1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,040 Speaker 1: I Am six forty. 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 2: You're listening to the John Cobelt podcast on the iHeartRadio app. 3 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:10,879 Speaker 2: Canf I Am six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: Welcome. 5 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 2: We're on again every day from one until four o'clock, 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 2: and then after four o'clock. Whatever you missed you could 7 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 2: listen to John Cobelt's show on demand. It's the podcast 8 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 2: also on the iHeart app. Tremendous amount to cover today. 9 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 2: How are we on, Tracy? She ready yet? 10 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: Her? 11 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,160 Speaker 2: Okay, They're going to let me know whatever. Tracy Park 12 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 2: is ready to come on. She's probably the busiest person 13 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 2: in the city of Los Angeles, the council woman for 14 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 2: the eleventh district along the West side, including Pacific Palisades. 15 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 2: I couldn't believe what was unfolding over the weekend. And 16 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 2: I can tell you having a as I mentioned, knowing 17 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 2: a fair number of people in the Pacific Palisades area 18 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 2: who are suffering from this. Everyone is if you could 19 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 2: be angry and depressed at the same time, they're angry 20 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 2: and depressed. And what's intensifying the anger and the depression. 21 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 2: It seems to be a complete lack of anybody in 22 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 2: government outside of Tracy knowing what the hell they're doing. 23 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: I mean, on Friday, I'm sorry, on Saturday night, Karen 24 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 2: bess Well, let me back up. On Friday, she said 25 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 2: that they were going to get rid of the checkpoints 26 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 2: leading to Pacific Palisades and they were going to open 27 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:30,960 Speaker 2: pch into Malibu. 28 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: That was on Friday. 29 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 2: By Saturday night, she reversed her decision because everybody spent 30 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 2: about thirty hours screaming and yelling and waving their arms 31 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 2: that this would be the nuttiest thing to do. I mean, 32 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 2: absolutely insane idea to take away really the California National Guard, 33 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 2: which had been banning the checkpoints, because if you take 34 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 2: away the checkpoints, the whole world could enter the palisides. 35 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 2: And we've got thousands of criminals here in Los Angeles 36 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,639 Speaker 2: who like to enter the Palisades and pick over whatever 37 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 2: treasures you're left and break into whatever homes haven't been 38 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 2: burned to the ground. I mean, if you saw this idea, 39 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 2: you're thinking, why are you completely out of your mind? 40 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 2: Do you know what's out there? Does she have any 41 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,239 Speaker 2: idea how many criminals live in the city and have 42 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,239 Speaker 2: lived in the city under her protection the last two years, 43 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 2: because her buddy George Gascone wouldn't prosecute anybody. Well, Tracy 44 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 2: Park and see Steve Soberoff, who was appointed by Bass 45 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 2: two weeks ago to lead the recovery. Both of them 46 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 2: said the same thing that opening the checkpoints was premature. Premature, 47 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 2: which is the polite political word for are you e 48 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 2: fing crazy? 49 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 3: Now. 50 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 2: I'm not gonna put words in anybody's mouth, but that 51 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 2: was my reaction. The Bass actually made Gavin Newsom look 52 00:02:56,919 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: like a hero, if you could believe it, because he 53 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:05,359 Speaker 2: offend the city to keep the National Guard going and 54 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 2: the California Highway Patrol LPD simply doesn't have enough officers 55 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 2: on a good day to govern Los Angeles normally. 56 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: There. 57 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 2: From what I've heard, they're about sixteen hundred officers short 58 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 2: of what they wanted to have. They have eighty six 59 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 2: hundred to man the city. They need ten thousand, two hundred, 60 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 2: which is what they had before Eric Carceti started taking 61 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 2: a knee in front of the Black Lives Matter protesters, 62 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: And they actually need about twelve thousand to handle the 63 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 2: Olympics coming up in three years, so they're way way 64 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 2: under staffed. If you want to hit that twelve thousand 65 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 2: officer mark. You have to increase the. 66 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: The staff by forty. 67 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 2: And now they've been on tactical alert since January seventh, 68 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 2: which means everybody is working long shifts without days off, 69 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 2: and I imagine every single officer is completely exhausted. But 70 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 2: if you're going to give them a break, you got 71 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 2: to replace him with somebody. And Bass just simply didn't 72 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 2: think this through. I understand she blurted this out during 73 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 2: one of those god awful Zoom meetings to the Palisades 74 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:33,840 Speaker 2: residents who thought just went into shock. Look, I told 75 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,479 Speaker 2: you I'd lived through some of this, these instant crime spreees. 