you know that the 2020 election was not stolen or that climate change is or is not an extenstitial threat. You just parrot Democrat talking points. I do agree that it is early to ascribe blame and surely the wind was a major factor but you have no idea where there is blame for failures and this will be only be known in time. In the mean time, shut your pie hole.
John Thomas, John Thomas John Thomas. Your reading comprehension leaves much room for improvement. I thought I was pretty clear that the wind was the main factor in the rapid spread of this fire and that the extent to which dumbass Democrat policy by dumbass Democrat politicians elected by dumbass Democrats exacerbated the disaster will only be known in time. We will see. As far as firefighting experience, I do not have the right sex or skin color to be hired for public service in California. Perhaps woke dumbass Democrat hiring policies contributed to poor performance of firefighters? We will see. Perhaps all of the real men in the fire department were fired for not getting the covid shot? Time will tell. Seriously though, your comment is kinda lame and I expect better from you. I have seen some good comments from you but this one just sounded like a John Thomas head.
Eradicating all vagrant camps during red flag high fire seasons in this treacherous, fire prone area, seems like an overlooked given. Just for precaution of course, not for any prejudicial potential of harm by this "vulnerable " unhoused population, long known for maintaining open fires for warming and cooking meth.
Yes, this is the official narrative being put out right now. All points covered. Congratulations It wasn't our fault and our pages of LAFD $500K plus compensation packages were completely justified, even though we could do nothing when mass fire incidents like this just happen.
All points covered, before we even know when, where or how this was caused. Just "high winds" does not cut it. Sorry. But at least you did not blame "climate change" unless i failed to read between the lines.
I would like to see all the stress testing scenarios LAFD did prior to this incident, particularly when they knew a major reservoir was off line during the known high fire season, which is long defined by high winds.
David Samuel McCalmont, I'll start out with this is too early to start mud slinging about who was at fault. But what the f is DEI mayor? That sounds like a totally racist and/or sexist label. The City of LA voter for their mayor. You do yourself and your fellow following a great disservice with that kind of rhetoric.
more blah blah blah. Let's get real and put politics When the winds blow like that, there are NO amount of firefighters that can stop it, and water systems are not designed for emergency situations; it would be WAY too expensive. The perfect storm was more about;
1. arsons (happens every year) including maybe some NEW type of arsons, as in migrant gangs setting fires to cause evacuations so that looting will be easier (LA has already arrested at least one)
2. If we build into the foothills, up against areas of steep chaparral, our houses are going to burn. Why should we expect the insurance companies to cover our stupidity?
3. this is not 'forest' as many people would like us to think. No, my dog went off trail once into this crap and there was no way in hell I could follow him. Thick, dense chaparral, sage, chamote, manzanita..and that crap grows back really quickly. So what used to be 20-50 year burn cycles is not 2-5 years.
4. drought. we all know CA goes through periods of drought and rain. It's natural.
5. Santa Ana and other hot winds...they happen, sometimes worse than others, and many people, especially fire fighters, know that what is happening was bound to happen.
6. It's true, we should have better water storage in this State..when was the last time a new, large dam/reservoir was built? I can't remember.
7. Gavin Newsom sucks, he always has, I hope Trump makes him quit.
Congress needs to demand and hold hearings into this disaster. Hard to admit, but California has turned radioactive and lost its brand. What becomes of our bond ratings over this?
Sorry to break the news Dano, but causation is not up to you. How about a reservoir up above PP with a capacity of over a MILLION gallons…bone dry. To use your term…seriously?
What the HELL can we do to help the people who lost _everything! I don't mean the folks from Pasadena with $$, I'm talking about the average Joe with a little house, a few bucks in the bank and nowhere to go. Trump would kick the illegal aliens out of the hotels and pay every restaurant in town to deliver the goods _now_, but you can imagine what we can expect from that baffoon Newsom.
When the people whose fire insurance was cancelled in the last months start to come out of the shock of having lost everything to the fires they will face the harsh reality that there is no way to rebuild. The time to get permits in California can be up to 3 years, even without battling the Coastal Commission. So reminiscent of Lahaina, the option many will take will be to sell out to Vangard or Blackrock for the value of the land, pennies on the dollar, and leave the state.
Funny how convenient that will be for those who will proceed to build the mythical 15 minute Smart City in time for the upcoming Summer Olympics.
the Insurance Commissioner of the State announced today that all those cancellations, going back months, are now null and void. Heard it this morning.
Sounds more like this affects future cancellations or non-renewals; not reinstatements of past cancellations. Need to learn more, but not sure there is any state power that affects prior cancellations made before the fire.
