WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:04.759 You're listening to Bill Handle on demand from KFI AM 2 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:05.599 six forty. 3 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:11.119 KFI Handle here on a Monday morning, January thirteenth, as 4 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:15.839 a result of the fires. Oh Amy, during the break, Amy, 5 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:18.280 you want to correct what's happening that we talked about 6 00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:19.359 where I think I was wrong. 7 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:20.440 Hopefully you were wrong. 8 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.160 No, I don't think either one of us were wrong. 9 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:25.359 We're just clarifying a little bit. We mentioned that the 10 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:28.480 red flag warnings are still in effect, so that's the winds. 11 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:32.799 The low humidity makes fire danger higher. We've got the 12 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:36.479 Santa Ana wins coming in. They're expected to intensify tonight. 13 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.479 We will have some windy conditions this afternoon. Could see 14 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:42.240 gus up to fifty miles prior, but the winds are 15 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:45.520 expected to intensify tonight and then be the worst tomorrow 16 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:46.320 and Wednesday. 17 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:49.520 Yeah, from eighty mile an hour winds down to fifty 18 00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:53.240 mile an hour winds. Obviously it's a better situation, but 19 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:57.679 it's still really dangerous, and the fear is that all 20 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:01.079 these fires are going to kip kick up again, particularly 21 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:02.119 the Palisades fire. 22 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:06.040 It's rough, it really is. Hey. One of the stories 23 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:07.640 that is coming. 24 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:14.319 Out of these fires is the story of private firefighters. 25 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:21.640 You can buy insurance that provides private firefighters. You can 26 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:25.519 have your own that'll go past the burning building and 27 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:28.640 then go to your place of business or your home 28 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:34.799 and fight the fire where you are, and you're paying 29 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:37.920 for that. Obviously is for the wealthy people, and strangely enough, 30 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:43.719 a lot of insurance companies hire private firefighters. As a 31 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:47.040 matter of fact, Palisades Village, which is one of these 32 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:50.599 outdoor shopping malls owned by Paul Caruso, who ran for mayor. 33 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:56.200 He's a billionaire developer. You saw if you were looking 34 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:59.840 or a video in it, large water trucks that should 35 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.840 stood century ready for action. They weren't fighting the fires 36 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:06.840 because Palisades Village was being left alone for the most. 37 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:08.919 Part, and there they were ready to go. 38 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:13.919 Wait a minute, private firefighters. 39 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:17.319 Is that offensive or not? Well, it gets kind of 40 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:19.039 interesting to say the least. 41 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:22.800 First of all, a central question is whether the city 42 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:27.439 and county fire departments could have used firefighters private firefighters, 43 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:34.240 which they don't. The extent of the role of firefighters 44 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:38.919 private firefighters still emerging now. When we talk about private firefighters, Okay, 45 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:43.240 they bring their own equipment, their own trucks, their own 46 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:48.159 water supply in big trucks so as not to use 47 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:53.159 any city or county services or equipment. Now they will 48 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:57.000 connect to the fire hydrants, and I don't know if 49 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:59.560 any of them did. Certainly with low water pressure, it 50 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:03.639 didn't have. And they're not allowed to use sirens or 51 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:08.520 flashing lights or any insignia on their trucks or equipment 52 00:03:08.759 --> 00:03:12.960 that looks like they're part of the fire fighting apparatus 53 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:16.919 of the city or county. So what ended up happening 54 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:22.439 in the Palisades on Friday? Teams of private firefighters were 55 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:26.039 riding around in white pickup trucks keeping watch on the 56 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:34.199 individual homes that they were to cover under a private contract. Well, 57 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:37.240 you know how offensive is that that some people can 58 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:45.199 afford private firefighters who ignore streets that were on fire, 59 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:46.400 homes that were on fire. 60 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:47.879 Well, let me give you. 61 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:51.240 Their answer is, first of all, they don't get in 62 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:54.759 the way of the city or the county. They are 63 00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:58.680 protecting homes that the city or county would otherwise be. 64 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:02.439 They're putting out their own fires, of their own insured 65 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:07.319 And the argument they can help the situation. 