In Los Angeles right now, it's not just acrid smoke that's in the air.
There's fear, anxiety, and pain. When will they get these fires under control? What if the wind picks up? What if my neighborhood is next?
For those who have been evacuated: when can I go back? Why won't they let me get my pet? Or my medicine?
MAPS SHOW EXTENT OF WILDFIRE DEVASTATION, HOMES DESTROYED
Worst of all, for those who have lost their home, or in the small but tragically growing number of cases, their loved ones, utter despair. And a sense that the people in charge are not responding with the urgency, energy -- or frankly, empathy -- we expect.
And that brings us to the other emotion that's so palpable in L.A. today: rage.
Rage at a governor who, when confronted over the shocking revelations of dry fire hydrants and empty reservoirs, waved his arms around and said, "ask the local people."
Rage at the 'local person' -- Mayor Karen Bass - who, when confronted over her failure to prepare for this disaster, her failure to even be in town, simply froze on camera. A bizarre, pathetic two-minute silence instead of the strong leadership we need.
But these short term failures of preparation and response pale into relative insignificance compared to the long term failures that have brought us to this point.
LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: RETURNING SANTA ANA WINDS THREATEN TO EXPAND DEADLY BLAZES
In March, my new book, 'Califailure - Reversing the Ruin of America's Worst-Run State' will catalog the terrible combination of incompetence and ideological extremism that has left California at the top of every list you'd want to be the bottom of, and bottom of every list you'd want to be at the top of -- from the highest rate of poverty in the nation to the worst business climate; the highest housing costs and the lowest homeownership. Crime and homelessness out of control. All paid for with the highest taxes in America.
Now, with the catastrophe in Los Angeles, everyone can see how badly things have gone wrong.
Every aspect of the wildfire crisis was either caused by, or made much worse by, Democrat policies and Democrat politicians.
Of course they try to blame "climate change." But other places with similar climates and similar geography don't seem to suffer the same way.
In California, environmental extremism stopped action to manage what's known as the "fuel load" in our forests and chaparral. Thinning overgrown forests, clearing undergrowth and brush -- blocked by misguided Democrat policies.
Money that should have been spent on fire prevention was diverted to ideological obsessions that do nothing to reduce wildfire risk, like EVs.
We keep hearing about "drought" -- but in truth it's mostly man-made. We have all the water we need: we just don't collect it, store it and get it to the right places.
And underlying everything, the insane rules and regulations, the crazy nanny state, the endless armies of bureaucrats and busybodies making it impossible to get anything done, to build the housing and the infrastructure we need.
NEWSOM DEFENDS FIRE RESPONSE WITH FACT-CHECK SITE LINKING TO DEM PARTY FUNDRAISING PLATFORM
Their 'green' bureaucracy has even slowed down or blocked vital work like burying or insulating power lines that spark wildfires! How is that good for the environment?
It's time to stop all this nonsense. It's time for common sense policies and competent government.
That's what I'm focusing on. My California policy organization, Golden Together, has brought together leaders from business, the faith community, experts in firefighting and prevention, to develop positive, practical ideas for how we help people right now, and make sure we do the right things to help recover and rebuild quickly.
Pastor Jack Hibbs from Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills is mobilizing churches and places of worship to help displaced families and to support our brave (and exhausted) first responders.
We need to sweep away ridiculous rules hampering relief and recovery efforts -- for example, absurd 'climate' regulations that make it impossible to bring in emergency generators from out of state to provide power where supply has been disrupted.
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Let's get rid of the bureaucracy that ties you up in knots of red tape. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he wants to "expedite" permitting for rebuilding homes. Great! Except: what exactly does he mean by "expedited"? Could it take over 120 days? For a permit to rebuild the exact house that was there before? It's all very unclear right now. But it should be instant!
After the Northridge earthquake in 1994, then-Gov. Pete Wilson -- a Republican -- tore up the rules and put in place clean-up and construction contracts that helped rebuild the Santa Monica freeway in 66 days.
I spoke with Gov. Wilson. We've included his suggestions in our policy recommendations, along with many practical ideas from homebuilders and entrepreneurs.
I've asked tech leaders in Silicon Valley to develop a plan for a new 'Fire Force' that will use AI, drones and autonomous firefighting vehicles to spot and extinguish potentially dangerous wildfires before they start.
All of this and more can be found in our policy document: Rescue, Reform, Rebuild.
It's time for change in California, and this is the first step.
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