Things Lost In The Fire. . .

(Things Lost In The Fire. . .)

One can begin this morning by announcing that President-Elect Trump was sentenced today by New York Judge Juan Merchan. Merchan long a Trump nemesis imposed no sanction on the incoming Chief Executive, instead wishing him "Godspeed." So, Trump got away with it.


That being said, re-building the Los Angeles area will be a long and extended process. Ten thousand structures have been lost, including hundreds pf homes. However, those dwellings will not be re-covered, Pacific Palisades will not be re-built as long as the permitting process and environmental reviews remain onerous.


The destroyed neighborhoods will need an expeditated system for recovery and the red-tape from Sacramento and elsewhere. That standard cannot be applied to re-constructed. Beyond Palisades, what about homes in Eaton or Hollywood Hills, or Malibu ? All the other scorched acreage ?


Many of these homes had value. Million-dollar properties. How involved will it be to restore these properties to code ? This goes beyond rules and regulations it also applies to those that put them there. Special criticism has been reserved for Governor Gavin Newsome and Mayor Karen Bass. Common sense measures like forest management and control burns were never implemented because of pervasive environmental concerns and the virtue signal it represents.


So, what was lost in the fire was the excessive regulations that would frustrate rapid recovery in affected areas, Also the advocates for these regulations particularly in California leadership. If the re-building gets fraught with bureaucracy especially with the amount of re-construction required, it could be years for all to return to normal.


If not ? California has been experiencing an exodus over the last several years and if Los Angeles cannot recover quickly, many of the burned-out residents might opt to move out of the state altogether. It would be easier. Lessons learned here was people who could have prevented this catastrophe had other priorities. Like the delta smelt.

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