1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:00,880 Speaker 1: Can't. 2 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 2: I am six forty. 3 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 3: You're listening to the John Cobelt Podcast on the iHeartRadio app. 4 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 3: We're on from one until four every day and after 5 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,120 Speaker 3: four o'clock John Cobelt Show on demand on the iHeart 6 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 3: app and you get to hear whatever you missed, same 7 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:17,440 Speaker 3: as the radio show. It's the podcast and I urge 8 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 3: you very very strongly to you got time for one thing. 9 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 3: Listen to the two o'clock hour businessman John Alley talk 10 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 3: about how you This is Hernandez, the councilwoman, and Karen 11 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 3: Bass blocked a croof he had hired. They were going 12 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:36,560 Speaker 3: to do a scan at the bottom of MacArthur Park 13 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 3: Lake and look for dead people tied to bikes and 14 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 3: wheelchairs that the locals say were murdered for one reason 15 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 3: or another by the criminals. A lot of it has 16 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:53,639 Speaker 3: to do with drugs, and Ali had arranged for this 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 3: team to go down using Hi tech sonar and Bass 18 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 3: and Hernandez stopped them. They don't want to know about 19 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 3: the dead bodies in MacArthur Park Lake, so it's an 20 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 3: unbelievable story. 21 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:06,839 Speaker 2: Listen to him. 22 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 3: Tell it our number two of the podcast and we'll 23 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 3: be releasing that after four o'clock. Now, let's turn back 24 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 3: to the Palisades. The Trump signing executive order for Feds 25 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 3: to take over the permitting process. You know, a lot 26 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 3: of homeowners have been bollocked up, even though Karen Bass 27 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 3: and Gavin Knew some promise that the permit process would 28 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 3: be fast and streamlined. No problem. Well, it's been a 29 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 3: problem for a lot of people, in addition to the 30 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 3: insurance issues that a lot of people are suffering from. 31 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:46,479 Speaker 3: How this executive order exactly will operate, whether Trump will 32 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 3: get away with it, that's all up in the air. 33 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 2: But we're going to talk now. Do we have both 34 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 2: of them on the line. 35 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 3: Okay, let's start with Jessica Rogers, Pacific Palisades resident who 36 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 3: lost everything in the wildfire, and I think she's very pleased. 37 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 2: About this executive order. Jessica, how are you. 38 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 4: I'm great, I'm having a good day. 39 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 3: John Well, tell me what you think that Trump has 40 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 3: signed this order to drastically streamline the process. 41 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 4: I think that we've been begging for more federal involvement 42 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 4: since the day the Army Corps of Engineers left. I 43 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 4: think the most of the community was sad that they 44 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 4: were leaving. When they did, because we saw structure, we 45 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 4: saw order, we saw things happening, we saw movement. We 46 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 4: were grateful they cleared our communities, all of the LA 47 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 4: survivor communities in less than six months, and they had 48 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 4: said they would do it in eighteen. We saw tremendous movement. 49 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 4: The federal government helped us through FEMA, through SBA, and 50 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 4: since then, you know, we launched our Long Term Recovery 51 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 4: Group and we are really really struggling to get anything 52 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 4: done throughout local government. So when the federal govern says 53 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 4: we want to come in and we want to help 54 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 4: streamline this and we want to support, you were elated. 55 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 3: Describe what it's been like for people trying to get 56 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 3: the permits. 57 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,640 Speaker 4: You know, it depends on where the location. You know, 58 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 4: we have hillsides and so it just really depends on 59 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 4: the actual land and what people are trying to do, 60 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:25,679 Speaker 4: whether their home was built in the nineteen fifties or 61 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 4: it was built several years ago. So the process has 62 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 4: been different for everyone. What we know is that we 63 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 4: were promised a two week streamlined process and that has 64 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 4: not been what we were promised. 65 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 3: That we do know, and when people get frustrated, do 66 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 3: they get a response from the city, or do they 67 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 3: get stonewalling or do they get rooted around you end 68 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 3: up in voicemail. Hell, I mean, what is the experience 69 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 3: like for people? 