76 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 2: Because when they shut the power off to my neighborhood, 77 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 2: and I'm about four or five miles from where the 78 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 2: fire hit. When they shut the power off to my neighborhood, 79 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 2: the looters took over. Within a couple of days, we 80 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 2: had seven robberies on my block. Seven robberies on my 81 00:04:55,720 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 2: block because it was completely dark, there was zero lighting, 82 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 2: there was no police presence, and some looters started breaking 83 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,239 Speaker 2: into homes. A lot of the homes were empty because 84 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 2: people had evacuated since they shut off the power. 85 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,119 Speaker 1: We were in a voluntary warning zone. 86 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 2: And that's that's the only reason we stayed behind in 87 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 2: the dark for eight days, is to to to keep 88 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 2: looters from breaking in. Well in the Palisades, there's since 89 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 2: the most of the homes are burned down, what are 90 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 2: people supposed to do? You can't even hide in your 91 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 2: house to try to ward off the looters. And not 92 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 2: every item in every home is been burned or melted. 93 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 2: There is a few treasures that can be recovered for 94 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,040 Speaker 2: some of the homes. Some of the homes are partially burned. 95 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 2: Some of the homes not burned at all, but there's 96 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 2: massive smoke damage in the like. 97 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: But you can't have looters running through there. 98 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 2: In Los Angeles is filled with looters because we have 99 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 2: a government that won't put them away. Now, I don't 100 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,280 Speaker 2: know what are you doing to us? What are they 101 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 2: doing to us? And does Karen Bess have anything left 102 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:10,359 Speaker 2: in her head? 103 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:15,039 Speaker 1: Anything? Any what would compel you to take out the 104 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: National Guard? Right now? 105 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 2: I just want to know how she came to that decision. 106 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 2: What was that conversation? Is everybody drinking? Why would you 107 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:25,920 Speaker 2: take out the. 108 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: National Guard when there's no power? 109 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 2: I am totally astonished and this is what's terribly depressing 110 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 2: because clearly she's not going to lead LA to the 111 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 2: rebuilt promised land. That's not going to happen. And we 112 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 2: got we got two more years of this. There are 113 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 2: some people and I worked for a person like this 114 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 2: and all said, somebody in my family was like this. Somehow, 115 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 2: some way, they always make the wrong decision. 116 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: I don't even know how they do it, you know, 117 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: not even you think. 118 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,239 Speaker 2: You know fifty to fifty odds, even if you flip 119 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:04,840 Speaker 2: a coin, fifty percent of the time you ought to 120 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 2: make the right decision. They just consistently make the wrong decision. 121 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:13,800 Speaker 2: And Karen Bass is one of those people. And I 122 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 2: do not understand. You know what I think it is. 123 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 2: I think she just wanted a headline to say, hey, 124 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 2: look at that La, But what's the stupid phrase they have? 125 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: LA strong? 126 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 2: That's right, La strong, and we're back on track in 127 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 2: four weeks. How about that four weeks, we've already lifted 128 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 2: the checkpoints and people go back to the Palisades and rebuild. 129 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: That's what she wanted. 130 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 2: It's kind of like the reason Joe Biden abruptly pulled 131 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 2: out of Afghanistan because he wanted to have a ceremony 132 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 2: in the twentieth anniversary of nine to eleven to say, well, 133 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 2: you're that well, you know, we've pulled out of Afghanistan 134 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 2: and it was a big success, and that's why he 135 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 2: removed the troops so quickly, and it ended up being 136 00:07:57,520 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 2: a fiasco. 137 00:07:58,320 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: It's the same thing here. 138 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 2: They want some quick wicky headline to erase the memory 139 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 2: of all the things that have gone wrong. Which I'll 140 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 2: talk about this in the next segment. The Los Angeles 141 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 2: Times suddenly is aiming for Pulitzer Prizes after all these years. 142 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 2: I cannot believe how they've snapped back and done real 143 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 2: investigative reporting. Honestly, I haven't seen this in many years 144 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 2: on something that matters, not on one of their weirdo 145 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 2: progressive projects, but on something that really matters. And suddenly 146 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 2: they're doing brilliant stuff. You know they want to get 147 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 2: they want to get an award. Well, fine, get an award. 