1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:02,040 Speaker 1: Can't. 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 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Strap yourself in. 4 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 2: We're on every day from one until four after four 5 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 2: o'clock John Cobelt Show on demand on the iHeart app. 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: We have obviously a lot to do. 7 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 2: Los Angeles Times has another story about the lack of 8 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 2: fire response in the Palisades before the fire took off. 9 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 2: Yesterday we brought you the writings of Michael Schellenberger. In fact, 10 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 2: we had Michael on the air in the two o'clock 11 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 2: hour and it's still worth listening to that. On the 12 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 2: podcast from yesterday, Michael had talked to a forty year 13 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 2: veteran of an LA He's an LA County firefighter. Had 14 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 2: to remain anonymous, so don't know exactly which agency he 15 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 2: worked for, but he said clearly a lot could have 16 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 2: been done to position fire engines and fire personnel in 17 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 2: the Palisades and other threatened areas. And he went into 18 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 2: great detail. And here on second day in a row, 19 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 2: a similar story from the Los Angeles Times. They have 20 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 2: three writers. I'll read you the first paragraph. As the 21 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 2: Los Angeles Fire Department faced extraordinary warnings of life threatening wins. 22 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 2: Top commanders decided not to assign for emergency deployment a 23 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 2: thousand available firefighters and about forty water carrying engines in 24 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 2: advance of the fire that destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades. 25 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 2: I think we have to remember as you hear all 26 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 2: the excuses and the lies coming from various officials, and 27 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 2: that's all they are excuses and lies. They're covering up 28 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 2: their ass. They don't want to be publicly vilified, they 29 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: don't want to be forced out of their jobs. They 30 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,519 Speaker 2: don't want to end up in a criminal indictment. So 31 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 2: you understand what's going on here. They're not telling the truth, 32 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 2: and they may never tell the truth themselves. 33 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: So it is up. 34 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 2: This is where it's good to see the Ally Time 35 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 2: snack back into action as a normal newspaper instead of 36 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 2: some left wing propaganda rag. This is what the Times 37 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 2: always should have been doing. This is what Michael Schellenberger does. 38 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 2: There was a thousand firefighters and about forty engines they 39 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 2: could have sent in advance, but fire officials chose not 40 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,239 Speaker 2: to the way it would have worked is you order 41 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 2: the firefighters to remain on duty for a second shift 42 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 2: last Tuesday as the winds were building. Remember we got 43 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 2: the first extreme fire warnings from an aptional weather Service 44 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 2: on the Thursday previous on the second, and then the 45 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 2: National Weather Service kept increasing the intensity of the warnings 46 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 2: until they were out of descriptive words extreme fire danger. 47 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 2: We'll just leave it at that, but that they added 48 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:28,360 Speaker 2: more superlatives on top, trying to get everyone's attention. And 49 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 2: as we know, Karen Bass responded to an extreme fire 50 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 2: danger warning by packing your bags and hopping on a 51 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 2: plane to Africa. Well, fire officials responded by not putting 52 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 2: one thousand available firefighters into action and not putting forty 53 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 2: engines available into action. They staffed only five of the 54 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 2: forty engines that are available to help help in battling wildfires. 55 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 2: This is according to records obtained by The Times. So 56 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 2: this is in writing black and white and interviews with 57 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 2: fire department officials and former chiefs who know how the 58 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 2: city operates. The department only started calling up more firefighters 59 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 2: and deploying those extra engines after the Palisades fire was 60 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 2: burning out of control. And the writers on this are 61 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 2: Paul Pringle, Dakota Smith, and Aline check Midian. So credit 62 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 2: to them for doing this investigation. No extra engines had 63 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 2: been placed in the Palisades when the fire broke out 64 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 2: at ten thirty. The department had pre possessioned nine engines 65 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 2: to the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood because those engines 66 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 2: were already on duty and for some reason they thought 67 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 2: that fires might break out there, but not in the Palisades. 68 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: I don't understand. 69 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 2: Obviously they should have engines in Hollywood and the Valley, 70 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 2: but they should have been in the Palisades too, and 71 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 2: other places. We told you yesterday that the La Fire Department, 72 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 2: and this is criminal, is severely understaffed and underfunded. We 73 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 2: only have half the firefighters that we should for our population. Half. 74 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 2: We have fifty percent of a fire department. And this 75 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 2: has been going on forever. You look at the last 76 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 2: twenty years under Viragos, Garcetti and Bass, and it's been 77 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:53,919 Speaker 2: twenty years of absolute mismanagement and stupidity and neglect. You 78 00:05:54,000 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 2: do it long enough and this happens. There were forty 79 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 2: engines that existed, they put out five. There were one 80 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 2: thousand available firefighters. They put out none of those. We 81 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 2: were warned repeatedly that Karen Bash's handling things from Africa, right, 82 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,359 Speaker 2: and Gavin Newsom was constantly lying to us saying we 83 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 2: have our assets, our resources prepositioned. No you didn't, you 84 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 2: big you liar, bald faced, pathological cycle liar Gavin Newsom. 