70 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 4: Well, John, I think you who deals with local government 71 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 4: day in and day out, you know what dealing with 72 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 4: the City of Los Angeles is like, and you report 73 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 4: on it every single day. I don't think I need 74 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 4: to tell you what it's like. We get the same 75 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 4: treatment that we've received from our city over the years, 76 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 4: and dealing with a humanitarian crisis is why would it 77 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 4: be any different? You would expect, you would hope, you 78 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 4: would pray that this disaster would bring in new resources, 79 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 4: but they haven't that. The city hasn't spent any funding 80 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 4: of their own funding on this disaster. Everything has come 81 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 4: from FEMA. So you have a city that's broke, that 82 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 4: doesn't have the resources or the skill sets to handle 83 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 4: this situation. How would they ever deal with it any 84 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 4: way differently than they deal with their daily operations. 85 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 2: What's insurance situation like? 86 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 4: Insurance? Well, we all have heard the term under insured 87 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 4: or uninsured. That is what it's like. What we've all 88 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 4: heard about, you know, the California Fair Plan and how 89 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:00,120 Speaker 4: it has been disastrous rather than being a godsend, and 90 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 4: for our communities, it's been disastrous. What we're very focused 91 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 4: on is helping resolve all of these issues. We have 92 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,280 Speaker 4: residents who have When we call a gap, you hear 93 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 4: the word this gap. How do we fill in this gap? 94 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 4: The only help we are getting are from the nonprofit 95 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:23,239 Speaker 4: the organization, the organizations like the American Red Cross, Global 96 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 4: Empowerment move and Salvation Are. We habitat for humanity on 97 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,239 Speaker 4: the ground every day, working with residents, trying to help 98 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 4: them fill these gaps and help bring them home. This 99 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 4: is why we need the federal government because we can't 100 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:38,919 Speaker 4: do it on our own. We need more funding. You 101 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 4: cannot rebuild Los Angeles without federal support. 102 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,280 Speaker 3: All right, Jessica, just stay right there. I'm going to 103 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:50,039 Speaker 3: get Jim crag on. Jim as with Palisades Long Term 104 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 3: Recovery Group. Jim, how are. 105 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,720 Speaker 1: You through it all right and having a good day 106 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: with us today? 107 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 4: Yeah? 108 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 2: All right? Talk about your reaction that Trump hasitioned this executive. 109 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: Order, Well, I think it applies to positive pressure on leadership. 110 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: I think I'm thirty years Army Special Operations, So what 111 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: I see as a lack of leadership and just the 112 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 1: strain of systemic failures from day one. It's systemic failures. 113 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 1: And the way you solve those failures is through strong 114 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: leadership and is bureaucratic as our city is. You know, 115 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: whatever you think about the mayor, it's got to be 116 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: strong leadership, planning, pressure on her people to solve those bottlenecks. 117 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: And if the pressure has to come from Washington, DC. Great. 118 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 3: Is it that you find you get non responses from 119 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 3: the city or is it they're constantly pushing back and denying, 120 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 3: or is it too slow? Like what is the relationship 121 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 3: that the average homeowner has trying to navigate this process? 122 00:06:55,600 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: It's being lost in the sauce, John. The people been 123 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: their applications and they wait and you don't get a 124 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: phone call, you don't get someone walking you through the process, 125 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: you don't get someone handholding you. You just get stuck. 126 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: And I've got ten four hundred and sixty families on 127 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: my roster, six thousand houses gone. Those are six thousand 128 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: families that don't know where. Is it going to take 129 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: three years, is it going to take one year? Is 130 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: my insurance going to pay for this? They are lost 131 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: and they don't have someone hold in their hand. And 132 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: that's our job, that's what we're trying to do. 133 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 3: The insurance is a really really overwhelming issue for a 134 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 3: lot of people. 