Los Angeles Times Columnist Sammy Roth, who opposed Rick Caruso for mayor in 2022 because he said Caruso had no “climate plan”, blamed “climate change” for the Palisades fire and other fires that devastated the city. Has been held responsible.
Roth’s column, “Los Angeles is a climate disaster. Fires won’t change anything,” reflects the ability to use climate change to avoid accountability.
Roth wrote:
[A] A global economy built on fossil fuels – and an American political establishment largely funded by fossil fuel corporations and their allies – has led us to this point. After two wet winters that saw the growth of grasses and shrubs – ideal for kindling – on SoCal mountains and hills, the past few months saw a sudden change to record-dry conditions. This type of weather is a hallmark of global warming.
,
When the flames subside and the smoke clears, keep talking about the climate crisis. Highlight it on social media during dinner. Make it a deciding issue when you vote. Support businesses whose leaders and behavior reflect your values. Subscribe to news outlets that report on climate. Drive on electricity if you can. Take public transportation.
In other words, tell the rich and powerful that weeks like this are unacceptable.
Roth says nothing about the lack of preparedness for wildfires, he says climate change is causing them to happen more frequently – lack of brush clearance, failure to fill the nearest reservoir, pre-deployed firefighters to affected areas. Failure to do so, failure to evacuate in a timely manner, failure to notify local schools of the need to release children, failure to deploy police to direct traffic during evacuation, failure to ensure residents maintain their fire insurance failure to help keep, and above all Political failure Accountability in a one-party system led to mayors leaving the city.
One person who prepared for the possibility of wildfire was Caruso, who built his Palisades Village mall from fire-resistant materials and hired private firefighters to protect his property.
Roth opposed Caruso in 2022, when Caruso ran against then-Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) wrote that the billionaire developer had no “climate plan”. But Caruso’s plan for the forest fire worked; Bass, if he had a plan, failed.
Despite knowing in advance about the crosswind phenomenon, Bass was abroad on a diplomatic junket when the fire occurred – apparently not concerned about the carbon emissions caused by international travel on the jet.
Roth also once accused white drivers in Los Angeles of polluting the air for the city’s black and Latino residents.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor and host at Breitbart News breitbart news sunday Sundays from 7PM to 10PM ET (4PM to 7PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of Agenda: What should Trump do in his first 100 daysAvailable for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s PresidencyNow available on Audible. He is the winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpollak,