85 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 2: Fire department officials keep saying, well, we had cuts in 86 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 2: the budget, low water levels. That leads us to the 87 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 2: Department of Water and Power, which left the one hundred 88 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 2: and seventeen million gallon reservoir empty in the Palisades. Now 89 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 2: there's a lawsuit in that regard, and we are going 90 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 2: to talk to Patrick McNicholas next hour from the law 91 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 2: firm of mc nicholas and McNicholas, and they are filing 92 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 2: a lawsuit along with other law firms. And no, is 93 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 2: this the one against the utilities? What about the one 94 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 2: against the Palisades? All right, this is the one against utilities, 95 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 2: So take that back. But there's another there's a lawsuit 96 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 2: against the Palisades and they're claiming that the city was 97 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 2: criminally was negligent here and that they kept the they 98 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 2: kept the reservoir empty as a cost cutting move. 99 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: I'll get to that in a minute. Now, back to the. 100 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 2: Forty engines that weren't sent out and the thousand firefighters 101 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 2: that weren't sent out for the second shift on Tuesday. 102 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 2: The fire chief Kristin Crowley, and I'm starting to wonder 103 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 2: about her. I haven't said much about her because I 104 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 2: wait to get the evidence, but there's something not right 105 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 2: here either. She defended the agency's decisions, saying that the 106 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 2: command had to be strategic with limited resources while continuing 107 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 2: to handle regular nine to one one calls. She said 108 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:12,119 Speaker 2: the number of calls doubled from a typical day because 109 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 2: you had high winds downing trees and power lines. By 110 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 2: the way, half the calls, half the fire calls are 111 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 2: for homeless people starting fires. So this leads back to 112 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 2: Karen Baths. The homeless people should have been swept off 113 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 2: all public lands many years ago because they start a 114 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 2: lot of fires, and the firefighters time and energy and 115 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 2: money is consumed by putting out all the bumfires, by 116 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 2: putting out the fire set by drug addicts and mental patients. 117 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: You see how all this is intertwined. 118 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 2: It's like how Prop forty seven caused a tremendous amount 119 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 2: of homelessness, a tremendous amount of theft, a tremendous amount 120 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 2: of public drug addiction, well, here another vicious circle. All 121 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 2: the homeless fires occupy the time and the money that 122 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 2: the fire department needs for other things, and they're only 123 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 2: given half the money that they that they need to 124 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 2: begin with. And then out of that fifty percent that 125 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,440 Speaker 2: they're given by the idiots that run the city, they 126 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 2: got to spend a lot of. 127 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: It putting out bump fires. 128 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:33,720 Speaker 2: Several former chiefs with deep experience in LAFT tactics said 129 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 2: of the more than forty available engines said most of 130 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 2: the most of the more than forty available engines could 131 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:46,199 Speaker 2: have been pre deployed to the fire zones before the 132 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:51,719 Speaker 2: Palisades blaze started, and others could be kept at stations 133 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 2: to help with the increase in none to one one calls. 134 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 2: That's the answer. See Kristin Crowley gave a bad answer. 135 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 2: I don't know if it's truthful or notough, but it's bad. 136 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 2: If the nine to one to one calls are increasing, 137 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 2: all the more reason to keep the firefighters on a 138 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 2: second shift and send them out to the fire prone areas. 139 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 2: Do we have to have a degree in fire science 140 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 2: to figure that out? LAFDE Battalion Chief former Battalion Chief 141 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 2: Rick Crawford said, the plan that you're using now for 142 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 2: the fire, you should have used before the fire. And 143 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 2: now this is intriguing. Over the past several days, Crowley 144 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 2: and other officials have given The Los Angeles Times varying 145 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 2: accounts of how many engines were available. Oh, when you 146 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:51,600 Speaker 2: start getting into changing stories, now you know you're onto something, right. 147 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 2: An internal document obtained by The Times, a planning document 148 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 2: from a source, showed that the apartment had said no 149 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 2: to deploying an additional nine engines to fire prone areas. 