« Pain plugging in: Electric rates burn holes in wallets | Main | Broadway: New cost estimate, same old story »

January 09, 2025

Comments

Paloma Ave

Because politicians appear to spend most of their time running for re-election. They must feel their pursuit of so called "green goals" will elevate their "value". Common sense is thrown out the window, to appease our society snowflakes!

Phinancier

But but but what about sea level rise in 2050?

Joanne Bennett

Just read this tonight:

"People - whether purposeful, reckless or simply careless responsible for 95% of California's wildfires".

Also State Farm had cancelled 69 % of their insurance policies in Pacific Palisades. Why??? The County of Los Angeles had suspended the clearing of brush around the outskirts of the city. State Farm cited "catastrophe exposure".

Peter Garrison

And just like that the hole in the Ozone Layer disappeared?!

EVs, sea-level rise, global warming, porous borders, forever-wars are all money-laundering schemes.

Especially HSR.

Joe

Apparently the LA County Fire Department mistakenly issued an evacuation warning to the whole county's phones. That's 10 million people! Sounds very much like our tsunami warning of last month:

https://www.burlingamevoice.com/2024/12/the-tsunami-that-wasnt-lessons-learned.html#comments

It's only two data points, but it sure seems like training is lacking.

Not at our local Burlingame Neighborhood Network who just issued this invitation:

When the power was shut off or lines went down in Southern California, without television or internet, many residents did not know how to get critical information on the status of the fires to enable them to evacuate ahead of the fast-moving flames.

With that in mind, BNN is hosting an event on Saturday, February 8, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. to learn how to stay in touch with others during power outages and other emergencies. The free program called “How to Communicate During Emergencies” will be presented) at the Burlingame Community Center, 850 Burlingame Ave. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. There is no admission charge, but advance registration is required at Communicate.
---------------
Everyone should get Zello on their phones and know how to use it.

Joe

The blame game will be running for a LONG time in LA and spill over into Sacramento--as it should. I'm not going to repost 99% of it, but this bit from Kira Davis on X is just too appropriate not to share:

Gavin Newsom: We're suing Huntington Beach to make sure they can't control their own local elections or their own local zoning.

Gavin Newsom: Dry hydrants in LA have nothing to do with me. It's the locals! This is up to them!
-----------------
Kira is "directly over the target" as B-17 navigators used to say in WWII.

Joanne Bennett

Gavin, a precious piece of work, isn't he??

Jennifer Pfaff

'Going to be a long slog going forward. Our hearts are with you, SoCal. Say what you want about LA, but there IS (was) something magical about the atmosphere and lifestyle down there. I'm guessing that what arises from the ashes will look drastically different, seeing that Sacramento has decided zoning for single family homes is "racist".

Phinancier

The City of Burlingame should be pressing Hillsborough to do some preventative clearing and clean-up. City and private properties should be included. The "it can't happen here" mindset is not correct.

Fugit All

The Santa Anas will be howling again tonight. It will be fun to watch the gymnastics involved in placing blame on a key important factor in the fires: contributing wind patterns...

For once, though, I agree with Phinancier. There is a tinder box in our own collective back yard. I'll bet my salary that nothing changes in that walled garden until a similar disaster occurs.

Phinancier

I suppose I should be glad some rando agrees with me if only I knew who the hell he was. Fugit. How did common sense become uncommon?

resident

State Farm has cancelled their Super Bowl commercial. They read the room correctly. Whoever figured out to cancel those 1600 policies in July should get a big job with the city of LA.

Joe

Here is an Op Ed from a guy at PRI that includes a bit brutal honesty: https://www.ocregister.com/2025/01/13/southern-california-wildfires-show-just-how-destructive-the-california-way-can-be/

He writes in part:

The California Way didn’t start the fires. But years of reckless policies and misplaced priorities advanced by Newsom, Bass and their allies have made containing the fires harder – and will make recovery and rebuilding more difficult.

It’s an agenda that brings us inadequate water infrastructure, improperly maintained forestland, bureaucratic red tape, investments in lesser priorities, and weakened public safety laws.

To be fair, Newsom has taken some good steps, such as issuing an executive order waving CEQA review and Coastal Commission permits for rebuilding.

But Southern Californians can’t help but think that he only acted decisively because his supporters in the bluest precincts were victimized. By comparison, no such relief was granted for Camp Fire victims. All they got were lectures about climate change.

The California Way is as much about attitude as it is policy – Newsom and state bureaucrats know better than Californians how they should live their lives.

Those living in wildfire-prone areas from Paradise to Pacific Palisades aren’t living as government thinks they should. After all, most live in single-family homes with big yards, cook with gas appliances, drive SUVs long distances, demand their kids are offered Algebra 1 in the eighth grade, and support strengthened retail theft laws – all in opposition to Newsom’s wishes.

If they lived the California Way as he envisions it, they’d be doing their part for equity and climate change by living in a small apartment in a dense high-rise, eating a vegan diet, riding their bikes or taking the bus, and giving up their daughter’s spot at UCLA in the name of fighting racism.

Fugit All

PRI, btw, which receives funding from Eli Lilly and therefore opposed capping insulin prices and CA plans to back generic insulin manufacturing... so while this guy writes about the cringe worthiness of Newsom going on the "Obama Bros" podcast, he was happily and handsomely paid by friends of the Pharma Bro. He knows cringe.

PRI promotes "the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility." Does Anaya think wild-fire fighting should be privatized or would he also dial 911 if he saw flames advancing toward his McMansion?

Just Sayin'

We seem to be drifting quite far from an empty 117 million gallon reservoir in the neighborhood that the LAFD did not know was empty for months. Just sayin'

Joe

Here's Fugit with the perfect "if you can't counter the message, shoot the messenger" example. He misses badly. Also a complete non sequitur about Big Pharma and another about privatization that Nobody Is Talking About.

PRI's annual revenue for 2023 (last year available) was a measly $12M, so they aren't doing a very good job of being corrupted by Eli Lilly. That's lunch money for Soros.

Man Up Burlingame

In 2020, the California Legislature passed SB 182, which would have required that new housing developments in very high fire zones include various elements to better withstand wildfires.

SB 182 would have mandated design elements such as evacuation routes, vegetation management, and fire-safe construction.

It also would have required the regional housing needs allocation plan to further the objective of reducing development pressure within very high fire risk areas.

Guess who vetoed it?

In the September 30, 2020 letter explaining to the Senate why he did not sign, Newsom plainly admitted that fireproofing an existing community would not take precedence over his efforts to limit suburban sprawl and build more affordable (read tiny) housing. This "housing for all" mantra was the linchpin of his 2018 gubernatorial campaign.

Newsom further outlined in the veto letter: "Wildfire resilience must become a more consistent part of land use and development decisions. However, it must be done while meeting our housing needs."

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been posted. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Your Information

(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)

About the Voice

  • The Burlingame Voice is dedicated to informing and empowering the Burlingame community. Our blog is a public forum for the discussion of issues that relate to Burlingame, California. On it you can read and comment on important city issues.

    Note: Opinions posted on the Burlingame Voice Blog are those of the poster and not necessarily the opinion of the editorial board of the Burlingame Voice. See Terms of Use

Contributing to the Voice

  • If you would like more information on the Burlingame Voice, send an email to [email protected] with your request or question. We appreciate your interest.

    Authors may login here.

    For help posting to the Voice, see our tutorial.