135 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 2: From what they understand, it is. 136 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: It is and everybody is currently lost in insurance purgatory. 137 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: Right now, everyone's got their paperwork in and now the 138 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: insurance has given them some money. But now is when 139 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: the argument happens, and they argue and they go back 140 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: and forth and back and forth, and there's no set standard. 141 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,239 Speaker 1: You've got your standard, and you've got your attorney standard, 142 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: and they've got their standards, and it's just back and forth. 143 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: And that's where people lose faith. They lose faith. And 144 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: what's even worse is they get depressed. And our suicide 145 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: rate is going up. It is horrible. It's horrible, and 146 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: we see tiers on a daily basis. It's not just 147 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: a bunch of nameless numbers. These are six thousand families 148 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: who lost homes and four thousand families who are intoxic. 149 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: My home is a toxic home. And we're struggling, and 150 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: I'm leading this organization. I'm still struggling to understand where 151 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: we stand with our own insurance. 152 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:34,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, a lot of people were kicked off about two 153 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:39,080 Speaker 3: months before the fires happened, and they lost their insurance 154 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 3: coverage entirely, and they got thrown into the fair plan, 155 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 3: which pays out a fraction of the money. And this 156 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,080 Speaker 3: was all from a new deal that Newsome and Ricardo Lara, 157 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 3: the Insurance Commissioner, had made, and they thought they were 158 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:57,280 Speaker 3: going to be forcing the insurance companies to ensure people 159 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 3: in high risk areas, and instead they left these got off, 160 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 3: all loopholes open, and the insurance companies dropped thousands and 161 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 3: thousands of people, especially in the Palisades area. 162 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: They did. And what's the fix. My job as a 163 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: military man is to take people forward. There's people ended 164 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: up just like Jessica. Jessica lost her insurance. But what 165 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 1: can we do to move her forward? What can we 166 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: do to get her funding? What is the state doing 167 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: to get getting them funding? What is Newsom doing, what 168 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: is was Mayor Bass's office doing? And hey, if it's 169 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:35,599 Speaker 1: coming down from from President Trump, from Washington, d C. 170 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: I'm happy. Whatever you think about about any of them, 171 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: I'm just happy that there's something, there's a pressure being applied, 172 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: because we need a pressure applied to create a fix 173 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: so we can move these families forward and either get 174 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 1: them back into their houses or get them on with 175 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: their lives. 176 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 2: You need somebody to take action. 177 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 3: Can you hang on the line, and Jessica hang on 178 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 3: the line, happy to I want to continue. This really 179 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 3: is the most important thing. This is where you need 180 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 3: government to make people's lives better and easier when you 181 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 3: have this overwhelming tragedy, and Bass and Newsom have utterly failed. 182 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 3: Jessica Rodgers were talking with Jim Cragg their homeowners who 183 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 3: have suffered a lot since the fire. And the group 184 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 3: is the Palisades Long Term Recovery Group. More with Jessica 185 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 3: and Jim when we come back. 186 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 5: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI AM 187 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 5: six forty. 188 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 3: Trump signed an executive order, so the federal government is 189 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 3: going to take over the permitting process to streamline what's 190 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 3: become a massive bottleneck. From Karen Bass, Gavin Newsom has 191 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,319 Speaker 3: been of no help, and Trump's order is going to 192 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 3: preempt the local building permit process. And it calls out 193 00:10:55,520 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 3: the nightmare of delays and the bureaucratic malaise here in 194 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,839 Speaker 3: Los Angeles and at the state level, and we're talking 195 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 3: with Jessica Rogers. She lost everything and it's been a 196 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:10,720 Speaker 3: really awful struggle for a year. The insurance issue is 197 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:13,680 Speaker 3: a whole another huge burden. We're also been talking to 198 