150 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,560 Speaker 2: They're known as ready reserve engines. So they actually have 151 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:14,079 Speaker 2: a document where someone in the fire department said no, 152 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 2: would asked to send nine more engines out. These are 153 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 2: nine engines that would be different than the ones already 154 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 2: positioned in the Valley and Hollywood. So there were people 155 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 2: in the fire department who thought that the Palisades and 156 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 2: other areas were exposed and maybe we ought to send 157 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 2: all these engines out there and firefighters to staff them. 158 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 2: And fire officials said no. I don't know if it's Crowley, 159 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 2: I don't know if it's lieutenants of hers, but we'll 160 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 2: find out. Crowley initially told the LA Times that most 161 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:54,720 Speaker 2: of the reserve engines were inoperable or otherwise unavailable. Later, 162 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:59,960 Speaker 2: a spokesperson for Crowley said, well, four of the nine 163 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 2: were unavailable. Then a third official producder document that said 164 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 2: seven we're put into service after the fire ignited three 165 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 2: stories about one group of nine fire engines. 166 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: Who's lying here? Why are they lying? They're lying. 167 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 2: That's why everybody in the palisade said. We were standing 168 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:29,920 Speaker 2: there for hours, no fire engine showed up. We got 169 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 2: so much more. 170 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 3: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI AM 171 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:36,479 Speaker 3: six forty. 172 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 2: I am telling you we are going to get this 173 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 2: full story out, no matter what it takes. And the 174 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 2: latest is the La Times, and I can't tell you 175 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 2: this is head snapping. These are the same writers and 176 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 2: editors that we're putting out woke nonsense propaganda up until 177 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 2: election day. And then Patrick soun she Young woke up 178 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,959 Speaker 2: and realized that his La Times was an embarrassment and 179 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 2: an abomination. Same writers and editors now all of a sudden, 180 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 2: they're doing investigative journalism very quickly. They've got all kinds 181 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,719 Speaker 2: of sources, all kinds of documents. If you're just joining us. 182 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:19,240 Speaker 2: The fire department had one thousand firefighters and forty engines 183 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 2: that they could have deployed in advance of the fire 184 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 2: and put it in the high risk zones and chose 185 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,440 Speaker 2: not to. That's the story of the Times has today. 186 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 2: They could have had the firefighters and stay on for 187 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 2: a second shift. They only staffed five of more than 188 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 2: forty engines that are available, so there was no extra 189 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 2: engines in the Palisades. They had put a few in 190 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 2: the San Fernando Valley in Hollywood. Now, certainly those areas 191 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 2: deserve to have fire engines too, but why just there 192 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 2: since you had forty extras. And yes, they're way understaffed 193 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 2: and underfunded, but they still had these They had these 194 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 2: firefighters available, and they had these engines available. And Christine 195 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 2: Crowley said, well, we had to deal with regular nine 196 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,720 Speaker 2: to one one calls. There's no nine to one one 197 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,719 Speaker 2: call that's as overwhelming as what happened in the Palisades. 198 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 2: And again, what are you chasing homeless fires? 199 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 1: Again? 200 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 2: However, other people are talking former chiefs in the LA 201 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 2: Fire Department. 202 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: Rick Crawford is one of them. 203 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 2: A battalion chief said, the plan you're using now for 204 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 2: the fire, you should have used before the fire and now, 205 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:37,680 Speaker 2: as I told you, Crowley and other officials are telling 206 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 2: all kinds of different stories. First they said that most 207 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 2: of those engines were inoperable or unavailable, and there was 208 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 2: a particular collection of nine reserve engines. They said, no, no, 209 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 2: they weren't operating, not available. I had a spokesperson for 210 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,440 Speaker 2: Crowley said four of them were available. And then another 211 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 2: official had a document that said seven were actually put 212 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 2: into service, but after the fire was ignited. 213 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: So that tells me they were lying. 214 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 2: They were available, they weren't used. They talked to a 215 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:22,120 Speaker 2: deputy chief, a current deputy chief, Richard Fields. He's in 216 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 2: charge of staffing and equipment decisions ahead of the fire, 217 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 2: and he said that his plan, okay, so Fields is 218 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 2: taking ownership of this plan was appropriate for immediate response. Well, 219 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 2: with all due respect, it wasn't because much of Pacific 220 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:50,400 Speaker 2: Palisades burned flat, so it was not appropriate. How could 221 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 2: you say it was appropriate? Look at the results. Clearly 222 00:15:54,840 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 2: you missed by ten thousand miles. It's very easy to 223 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 2: Monday morning quarterback and sit on the couch and tell 224 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 2: us what we should have done now that the thing 225 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 2: has happened. Yeah, when you have I think anybody could 226 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:11,280 Speaker 2: figure out that if you had a thousand firefighters and 227 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 2: you had forty other engines and you put none of 228 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 2: them into the palisades, this is what these guys do. Wow, 229 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 2: you know you're finger pointing. You're you're playing the blame game. 230 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:25,160 Speaker 2: You're Monday Morning quarterbacking. Yes we are, because when the 231 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 2: quarterback blows the Super Bowl and gets pummeled ninety five 232 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 2: to nothing, then yeah, there's gonna be there's gonna be blamed. 