The Hill: ...... "California’s insurance commissioner issued a one-year moratorium on policy nonrenewals and cancellations in areas affected by devastating wildfires in and around Los Angeles. “I am using my moratorium powers to prevent insurance companies from canceling or non-renewing policies in wildfire-impacted areas, ..."
My Farmers policy in Alta Mesa was cancelled in November, it took a month to get CA FairPlan in place. Or so I thought. Paid for. Now yesterday they are demanding major landscape destruction.
A good news and bad new reportPlease tell us more, Pat. What are they requiring for cleared perimeter around your home.
That came up after the Painted Cave Fire too - remember when many insurance companies were demanding reimbursements, since home owners had not maintained a "safe space"? That went no where, but it did create the element of a quid pro quo to get insurance when fire zones are an issue. What will be our new reality, when the city of Santa Barbara requires hearings and permits to even trim a tree.
Here is CalFire's take on a "defensible space". I suspect we will all soon need to meet these recommendations: https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/defensible-space/
Even though I have already PAID the more than tripled rates for new policies I have been told that an inspector came creeping around my house and now I have 30 days to trim back any trees overhanging the roof line. I'm doing that tomorrow, to the letter of the request, and hoping that satisfies.
Our best defense against the scourge of "climate change" is planting more trees. But no, lush landscaping is forbidden. Unless, of course, you live in Montecito. Et tu, Oprah?
The Getty Villa in Malibu had an aggressive "defensible space" plan in place, and it paid off 100% in the middle of this recent inferno. You are doing the right thing now, if you are on the edge of wild lands.
https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2025/01/10/getty-villa-used-fire-mitigation-and-preparedness-to-save-itself-from-fire-when-will-newsom-get-the-memo-n2184202
Pat, last year my Fair California Plan inspector came and walked around my house, later I was required to trim the bougainvillea that was just beginning to creep on to my tile roof and looking so beautiful! Alas It was trimmed off the roof just meeting the edges of the roof. We also trimmed some hedges lower.
When I was a child in the 60-70s the hills behind Montecito had wide fire breaks, I remember one near Toro Canyon, you could see them from the beach.
We must make our voices heard over the religious cult of Environmentalism. This should start with not letting water flow out to the Pacific Ocean, more reservoirs etc. Stopping wind farms that kill birds & whales. What kind of conservation is this? It’s getting old the “Green New” scam!!
My understanding is that it does not retroactively nullify all past cancellations but prevents new cancellations or non-renewals for one year in the specified areas around the LA fires.
Comment setting was erroneously set to paid. It now corrected to that all can contribute their thoughts….
The Democrats only have to answers for anything. 1) Climate change did it not us. 2) Trump did it not us. It’s not going to work anymore. Newsom and the Democrats just watched their hopes of beating Republicans next time literally go up in flames.
Who was in charge? Transparent California discloses the multimillions of dollars of talent that was running the LA city fire department. Starting with one $900K compensation package at the top of the list, down through pages and pages of $500K plus talent also on the LA City fire department taxpayer payrolls.
When the smoke clears, it will be good to learn what this mass of well-funded talent has to say about lessons learned and what changes need to be made.
Or even better what changes should have been made preventively , in order to have an upper hand before predictable incidents like this happen again: https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?a=los-angeles&q=fire&y=2023
I look forward to their reports, but only if they eliminate the use (excuse) of "climate change" in every single document they produce. Make it real, LA city fire department.
X Posted Same > https://x.com/satoxforma/status/1877619204020457514
DEI PROBLEMS >https://x.com/its_The_Dr/status/1877492482562253178
More DEI PROBLEMS > https://x.com/LangmanVince/status/1877174502645195046
Even more DEI PROBLEMS >https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1877534342098071955
“It's something like a DEI Green New Deal hydrogen bomb — the alarming symptoms of a society gone mad."
Walter - you don't like women is mostly what I'm getting from your posts from X. I think I can find that Kelly's DNA is 50% alien on the same platform.
More Incompetence Info for you Thomas John and I quote>
"Here is the LA Department of Water and Power CEO Janisse Quinones, who makes $750,000 a year, explaining how Pacific Palisades ran out of water. Funny - she doesn’t mention anything about the dry reservoir."
https://x.com/susancrabtree/status/1877807449291264504
Another quote for you "The Pacific Palisades reservoir was EMPTY AND OFFLINE when the firestorm exploded, per LA Times. This is CRIMINAL." "Overpaid Dept. of Water and Power officials have now been forced to admit the reservoir being offline likely contributed to dry fire hydrants and low water pressure."
https://x.com/susancrabtree/status/1877791203602948323
And lastly and you just cannot make this this up it is that BAD>
"It's important to me that everything we do is with an equity lens and social justice and making sure that we right the wrongs that we've done in the past."