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 3: Jim Crag and the organization there with Palisades Long Term 199 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 3: Recovery Group. Jessica will put you on first again. The 200 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:23,679 Speaker 3: way we're set up, I got to take you one 201 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 3: at a time. Maybe I'm being really naive, but like 202 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 3: if I was running the world, I'd have a whole 203 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 3: new team hired, and each person would deal with let's 204 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 3: say a few blocks or a neighborhood where I would 205 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,959 Speaker 3: be the go to person, and then everybody in your 206 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 3: district would come to me, and we'd have a staff 207 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 3: for each of these little districts and just do rapid 208 00:11:52,840 --> 00:12:00,040 Speaker 3: fire processing for the permitting and somebody to somehow me 209 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 3: the relationship with the insurance company and what a fair 210 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:07,679 Speaker 3: claim would be. Is there anything like that with the city. 211 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 2: Of La. 212 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:14,080 Speaker 4: No I mean, just think of the fact that there's 213 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 4: over the sixty five hundred structures burned, and on a 214 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 4: block you've got less than one hundred homes. The city 215 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 4: can't even hire, you know, one additional police officer for 216 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 4: this community, or firefighter for that matter. So you think 217 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,440 Speaker 4: they're going to hire, you know, hundreds upon hundreds of 218 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 4: people to help us rebuild, it's not going to happen. 219 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,959 Speaker 4: They don't have the funding, nor do they have the 220 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 4: skill set or capacity to do so what we saw 221 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 4: happened when the Army Corps of Engineers came in. They 222 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 4: hired an overhead contractor who then hired five main organizations 223 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:59,960 Speaker 4: to oversee the process, and they maneuvered the sixty five 224 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 4: hundred lots and cleared them of all of the debris 225 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 4: in under six months. And they did it methodically. Each 226 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 4: home varied usually an average to a day or two. 227 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 4: When they were massive properties, that could take up to 228 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 4: five days for them to clear them. But they did 229 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 4: it very methodically, and I think that's what you're looking at. 230 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 4: But that requires an investment, and it requires clear organization 231 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 4: and structure like an Army Corps of Engineers, which we 232 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 4: don't have. There are companies who come in, you know, 233 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 4: when they rebuilt New York after nine to eleven, that's 234 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 4: what they did. They hired businesses who are capable of 235 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 4: coming in and helping us rebuild in that type of fashion. 236 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,479 Speaker 4: That's just not what we've seen here in Los Angeles. 237 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 3: Let's put Jim Craig back on the line here. Do 238 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:58,960 Speaker 3: you foresee that maybe the federal government taking over the 239 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 3: whole the whole situation here, I mean from May jessubscribed. 240 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,320 Speaker 3: It looks like that's eventually going to be necessary because 241 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 3: the bass in Newsom seemed to be incapable, inept, and 242 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 3: I don't think they care. 243 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 6: Is it necessary? Yes? 244 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 1: Is it realistic? I think there would be so much pushback. 245 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 1: But what's important is the pressure I think for the 246 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: federal government stepping in and doing something is going to 247 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: light the fire. It's going to put the fire in 248 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 1: their bellies. We need organizations to fix themselves and move forward. 249 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,640 Speaker 1: You don't have decisive leadership here. You have consensus leadership. 250 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: You have leadership through committee, and that's what bogs everything down, 251 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: and we need decisive leaders. 252 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 3: I don't see anything coming out of the LA City Council, right. 253 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,280 Speaker 3: I know you've got Tracy Park who's been a great 254 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 3: representative in your district, but you need the cooperation of 255 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 3: the other fourteen people on the city Council. 