148 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 2: I'll tell you though, what I read today is that well, 149 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 2: to some of the la whether it was the fire department, 150 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:57,319 Speaker 2: the police department, the emergency, the emergency command, they had 151 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,439 Speaker 2: the city itself had zero plan for something like this. 152 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: Zero. I don't know what people do all day. 153 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 2: I don't think a wildfire is that shocking to have 154 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 2: in Los Angeles or in southern California. But Los Angeles 155 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 2: was completely not only not prepared, just they've never given 156 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 2: a thought to it. They they there was there was 157 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 2: no system to say, Okay, uh, it's it's fire emergency. 158 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 2: Let's go to System A or System B or whatever 159 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 2: the manual say nothing. They had never planned for anything, 160 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,280 Speaker 2: and if they did, they're keeping it a secret because 161 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 2: nobody's talking. So I'm assuming the I'm assuming the worst. Uh, 162 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 2: we'll continue with this coming up. 163 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from kf I 164 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 4: AM six forty. 165 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 2: Tracy Park is gonna be on with us as soon 166 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:58,880 Speaker 2: as she's can, as soon as she can. She's in 167 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 2: an emergency eating now about this very situation, very serious 168 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 2: situation here. This seems to be chaos in Karen Bass's office, 169 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 2: in Karen Bass's head because over the weekend she decided 170 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 2: that she was going to reopen the Pacific Palisades and 171 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,839 Speaker 2: get rid of the checkpoints. This was on Friday. By 172 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 2: Saturday she did a one to eighty and said no, no, 173 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 2: we'll keep the checkpoints. Governor Newsom had to actually step 174 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 2: in and say, no, no, keep the checkpoints. We'll give you 175 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 2: the National Guard to carry on. I mean, they've been 176 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 2: here a while. They can just stay for a further 177 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 2: period of time and the CHP will continue staying as well. 178 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 2: But to pull out, to pull out of the checkpoints 179 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 2: because the police are over burn and need a break, 180 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 2: There's got to be another solution to that. I mean, 181 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 2: you can't just send the police home because the bad 182 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,120 Speaker 2: guys are going to steal every thing that hasn't burned 183 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 2: in the Palisades. And I cannot believe she didn't think 184 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 2: that through, and every everybody was screaming at her from 185 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 2: Tracy Park, you know, in their polite political way. Rick 186 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 2: Caruso weighed in and we're going to talk about more 187 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:19,319 Speaker 2: about him and what he's doing temper Europe in the mountains. 188 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: Are you aware of. 189 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,679 Speaker 2: Any evacuation system that goes on in the neighborhood, like 190 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:24,479 Speaker 2: what roots. 191 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:27,679 Speaker 1: To take out? No? Nope, like this, has there ever 192 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 1: been a meeting? 193 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 2: Has there ever been some kind of like zoom something 194 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:33,640 Speaker 2: to say, hey, if we have really bad fire, here's 195 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 2: how we're getting out. 196 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: Of the No. 197 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 5: In fact, no, in fact, a group of neighbors. I 198 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 5: think I mentioned this to you when the when the 199 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 5: fires were going on, we started our own kind of 200 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:50,440 Speaker 5: notification system, alerting everybody in this chat if we've heard anything. 201 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 5: But no, there was nothing. There was no formal, any 202 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,439 Speaker 5: kind of notification system for our area. 203 00:11:57,520 --> 00:11:58,679 Speaker 1: Well except for. 204 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:03,199 Speaker 2: The water story, right, the watch Duty, which is an 205 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 2: outside app which was collecting information that it was getting 206 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:10,800 Speaker 2: from the radio broadcast, the fire radio, and the police 207 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 2: radio that they were monitoring. Because reading this this La 208 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:20,080 Speaker 2: Times story today, it turns out everybody's on their own 209 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 2: if you're in the city of Los Angeles. And I 210 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,680 Speaker 2: can't speak for the other cities, but in Los Angeles 211 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,839 Speaker 2: you do not have And I don't mean this as hyperbole. 212 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 2: I don't mean this as a mister talk show host 213 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 2: going crazy here. I mean this literally, you have nobody 214 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,199 Speaker 2: who's going to help you out. You're you're you're totally 215 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 2: on your own. And it looks like it's been this 216 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 2: way for decades, which is the time. 217 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 1: I know this was. 218 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 2: Going to happen one day, with with all the bad 219 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 2: decisions and all so much of the infrastructure ignored for 220 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 2: so long, this was going to happen, and you know, 221 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 2: January seventh, twenty twenty five ended up being the day. 222 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 1: But man, the more I read. 223 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 2: According to Times today, they got an article by Melody 224 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:19,320 Speaker 2: Gutierrez Nathan Fenno page Saint John. It's very, very long, 225 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,959 