233 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 2: There's gonna be finger pointing because we've got to find 234 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 2: out who screwed up, and. 235 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 1: These people have to be removed. 236 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 2: And this has to be aired out, exposed, publicized, and 237 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 2: it has to be done now. It has to be 238 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 2: done now before documents get shredded, files get deleted, memories 239 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 2: get hazy people lawyer up. This is the moment you 240 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:04,200 Speaker 2: have to get this information out. Jason Hing and a 241 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:08,320 Speaker 2: department to he's the department chief of Department's chief deputy 242 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 2: of Emergency Operations said the resources pre deployed were not enough, 243 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:14,960 Speaker 2: but more may not have made a difference. 244 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: Well, could we stop with that. They left a one. 245 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 2: Hundred and seventeen million gallon reservoir dry Oh, that wouldn't 246 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:28,440 Speaker 2: have made a difference. You had forty more engines and 247 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 2: a thousand more firefighters. Ah, that wouldn't have made a difference. 248 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 2: Karen Bass was in Africa. Oh, that wouldn't have made 249 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:39,639 Speaker 2: a difference. How about this. If Karen Bass and all 250 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 2: the rest of the officials were all in a room together, 251 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 2: and they sent out the thousand firefighters, the forty engines, 252 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 2: and they had one hundred and seventeen million gallons. 253 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 1: Of water, I say that would have made a big difference. 254 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:57,919 Speaker 2: If it wouldn't have made a difference, then why do 255 00:17:57,960 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 2: we have reservoirs? 256 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,440 Speaker 1: Why do we bother the fire department? Why do we 257 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: bother with the mayor? 258 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:06,040 Speaker 2: If none of these people and none of these resources matter. 259 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:09,840 Speaker 2: If having a thousand firefighters doesn't Matt wouldn't have made 260 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 2: a difference, then why do we have them. If forty 261 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:14,480 Speaker 2: engines wouldn't have made a difference, why do we have them. 262 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 2: We've never had a loss. I don't think any city 263 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 2: in the history of the country has ever had a 264 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 2: loss from fire like this one. Wow, that's the way 265 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:27,680 Speaker 2: I can do about it? Oh, yes, there's a plenty 266 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:30,639 Speaker 2: you could do about it. You chose not to. You 267 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 2: chose not to. 268 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:38,040 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna let up on this. 269 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 2: Nobody should because this is gonna happen again, could happen 270 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 2: next week. 271 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 3: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM 272 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:52,399 Speaker 3: six forty. 273 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 2: We're on the air from one until four, and after 274 00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 2: four o'clock the whole show gets posted as a podcast. 275 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,119 Speaker 2: John Cobelt Show on demand on the iHeart apps. We 276 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 2: could listen to what you missed. We continue, uh, looking 277 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 2: for the truth here in this Palisades fire not easy 278 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:11,840 Speaker 2: to get. 279 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:12,919 Speaker 1: Uh. 280 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 2: We're going to have on now. Rich McHugh from News 281 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 2: Nation and Rich did an interview with Michelle Valentine. Says, 282 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:26,960 Speaker 2: you're a former US attorney for Vice President Kamala Harris. 283 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 2: He lives high up in the Palisades. He saw the 284 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:38,280 Speaker 2: fire in its earliest stages, and uh he told in 285 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,680 Speaker 2: detail how he saw things developed. Let's let's get Rich 286 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 2: mcew on who talked to Valentine. Rich, how are you? 287 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:47,880 Speaker 4: I'm good, Thank you for having me. 288 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:49,720 Speaker 1: And it's Michelle or Michael. 289 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,640 Speaker 4: Michael Michael Michael, Yeah. 290 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: Okay, all right, So what did Michael Valentine tell you? 291 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 4: Well, uh, initially he told me reluctantly, you know, but 292 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:05,439 Speaker 4: basically he was he lives up there, up near the 293 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 4: very top of the Palisades, and I don't know if 294 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 4: I've ever been up there, but yes, there's a rig 295 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 4: line up there called Skull It's like an area called 296 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 4: Skull Rock. And there was a previous fire there a 297 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 4: week a week earlier on New Year's Eve, and he said, look, 298 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 4: the response to that was overwhelming. There was dozens of 299 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 4: fire trucks. There's a lot of celebrities that live up there, 300 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,359 Speaker 4: et cetera. And it was they had the fire out. 301 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 4: He said that lulled us into a little bit of 302 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 4: a sense of security. His wife saw smoke around ten 303 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 4: twenty eight or ten twenty nine. She called nine one one. 304 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:43,480 Speaker 4: She was out walking her dogs. She saw smoke on 305 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 4: the ridge. Line called nine one one. Turns out, I 306 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:48,920 Speaker 4: believe that was the first call to nine one one. 307 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,879 Speaker 4: He started filming a few minutes later, and he documented 308 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 4: in a series of videos the progression of this thing. 