256 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 2: I'm not sure they care. 257 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 6: They are taking care of their folks, I get it, 258 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 6: I understand, but Tracy has been has been going hardcore 259 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 6: for us and we need more of that. 260 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 1: We need that all the way up the chain, and 261 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: the rest of the city really needs to realize what's 262 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 1: happening to us can happen in other areas and if 263 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: we can't prepare for it there, look at you have 264 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: to look at what's happened to us. And so that 265 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: the rest of the city needs to step up. And 266 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: again that comes from the mayor's office. And if it 267 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: doesn't come to the mayor's office, maybe maybe maybe it'll 268 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:36,520 Speaker 1: come from Washington. Let's all hope. 269 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 3: All right, Well, Jim Cragg, Jessica Rodgers, thank you for 270 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 3: coming on, keep in touch with us because we're not 271 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 3: going to light up on the coverage here. 272 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 4: Greatly appreciate your time, John today anytime, just let us know. 273 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 2: Thank you. 274 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 3: Trump said that Lee Zelden, the EPA administrator, is going 275 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 3: to be in charge of executing this executive order to 276 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 3: buy pass the local permitting process and cut through the 277 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 3: red tape once and for all, Trump told the California Post. 278 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 3: In fact, he signed this executive order in front of 279 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 3: a California Post reporter and Trump said, Lee is so competent. 280 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 3: I can't imagine anybody could have done it better. And 281 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 3: I think I think residents are going to be thrilled 282 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 3: that that somebody is trying to break the logjam. Of course, 283 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 3: what you got from Bass and Newsom is just they're 284 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:37,400 Speaker 3: they're insulted, and they're defiant, and I mean Newsom's he's 285 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 3: got a bunch of h deranged toddlers in the in 286 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 3: his press office. Somebody named Tara Diagos responded by calling 287 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:50,320 Speaker 3: him the president old clueless idiot who believes the state 288 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 3: and federal governments can issue local rebuilding permits and LA 289 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 3: gets its order. I Newsom and Bass haven't done anything 290 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 3: for the people here, and I don't have the time 291 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:07,119 Speaker 3: today to go through all the sentence they committed in 292 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:13,439 Speaker 3: allowing this fire to occur, the botched preparation, the botched response. 293 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 3: Botched isn't even a too kind of word. Just massively 294 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:26,160 Speaker 3: overwhelmingly incompetent and destructive. And you don't get any acknowledgment 295 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 3: of that. You just get one of these these these toddlers. 296 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 3: Tara Diegos having another hissy fit on how awful Trump is. 297 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:36,360 Speaker 2: He's the only guy who's uh. 298 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,120 Speaker 3: He's he got all the debrecleared six months, Army Corps 299 00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 3: of Engineer six months. Even the Army said it's going 300 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 3: to take eighteen and he said, no, got it done 301 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:48,480 Speaker 3: in six. That's got that has to happen here. Might 302 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 3: as well get on the team. Go with the uh 303 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:57,320 Speaker 3: person who's accomplishing something. But please keep up the Twitter insults. 304 00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 3: It's really dignified and entertaining more with Oh, when we 305 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:07,400 Speaker 3: come back, we're going to tell you about doctor Oz. 306 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 3: You played a clip of him. He is driving around 307 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:19,720 Speaker 3: and he found forty two get this fake hospice locations 308 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:23,920 Speaker 3: in a neighborhood here in the Los Angeles area. You're 309 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 3: not going to believe this clip. He's driving around with 310 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 3: one of his staff members describing this is another one 311 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 3: of these massive nonprofit scams. He says, apparently in one neighborhood, 312 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,440 Speaker 3: they're dying at seven times the rate of anywhere else 313 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,439 Speaker 3: because you have all these fake hospices that are empty. 314 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,400 Speaker 3: It's just like the childcare scam up in Minneapolis. I'll 315 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 3: play you that clip when we return. 316 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 5: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM 317 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 5: six forty. 