66 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:11.319 Okay, that's one argument. The other argument is. 67 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:13.520 Of course, only the wealthy can afford it. Hey, I 68 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:14.240 got news for you. 69 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:14.960 I didn't know this. 70 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:18.079 Forty five percent of the firefighters in the country are 71 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:23.199 private firefighters, and usually it's a matter of fact, they 72 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:27.839 don't do much home, especially here in California, because of 73 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:33.439 the expense and because of the California rules. 74 00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:34.160 That they have to bring their own equipment. 75 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:37.199 They have to they can't connect with fire hydrants for 76 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:40.240 the most part, so they come out and their pumps 77 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:41.240 go to swimming. 78 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:43.439 Pools or reservoirs. 79 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.560 And they bring or get their own water, which is 80 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:50.439 critical here in this situation because of the story of 81 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:51.800 the lower pressure. 82 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:52.399 Of the hydrants. 83 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:57.639 And how are forty five percent of the fire fighting 84 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:02.879 the private contractors are the firefighters. Well, usually they're talking 85 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:07.480 about firefighters in the mountainous region where they are. 86 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:10.279 Contracted by government to be there. 87 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:16.160 Because government firefighters aren't enough out there, and they're the 88 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:21.560 municipalities that contract with firefighters. Because they don't have the infrastructure, 89 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:23.560 it is easier, it's cheaper to. 90 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:25.319 Go to private companies that do this. 91 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:30.120 They outsource firefighting because they don't have. 92 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:33.079 The infrastructure, the training, the equipment. 93 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:37.160 Because it costs a lot of money to create and 94 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:43.040 maintain a fire department. So insurance companies also hire them. 95 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:48.439 Why because insurance companies are ensuring very high value properties 96 00:05:49.319 --> 00:05:53.079 and it's cheaper for them to hire these private companies 97 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:57.800 that it is to replace the homes or businesses themselves. 98 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:01.560 It's just one of those things that just make sense 99 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:05.759 financially for the insurance company. For the communities that have 100 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:08.000 to hire, I have to outsource. 101 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:11.439 And so rich people. Do you know that people that 102 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:14.160 are wealthy just do better in life. 103 00:06:15.560 --> 00:06:20.800 They eat better, they have nicer cars, they have nicer homes. 104 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:24.959 They can hire, for example, private security guards. Has anybody 105 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:28.120 bitch about that? Where you have these very wealthy homes 106 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:32.800 that are gated and you have private security. Private communities 107 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:36.920 have better security where they drive. You have security officers, 108 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:42.319 their officers, security people driving around their community. So here 109 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:44.360 we go. Do they have the right to do that? 110 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:44.920 Of course? 111 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:49.800 Do the firefighters get in the way of the community firefighters? Well, 112 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:52.399 for the most part, no, we have not heard that 113 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:57.040 complaint yet. This all came out of that story that 114 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:02.079 one of the homeowners in Palisades went to and posted 115 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:05.759 a did a post saying, if there are anybody out 116 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:11.720 there private firefighters, I will pay any amount of money to. 117 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:11.120 Spare my home. 118 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:13.439 By the way, do you know whether or not Amy 119 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:15.399 that guy's home was spared. 120 00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:18.959 That story didn't go beyond him posting. 121 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:20.079 I do not know. 122 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:22.040 I don't think that has been posted. By the way, 123 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:23.600 just to let you know what it costs you. 124 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:27.240 A two person private firefighting crew with a small truck 125 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:30.759 three thousand dollars a day. A larger crew with twenty 126 00:07:30.759 --> 00:07:35.639 firefighters in four trucks can run to ten thousand dollars 127 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:40.160 a day. And most private firms will not deal with homeowners. 128 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:45.199 It's either government or insurance companies. I found that fascinating. 129 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:48.959 Alex Stone, ABC News correspondent, we have gone to many 130 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:53.439 many times. Alex lives in southern California, so he is 131 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:56.920 one of us that is dealing with this story, not 132 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:00.920 only on a national scale because ABC National Corps respondent. 