309 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,400 Speaker 4: The first video he took that he shared with News 310 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,119 Speaker 4: at ten thirty four am. And you look at the 311 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,680 Speaker 4: it's almost like a cone of smoke. It's it's very 312 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:08,439 Speaker 4: kind of isolated. You don't see the fire, but you 313 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 4: see the smoke, and it's definitely not massive. At that 314 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 4: point ten thirty six, fire's grown a little bit. There's 315 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 4: a little bit of wind. It's not these one hundred 316 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 4: mile an hour winds that people are talking about. Those 317 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 4: came later, and that's important. Ten point fifty his video 318 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:31,800 Speaker 4: shows overhead there's a chopper looks to be surveying the scene. 319 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:33,920 Speaker 4: I zoomed in on the video. It looks like at 320 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 4: La City fire helicopter. So not cal fire, which will 321 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:44,360 Speaker 4: ultimately become important in the conversation later. We don't see 322 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:48,160 Speaker 4: another We don't see water being dropped till either about 323 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:53,400 Speaker 4: eleven thirteen or eleven twenty three. I saw that same 324 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,439 Speaker 4: chopper come through the smoke at eleven thirteen and then 325 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,920 Speaker 4: eleven twenty three his video shows at actually dropping water. 326 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 4: By that point, the fire is fantastasized. It's doubled and 327 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 4: tripled in sized in that time. And I asked, you know, 328 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 4: Los Angeles Fire Department when the first call came in, 329 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 4: They said ten twenty nine. I said, when did you guys, 330 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:17,920 Speaker 4: have you know, fire fire presence up there. They have 331 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,959 Speaker 4: yet to respond to that request, so I've asked for 332 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 4: even more data. 333 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: The key will be, that's. 334 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,399 Speaker 4: What will be. When did they get air support up 335 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 4: there first? And when were they dropping water on it? 336 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:34,159 Speaker 4: And did they have enough? Those are the questions that 337 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:37,160 Speaker 4: this is ultimately going to come down to, and it's 338 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 4: all going to be in the data, the incident commander's reports, 339 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 4: and it's all going to be detailed. Did they did 340 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 4: they throw enough at this? Given that you know over 341 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,440 Speaker 4: the scanner you can hear the person in the chopper 342 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 4: I believe at ten forty or ten forty five say, look, 343 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:56,200 Speaker 4: this is a ten acre fire. This will be two 344 00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:00,160 Speaker 4: hundred acres and in twenty minutes and threatening structures. It's 345 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:02,359 Speaker 4: going to be a pivotal part of this going forward. 346 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: And Wins were still manageable to fly aircraft. 347 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,120 Speaker 4: They were manageable to fly. I mean, you can see 348 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 4: the choppers up in the sky. You can see it's windy. 349 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:19,159 Speaker 4: But I don't believe, and I'm not a weather person 350 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 4: by any means, so somebody's gonna have to check this, 351 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 4: But like, I don't believe that the real serious winds 352 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 4: came until later that evening when we saw I think, no, 353 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 4: when the fire was out of control and the members 354 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:32,400 Speaker 4: were flying eighty mile an hour. 355 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 2: Because what drive me a little nuts all the people 356 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 2: who always it's a reflex to defend whoever's in power, 357 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,920 Speaker 2: the governor, the mayor, fire chief, whoever. They're saying, well, 358 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:46,200 Speaker 2: there was one hundred mile an hour winds. No, there 359 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:48,960 Speaker 2: wasn't one hundred mile an hour winds when this thing 360 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,719 Speaker 2: started when it needed attention from the fire department. It 361 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 2: wasn't anywhere near that. It wasn't a fraction of. 362 00:23:55,480 --> 00:24:00,239 Speaker 4: That, correct. I think the conversation once that that all 363 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:02,399 Speaker 4: kind of fades away once they oh, how do you 364 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,400 Speaker 4: fight a fire and eighty mile an hour wins? Well, 365 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 4: that's like a red herring that the winds were not 366 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 4: that strong at that point, and so it's going to 367 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 4: be about did they do everything that they could to 368 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 4: contain this. I've spoken to some former fire fighters here 369 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:17,600 Speaker 4: in Los Angeles and they say, look, they're not one 370 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 4: to bash the fire the fireman, or the or the 371 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,640 Speaker 4: Los Angeles Fire Department at all. They don't want to 372 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,439 Speaker 4: because they're doing they've done that work. But they were 373 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,480 Speaker 4: saying they lay the blame, you know on Karen Bass say, 374 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 4: this is a this is a management Uh. 375 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:36,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is it's not the firefires, it's management maybe 376 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 2: some in the fire departments, certainly Karen Bass. Uh And 377 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,880 Speaker 2: and that's what's got to be unraveled and quickly before 378 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:49,440 Speaker 2: all their denials take root in people's minds, because there's 379 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 2: a lot of officials that are not not telling the 380 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 2: truth or not being forthcoming. 