318 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 3: We're on from one to four every day podcast. You 319 00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,879 Speaker 3: got to listen to it. Today two o'clock hour, John Alley, 320 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,800 Speaker 3: businessman talking about the dead bodies of MacArthur Park at 321 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 3: the bottom of the lake that Karen Bass and council 322 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 3: woman Unicius Hernandez does not want anybody to find. Yes, 323 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 3: real dead bodies tied to bicycles and wheelchairs, criminals, gang members, 324 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:20,440 Speaker 3: drug dealers, who knows what's there. Listen, listen to that 325 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,639 Speaker 3: a whole hour. You'll see we've played a doctor Oz 326 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 3: take yesterday. Meme Oz, who you know, had the is 327 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,960 Speaker 3: a surgeon, had the hit television show for years, ran 328 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 3: for Senate, ended up in the Trump cabinet, runs the 329 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:41,880 Speaker 3: Center for I Think Medicare Medicaid Services CMS it's called 330 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 3: and he's been putting out videos this week and they 331 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 3: are targeting California and Los Angeles for all this financial 332 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 3: fraud involving the Medicare Medicaid system. And what you're going 333 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 3: to hear now is something very simil mimilar to the 334 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 3: Somali scam involving childcare centers in Minneapolis. Remember that independent 335 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:13,440 Speaker 3: journalist Nick Shirley who went around and found one hundred 336 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 3: and ten million dollars worth of fraud in a day. 337 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 3: These were empty, fake childcare centers that had no childcare professionals, 338 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 3: no children, no playground equipment, some cases no furniture. They 339 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:35,480 Speaker 3: were like empty warehouse storefronts. Well, this is a similar 340 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:39,959 Speaker 3: situation where doctor Oz drove around Van Nice. You're not 341 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 3: going to believe this, So I want you to hear 342 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:47,960 Speaker 3: forty two hospice care facilities in a four block radius, 343 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 3: and it's all about the fraud. 344 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 2: Listen so you can see these are medical buildings. 345 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:58,159 Speaker 7: They've got surly writing, Russian Armenian writing on both sides. 346 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,679 Speaker 7: There's lots of action. 347 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:01,720 Speaker 1: It seems. 348 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:03,679 Speaker 7: I don't know how many patients are getting care, but 349 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 7: in this four block area in Los Angeles there are 350 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,119 Speaker 7: forty two hospices. So either there are a lot of 351 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 7: people dying here, or you've got a fraudlent activity that 352 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 7: is so good that everyone wants to. 353 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:16,239 Speaker 1: Get in on it. 354 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 7: I'm in ben NIC's in Los Angeles and this boarded 355 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:24,199 Speaker 7: up area above my head here is a big hospice center. 356 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:27,120 Speaker 7: There apparently quite a few hospices around here. Forty two 357 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 7: within a four block radius, and these guys stole sixteen 358 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 7: million dollars and seen carefully, the main guy went to 359 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 7: jail for two years stealing sixteen million dollars. Whi's a 360 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 7: good trade off for a lot of folks, and if 361 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 7: you look at it, it's pretty in the script there 362 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 7: wasn't anyone really in there. They weren't doing any services. 363 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,000 Speaker 7: They just got an address they could claim was a 364 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 7: hospice and then they ran the business claiming people were 365 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 7: at home getting services, which they really weren't. What we 366 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 7: have learned there's roughly three and a half billion dollars 367 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 7: of fraud taking place here in Law Angeles in hospice 368 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 7: and home cares. Run quite a bit of it by 369 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:07,800 Speaker 7: the Russian armedia. In mafia, you notice the lettering and 370 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:11,919 Speaker 7: language behind me is that dialect, and it also highlights 371 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 7: the fact that this is an organized crime mafia deal 372 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 7: where you've got folks who are systematically recruited doctors to 373 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:23,440 Speaker 7: write false prescriptions. You know, hundreds of doctors participating. They've 374 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,639 Speaker 7: got one hundred thousand patients who they've tricked or paid 375 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 7: to give them their beneficiary numbers so they can perpetuate 376 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 7: the fraud. And then the criminals are just running the 377 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 7: whole organization and quickly scurrying away when law enforcement does 378 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 7: get around to prosecuting them. Unfortunately, in California, there has 379 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 7: not been a lot of attention on these problems. That's 380 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 7: going to change. The US Attorney the FBI, everyone's now 381 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,880 Speaker 7: focused on the fact that in this state, which has 382 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,639 Speaker 7: about thirty billion dollars worth of home and community based services, 383 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 7: most of it might be fraudulent. Those are big numbers, 384 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 7: and we're taking it seriously. President's not going to tolerate 385 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:57,360 Speaker 7: this anymore. 386 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 2: Is going on, this is studying most of it's fraud. 