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1877880626600386641
It's all coming out now ... just like it SHOULD HAVE IN SANTA BARBARA.
How many lives' have to be utterly Destroyed Thomas John before you
"GET IT". In fact, you and the CALI MOB will never-ever "GET IT"
Hello Thomas John, my name is Walther you can see my family here>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Walther_Sr.
There were some very strong women in this family.
And have spent my time around very strong women who
do not like Pretenders, especially those in CALI that are
given high-paying positions without merit. One of the many
many reasons I am no longer in CALI.
Thank you Mr. Walther. I agree with you that positions should be merit-based. I was posting that calling an elected leader of LA "a DEI hire" is nothing more than derogatory. And your piling on more DEI hire junk form X was only fanning that fire.
I did not create the Leadership Fire here in CALI.
However, it was being addressed but not as directly
as some would want. Me I would bring 50 handcuffs
to this CALI Leadership Castrophe and make some ARRESTS
I would first start in Santa Barbara California where there are
plenty of CRIMINALS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT who violate
Title 18 Federal Criminal Codes>
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18
I read this article by Mr. David Samuel McCalmont titled "The Great L.A. Fire"
that should read "The Great On-Going Fires & Threats in CALI" and I quote from
same> "This is a tragedy that didn’t need to happen in such a gargantuan way. The Perfect Storm of abject incompetence and mediocrity was demonstrated and illustrated for all but the deaf to hear and the blind to see. ... Who’s in charge?" Actually NO ONE IS IN CHARGE.
Years before my wife and I were compelled to drive around Montecito as a huge storm was
fast approaching, the day before the Mudslides. There were few there, some SBFD putting up 20 sandbags around the creeks soon to be rivers. No one planned or sought to protect the Citizens. You could feal The Threat coming and it did ..............
I again quote from McCalmont's article > "P.S. January 9 is the 7th anniversary of the Montecito Debris Flow in the middle of the night that killed 23 residents, many of them in their sleep. Rest-in-Peace; Memory Eternal."
Now yet again more fires and more deaths in LA .... "Rest-in-Peace; Memory Eternal."
Time to Move-Out-Of-California, we did. We do not want to wait for the LA Mudslides coming.
Howard Walther, member of a Military Family
PS1 - "Remembering the Montecito Mudslides Three Years Later" > Jan 08, 2021
https://news.caloes.ca.gov/remembering-the-montecito-mudslides-two-years-later/
Ecclesiastes - There is nothing new under the sun
California, and specifically LA, should immediately beg Gov DeSantis to come here and take charge of the recovery. There is no other governor in the US who is as able as he is when dealing with catastrophic events. Just ask Floridians who have dealt with some of the worst hurricanes in recent history.
As I write this I am sitting in a travel trailer parked above what remains of Lahaina, still emotionally smoldering from its night of horror some 16 months ago. The open casket of a dear friend--Old Lahaina--won't soon be sealed and buried. The shock of a town ceasing to exist overnight after decades brimming with joyful life, culture and community is still unplumbed...friendships & families sundered by thousands forced to exit the island indefinitely, without housing, jobs, or hope for either.
Our daughter's home was incinerated in that conflagration and her community was vaporized, as well. Thankfully--but by exception not rule--she had sufficient insurance coverage, and a willing carrier, to enable her family to rebuild...beginning sometime in the next couple of weeks, we are told. But her neighbors are gone, many without coverage, and homes that were the neighborhood she enjoyed and that formed the set for her "It's a Wonderful Life" will sit for months and years as weedy, burned out tombs of "Apocalypse Now." Her good fortune may be a pyrrhic victory....but as I witness the poetic power of overcoming loss for the benefit of the next generation, for souls yet to know deep connection which precedes such profound loss...well, it makes watching the infernos of LA so much more than the arithmetic of fire.
So sad to watch my home state, California, drift off into oblivion under criminal rule…
They know what's best for our Country?
Pelosi > CA rep since 1987
Waters > CA rep since 1991
Schiff > CA rep since 2001
Feinstein > CA rep since 1992
Newsom?
Harris?
Lieu?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasdelbeccaro/2018/04/19/the-top-four-reasons-california-is-unsustainable/
I am sure many of the lost properties were covered by Cal Fair state plans. Can the state pay these claims without additional taxes?