Speaker 2: but I'll give you the most important parts. They wrote 226 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:29,360 Speaker 2: that decades of warnings that the Palisades three major roads 227 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:34,160 Speaker 2: coming out of the Highlands, which is that development north 228 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 2: of Sunset Boulevard, the three major roads were inadequate escape 229 00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 2: routes for the thousands of people living in the upper 230 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 2: reaches of the Palisades. Streets were gridlocked forty minutes before 231 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:53,080 Speaker 2: the first widespread evacuation order. People looked at their windows 232 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 2: and saw the smoke and the wind, and to care 233 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:02,679 Speaker 2: for themselves, they jumped in their car and got out. Now, 234 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:07,960 Speaker 2: the people who lived up there had been lobbying literally 235 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 2: for decades that there's got to be a better evacuation 236 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:17,040 Speaker 2: route than this. Roads had to be built a plan, 237 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 2: and for decades the city, all the mayors and the 238 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 2: city council ignored them. That's why when you hear somebody 239 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 2: like Karen Basco, well, you know, public safety is our 240 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:32,880 Speaker 2: first priority. 241 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: Stopped the lying. It was zero priority. 242 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 2: It wasn't even the top ten or top twenty issues 243 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 2: of importance. It was non existent. It didn't make the list. 244 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 2: As flames approached, firefighters and police told motorists to get 245 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 2: out of their cars and. 246 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 5: Run, which we saw on live TV. 247 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 2: And we had a woman on the air with us 248 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 2: who jumped out of her car while she was talking 249 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 2: to us because the cop was banging on her door, 250 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 2: woman named Kelly. She jumped out and she ran away. 251 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 2: The abandoned cars worsened the jam, so now the firefighters 252 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:24,080 Speaker 2: couldn't get through, and the residents trapped by the blocked 253 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 2: roads said they were forced to shelter in their homes, 254 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 2: which of course isn't a real good idea. And I'm 255 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 2: reading just that was a paragraph, and I'm thinking, well, 256 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 2: in that what paragraph it encapsulated a complete total breakdown 257 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 2: of planning and execution for something that was bound to happen. 258 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 2: They've got they've got stories here about individuals or families 259 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:02,239 Speaker 2: and how they were threatened in how they got out. 260 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 2: They look at the Schwartz family. The Swartz family has 261 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 2: lived for eleven years in Santa Ynez Canyon, and you 262 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 2: know there was a fire on New Year's Day, which 263 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 2: may have been the precursor to the big one. There 264 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 2: was the twenty twenty one Palisades Fire, the twenty nineteen 265 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 2: Getty and Palisades fires, the twenty eighteen Woolseley fire, and 266 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,680 Speaker 2: the Palisades were also hit. Going back to nineteen seventy 267 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 2: eight by the Mandeville Canyon fire. The Ally Times called 268 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 2: that fire Black Monday. Their house is two blocks from 269 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 2: the edge of the nineteen thirty eight wildfire that gutted 270 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 2: this canyon and other canyons. It says a long history 271 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 2: of fires in the region and a long history of 272 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 2: the residents saying, hey, we have no way to get out. 273 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 2: Of course, I don't think it ever in a place 274 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 2: like that. 275 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:04,760 Speaker 1: Where I live up at the hills. 276 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:08,679 Speaker 5: John There's maybe well. And my husband and I were 277 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 5: having conversations about this during during the wildfires, because I said, 278 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:16,159 Speaker 5: if we have to go, we can't go this way, 279 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 5: which is one way, because there's no way. 280 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: It would be so. 281 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 5: Everybody would go that way, we'd never get out, and 282 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 5: then the other way. Because we live up in the hills, 283 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:29,040 Speaker 5: they're they're very narrow roads. But we kind of devised 284 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,359 Speaker 5: a plan Okay, this is the street we're going to 285 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:33,400 Speaker 5: go to because most people are going to go here. 286 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 5: And I think that's what you have to do. Like 287 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 5: you said, you're on your own. You've got to figure 288 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 5: out this stuff because you're you're You can't you can't 289 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 5: depend on anybody. 290 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 2: No, no, because nobody in government cares for all the 291 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 2: millions and millions and billions and billions of tax dollars 292 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 2: everybody pays. When it came down to it, Karen Best 293 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:57,879 Speaker 2: never bothered to put a plan together. Neither did that 294 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:01,960 Speaker 2: fire chief Kristen Crowley. Neither did the city city council, 295 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 2: or the police chief or anybody. Nobody put a plan 296 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:09,160 Speaker 2: together to rescue you. You were left to burn and 297 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 2: die in the Palisades, and it could happen to any 298 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:18,639 Speaker 2: of us. Just know that the city their plan is 299 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 2: to let you burn and die. 300 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:23,440 Speaker 1: I mean, this is astonishing. 