California has long been a battleground for conflicting priorities, and recent wildfires have exposed glaring issues within the state’s leadership. While flames ravaged the land, Los Angeles’ mayor was notably absent, choosing to attend an event in Africa instead. Meanwhile, critical spending revelations have come to light.
The state currently allocates more funds to address homelessness—responsible for starting a third of the fires—than to support firefighters, the very individuals tasked with extinguishing these blazes. This spending disparity has caught the attention of a U.S. attorney who is now investigating the use of these funds.
Wouldn’t it be more prudent to bolster our firefighting capabilities?
KABC 7 in California reports:
Nearly a third of LA’s fires last six years involved homeless people, new report shows
The 7 on Your Side Investigates Team has previously highlighted how the Los Angeles Fire Department’s response times often fall short of national standards. A recent memo from Interim LAFD Chief Ronnie Villanueva indicates that an increase in calls related to the homeless further strains the department’s already limited resources.
Documents intended for discussion at a recent LAFD Commission meeting reveal that in the fiscal year 2024/2025, the city earmarked approximately $961 million for homelessness, while the LAFD’s total budget was significantly lower, at around $837 million. This disparity has raised eyebrows among many, including the firefighters’ union leader.
“We don’t want to criminalize homelessness, but we need additional resources strictly for homelessness,” stated Freddy Escobar, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles. “We need more funding.”
33% of fires the past six years in Los Angeles were started by the homeless. Now, think of the $2 billion that went to homeless services in LA that can’t be accounted for while LAFD got their budgets cut.
— T Wolf (@Twolfrecovery)
April 16, 2025
Amidst these troubling revelations, California Governor Gavin Newsom turns his focus to podcasting. A question looms large: Why do the taxpayers of California tolerate such mismanagement?