133 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:01.319 But also. 134 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:06.600 Right here up close. Alex, Good morning and thanks for 135 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:10.560 taking the time. What's the latest from your view? 136 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:13.839 Well, yeah, I think the big headline over the weekend 137 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:15.399 was how good everything was looking. 138 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:17.040 I spent all day yesterday on. 139 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:20.759 The Altadena fire and the Palisades fire was the same thing. 140 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:25.199 Where really with the winds that we saw calm down 141 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:28.079 over the weekend, and all of this help arriving, and 142 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:32.039 I mean we're seeing fire engines from everywhere where you go. 143 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:34.080 They drive by and it's got some name of some 144 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:37.559 city in Colorado or Texas on the side of any 145 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:41.879 where's that And yeah, there's so much help coming in 146 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:46.039 that it's really helping out. But we got this next 147 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:48.240 cycle to go through here, and not just a red 148 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:51.639 flag but a PDS red flag, a particularly dangerous situation 149 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:55.000 red flag, which bill they issue those every five to 150 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.039 ten years. And this will be two in a week, 151 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:00.879 three in the last month, I believe, and when the 152 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:03.879 other one was up the Malibu fire took off. That 153 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:07.840 when they issue these typically we have something bad. This 154 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:11.200 will probably be more Ventura Santa Barbara County area. But 155 00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:15.080 if we get another big fire or two or three 156 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:18.240 running with people having to get out of it, it's 157 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:21.360 just yeah, they're gonna have to pull resources off of 158 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:24.960 Altadena and off of Pacific Palisades and then move them 159 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:27.879 up there. It's gonna get really tough, or if it 160 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:31.120 flares these back up again. But overall, I mean, the 161 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:36.799 devastation is incredible and just neighborhood after neighborhood. But overall 162 00:09:36.840 --> 00:09:40.320 the fires themselves, there's no real active flame. They look 163 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:41.360 pretty good this morning. 164 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:45.200 Yeah, hopefully they're not going to increase, but the chances 165 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:46.559 are pretty good they're going to. 166 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:48.000 And a couple things about this fire. 167 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:51.480 When you talk about the devastation, you look at photos 168 00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:55.679 of Hiroshima right after the bombing, or you look at 169 00:09:55.679 --> 00:09:59.759 photos of neighborhoods in Gaza that have just been decimated. 170 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.080 That's what it reminds us of. And you think this 171 00:10:02.120 --> 00:10:04.799 wouldn't happen in anywhere in the United States. 172 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:06.039 It's pretty crazy. 173 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:10.879 The other interesting part of this story is, as you said, 174 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.399 the various jurisdictions that are sending in firefighting crews, not 175 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:20.399 only Canada, Mexico is bringing in and Zolensky has offered 176 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:24.399 to bring in Ukrainian firefighters, which I mean, that's a 177 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:27.679 bizarre one. And it's one of those things where I'm 178 00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:31.639 assuming that the authorities here in southern California saying anybody 179 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:34.360 that can help, will take it, please help us. 180 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:38.000 Yeah, and Zelenski's saying that his teams are ready to 181 00:10:38.039 --> 00:10:40.759 go and that they're ready to come in. You know, 182 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:45.399 it is it's unimaginable. When you go and you drive 183 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:47.879 through the neighborhoods. We talked to a fire captain yesterday 184 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:51.000 who he was in from Bakersfield. He's been a firefighter 185 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:53.960 for twenty nine years. He says he's never seen anything 186 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.679 like this. But at the same time, it is very 187 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:00.399 similar to what we saw in Lahina and in Santa 188 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:03.639 and in Paradise and in Chico where they had the 189 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:07.000 car carr It was the name of it fire a 190 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:10.279 number of years ago, where you know it's the strong 191 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:13.279 winds that come in and then this is the result 192 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:16.600 and those winds, and we were talking about it last week, 193 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:19.600 but those winds on Wednesday morning were like something I 194 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:23.480 have never experienced. And the one hundred mile an hour 195 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:26.480 winds with the flames running in, those people just couldn't 196 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:28.720 get out and that's why the number of dead is 197 00:11:28.759 --> 00:11:32.799 going up right now. It's going to continue to go up. Unfortunately. 