301 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 2: Here. 302 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:26,400 Speaker 1: We'll do more when we come back. 303 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI A 304 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:32,280 Speaker 4: six forty. 305 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: We're on from one. 306 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,640 Speaker 2: Until four every day and then after four o'clock John Cobelt's. 307 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: Show on demand on the iHeart app. 308 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:43,919 Speaker 2: All right, we're going through in La Times another investigative 309 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:47,400 Speaker 2: peace on everything that went wrong, the reaction. 310 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: It's fair to say that the City. 311 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,880 Speaker 2: Of La the La Fire Department, the La City well, 312 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 2: the police department, everybody had no plan for this, even 313 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 2: though on January second they started getting extreme fire warnings 314 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:08,159 Speaker 2: from the National Weather Service. There is absolutely not a 315 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 2: whiff of a plan to deal with a potential fire. 316 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:17,960 Speaker 2: And it's actually, really it's really depressing because there never 317 00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 2: was a plan. 318 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: So The Times kind of, well The Times. 319 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,399 Speaker 2: What they did is went through a minute by minute 320 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:31,359 Speaker 2: analysis of what happened. Because the fire was first noticed 321 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:35,920 Speaker 2: about ten twenty five, ten twenty nine, the first emergency 322 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:39,520 Speaker 2: call goes in on nine to one one by eleven twelve, 323 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 2: so we're talking about now about forty five minutes. Forty 324 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 2: five minutes later. Many residents are already packing cars. They're 325 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:55,919 Speaker 2: a step ahead of the Palisades Incident Command. This is 326 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 2: the central nerve center set up at the bottom of 327 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 2: the canyon on Palisades Drive. What I read is like 328 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:08,160 Speaker 2: three SUVs. That's what the incident command center is. Three 329 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 2: SUVs drive up and they have all the communications equipment 330 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:14,960 Speaker 2: and they keep moving depending on where the flames are going. 331 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:19,359 Speaker 2: And they can see what's happening on the slopes. 332 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,920 Speaker 1: Now, whatever planning. 333 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,359 Speaker 2: Documents they have call for LAPD to take charge of 334 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:31,160 Speaker 2: disaster evacuations. The police supposed to alert the residents, drive 335 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 2: up and down the street with the loudspeakers on or 336 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:36,159 Speaker 2: bang on doors if they have to, and then to 337 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 2: route the traffic and convert congested rows roads to one 338 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:41,159 Speaker 2: way flow. 339 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 1: To keep people moving. 340 00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 2: But when there's a raging brush fire, and if you're 341 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 2: within thirty minutes of danger, it's the fire department that's 342 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:56,439 Speaker 2: supposed to take over evacuation. You follow this, it's the 343 00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 2: police department. Unless the fire is moving really fast, then 344 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 2: it's the fire department. 345 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:06,119 Speaker 1: But nobody evacuated these people. 346 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,200 Speaker 2: Forty seven minutes after the fire had started, and nine 347 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 2: minutes after warning the residents that they might have to leave, 348 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 2: they sent a phone message. The command post tells dispatchers 349 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 2: that there are no orders to leave. We are not 350 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 2: evacuating residents at this time. We're in the process of 351 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 2: putting that piece together. But people aren't waiting. They're packing 352 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 2: their cars and getting out. Can you imagine the fire 353 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 2: officials at the command post are going, you know, yeah, 354 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,239 Speaker 2: we're gonna have a meeting on this, and you know, 355 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 2: but way all get on zoom together and see meantime, 356 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:53,720 Speaker 2: everybody's spreaking out and grabbing whatever stuff they can and 357 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 2: their family members and their pets, and they're jumping in 358 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 2: cars and they're all trying to come down the hill 359 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 2: at the same time. But there's no official evacuation notice yet. 360 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,119 Speaker 2: People are using their own eyes. They're not waiting for 361 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:13,400 Speaker 2: the bureaucracy. Since the nineteen seventies, the Pacific Palisades Community Council. 362 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,040 Speaker 2: Community councils are made up of local residents and business owners. 