Good question JB. A special prize to anyone who can find this answer on the California Dept of Insurance webpage: https://www.ca.gov/departments/175/
This Dept of Insurance website now provides a link to CalFire, I suspect due to increased enquiries. But CalFire is not going to answer their insurance questions, which is why I suspect there is increased traffic on the Insurance Dept website.
Considering Newsom has been robbing the state reserve accounts to make it look like he is passing a balanced budget this year, I suspect the real answer to your questions is no and yes. There are not sufficient funds, and yes this will require a tax increase to cover these losses.
Particularly since Newsom promised he will "Trump proof" California, which must include declining all federal disaster funds should they be offered by the Bad Orangeman.
To make this a political issue right now….with fires still ravaging communities and people of all “stripes” losing their homes…seems tone deaf and heartless to me. I sincerely don’t mean to insult anyone posting here. It’s frustrating. There will be plenty of time to dig into where the systems failed, where the forces of nature were just too much for whatever we have and to hold people accountable if there was wrong doing. Can’t we now just come together to think of how to be helpful…not to further divide us into hateful camps, pit us against each other and take the easy way out by pointing fingers? How is that helpful? People are hurting. Mother Nature may just be reminding us that we are guests here on this planet!! We have sooooo many problems. Will there ever be a way to come together to focus on finding solutions other than thinking that a Democrat or a Republican is the answer? There won’t be unless we have the will to make that happen. I pray we will.
We just need competent people to do the jobs they are hired to do. That does not require "coming together". Unless we all agree to tell them ...You're fired.
One does not dig for causation or lessons learned, once it is officially declared upfront there was nothing that could be done. High winds, climate change, and all that.
Dear Mr. McCalmont: My father-in-law (a die-hard MAGA supporter) is a retired fire captain from the San Jose FD. My brother (a Harris-voting Republican) is also a retired firefighter, he in Alameda. Both fought the Oakland Hills fire of 1991 which destroyed 3,500 homes and killed 25; incidentally, during the gobernatoral reigns of Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian--Republicans both. Just as is the case with the current L.A. fires during Gavin Newsom's watch, those governors were not to blame; the hurricane-force winds were.
Also, as noted tirelessly--both by my father-in-law and brother, as well as EVERY department captain fighting these blazes, political mismanagement isn't to blame here. Is was the wind, which prevented firefighting aircraft to be deployed, and the fact that hydrants are only meant to handle small fires (one, two, three houses, maybe a block of them) but not a raging out-of-control wildfire--especially when all the hydrants were being tapped as well as most every home garden hose.
Mayor Bass's proposed budget cut to the FD had nothing to do with it, because that, even if passed, hadn't gone in effect yet. Similarly, Newsom's efforts to save the Delta Smelt had nothing to do with it, because a shortage of water wasn't the issue. Also, the current politically left-leaning legislature had nothing to do with it because some of the water systems are a hundred years old and span both Republican and Democratic administrations.
So, I reckon the real question is: Why lie about this tragic event? But it's not a difficult question to answer. To wit: he MAGA Trump crowd needs to perpetually "go low" and point blame at the Democrats or Independents or even non-Trump wing of the GOP, truth be damned, because they don't have facts on their side. This was true with the "They're eating the pets in Springfield" travesty. This was true with "the 2020 elections was stolen" charade. The "Comet Pizza Pedophile Ring" bullshit. This was true with the "January 6 was a peaceful lovefest" Orwellian reality flip. And this is true with "climate change is a hoax" lie, as with so many other myths spewed by Trump and Musk and the MAGA crowd.
Anyway, I realize I'm just banging my head against a wall here (or whatever is the opposite of "preaching to the choir) but I really wish you--and the S.B. Current--would just stick with the truth. Can it really be that hard? Thanks.
Hello Robert Johnson, I quote from your well written and colorful post "This was true with "the 2020 elections was stolen" charade. The "Comet Pizza Pedophile Ring" bullshit. This was true with the "January 6 was a peaceful lovefest" Orwellian reality flip ...."
As you point out there were many "issues" of the current LA Fires and past Fires and response to same. The REAL ISSUE is how did the LA Fires start and who started them?
That question has already been answered by some "New People" in Santa Barbara since 2015 also down on LA. And the CA Governor was put in Notice of the problems some time ago. The current CALI So-Called-Rulers are utterly Deaf, Blind, Dum and Corrupt.
Time for a change and a BIG CHANGE.
PS1 - It is going to be very interesting with the NEW FBI Director what will be done with
the So-Called-Leaders of CALI and SB.
