California’s Professional Political Class Caused the State’s Demise

As California Governor Gavin Newsom makes the rounds on every available media outlet, on every podcast and media interview insisting that now is not the time to point fingers over the responsibility of the Pacific Palisades and Los Angeles fires, he is wrong – now is exactly the right time to ask who, what, when, where, why and how this happened?

The residents of Los Angeles whose homes burned to the ground deserve to know.

There is a lot of evidence that Governor Gavin Newsom has failed up his entire political career. If California had an honest, principled media, Newsom never would have made it out of San Francisco after two rocky terms as Mayor. While he is the head of the state and all of the policies within the state, many other politicians are a part of the government that allowed this disaster to take place.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed many bad bills into law which undermine California’s wildfire management, sane energy policies, energy independence. He even vetoed a bipartisan wildfire management bill in 2016, despite unanimous passage by the Legislature, 75-0 in the Assembly and 39-0 in the Senate.

I reported in 2018:

“As California residents were burned out of their towns, homes, neighborhoods, schools, hospitals and businesses, Gov. Jerry Brown was jetting around the world spouting climate change propaganda, and calling the fires California’s ‘new normal.’ Gov. Brown had many chances to sincerely and realistically address California’s increasing wildfires since his election in 2011, but instead chose to play politics, placing his new friends at the United Nations over the people of California.”

President Donald Trump in 2018 acknowledged the importance of forest management:

About the bill Brown vetoed in 2016:

“SB 1463  would have given local governments more say in fire-prevention efforts through the Public Utilities Commission proceeding making maps of fire hazard areas around utility lines. In a gross display of politics, this is especially pertinent given that Cal Fire and the state’s media are now blaming the largest utility in the state for the latest wildfires.

While hindsight is always 20-20, California was on fire when this bill made its way through the Legislature and on to Jerry Brown’s desk.”

It is notable that the same “climate change” Jerry Brown touted and Gavin Newsom and Democrats claim is the cause of California’s latest wildfires, impacts private lands as well as public lands, but private forests are not burning down because they are properly managed. Today, only privately managed forests are maintained through the traditional forest management practices: thinning, cutting, clearing, prescribed burns, and the disposal of the resulting woody waste. And notably, privately managed lands are not on fire.

So who are these politicians responsible for California’s terrible policies which have and continue to result in devastation, loss of property and loss of life? The Globe will write about the revolving doors in City Halls, County Supervisors’ Chambers, the State Capitol that professional politicians use to ensure they are never out of elected office.

We are starting with Los Angeles, with the recent devastation from the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire and others.

As we already noted, California Governor Gavin Newsom is at the top of the heap.

In Los Angeles, we have some long-time politicians, with decades of implementing leftist policies, are leftist activists, who now serve as County Supervisors:

LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis: A Democrat, Solis was United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013 appointed by President Barack Obama. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009.

LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell: A Democrat, Mitchell served as a State Senator from 2013 to 2020. Prior to being Senator, she also served as a Capitol staffer, Consultant to the Senate Health Committee, and as a legislative advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath: A Democrat, Horvath was previously a West Hollywood City Council member and West Hollywood mayor twice.

LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn: A Democrat, Hahn was a U.S. Representative from California from 2011 to 2016. She was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 2001 to 2011. From 1997 to 1999, she served as an elected representative on the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission.

LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger: A Republican, Barger previously served as Chief Deputy Supervisor and Chief of Staff to her predecessor Mayor Michael D. Antonovich.

Los Angeles City Council is also filled with long-time Democrat politicians and leftist activists:

Mayor – Karen Bass: A Democrat, the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. Bass previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2022 and in the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2010, serving as Assembly Speaker during her final Assembly term.

Councilwoman District 1 – Eunisses Hernandez: A Democrat and Socialist, Hernandez is an American activist and politician, currently serving as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 1st district since 2022.^[3] A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, Hernandez defeated incumbent council member Gil Cedillo (another former State legislator, 1998 – 2012) during the primary in an upset in the 2022 election.

Councilman District 2 – Adrin Nazarian: A Democrat, Nazarian previously served in the California State Assembly from 2012 to 2022. In 1999, then-Governor Gray Davis appointed Nazarian as Special Assistant to the California Trade and Commerce Agency. Nazarian served as chief of staff to then-Assemblyman Paul Krekorian 2006 – 2010. Nazarin announced that he intends to run in 2024 to replace Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, who cannot seek another term due to term limits.

Councilman District 3 – Bob Blumenfield: A Democrat, Blumenfield previously represented the 45th district in the California State Assembly 2008 – 2013. From 1989 to 1996, he worked in Washington, D.C., as a staff person to Senator Bill Bradley, Congressman Howard Berman and as staff designee to the House Budget Committee. He later worked as Director of Government Affairs for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and then as District Chief of Staff to Congressman Berman in the San Fernando Valley.

