Responsibility crisis: How California leadership failed families with LA fires
The tragedies of Los Angeles’ recent fires are suffocating and impossible to wrap my mind around as a born-and-raised California mom who evacuated our forever home at 4 a.m. on Jan. 8.
I’m heartbroken. I’m livid. I’m praying. I’m guilty of emerging unscathed (so far). I’m vigilantly searching for answers while preparing for the next round of "Particularly Dangerous Event" winds. My own kids are asking me terrifying questions, and I’m answering with a faked "everything will be OK for everyone" confidence that only parents know how to do.
How did California leadership fail families so egregiously? They traded the time-tested value of responsibility for empty trends of "diversity, equity and inclusion."
I don’t believe in politicizing tragedies – especially of this magnitude – but unfortunately, some tragedies are exacerbated by political motives and actions (or rather, inactions). With some estimates of damages to be upwards of $250 billion and 24 innocent people dead as of this writing, NOW is the time for us to be vigilant in asking questions and planning solutions for our children’s future.
CALIFORNIA’S POLITICIANS DIDN’T START THE FIRES. THEY MADE THEM WORSE
I’ll recap just some of California and Los Angeles’ documented priorities for taxpaying citizens over the last several years:
IN LA, YOU CAN SMELL THE SMOKE AND FEEL THE RAGE. CALIFORNIA CAN CHANGE. IT STARTS NOW
Were fires inevitable given the conditions? Of course. But, a lack of responsibility from leaders partnered with DEI-driven priorities failed to mitigate carnage – as shamelessly showcased by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and even the guy who allegedly oversaw the county-wide emergency alert system when it repeatedly alerted 10 million people to "Evacuate Now" by mistake. ("I’m so sorry, I messed up," I heard him say on the radio. At least he admitted it, unlike others.)
My own teens have a better sense of responsibility and impending consequences than our elected and appointed officials. According to credible reports, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power previously drained the city’s second-largest reservoir near Pacific Palisades and failed to notify county or city fire departments.
Mayor Karen Bass abandoned the city under her watch and traveled to Africa despite National Weather Service warnings of unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions on Jan. 3.
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Years of budget cuts in areas that warrant priority – including Newsom reportedly slashing over $100 million from fire preparedness in 2024 – continue to deplete resources and exacerbate potential decimation, like we’re experiencing now.
Major fires are not unexpected in California. By all evidence, our leaders at the top are making irresponsible choices not rooted in hindsight, current events or fact-based projections. As a mom who constantly reminds my kids to think ahead, I am infuriated.
As parents, we can hold leaders accountable in public forums and call on our representatives to revisit and reverse failing policies. But, more importantly, we must raise our children to understand the seriousness of responsibility, value merit and fear consequences.
The "there’s no wrong or right" parenting mentality has got to stop. The "you do you" philosophy in schools must end. The obsession with abandoning merit-based standards and skills in education and the workplace – to check boxes based on sexuality, gender and perceived inequalities – must die. Responsibility and accountability are the bedrock for maintaining a free, functioning, and safe society. (It’s one of our foundational principles for creating PragerU Kids.)
California leadership failed families. Blatant irresponsibility and DEI-focused priorities are now proven accomplices to physical, mental and spiritual destruction for hundreds of thousands – with no end in sight. Not on this California mom’s watch. Teach the kids before it’s too late.