Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 14.
- Pacific Palisades had a fireworks problem before inferno.
- Public anger seethes over L.A. mayor’s fire response.
- And the secrets of untouched homes in burn areas.
Los Angeles on fire
1.
Fire crews gained ground on Los Angeles’ two major blazes Monday, containing 33% of the Eaton fire in the San Gabriel Mountains and 14% of the Palisades fire near the coast. But forecasts called for fierce winds that would peak from early Tuesday into Wednesday afternoon, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a “particularly dangerous situation” warning for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. “In other words, this setup is about as bad as it gets,” the service said. L.A. Times | Fox Weather
- Track the Palisades and Eaton fires.
2.
Pacific Palisades had a fireworks problem. Community Council meetings regularly included some discussion of what to do about teenagers launching fireworks over the bone-dry vegetation and rugged terrain of their community. “Now, what some residents saw as innocent teen hijinks could be at the heart of an investigation into a deadly inferno that killed at least eight people and destroyed at least 1,200 structures,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
- This is where the Palisades fire started. 👉 N.Y. Times
3.
During a meeting at Mar-a-Lago Sunday night, President-elect Donald Trump and a group of House Republicans, including several caucus leaders, discussed tying Los Angeles wildfire aid to the politically charged debate over raising the debt ceiling. A day later, House Speaker Mike Johnson joined a growing chorus of Republicans who say they want to make relief contingent on policy changes. “I think we ought to have a serious conversation about that,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju. California Democrats warned that conditioning aid would upend Congress. Politico | Axios
- California pays far more in taxes to the federal government than it receives in benefits, noted the Washington Post’s Philip Bump: “The funding to which those Republicans are tying political strings can accurately be described as California’s money in the first place.”
4.
The political future of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appears to be hanging in the balance. Anger over her absence during the first 24 hours that her city burned has been further stoked by turmoil over dry hydrants, an empty reservoir, and accusations of insufficient Fire Department funding. Los Angeles’ fire chief implied that Bass had failed her. Rick Caruso, a political rival, repeatedly castigated her in the media. Bass, wrote Puck’s Peter Hamby, “has emerged as the singular public figure that even liberal Los Angeles is done with.” Puck | L.A. Times
5.
Amy Chozick, a screenwriter in Los Angeles, fumed about the leadership vacuum in Los Angeles:
“Our city is being reduced to ash and we’re being governed by puerile social media posts and presumably by President Biden … At the moment I do not care who did or did not cut funding for which water or fire services or whether the smelt is a thing or if the wind ate your homework. We are heartbroken, suffocating in toxic air and crushed under the weight of inaction. I want people to step in who care more about saving the city than saving their careers.” N.Y. Times
6.
During the last megafire to scorch Los Angeles, the Woolsey fire in 2018, Rosecrans Baldwin reached out for counsel from Mike Davis, the late chronicler of Los Angeles who famously wrote “the case for letting Malibu burn.” What will happen after the flames die down? Baldwin asked. “Bigger mansions,” Davis replied. “What tends to disappear is rental properties, trailer parks, people who don’t have adequate insurance.” GQ
7.
The interviewer Isaac Chotiner asked climate scientist Daniel Swain what made the Los Angeles fires unique. The Santa Ana winds, Swain said, were not out of the ordinary.
“The preconditions, though, were drastically more unusual, bordering on unprecedented — specifically how dry conditions have been. … This is now either the driest or second-driest start to the season on record throughout Southern California, going back a hundred years. In modern history, it has not been this dry this late in the ostensible rainy season.” New Yorker
8.
Along streets reduced to ash in Los Angeles’ burn zones, there are examples of lone homes standing virtually untouched. A surviving residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, pictured above, was built last summer. The architect, Greg Chasen, gave credit to luck. But several fire-resilient design strategies were also crucial. The landscaping is a sparse Mediterranean desert style; the sides of the house lack eaves or overhangs that can trap embers; the roof is metal. “All of that is best practice for cutting a fire,” Chasen said. Bloomberg
- An NBC4 reporter captured the moment that the home’s owner learned his home survived. 👉 @nbcla
9.
Edgar McGregor was already a minor social media star, posting videos about his long-running effort to clean up Eaton Canyon, a preserve in the San Gabriel Mountains. But the 24-year-old climatology student’s greatest act of service may have come in a single moment on Jan. 7. At 7:17 p.m. that day, roughly an hour after a fire erupted in Eaton Canyon, McGregor posted a live broadcast to members of a local Facebook group urging them not to wait for an official evacuation notice. “Get out! Get out!” he bellowed. Hundreds of residents took heed, streaming down Altadena Drive to safety. Many are now crediting McGregor with saving their lives. Local News Pasadena | NPR
10.
Other wildfire developments:
- Rick Caruso, Elon Musk, and others have said the wildfires could have been halted or slowed with more clearing of brush. Are they right? Short answer, according to fire experts: No. L.A. Times
- See video of flying embers during the Eaton fire. 👉 @Firefergy6
- Officials have confirmed 24 fire deaths. But at least 23 others remain missing. “Unfortunately, it’s probably going to be a lot more,” said a search-and-rescue leader. Washington Post | N.Y. Times
- Gov. Gavin Newsom asked state legislators on Monday to approve a $2.5 billion “Marshall Plan” to fund rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles. “To the people of Los Angeles: We have your back,” he said. Bloomberg | L.A. Times
- President-elect Donald Trump is planning to visit Los Angeles as soon as next week to view the wildfire damage, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
- Prosecutors on Monday charged nine people with looting from areas devastated by Los Angeles wildfires. One group was accused of stealing an Emmy award. L.A. Times
Statewide
11.
California Democrats on Monday announced agreement on a $50 million fund to shore up legal defenses against the incoming Donald Trump presidency. The package includes $25 million for the state Department of Justice to fight the federal government in court and $25 million for local legal-aid groups dedicated to defending immigrants. The move came as Republicans derided the state’s focus on a highly partisan issue as Los Angeles was still in flames. “The disconnect between what Californians need and what Democrats are focused on is astounding,” said Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher. Politico
12.
The California politician Xavier Becerra reflected on his four years as head of the Department of Health and Human Services as he prepares to relinquish a post that President-elect Donald Trump hopes to fill with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Public trust in America’s health agencies plummeted during the pandemic and never rebounded. Becerra blamed a media environment that bombards Americans with “instantaneous information and disinformation,” drowning out experts in government. “I can’t go toe to toe with social media,” he said. Washington Post
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