198 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:36.120 We saw the medical examiner driving around yesterday in the 199 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:38.960 neighborhood that we were in, and you kind of stand 200 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:40.960 there and wait to see where they're going to pull up. 201 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:44.080 And they were checking on some homes down the street 202 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:47.759 and firefighters are going through and they're looking for any 203 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:50.200 human remains. They're going to be doing that today, but 204 00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:54.440 just incredible loss. And you got to remember in Altadena, 205 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:57.600 it's not Pacific palisades are both terrible, but it's not 206 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:02.960 a wealthy enclave. Altadena is bungalow style homes for the 207 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:07.519 most part, close together built I would guess maybe nineteen hundreds, 208 00:12:07.559 --> 00:12:10.879 nineteen fifties. Many of them have the brick fireplaces, the 209 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:16.279 older appliances in them, and people have lost everything. It's gone. 210 00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:20.600 And a couple of stories that we never reported on before, 211 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:24.519 and that is as fire crews. I mean that's fairly new, 212 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:29.080 the extent and the technology used in aircraft, which is 213 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:31.399 obviously a very good thing, and the problem is the 214 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:33.600 winds were so high that they couldn't be used for 215 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:37.240 a couple of days, and the fire fighters rely on 216 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:44.000 aircraft so much as part of the fire fighting policy and. 217 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:47.039 How they deal with it. And then these cockroaches with 218 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:48.840 the drones. 219 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:54.039 Took out one super super Scooper and hopefully that airplane 220 00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:57.480 is going to come back today. And when drones are 221 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:02.679 actually seen, it shuts down the aerial combating of the 222 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:06.399 fires completely. I mean, it is crazy and it's what 223 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:08.919 is it a misdemeanor or something to fly home. 224 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:12.799 Yeah, well maybe not because it's federal. The FBI is 225 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:15.879 investigating where that drone they hit the Superscooper came from. 226 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.679 But yeah, so, first of all, in the air attack, 227 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:20.960 not only is it not safe, but when it's blowing 228 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:24.679 like that, it's ineffective because the water or the fiery tardant, 229 00:13:24.679 --> 00:13:27.080 depending on the aircraft, as it comes out, it just 230 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:29.279 does a ninety degree turn and goes with the wind. 231 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:32.200 It never hits the ground, so they can not only 232 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:34.960 are you putting pilots in danger, but when they drop, 233 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.600 it doesn't do any good. It just blows off and evaporates, 234 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:39.879 so they can't drop at that time. But yeah, and 235 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:41.840 then you got the looters on top of this, and 236 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:45.320 the arrest that Sheriff Luna talked about yesterday. If somebody 237 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:48.399 dressed up like a firefighter who was caught. And all 238 00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:50.360 of these, for the most part, have been people from 239 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:53.240 outside of the area who have come in and decided 240 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:56.840 this is their time to go in, mainly to evacuated neighborhoods. 241 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:58.600 It didn't burn where they can go into homes and 242 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:01.519 still find things. Not a lot to find in the 243 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:04.759 burned out neighborhoods, but that it's the first time I've 244 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:07.799 ever heard of somebody pressing up like a firefighter or 245 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:09.240 member of the media, because we have to wear all 246 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:11.399 that gear in there as well, so try to blend 247 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:13.000 in with all of us who are in there to 248 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:14.080 then go and begin to loot. 249 00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:16.399 All right, Alex, who. 250 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:19.799 Is going to be covering this and unfortunately, probably for 251 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:24.679 another several days is the fire hopefully doesn't expand and build, 252 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:26.399 but it probably is going to Alex. 253 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:29.000 Thank you, you got it. Thanks, we'll talk again, all right. 254 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:34.600 One of the things that people are wondering and worrying 255 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:35.559 about is rebuilding. 256 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.480 Where we're going to get the money. That's one. 257 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:42.120 Governmental help has to be involved. State federal help has 258 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:48.039 to come down. And also California and southern California particularly 259 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:51.840 has building codes that are completely insane. 260 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:56.120 Not codes per se, but environmental rules. 261 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:59.759 For example, we have the joys of the Coastal Commission, 262 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:03.039 which you have to go through if you're building, and 263 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:05.120 if you're building within five miles of the coast, the 264 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.440 Coastal Commission kicks in and they make it close to 265 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:14.519 impossible to build. It can take years between local government 266 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:18.519 and the Coastal Commission and near for example, the Santa 267 00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:19.480 Monica Reserve. 