381 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:57,280 Speaker 4: Yeah. There's also the question of water, and you have 382 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 4: Gavin Newsom coming out and saying he's gonna do an 383 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:05,639 Speaker 4: investigation into the why the Santinez Reservoir wasn't online. Well, 384 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 4: you know that's like if Los Angeles Power and Water 385 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 4: is doing the investigation, that's like the fox starting the henhouse. 386 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 4: You need third party, independent investigation into this period. 387 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 2: The thing is, in my naivete, I thought there was 388 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 2: a command center where it knew some Bass, the fire 389 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 2: chief and every other official in government, and they would 390 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 2: have in front of them all the reservoirs, how full 391 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:35,040 Speaker 2: they were, all the firefighting equipment available where it's deployed. 392 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: And I never heard of this reservoir. 393 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:42,800 Speaker 2: And I never heard they haven't exposed. I'm not sure 394 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 2: knew something evennew about it. I don't you know. The 395 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:49,919 Speaker 2: Bass note was empty. 396 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:51,880 Speaker 1: Did anyone ever tell her? Did she ever ask? 397 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,479 Speaker 2: Do they have regular meetings where they go through the 398 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:59,399 Speaker 2: reservoirs and they go through the resources available. Everybody's acting 399 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,200 Speaker 2: like they this was all sprung out of nowhere. They 400 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 2: they had an extreme fire warning five days in advance. 401 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 4: If they're yet because of those warnings in preparation for this, 402 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:16,360 Speaker 4: And this comes from former firefires. This isn't just me speculating. 403 00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:18,199 Speaker 4: They would have they would have known where are we 404 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:20,320 Speaker 4: getting our water? They would have said, Okay, if there's 405 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 4: a Palisades fire up, tie, we're going to be getting 406 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 4: our water from those three million gallon tanks. But those 407 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,280 Speaker 4: are fed by the Santaez reservoir, which I was looking 408 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 4: at just one hour ago, and it's it's empty. It's 409 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 4: it's hard to believe. 410 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:35,960 Speaker 1: It's been empty for eleven months. 411 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:42,239 Speaker 4: There's some speculation that's been several years. Talking to former firefighters. Well, 412 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 4: I've heard that of that too. 413 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I've heard that too. H all right, Rich 414 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:49,240 Speaker 2: mceue from News Nation, thanks very much, And you guys 415 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,719 Speaker 2: are doing a great job on that on that on 416 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:52,400 Speaker 2: that network. 417 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,600 Speaker 4: Thank you very much, really are all right. 418 00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:59,159 Speaker 2: Thanks thanks for coming on, Rich McHugh News Nation. It's 419 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:02,879 Speaker 2: a good one to watch because it gives you the news. 420 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 2: Let's I know, it's shocking, isn't it. You have to 421 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,120 Speaker 2: stop and think, what is that? There's a news channel 422 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 2: that gives you news. 423 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 4: Go. 424 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, you're speechless, my speechless. 425 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 2: We have the audio of Rich mccu's report talking with 426 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 2: Michael Valentine, the former US attorney and how he filmed 427 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 2: the first minutes of the fire, and Valentine's thinks Bass 428 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:31,920 Speaker 2: bears responsibility for this failure. 429 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:32,400 Speaker 1: She does. 430 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:35,760 Speaker 2: We'll play you the TV report coming up so you 431 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:38,399 Speaker 2: could understand further what Rich was discussing. 432 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 3: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM 433 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 3: six forty. 434 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 2: If you're just joining us, just a quick review. We're 435 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 2: talking about this hour because I'm connecting dots. We are 436 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 2: the Department of Dot connecting here. So the LA Time 437 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 2: says the top commanders at the LA Fire Department had 438 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 2: a thousand available fire fire fighters and forty water carrying 439 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:06,160 Speaker 2: engines and chose not to deploy them in the high 440 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:11,400 Speaker 2: fire zones such as Pacific Palisades. They had one hundred. 441 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm sorry they had They had one thousand 442 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 2: firefighters and forty engines, and a former LA battalion chief, 443 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 2: Rick Crawford said, the plan they're using now for the 444 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 2: fire they should have used before the fire. There's a 445 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:35,440 Speaker 2: document showing that the fire department said no to deploying 446 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 2: as little as nine engines, and three different stories were 447 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 2: given out by Christine Crowley's staff over how many were available. 448 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 2: And now you have the Deputy Chief, Richard Fields, who's 449 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 2: in charge of staffing and equipment decisions, saying, well, all, 450 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:54,920 Speaker 2: let's say Monday morning cornerbacking, telling us what we should 451 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:57,400 Speaker 2: have done down that it's happened. What we did was 452 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:02,320 Speaker 2: based on many years of experience. We had no experience 453 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:08,360 Speaker 2: with a fire that destroyed over five thousand structures. 