363 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 2: Every section of town has one of these. They have 364 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:28,399 Speaker 2: no direct power, they're an advisory committee. So since the 365 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:32,919 Speaker 2: seventies we're talking now, fifty years, the council has repeatedly 366 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:37,959 Speaker 2: warned lawmakers and planning departments that the strangled evacuation routes 367 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 2: in the Palisades are a serious risk to lives in 368 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 2: public safety. Fifty freaking years, these people have been telling 369 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:52,360 Speaker 2: the blockheads that run this city, hey, there's no way 370 00:22:52,359 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 2: out of here. And they've had repeated fires. Even after 371 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,399 Speaker 2: a nineteen seventy eight firestorm, this was the Mendeville fire 372 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 2: swept the same canyon burned thirty homes. News accounts and 373 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 2: campaign contribution records show that housing developers used influence with 374 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 2: state lawmakers and the la City Council to negotiate exemptions 375 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:23,760 Speaker 2: to growth limits. 376 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 1: You had to translate that. 377 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 2: The housing developers bribed state legislators and bribed city council 378 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 2: members so that they could keep building in high fire 379 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 2: danger zones. And they did, and people bought the homes. 380 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 2: So you had the council saying, hey, this is really dangerous, 381 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:51,680 Speaker 2: there's no way out of here, and the council men 382 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:53,440 Speaker 2: and women at the time go, oh, yeah, you're right, 383 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 2: you know this is really dangerous. We've got to do something. Meantime, 384 00:23:56,240 --> 00:24:02,840 Speaker 2: they're getting cash like crazy from the developers. Nobody at 385 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:06,800 Speaker 2: the city council ever looked out for you, and nobody 386 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 2: in the state legislature ever looked out for you. What 387 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:14,800 Speaker 2: they did is they took money so that you can 388 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 2: remain in danger in your neighborhood. Development is a political thing, 389 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:25,840 Speaker 2: a fire chief told the residents' council in twenty sixteen, 390 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:28,120 Speaker 2: and listen to this advice. 391 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: In twenty sixteen, he said Palisades residents should. 392 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:39,240 Speaker 2: Stay put during an emergency once fire engines arrived, because 393 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 2: evacuees on the roads would only compromise the official plan. 394 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:47,359 Speaker 2: I mean he did know that everybody was going to 395 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,359 Speaker 2: evacuate at once and the firefighters couldn't get up there. 396 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 2: But telling you to stay in your house. How many 397 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:00,160 Speaker 2: people would have died if they'd listened to this guy 398 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 2: because he neglected to mention that the fire hydrants weren't 399 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:10,200 Speaker 2: going to work and that the reservoir would be bone 400 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 2: dry empty. You imagine this, The reservoir is empty, the 401 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,400 Speaker 2: fire hydrants don't work, and in twenty sixteen, this fire 402 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 2: chief is saying, hey, I better stay in your home. 403 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 1: You don't want to clog up the roots. Wow. 404 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:27,160 Speaker 2: In twenty twenty three, there was a city traffic officer 405 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 2: who told the residence council, how'd you love that they've 406 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 2: had all these meetings for fifty years and all the 407 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:39,199 Speaker 2: warnings have been given out. Everybody knows exactly what's gone wrong. Well. 408 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:41,639 Speaker 2: In twenty twenty three, the city traffic officer said, the 409 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 2: bottom roads are so congested that the police department can't 410 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,439 Speaker 2: even run speed traps on them. Yeah, that's why we 411 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:50,880 Speaker 2: have a police department to run speed traps. They looked 412 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:55,359 Speaker 2: at the meeting minutes, and this traffic officer assured the 413 00:25:55,359 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 2: board that in the event of an evacuation, motorcycle officers 414 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,800 Speaker 2: would be used in great to direct people out in 415 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,639 Speaker 2: the safest manner to avoid the traffic snarls. It's like, 416 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 2: don't worry, we got a whole fleet of motorcycle officers 417 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 2: and they'll take you on. 418 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:11,680 Speaker 1: A route somehow somewhere. 419 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 2: There were no motorcycle escorts for the residents during the 420 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:22,160 Speaker 2: Palisades fire. Disaster planning software that they developed at Old 421 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:27,400 Speaker 2: Dominion University. This software analyzes roads, populations, and traffic patterns 422 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 2: to estimate the time needed to get people safely out. 423 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 2: And they calculated evacuation time for the Palisades Highlands to 424 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 2: be five hours and ten minutes. And that's without a 425 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:44,280 Speaker 2: fire cutting off the exit routes. And that's with half 426 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 2: the main roads converted to one way flow. In reality, 427 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,400 Speaker 2: in the Palisades on January seventh, the people had less 428 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 2: than an hour before the evacuation routes became impassable and 429 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 2: people had to flee their cars so they wouldn't roast 430 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:05,879 Speaker 2: alive inside them. Yeah, but the planning software said you 431 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 2: got five hours, wow, total disaster Theena. They've been wrong, 432 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:18,800 Speaker 2: and they've been wrong consistently on everything for fifty years. 433 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:24,280 Speaker 2: And we haven't even gotten to the fire, hydrants being 434 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 2: broken and no water in the reservoir, which we'll get 435 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:36,400 Speaker 2: to at another time, not right now, coming up after 436 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 2: two o'clock. What I got coming up after two o'clock. 