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LA wildfires are due to criminal capitalist negligence, not ‘natural disaster’

Palisades Fire that started in Los Angeles. Credit: Flickr/CAL FIRE_Official (CC BY-NC 2.0)

The Palisades wildfire is now the most destructive in Los Angeles history. The mass destruction of people’s livelihoods that we are currently witnessing in Los Angeles is not a natural disaster. It is the result of criminal negligence on the part of the billionaire class and their government.

Just months ago, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass approved a $17.6 million reduction in the budget for the Los Angeles Fire Department for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The LAFD reduction was the second largest budget cut for this year, following a $21.4 million cut to Street Services. As the Bass administration fought for cuts to be made across crucial social services such as Fire, Sanitation, and Public Works, the Los Angeles Police Department received a colossal increase of $126 million to their annual budget.

As several major wildfires blaze through wildlife and neighborhoods across Los Angeles County with little containment being reported, emergency resources are severely strained and local government response is failing to meet the needs of people seeking refuge. The LAFD has issued pleas for off-duty firefighters to volunteer to help combat fire destruction. Fire hydrants have run dry in the Palisades. Too few evacuation centers have been designated for the thousands of evacuees having to flee their homes. In times of crises, Los Angeles officials have threatened the lives of every Angeleno, from the highest hills to the deepest valleys, with their complete mismanagement of tax dollars and resource allocation. 

So far, two deaths have been reported as a result of the growing Eaton Fire as evacuation orders have alerted Pasadena residents to leave their homes. Residents woke up to smoke and ash-filled skies Wednesday morning as the blaze forced evacuations of hospitals, senior centers, and animal shelters. Many are fearful that they will not receive fire insurance relief amid reports of corporations canceling fire protections. While the Los Angeles Unified School District has canceled school operations across facilities closest to the fires, many students and teachers still were forced to go back to school today despite the dangerous air quality.

Homes are being engulfed in flames. The most vulnerable populations of our communities are at risk. Winds are carrying debris and flames miles into surrounding neighborhoods. There is nothing “natural” about this disaster. The capitalist politicians and lawmakers have consistently sided with big corporations and private property to maximize profit over human lives. The government’s refusal to distribute life-saving resources into crucial infrastructure and social services to prevent wildfires from getting worse has failed to protect its residents when crisis hits. Power must be in the hands of the people, the working class, who face the brunt of harm from climate disasters and government negligence. We fight for socialism because our lives and our communities depend on it.

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