454 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:12,120 Speaker 1: We were told everything was. 455 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 2: Pre deployed, they had five days of warning, and there 456 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 2: was no mayor to enforce proper decision making policies. We 457 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:24,880 Speaker 2: will get to her in a little while, but now 458 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:28,320 Speaker 2: let's play. We just had rich mcew on from newsdation 459 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 2: and he talked with Michael Valentine, who's identified as a 460 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 2: former US attorney for Vice President Kamala Harris, and he 461 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,480 Speaker 2: lives way up in the Palisades, and he and his 462 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:42,200 Speaker 2: wife saw the fire unfold from the early minutes. So 463 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:44,280 Speaker 2: let's listen to this interview that Rich did. 464 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 5: At is ten thirty four am Tuesday, January seventh. These 465 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:53,040 Speaker 5: are some of the first images of the start of 466 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:54,120 Speaker 5: the Palisades fire. 467 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:58,200 Speaker 6: Describe what you saw, an intense plume of smoke that 468 00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:02,280 Speaker 6: was rising and moving very fast. It was black in 469 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 6: some areas and white in other areas, but you could 470 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 6: see it. 471 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: Was moving quickly. 472 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,160 Speaker 5: Two minutes later, the smoke plume grows. No sign of 473 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 5: anyone fighting the fire. At this point, the fire isolated 474 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 5: on the ridge behind the home of longtime Pacific Palisades 475 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 5: resident Michael Valentine. He documented it all on video, giving 476 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 5: News Nation an exclusive look of where it started and 477 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,360 Speaker 5: how quickly it grew. By ten point fifty the plume 478 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 5: had spread considerably twice as large. Eight minutes later, the 479 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 5: size of the fire seems to have doubled yet again, 480 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:40,520 Speaker 5: still nobody fighting the fire. At eleven thirteen am, nearly 481 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 5: forty five minutes after Michael's wife called in the fire, 482 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,880 Speaker 5: you see a chopper come through. At eleven twenty three, 483 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 5: a helicopter comes in begins to dump water on it. 484 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:53,200 Speaker 5: But at this point the fire is massive and moving 485 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 5: quickly down this ridge line. 486 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,760 Speaker 4: That was the first time we saw them drop water. 487 00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 1: Is that right correct? 488 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 5: And then did you ever see any firefighters up there? 489 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 6: I did not see any firefighters up there. 490 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 4: Why do you think there is? 491 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:07,800 Speaker 1: That's the question. 492 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:10,640 Speaker 6: I don't know. I wish I knew the answer to that. 493 00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:13,239 Speaker 6: I have no idea. I have no idea why that is. 494 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 6: It could have been confined, it wouldn't have touched any 495 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 6: of the homes. I don't believe that for one second. 496 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 6: You're talking to somebody that's been up in this community 497 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:24,360 Speaker 6: for forty years, and I've seen fires. I've seen fires 498 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,080 Speaker 6: during those forty years, and there's always been a good response. 499 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 6: I don't know what happened this time. 500 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 5: What we know happened this time is this. We know 501 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:36,080 Speaker 5: the Santa Ynez Reservoir near where the fire began was empty, 502 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 5: and the head of LEDWP confirmed they ran. 503 00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:40,320 Speaker 4: Out of water. 504 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 1: There's a lot we could do, though even the. 505 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:46,200 Speaker 5: President seemed to shrug off the concerns over lack of water. 506 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 1: I know you've getting a bad wrap about with these fire. 507 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:51,600 Speaker 1: Hydrants don't have enough water and them give me a bridge. 508 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:55,440 Speaker 6: In my opinion, as a former prosecutor, this verges on 509 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,040 Speaker 6: negligent criminal negligence. 510 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: I say it's just wrong. A lot of people are 511 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:02,520 Speaker 1: at fault. 512 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 6: I think Mayor bass Bear is the ultimate responsibility for 513 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,880 Speaker 6: this failure, and I think she should be held accountable. 514 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 6: There's no way that I could trust her again as 515 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,680 Speaker 6: my mayor in light of this tragedy. 516 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:18,280 Speaker 1: There's no way now. 517 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:22,120 Speaker 5: I asked Los Angeles Fire Department what time the first 518 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 5: call came in. They said it came in at ten 519 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 5: twenty nine am, which corresponds with her call to nine 520 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 5: one one. 521 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 1: I asked when. 522 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 5: Was the first time they had firefighters on scene. They 523 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 5: have yet to respond to that now. I spoke to 524 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 5: Michael Valentine earlier and he said he has yet to 525 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,920 Speaker 5: hear from investigators. He even called the ATF and the FBI, 526 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 5: who were in front of his home, but he couldn't 527 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 5: get through. 