Incompetence Burns
Los Angeles sits a-blaze as I write this.
Yesterday, I was under the presumption that Cal Fire and First Responders had found a way to contain the inferno tearing through the Palisades and into the beating heart of Los Angeles. Today, that presumption feels naive. The fire has spread with a vengeance, fueled not just by fierce Santa Ana winds and bone-dry brush but also by years of systemic neglect and misplaced priorities from city leadership.
This is not just a natural disaster—it is a man-made catastrophe. For years, climate scientists, fire safety experts, and community advocates have warned us about the increasing threat of wildfires in Southern California. Yet instead of proactive investments in fire prevention, infrastructure, and climate resilience, our city leaders have chosen to funnel billions into policing while leaving the LAFD to scrape by on a shoestring budget.
What we're seeing now is the direct result of this failure. Our firefighters—heroes working 24-hour shifts without proper resources—are stretched beyond their limits. The evacuation zones grow larger by the hour, displacing thousands of families, many of whom lack the means to rebuild if their homes are reduced to ash. It’s a stark reminder that disasters like this do not impact all Angelenos equally.
Wealthier neighborhoods may have insurance, private fire crews, or even second homes to escape to, but for working-class communities, this fire is a death sentence for dreams, homes, and stability.
Therefore, I’ll say what I and so many others have been saying for years now. It is time for our government and the City of Los Angeles to start reckoning with misplaced priorities and actually get off their asses and do their job. Karen Bass approved a $17.6 million cut to the Los Angeles Fire Department this fiscal year while increasing funding for the LAPD by 8.1 percent. When criticized and scrutinized, she opted to remain silent.
And now, as per the title, due to her incredible incompetence; we burn. This beautiful city that I’ve been able to call home since birth is reduced to ash and heartbreak.
Los Angeles doesn’t burn because it has to; it burns because those in power have chosen to ignore the warnings, to sideline the voices of experts and advocates, and to treat climate resilience as a luxury rather than an urgent necessity. How many more times do we the youth have to preach to thee the elders that climate change is the defining issue of our time? How many more times must we watch as our warnings are dismissed as alarmism, our demands for action reduced to hashtags, and our futures sacrificed on the altar of political complacency?
How many more times?
If you are reading this and you aren’t from LA, pray for LA. If you are in LA and have been told to evacuate, evacuate. Do not sacrifice your life for personal belongings. Take family heirlooms and necessities and get to somewhere safe.
If there’s anything you can donate, whether it be blankets, water, food or shelter. Please do so.
It’s time for us to come together and help each other as neighbors for today. And tomorrow, once this fire’s flames have burned out; we take action—not just in rebuilding, but in reshaping the way this city operates. We must channel the rage, heartbreak, and urgency of this moment into a movement that ensures Los Angeles never faces a tragedy like this again.