You know nothing of what you speak. You do not know to what extent failures were exacerbated by lame ass Democrat leadership. Nor do you know that the 2020 election was not stolen or that climate change is or is not an extenstitial threat. You just parrot Democrat talking points. I do agree that it is early to ascribe blame and surely the wind was a major factor but you have no idea where there is blame for failures and this will be only be known in time. In the mean time, shut your pie hole.
Jeff, do you have experience in fire management? Or is it limited to blaming Dems for everything? Pie hole? You're even older than I thought.
John Thomas, John Thomas John Thomas. Your reading comprehension leaves much room for improvement. I thought I was pretty clear that the wind was the main factor in the rapid spread of this fire and that the extent to which dumbass Democrat policy by dumbass Democrat politicians elected by dumbass Democrats exacerbated the disaster will only be known in time. We will see. As far as firefighting experience, I do not have the right sex or skin color to be hired for public service in California. Perhaps woke dumbass Democrat hiring policies contributed to poor performance of firefighters? We will see. Perhaps all of the real men in the fire department were fired for not getting the covid shot? Time will tell. Seriously though, your comment is kinda lame and I expect better from you. I have seen some good comments from you but this one just sounded like a John Thomas head.
Eradicating all vagrant camps during red flag high fire seasons in this treacherous, fire prone area, seems like an overlooked given. Just for precaution of course, not for any prejudicial potential of harm by this "vulnerable " unhoused population, long known for maintaining open fires for warming and cooking meth.
Yes, this is the official narrative being put out right now. All points covered. Congratulations It wasn't our fault and our pages of LAFD $500K plus compensation packages were completely justified, even though we could do nothing when mass fire incidents like this just happen.
All points covered, before we even know when, where or how this was caused. Just "high winds" does not cut it. Sorry. But at least you did not blame "climate change" unless i failed to read between the lines.
I would like to see all the stress testing scenarios LAFD did prior to this incident, particularly when they knew a major reservoir was off line during the known high fire season, which is long defined by high winds.
David Samuel McCalmont, I'll start out with this is too early to start mud slinging about who was at fault. But what the f is DEI mayor? That sounds like a totally racist and/or sexist label. The City of LA voter for their mayor. You do yourself and your fellow following a great disservice with that kind of rhetoric.
more blah blah blah. Let's get real and put politics When the winds blow like that, there are NO amount of firefighters that can stop it, and water systems are not designed for emergency situations; it would be WAY too expensive. The perfect storm was more about;
1. arsons (happens every year) including maybe some NEW type of arsons, as in migrant gangs setting fires to cause evacuations so that looting will be easier (LA has already arrested at least one)
2. If we build into the foothills, up against areas of steep chaparral, our houses are going to burn. Why should we expect the insurance companies to cover our stupidity?
3. this is not 'forest' as many people would like us to think. No, my dog went off trail once into this crap and there was no way in hell I could follow him. Thick, dense chaparral, sage, chamote, manzanita..and that crap grows back really quickly. So what used to be 20-50 year burn cycles is not 2-5 years.
4. drought. we all know CA goes through periods of drought and rain. It's natural.
5. Santa Ana and other hot winds...they happen, sometimes worse than others, and many people, especially fire fighters, know that what is happening was bound to happen.
6. It's true, we should have better water storage in this State..when was the last time a new, large dam/reservoir was built? I can't remember.
7. Gavin Newsom sucks, he always has, I hope Trump makes him quit.
Congress needs to demand and hold hearings into this disaster. Hard to admit, but California has turned radioactive and lost its brand. What becomes of our bond ratings over this?
I can save you expense of holding the hearings. It was windy. Hurricane force winds. And a fire started. Got it?
Ya windy, NO water, now you got it?
Seriously?? No, I will repeat, NO amount of water would have stopped this fire!
Sorry to break the news Dano, but causation is not up to you. How about a reservoir up above PP with a capacity of over a MILLION gallons…bone dry. To use your term…seriously?
LT you've alluded to first responder or such status. You an EMT or firefighter in your past?
Nope, not a firefighter. I’m sure they’re earning their pay, would not want to be in their shoes.
Details trickling our about what the official "first responders" did first.
Bass was out of the country, so she could do nothing, while the designated mayor pro tem took no action for six hours before declaring an emergency that could authorize use of available federal resources: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/01/meet-man-who-waited-six-hours-issue-state/
What the HELL can we do to help the people who lost _everything! I don't mean the folks from Pasadena with $$, I'm talking about the average Joe with a little house, a few bucks in the bank and nowhere to go. Trump would kick the illegal aliens out of the hotels and pay every restaurant in town to deliver the goods _now_, but you can imagine what we can expect from that baffoon Newsom.