528 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 4: Well. 529 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:48,520 Speaker 2: Of course, he's one of the first guys to see it, 530 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,280 Speaker 2: actually recorded it on video. Wife calls in the complaint 531 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:57,080 Speaker 2: ten twenty nine. He's got video at ten thirty four. 532 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:02,080 Speaker 2: Of course, the investigators haven't talked to him. He knows 533 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 2: too much. He saw too much. He has proof. That's 534 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 2: why he's giving the video to News Nation. I guess 535 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,120 Speaker 2: nobody in government is interested, right. I don't think Karen 536 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:15,640 Speaker 2: Bass's office wants to see this video. Boh it is 537 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:18,960 Speaker 2: and criminal negligence. That's a really good word. That is 538 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 2: a great legal phrase to describe what's going on here. 539 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 2: So here you have a US attorney saying this looks 540 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 2: like criminal negligence, and they see you notice that little 541 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:31,240 Speaker 2: clip of Joe Biden. Oh, you guys are getting a 542 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:34,600 Speaker 2: bad rap for not having water in the hydrants. Well, 543 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:37,760 Speaker 2: he's in full soinility mode, isn't he. You got a one 544 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 2: hundred and seventeen million gallon reservoir just in the neighborhood, 545 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:47,200 Speaker 2: right in the heart of the Palisades. You have fire 546 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 2: hydrants that are dry. You have firefighters that show up 547 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 2: and they quickly run out of water. So they're standing 548 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 2: around telling the residents we have no water. Plus they 549 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:01,520 Speaker 2: showed up, they shout up at a eleven twenty three. That's 550 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:05,480 Speaker 2: fifty four minutes after the fire was reported. Fifty four 551 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:09,680 Speaker 2: minutes and there's one helicopter with water. Now, imagine had 552 00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:12,439 Speaker 2: they done what they've done in other areas and other 553 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 2: fires which they could have done. 554 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:14,239 Speaker 1: Here. 555 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 2: They had one thousand firefighters that they could have called 556 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:21,759 Speaker 2: in extended their second shift. They had forty fire engines. 557 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:26,120 Speaker 2: Imagine if a few of them were prepositioned up at 558 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,319 Speaker 2: the top of the hills where all the brush is, 559 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:33,759 Speaker 2: and then they had the planes ready to take off 560 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 2: from whatever airstrip they take off from. 561 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: But the communication would have been boom, boom, boom. 562 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:42,160 Speaker 2: Wouldn't have taken an hour, the fire wouldn't have doubled 563 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:44,680 Speaker 2: and tripled in size. Last night, I was listening to 564 00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:48,600 Speaker 2: Conway in the afternoon and there was a fire that 565 00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 2: blew up at Hansoon Dam. Homeless fire, bum fire. It 566 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:57,719 Speaker 2: blew up, But because they're organized now, it seemed like 567 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:00,799 Speaker 2: in about ten minutes the thing was put out. It 568 00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:04,239 Speaker 2: could have happened very quickly up in the Palisades, but 569 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:10,720 Speaker 2: we had no leadership from Karen Bass and Kristin Crowley 570 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,360 Speaker 2: and her staff are given ten different stories on what 571 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:18,240 Speaker 2: happened here. And then you have the guy who created 572 00:35:18,239 --> 00:35:20,720 Speaker 2: the plan of attack and he's going, well, you're Monday 573 00:35:20,719 --> 00:35:25,400 Speaker 2: morning wire backing. I'm looking at one hundred and seventeen 574 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:30,960 Speaker 2: million gallon reservoir bone dry, fire hydrants run dry, forty 575 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:35,959 Speaker 2: available engines not used, a thousand firefighters not held over. 576 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:42,440 Speaker 2: I'm crazy, and I hope everybody in the Palisades learns 577 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:49,960 Speaker 2: about this, because you guys have had your lives destroyed 578 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:57,040 Speaker 2: in part because of this unbelievable, abominable government response. And no, 579 00:35:57,160 --> 00:35:59,439 Speaker 2: the winds were not blowing at one hundred miles an out. 580 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:00,319 Speaker 1: Hear that. 581 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:02,680 Speaker 2: I want to punch the television. You know, the winds 582 00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:04,560 Speaker 2: were blowing at one hundred miles an hour. Nobody's gonna 583 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,560 Speaker 2: stopped it. The winds were not blowing at one hundred 584 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:08,920 Speaker 2: miles an hour at ten thirty in the morning. They 585 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:12,080 Speaker 2: actually had one helicopter do a water drop at eleven twenty. 586 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,480 Speaker 2: If everybody was prepositioned and talking to each other and 587 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 2: not flying from Africa, maybe a lot more could have 588 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:22,280 Speaker 2: been done. Don't fall for the lies. They are all 589 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:26,760 Speaker 2: lying to you. We're gonna tell you what's what after 590 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:31,160 Speaker 2: two o'clock. We're gonna talk to Patrick McNicholas. He's an 591 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,799 Speaker 2: attorney at McNicholas and McNicholas. His law firm and other 592 00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:40,360 Speaker 2: law firms are filing lawsuits against Southern California Edison because 593 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:43,799 Speaker 2: of the Altadena fire known as the Eachin Fire, and 594 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:47,280 Speaker 2: also the one I believe in Silmour, the Hurst fire, 595 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:50,160 Speaker 2: because it's the same old story from a few years ago, 596 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:54,319 Speaker 2: Southern California Edison's equipment. And you know there's something to 597 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:58,279 Speaker 2: this story because already the CEO has been on Good 598 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:03,040 Speaker 2: Morning America on ABC trying to pre defend himself. He 599 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:06,680 Speaker 2: like pre positioned himself on a big network morning show 600 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,200 Speaker 2: because he knows what's coming. Get his story out first, 601 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:14,879 Speaker 2: Debora Mark Live the KFI twenty four hour Newsroom. Hey, 602 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:17,719 Speaker 2: you've been listening to the John Covelt Show podcast. You 603 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:20,319 Speaker 2: can always hear the show live on KFI AM six 604 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,120 Speaker 2: forty from one to four pm every Monday through Friday, 605 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:26,440 Speaker 2: and of course anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.