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[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

I guess Mayor Karen Bass had other priorities....

They say that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. But at least he didn't leave town. Meanwhile L.A.'s Mayor Bass flew off to Ghana on a taxpayer funded junket in the midst of the conflagration devouring the city.

[BioCRN]

Are some of you actually pretending $500K to other city services would keep fires from burning houses?

This is LA. The city gives 1.9 billion to cops.

Billions. 1.9 of them.

900 million to the fire department, cutting 17.5 million of it burnt down a bunch of houses?

This isn't a money or budgeting issue.

It is perfectly fine to think your money is funding stuff that isn't needed, or it's wasted, or whatever, but budget allocations to other things and small fire training cuts aren't helping save houses. Houses aren't burning because incompetent people don't know how to put out fires.

Water, water availability, land/scrub management, wind...some things can be controlled, some can't, but it's not money keeping things from happening.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

They say that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. But at least he didn't leave town. Meanwhile L.A.'s Mayor Bass flew off to Ghana on a taxpayer funded junket in the midst of the conflagration devouring the city.

She left for Ghana before any fires broke out. She didn't fly out in the "midst" of anything. Not like Ted Cruz did flying to Mexico in the midst of the Texas winter storm that killed 246 Texans in 2021. But I digress.

Tired of idiots spreading lies and misinformation when people are suffering.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

She left for Ghana before any fires broke out. She didn't fly out in the "midst" of anything. Not like Ted Cruz did flying to Mexico in the midst of the Texas winter storm that killed 246 Texans in 2021. But I digress.

Tired of idiots spreading lies and misinformation when people are suffering.

I can't speak to her competence overall, but it seems clear once she received word, she flew back immediately and was actively engaged as best she could during her return. Agree that the scapegoating is not productive.

[gregndodgers]

Maybe Gossage or Hrabosky are free to help fight the fires? They were excellent firemen in their prime. Maybe they still got it!

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

She left for Ghana before any fires broke out. She didn't fly out in the "midst" of anything.

Oh?!

Originally Posted by LA Times

Bass left town on Saturday as part of a presidential delegation to Ghana, just as the National Weather Service began ratcheting up its warnings about the coming windstorm. On Tuesday, she attended the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, leaving City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson as L.A.’s acting mayor when the Palisades fire broke out.

What? She flew out to beat the windstorm which might impede her ability to fly out? And what is a municipal politician doing at the inauguration of a foreign head of state anyway? Her job is to look after things like roads and sewers.

Originally Posted by LA Times

Tired of idiots spreading lies and misinformation when people are suffering.

And I'm very tired of apologists for the misuse of public funds by elected representatives.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Oh?!



What? She flew out to beat the windstorm which might impede her ability to fly out? And what is a municipal politician doing at the inauguration of a foreign head of state anyway? Her job is to look after things like roads and sewers.



And I'm very tired of apologists for the misuse of public funds by elected representatives.

Don't think I ever argued that there were misused funds. I'd be open to seeing evidence thereof and would be against it as well. Fact of the matter is, the Mayor being out of the country when the fires started and the LAFD budget had no bearing whatsoever on the cause and outcome of this catastrophe. But the citizens of LA appreciate everyone's empathy and any help you can give to those affected would be much appreciated. At the very least the American Red Cross had to cancel dozens of blood drives and is always in need of blood donations. If you have extra funds and want to donate, my son's science teacher, his wife and two young kids lost their house in Altadena. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-alta...3a20a2300fd527

[Balticfox]

Okay, done.