437 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:42,359 Speaker 2: I know, I know we've got something really good coming. 438 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:48,239 Speaker 2: And Oh Vianueva, right, Alex Vianueva is going to come 439 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:53,280 Speaker 2: on to talk about Well, here's more about ungovernable, lawless 440 00:27:53,359 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 2: Los Angeles. We've got thousands of people in downtown LA 441 00:27:57,119 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 2: yesterday shutting down the one on one illegal immigration. 442 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 1: Nobody did anything about it. 443 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:09,639 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM 444 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 4: sixty Los Angeles. 445 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:16,440 Speaker 2: The city without laws yesterday over the weekend. Rather, yes, 446 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:20,520 Speaker 2: this was on Sunday, thousands of people shut down the 447 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:26,119 Speaker 2: one on one to protest Trump and his deportations. Seems 448 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,199 Speaker 2: like that would have been fertile ground for ice and 449 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 2: talk to Alex being away. Then I understand there was 450 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 2: another demonstration today as well, So please didn't do anything yesterday. 451 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 2: Let's get I was talking about the Only Times had 452 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 2: a story today a complete failure by the city of 453 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:52,600 Speaker 2: Los Angeles for fifty years to prepare an evacuation process 454 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 2: for those who live in the Palisades and the Palisades Highlands. 455 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 2: Since the nineteen seventies, the local town, the local community council, 456 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 2: has been begging the police and the fire department in 457 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:09,080 Speaker 2: the city for a plan and have gotten nothing. And 458 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 2: the morning of the big fire on on January seventh, 459 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:18,000 Speaker 2: it was just chaos. David Howard's a sales manager here 460 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 2: at KFI and for iHeart and we had him on 461 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:23,040 Speaker 2: a few weeks ago because he he lost his whole house, 462 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 2: he and his family, and uh, he's been in the mix, 463 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 2: in the in the thick of things in the Palisades 464 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 2: to try to see what's going on. 465 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 1: David, are there? 466 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 3: Hey, John, how are you? 467 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:38,160 Speaker 1: I'm doing all right? How are you doing? 468 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 3: We're doing okay, you know, day of time. But you know, 469 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 3: just listening to you, you know, it just gets me 470 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 3: so fired up, no pun intended, because everything that you're 471 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 3: sharing with our all the listeners is to see it 472 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:58,200 Speaker 3: happen on the ground in our neighborhoods. It's just really 473 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,720 Speaker 3: hard to comprehend the the lack of any kind of 474 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 3: leadership and any kind of plan put in place. On 475 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 3: Saturday when when Bass ordered the palisades to open up, 476 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 3: the amount of people that came out and just I 477 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 3: mean the firestorm again, I'm going to use these words 478 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:22,280 Speaker 3: of dissent was massive and we went into action, and 479 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 3: thank god, we were able to have enough influence that 480 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:28,800 Speaker 3: we stopped the bad guys from coming into town. There's 481 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 3: people that they haven't even seen their homes yet, and they're. 482 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:33,720 Speaker 1: Like, what in God's name was she thinking of? 483 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:38,800 Speaker 2: What was she thinking to lift the security checks? That 484 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 2: that's insane, literally insane, not sure. 485 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:45,120 Speaker 3: The only good news about it is whenever these things 486 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 3: happen in these miss she makes these decisions, all it 487 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 3: does is bring everybody together that much more. And it 488 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 3: was evident by the result that happened. And I can 489 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 3: tell you about sharing names, but you can probably figure 490 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 3: out who some of these people are. There was a 491 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 3: lot of pressure put on the state because the city 492 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:07,160 Speaker 3: is just not capable of handling this event. They're just 493 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 3: not And there's a lot going on behind the scenes, 494 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 3: and we're going to continue to do the right thing 495 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 3: to make sure that people are protected and safe and 496 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 3: the property and you know that it just doesn't get 497 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 3: into the wrong hands. 498 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 2: It's awfully difficult when you don't have anybody to rely 499 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 2: on in city government. 500 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:26,280 Speaker 1: Here. 501 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:29,560 Speaker 3: You know, I have a story for you and this 502 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 3: is the God's honest truth. The day after the fire, 503 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:35,920 Speaker 3: on the eighth of January, I shared with my wife. 504 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,600 Speaker 3: I said, you know, my biggest concern is not the 505 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:41,479 Speaker 3: fact that our house burned down. I was very concerned 506 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 3: that our town burnt down. But my biggest concern, and 507 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 3: it's coming, it's happening as we speak, was that the 508 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 3: local city government under Karen Bass's leadership, would not be 509 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:55,240 Speaker 3: able to handle this. And it doesn't put anybody in 510 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 3: a position of any kind of confidence or because it's 511 00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:03,000 Speaker 3: not there, not there, and it's you know, we pay 512 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 3: a very disapportioning amount of Texas, which I'm happy to 513 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 3: pay all day long, but I'm not happy to pay 514 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 3: it if we get no services as part of that payment. 