387 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 3: It's thirty billion dollars in home healthcare services, hospice services 388 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 3: forty two in a four block radius. And this is 389 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:23,399 Speaker 3: Russian and Armenian organized crime mafia. Are these people come 390 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:29,400 Speaker 3: here legally or illegally? Nobody checks anything anymore. And all 391 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:35,359 Speaker 3: these people got all this paperwork approved, all their applications approved, 392 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 3: and they're bilking billions of dollars out of the federal 393 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:40,960 Speaker 3: government and out of the state. 394 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:42,480 Speaker 2: News. 395 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 3: Do we have an attorney general at the Attorney general 396 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:49,200 Speaker 3: has one job? Apparently I didn't know this. Rob Bante 397 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,119 Speaker 3: has one job. He sus Trump. He doesn't go more 398 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 3: in a day and a half without holding a press 399 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:57,439 Speaker 3: conference announcing he's a fifty third lawsuit against Trump. Meantime, 400 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:04,680 Speaker 3: you've got this situation going on. Where do they come from? 401 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 3: How do they do this without anybody noticing? How do 402 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 3: you end up with forty two hospice care facilities in 403 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:18,720 Speaker 3: four blocks without this making the news somehow the local 404 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:20,800 Speaker 3: residents Are they aware of this or is everybody in 405 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,480 Speaker 3: the neighborhood in on the scam. That's a lot of 406 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:26,160 Speaker 3: people dying in van Nis. 407 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:27,119 Speaker 8: A lot of people. 408 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:31,879 Speaker 3: I mean that's four because people go through hospice pretty quickly. 409 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 3: That's the last stop. 410 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 7: And. 411 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 8: Sometimes it takes a couple of months. 412 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, but at the most Yeah, so you cycle through fast. 413 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 3: So this has got to be thousands of these. 414 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:45,199 Speaker 2: Although you know. 415 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:47,080 Speaker 8: What I'm hearing though, a lot of people do go 416 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:51,479 Speaker 8: on hospice. They're not necessarily dying, but they're going on 417 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:53,920 Speaker 8: hospice so they don't have to be taken to the er, 418 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:58,120 Speaker 8: they don't go to doctors anymore. So hospice is it's 419 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 8: kind of changing, unfortunately, learning a lot about this, so 420 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 8: it's there's kind of two parts to hospice. 421 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 2: Right, They just keep you warm and comfortable until. 422 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 8: Yes, for years. It could even be depending on how 423 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:12,119 Speaker 8: ill somebody is. 424 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 2: I think I'd like to go to hospice now you would? 425 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 8: Yeah, don't keep me warm and comfortable. You don't want 426 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 8: to put that out there, John, You really don't. 427 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:27,400 Speaker 2: That's gonna sit in the room quietly. Wow. So there. 428 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,360 Speaker 3: And because there's so much federal money in this, you're 429 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,360 Speaker 3: gonna see there's gonna be more investigations. Do you hear 430 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:37,399 Speaker 3: anything from Gavin Newsom about this? This is happening in 431 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:39,719 Speaker 3: the city of Los Angeles. Is Karen Bass aware of this? 432 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 3: Does she do anything? Does anybody do anything about anything? 433 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 3: How Come there's never state investigations? How come the state 434 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:50,440 Speaker 3: attorney general has never has a press conference about this? 435 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:54,639 Speaker 3: He never seems to have an investigation. He's announcing this 436 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:58,560 Speaker 3: is the Kingdom of fraud. Sale was right. Newsom is 437 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 3: the fraud king. He's either connected to or overseas a 438 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,119 Speaker 3: gigantic network of fraud in so many different categories. Here's 439 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 3: a new one. We got the unemployment fraud. We got 440 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:10,760 Speaker 3: the high speed rail fraud, We've got the homeless fraud. 441 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,479 Speaker 3: Here we have medicare and medicaid fraud, fraud fraud, fraud, fraud. 442 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 3: We got the insurance disaster in the Palisades that Newsom 443 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 3: is directly responsible for with cal fart Lara. 444 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:24,920 Speaker 2: Everybody's been abandoned. 445 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 3: Our whole civilization here has been abandoned by the local 446 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:36,360 Speaker 3: and state governments. All right, we got something else when 447 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:40,000 Speaker 3: we come back from another one of these independent journalists. 