268 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:23.759 It is very, very difficult a. 269 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:28.679 Developer building a multi story dwelling, dwelling we're talking about 270 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:32.559 our multi unit eight units, ten units, it can take. 271 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:35.200 Five years to get the permitting. Five years. 272 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:40.360 Well, can you imagine taking five years to rebuild the Palisades. 273 00:15:40.799 --> 00:15:44.639 So what the governor has done is suspending many of 274 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:49.720 those rules, the environmental laws for the victims of the fire, 275 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:53.159 the homes and the businesses. And so you've got the 276 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:58.799 California Quad, the California Environmental Quality Act, California Coastal Act, 277 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:03.919 which developers, and that's going to be changed, at least 278 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:05.240 for the fires temporarily. 279 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:06.480 In terms of rebuilding. 280 00:16:07.639 --> 00:16:12.120 The governor said, California leaves the nation environmental stewardship. But 281 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:15.679 I'm not going to give that up. But what one 282 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:19.039 thing I won't give into is delay. Delay is denial 283 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:24.360 for people for their lives, traditions, places torn apart, torn asunder. Yeah, 284 00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:28.200 I got a question is we're at the head of 285 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:34.120 environmental protections here in California, which means that there's delay, 286 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:36.879 and he won't take delay. 287 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:38.720 So something's got to give. 288 00:16:39.720 --> 00:16:42.519 And the good news is at this point, it looks 289 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:46.879 like the environmental rules are going to give simply because 290 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:52.120 you've got to rebuild, and the builders, developers, the people 291 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:55.639 that are rebuilding their homes, the individuals, it would take 292 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:57.720 forever to get the permits and those are going to 293 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:01.600 be gone. So waivers of the Environmental Quality Act are happening, 294 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:07.880 the Coastal Act waivers are happening, and the developers saying, 295 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:11.640 we need that, we need that. So what Newsom says 296 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:15.440 is that new permitting rules would allow approvals to be 297 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:21.599 issued within thirty days instead of years. And Mayor Karen 298 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:24.720 Bass has also acknowledged the problem, and she said that 299 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:30.119 the building permitting process which I have gone through is 300 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:34.119 kind of crazy. Well, that takes forever, except it's not 301 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:37.640 going to anymore. And of course members of the GOP 302 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:41.839 now we have the Republicans, including Donald Trump, has said 303 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:46.119 that it's mainly Gavin Newsom who's at fault. Wildfire victims 304 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:49.680 to deserve much more from Gavin Newsom when his track 305 00:17:49.720 --> 00:17:55.640 record includes lying about underfunding wildlife prevention. He owes Angelino's 306 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:59.200 answers on how he and local Democrat leaders could have 307 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:05.200 been so un prepared for these devastating wildfires. So you see, 308 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:09.119 it is not really the Santa Ana wins. It's newsome 309 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:13.240 and it's the Democratic leaders that in fact were completely 310 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:17.400 unprepared by the way we were unprepared. 311 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:23.960 And why were we unprepared? Because these fires were so insane. 312 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.359 I mean, this is on a level that virtually all 313 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:31.039 the preparation in the world would not have helped. We 314 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:35.880 would have needed thousands more firefighters ready to go, We 315 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:40.839 would have needed twice the reservoirs, three times the reservoirs, 316 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:46.640 and more aircraft just standing there, sitting there at airports 317 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.480 ready to fly and attack these fires. And you want 318 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:53.359 to know something that wouldn't have helped. When you have 319 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:56.440 one hundred mile an hour winds that are moving the 320 00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:59.880 fire at well not at one hundred miles an hour, 321 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:03.119 but certainly moving the fire. I can ask someone about that. 322 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:06.319 How quickly does a fire move up a hill when 323 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:08.160 the wind is one hundred miles an hour. 324 00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:14.160 They were saying that it was moving like five football 325 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:15.279 fields a minute. 326 00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:18.000 How do you fight that? 327 00:19:19.079 --> 00:19:22.400 And you can't put aircraft up because the winds are 328 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:28.759 moving at such incredible rates that you have no firefighting 329 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:29.799 aircraft available. 