515 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 3: Another thing I just wanted to show with you real quick. 516 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:19,160 Speaker 3: I heard the story that the insurance companies and you 517 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:22,800 Speaker 3: know which ones, have been canceling people for you know, 518 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:26,120 Speaker 3: literally people are getting canceled. The month of January, the 519 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 3: insurance companies had actuaries visiting the Palisades in twenty twenty four. 520 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 3: The insurance companies knew that there was no water in 521 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:38,120 Speaker 3: the reservoirs. They knew that the brush was completely overgrown, 522 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 3: so they started doing, you know, to protect their business, like, 523 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:45,720 Speaker 3: we can't afford to ensure people here. It's just not 524 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,960 Speaker 3: a good business decision. And it makes sense. How does 525 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 3: the insurance companies send actuaries and know that that's the case, 526 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 3: but the city can't get ahead of it to put 527 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 3: water back in the reservoirs. 528 00:32:57,360 --> 00:32:58,240 Speaker 1: How is that possible? 529 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:06,720 Speaker 2: That's astonishing that the actuaries knew there was no water 530 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 2: in the reservoirs, and so that's why the insurance was 531 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 2: being cut to so many people. 532 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:16,400 Speaker 1: I guess, oh my god, all you need to. 533 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 3: Do is do a fly, fly a drone over the brush, 534 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:21,120 Speaker 3: and fly a drone over the reservoirs and boom, there 535 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:25,000 Speaker 3: you go. We can't afford to ensure this stuff. And 536 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:26,440 Speaker 3: then the other thing I just want to share and 537 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 3: get up my chest because nowhere on a limited time 538 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 3: here is if you remember the town hall that Trump 539 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:35,400 Speaker 3: had at fire Station sixty nine one, of the residents 540 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 3: brought up the fact that they were very concerned that 541 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 3: the federal money being issued to help with the disaster relief, 542 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:46,080 Speaker 3: both for Altadena and for Pacific Halisades could possibly end 543 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 3: up in the wrong hands. You remember that, and Trump's reaction, 544 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:52,920 Speaker 3: which was the right reaction, said that they were going 545 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 3: to name somebody to make sure that there's oversight on that. 546 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:57,720 Speaker 3: We have still yet to hear. I have not heard 547 00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:00,560 Speaker 3: who that person is, but I can tell you that 548 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:04,200 Speaker 3: the residents are very concerned that that money gets put 549 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 3: in the wrong bucket and doesn't go to what it's 550 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 3: supposed to go to. 551 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,919 Speaker 2: Well, we're gonna stay on top of that, I promise you, 552 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 2: because you need we need the money. 553 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:17,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, the money. You help me. 554 00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:20,080 Speaker 2: You let me know what you hear, because I have 555 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:23,080 Speaker 2: seen nothing on on who was going to be I 556 00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:26,160 Speaker 2: think they called it a special master, uh and and 557 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:30,319 Speaker 2: have that money put in the hands of some independent 558 00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:36,360 Speaker 2: person who uh can can protect it from being stolen 559 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:39,040 Speaker 2: basically by the city city and misspent. 560 00:34:40,160 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 3: That's right, or general nobody, whatever you want to call it. 561 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:46,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, oh yeah, the general fund. That's a that's a 562 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:49,600 Speaker 2: black hole. It's just get sucked a win. All right, yeah, 563 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:51,719 Speaker 2: all right, David, I got to doing the news. Thank 564 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,080 Speaker 2: you for coming on again and and anything you know, 565 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:55,680 Speaker 2: let us know and put you on anytime. 566 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: All right. 567 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,520 Speaker 3: Well, h well, John, talk to you soon. Thank you. 568 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 2: David Howard, he's sales manager here at KFI and iHeart. 569 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 2: All right, well we come back, get alex Vina Wava 570 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:10,839 Speaker 2: on the former sheriff thousand. Meantime, thousands of people who 571 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:13,319 Speaker 2: are not American citizens shut down the one on one 572 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 2: yesterday and nobody stopped them. Angry that all the illegal 573 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:22,000 Speaker 2: aliens are getting deported by Trump. That's next. Deborah Marcus 574 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:24,359 Speaker 2: live in the KFI twenty for our newsroom. Hey, you've 575 00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:26,879 Speaker 2: been listening to the John Cobalt Show podcast. You can 576 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:29,680 Speaker 2: always hear the show live on KFI AM six forty 577 00:35:29,719 --> 00:35:32,239 Speaker 2: from one to four pm every Monday through Friday, and 578 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 2: of course anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app