448 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:43,160 Speaker 3: I love these guys. I have never seen such rich 449 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 3: stories being broken like is happening, especially in the last 450 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,640 Speaker 3: few months, by independent journalists who post their findings on 451 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:57,440 Speaker 3: social media. All the traditional media outlets are dead, are 452 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 3: just too lazy or too two immersed in propaganda and 453 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:07,040 Speaker 3: bias to do anything useful anymore. But the independent journalists, 454 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 3: you're finding incredible stories. And now I understand how all 455 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 3: these fraudsters have got away with what they got away 456 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,879 Speaker 3: with because all levels of government gave up. They facilitate 457 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,119 Speaker 3: the fraud. I know, the people in office, many of 458 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 3: them are getting a cut. And the media, which used 459 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 3: to be the watchdog, gave up. So if the government 460 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:28,879 Speaker 3: gives up and the media gives up, what do you 461 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,199 Speaker 3: got left? Well, we'll tell you another story. We're going 462 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:36,119 Speaker 3: to tell you the story of a fake winery, A 463 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:40,880 Speaker 3: well known congresswoman has a fake winery and somehow she's 464 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 3: worth millions of dollars for it. 465 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 2: Not making this up. That's next. 466 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:51,200 Speaker 5: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM 467 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 5: six forty. 468 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 3: John Cobel's Show, and we'll have the podcast released just 469 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 3: after four o'clock, and you want to listen, especially the 470 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 3: two o'clock hour for businessman John Alli describes the stories 471 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:10,639 Speaker 3: of perhaps people being tied to wheelchairs and bikes and 472 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:14,919 Speaker 3: dropped to the bottom of MacArthur Park Lake. And this 473 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:20,160 Speaker 3: is Fernandez, the councilwoman, and Karen Bass blocking a sonar 474 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 3: scan being done of the lake bottom because they don't 475 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:25,480 Speaker 3: want the world to find out what's. 476 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 2: Been going on. 477 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:29,560 Speaker 3: So that's in the second hour on the podcast, John 478 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:34,159 Speaker 3: Corbelt's show on demand. All right, so much fraud, so 479 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 3: little time. Benny Johnson is an independent journalist and he 480 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:43,720 Speaker 3: has investigated the following. Elhan Omar familiar with her. She's 481 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 3: the Somali American congresswoman from Minneapolis. She had connections to 482 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 3: some of the fraudsters there. Well, what Benny Johnson found 483 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:59,280 Speaker 3: out is that she has a California winery on her 484 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:03,200 Speaker 3: financial discs closure form and he published them online on 485 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 3: x and the winery name is listed as eest cru llc. 486 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 2: ST Crew. 487 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:16,480 Speaker 3: In twenty twenty three, it was valued at fifteen thousand dollars. 488 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 3: In twenty twenty four, it was valued at fifteen million dollars. Wow, 489 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 3: from fifteen excuse me, five million dollars, So it went 490 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,320 Speaker 3: from fifteen thousand to five million in a year. Had 491 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 3: that happen? The winery apparently does not exist. Johnson says, 492 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 3: there's no phone line, there's no physical winery. Their social 493 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:49,240 Speaker 3: media is dark, there's no wine, there's a barely functional website. 494 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 3: Omar's third husband, Tim MiNet, he says. Johnson says, it's 495 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 3: been accused of defrauding investors through this fake winery. He 496 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 3: was sued by the investors for millions because he says 497 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:06,680 Speaker 3: it's all fraudulent. And how does a non existent winery 498 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:09,200 Speaker 3: jump from fifteen thousand to five million in one year? 499 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:12,560 Speaker 3: How can Omar claim this fake company provides your millions 500 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 3: in assets. One of the wine labels that they made 501 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:22,880 Speaker 3: was called the Devil's Lie, and there ought to be 502 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 3: an investigation into that as well. You wonder how these 503 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:32,360 Speaker 3: congress people get mysteriously wealthy. And this is just the 504 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 3: stuff that random independent journalists are finding and posting. All right, 505 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:46,480 Speaker 3: we'll have more tomorrow, and we've got Conway coming up 506 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 3: in minutes, and we have Michael Krozer with the news 507 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 3: live in the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. Hey, you've 508 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 3: been listening to the John Cobalt Show podcast. You can 509 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 3: always hear the show live on KFI Am six forty 510 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 3: from one to four pm every Monday through Friday, of course, 511 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 3: anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.