Councilwoman District 4 – Nithya Raman: A Democrat and Socialist, activist, and politician serving as the Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 4th District since 2020. Raman, a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America. Prior to entering politics, Raman founded and headed a homelessness nonprofit in Los Angeles and was the executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment.

Councilwoman District 5 – Katy Yaroslavsky: A Democrat, Yaroslavsky is the daughter-in-law of Los Angeles politician Zev Yaroslavsky (a former LA County Supervisor 1975-1994), she worked in the office of Sheila Kuehl (former state legislator 1994-2008, LA County Supervisor 2014-2022), whom her mother previously worked for.

Councilwoman District 6 – Imelda Padilla: A Democrat, worked as a field deputy for former LA City Council President Nury Martinez, who resigned in 2022, following the release of an audio recording where she disparaged fellow council members and their children and used racist language.

Councilman District 8 – Marqueece Harris-Dawson: A Democrat, currently serving as the president of the Los Angeles City Council, has represented the 8th district of the Los Angeles City Council since 2015. Harris-Dawson joined the Community Coalition in 1995, recognized as one of the most progressive non-profits in the country. In 2004 he succeeded U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass (current LA Mayor) as President and CEO. In response to the 2020 George Floyd Uprisings, Harris-Dawson supported a $150 million reallocation (defunding) of LAPD funding for community-led public safety investments, the LA Times reported.

Councilman District 9 – Curren D. Price, Jr.: A Democrat, Price was a California State Senator, representing the state’s 26th Senate District which he won in the May 19, 2009 special election to fill the seat vacated by Mark Ridley-Thomas (convicted felon). He previously served as a member of the California State Assembly, representing the state’s 51st Assembly District. He was first elected to that position in 2006, and was re-elected in 2008. Price resigned as state senator on July 1, 2013, to be sworn in as Los Angeles city councilman. Price’s tenure as District 9 Councilman has been marked by accusations of pay to play and FBI investigations, according to the LA Times. On June 13, 2023, Price was charged with ten criminal counts relating to corruption; including five counts of embezzlement of government funds, three counts of perjury, and two counts of conflict of interest. From 1993 to 1997, Price was a member of the Inglewood City Council.

Councilwoman District 10 – Heather Hutt: A Democrat, Hutt was hired as a District Director for Assemblyman, then Senator Isadore Hall III. In February 2017, Hutt was named the Regional Deputy Director, then California State Director for then-Senator Kamala Harris. Previously a candidate for California’s 54th State Assembly district in 2021, Hutt was endorsed by politicians Janice Hahn, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, and Maxine Waters.

Councilwoman District 11 – Traci Park: formerly a Republican, now a Democrat, Park entered politics in 2020 when she organized to block the city of Los Angeles from converting a Ramada Inn on her street into housing for homeless people. She voted in favor of a measure to curtail homeless encampments by banning sitting, sleeping and storing property within 500 feet of schools, day-care centers, parks, recreation centers, and opposed a measure to create hundreds of miles of bus lanes and bike lanes. Park opposed converting two city-owned parking lots on Venice Boulevard into 140 housing units for the homeless. She opposes California state legislation that restricts the ability of localities to ban new housing.

Councilman District 12 – John Lee: formerly a Republican, now an Independent, Lee worked for City of Los Angeles for two decades for Councilmembers Joel Wachs, Greig Smith, and Mitch Englander, who pled guilty to federal charges related to the on-going Los Angeles City Hall corruption probe and began serving a 14-month sentence in federal prison in June, 2021. Lee has been one of the biggest supporters of the Los Angeles Police Department on the council. Lee has stated his opposition for defunding the LAPD.

Councilman District 13 – Hugo Soto-Martínez: a Democrat, Socialist, labor organizer. After graduating from the University of California, Irvine, he became an organizer for UNITE HERE Local 11 and involved with the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. He canvassed for politicians like Barack Obama, against Joe Arpaio, and helped flip the two Georgia Senate seats with Stacey Abrams.

Councilwoman District 14 – Ysabel J. Jurado: A Democrat and is a tenants’ rights lawyer, Jurado ran for the Los Angeles City Council in 2024, challenging incumbent Kevin de León, former State Assemblyman and State Senator 2006-2018, LA City Councilman 2020-2024. After an audio recording of de León and other council members making racist, homophobic, and derogatory remarks was leaked, he was pressured to resign. Instead he ran for LA City Council again, losing to Jurado.

Councilman District 15 – Tim McOsker: A Democrat, attorney, and former lobbyist. He was the CEO of AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles from 2018 to 2022 and chief of staff to Los Angeles City Attorney and later Mayor James Hahn from 1997 to 2005.

The voters of these supervisory and council members, having just faced losing their homes, businesses, schools, neighborhoods, and some lost their loves.

Voters must remember this when considering who should lead Los Angeles.