330 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:31.680 That's it. You're done. 331 00:19:31.880 --> 00:19:35.400 And yet this, of course is the fault of the 332 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:42.559 Democrats who have done this. Okay, And of course President 333 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:45.759 Trump is called newsome incompetent by the way. He calls 334 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:50.160 him new scum, and he says they should resign. And 335 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:54.400 also the President made statements about water being redirected to 336 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:55.599 protect small fish. 337 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.440 That's where the water went during this fire. 338 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:04.960 Okay, why not when it's all said and done, By 339 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:08.160 the way, that Bill SEQUA was signed into law by 340 00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:12.240 Governor Ronald Reagan in nineteen seventy and the Coastal LAC 341 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:16.960 created the Coastal Commission in nineteen seventy two, so that's 342 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:17.519 been going. 343 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:19.039 Around for a while, to say the least. 344 00:20:19.079 --> 00:20:21.960 All right, here, some of the questions that are being 345 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:24.839 asked because are a lot of hindsight goes on, and 346 00:20:25.160 --> 00:20:30.079 that is how come the fire hydrants ran out of pressure? 347 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:37.240 Why did they not have water? Well, it's because the 348 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:41.319 water systems and the way we fight fires. Never I 349 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:46.640 anticipated winds like this one hundred mile an hour guts. 350 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:51.359 There isn't enough water on this planet that can be 351 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:54.680 put on a fire that would put out something like this. 352 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:57.599 It just doesn't happen. So the attacks on the city 353 00:20:57.640 --> 00:21:00.440 water supply, and by the way, the cities it's not 354 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:05.279 just one city water supply, it's many different little jurisdictions 355 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:08.519 in addition to the DWP that supply water. 356 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:11.640 And what we're finding out. 357 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:15.880 The bottom line is that the ability to fight these fires, 358 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:19.960 the design of the water system is not made for 359 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:24.200 fires that go across entire communities that are spreading light. 360 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:25.720 Where the fires are spreading. 361 00:21:25.400 --> 00:21:30.640 Light wildfire, and so the way our system works is 362 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:34.279 single building, small number of buildings where there's plenty of 363 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:36.599 water pressure. And even to the point where you've seen 364 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:40.319 these large tanks, I mean massive tanks on top of 365 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:44.799 hills or on hillsides in various communities. Those are filled 366 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:49.039 with water to fight fires. And the water was used 367 00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:52.039 so quickly and there was so much of it the 368 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:56.240 system couldn't just couldn't uphold what was needed. 369 00:21:56.279 --> 00:21:59.920 They just couldn't meet the need. It's that simple. 370 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:04.480 The analogy I make is when we have earthquakes, we 371 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:10.400 have codes building codes that are probably the most stringent 372 00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:13.880 in the world, and we can deal with a Richter 373 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:17.799 scale seven point one seven point five that's a pretty 374 00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:23.039 solid earthquake. If a nine point one or two hits 375 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:26.680 our area. By the way, that did happen in Alaska 376 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:30.640 in the sixties and I think San Francisco in nineteen 377 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:31.119 oh four. 378 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:35.640 There's nothing you can do about that. It just doesn't. 379 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:36.480 You can't. 380 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:40.240 It's just overwhelming. There is no ability to deal with that. 381 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:44.440 And that's what happened with this fire. There's simply no ability. 382 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:50.319 Had there been more firefighters, had Karen Bass not cut 383 00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:55.799 seventeen million dollars from the LA Fire Department, it wouldn't 384 00:22:55.799 --> 00:22:58.000 have done a damn thing on this fire. 385 00:22:58.319 --> 00:22:59.519 I mean nothing. 386 00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:05.160 If you're going to fight wildfires of this magnitude, the 387 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:07.079 entire system has. 388 00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:09.400 To be rebuilt. 389 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:14.880 We need tons more reservoirs, We need hundreds of firefighters 390 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:18.440 ready to go, just ready to go, just sitting there 391 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:21.119 aircraft parked. In this case, it would have been at 392 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:26.880 van Ey's Airport, just parked, ready to fly. Helicopters just 393 00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:33.079 sitting there, ready to go. The costs would be astronomical. Now, 394 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:37.640 those Superscooper Super Scoopers, those yellow airplanes, and we have 395 00:23:37.720 --> 00:23:39.799 two of them, one of them taken out by that 396 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:45.119 cockroad of a drone operator. Those are leased by La 397 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:50.000 County and they do are parked at Vannay's airport during 398 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.079 the entire fire season, which of course now is every minute. 399 00:23:54.400 --> 00:23:58.799 And it's a Quebec company that does this, Montreal Quebec Montreal. 400 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:03.680 They fly in and those are parked at van Ey's 401 00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:09.960