The Corpus Christi Church, at the corner of Toyopa and Carey, was destroyed.
(Editor’s note: This Viewpoint first appeared in the Westside Current on January 20 and is reprinted with permission.)
By: PETER SADOWSKI
As the ashes settle and the cameras roll, Mayor Karon Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom deliver their usual dirge of platitudes: “We’re focused on rebuilding” the ruins of their negligence. Their words are a diversionary tactic meant to shift attention from the fact that they’ve overseen the systematic dismantling of fire prevention and emergency readiness.
Accountability, they say, can wait. But waiting serves only one purpose: to ensure that they are not held to account for the catastrophe they created. They pretend this disaster came out of nowhere.
The winds, they say, were “unpredictable.” The fires, they claim, were “unprecedented.” But the Santa Ana winds have roared through Southern California for generations, with their own name and their own Wikipedia page.
Insurance companies saw the danger long before the first spark, pulling coverage from fire-prone neighborhoods over a year ago. The warnings were loud and clear, but Bass and Newsom ignored them.
Instead, they cut budgets, disregarded firebreaks, and allowed reservoirs to be empty and fire hydrants to fall into neglect. Don’t let Newsom get away with slashing $150 million from wildfire prevention programs, a decision made in 2020 despite record-breaking fires in previous years.
By 2021, fewer than 20% of planned fire prevention projects were completed. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that over 150 million dead trees remain standing in California forests—each one a ticking time bomb.
Despite repeated warnings, he rejected calls to clear underbrush and deadwood. By contrast, neighboring states have invested heavily in firebreaks and infrastructure upgrades, proving that preparedness is not an impossible task—it’s a matter of sane governance.
Don’t let Bass get away with cuts to the fire department’s budget which crippled its ability to respond to emergencies and prepare for the inevitable. Don’t let her get away with failure to keep reservoirs full, fire trucks in working order and fire hydrants functional. In one fire-stricken neighborhood, firefighters reportedly found 70% of hydrants nonfunctional and had to truck in water, losing precious time.
This was not a lapse in judgment—it was a horrific disregard of public safety.
Bass and Newsom call climate change the villain. Reports from the Union of Concerned Scientists, published as early as 2014, warned that climate-driven drought and wind patterns would amplify wildfire risks in California. Yet Bass and Newsom act as if this knowledge was some sudden revelation, a cynical excuse for their lack of preparation.
Their excuse-making now is as insulting as their inaction. Bass and Newsom would have you believe that asking hard questions during a crisis is a distraction, as if holding leaders accountable somehow interferes with putting out fires. This is the same cowardly logic that lets politicians sidestep responsibility in the heat of the moment, hoping the public will be too shell-shocked to demand answers.
Accountability is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. If we don’t demand it now, while the wounds are fresh and the anger palpable, we will guarantee that nothing changes. The next fire season will come, and with it, the same revolting excuses.
This isn’t just about mistakes—it’s about willful negligence. Bass and Newsom didn’t just fail to prepare; they actively dismantled the systems that could have prevented this disaster.
Enough is enough. California cannot afford leaders who treat disasters as PR opportunities and accountability as a nuisance. Bass and Newsom have proven they are unfit to lead, and their failures demand more than criticism—they demand consequences.
Recall them. Remove them from office. Do it now! Show every politician who prioritizes optics over action that gross negligence will not be rewarded. California does not need leaders who scramble to explain their failures after the fact.
The time for action is now—before the next inferno consumes what’s left.
A portion of the Huntington close to DePauw on Toyopa was destroyed. A large portion of the Huntington was spared.
Sue, with all the problems we are dealing with, we don’t need to waste our energy on a recall. Newsom is termed out in less than two years. He won’t ever be governor again. Bass can easily be replaced in less than two years. I voted for Caruso. I wish he’d won, but he will be very active and very vocal.
Resistance lies in the shadows in wait.