OUTRAGEOUS: LAFD’s Desperate Pleas for Equipment Ignored Before LA Burned

With the wildfires of Los Angeles still ablaze, burning everything in their path, some really startling revelations have come out as to where the priorities of this city stand. An exclusive report has unraveled that two months prior to the tragic wildfires, the Los Angeles Fire Department urgently called out for almost $100 million in funding in order to replace outdated equipment and bolster their response capabilities. Nobody listened, and now the consequences are crystal clear.

Ignored Warnings, Grim Outcomes

In October, Fire Chief Kristin Rowley officially submitted a preliminary budget request of 96,535,000 dollars for fiscal year 2025/26. It expressed dire need for a “fleet replacement plan.” The request outlined how vehicles are operating far past their expected life, greatly increasing the maintenance cost and the time out of commission when people might desperately need the service.

In November, it added a requisition for another $24 million to buy new equipment. All of this was sidelined by city leadership, whose spending decisions have raised some very serious questions about priorities.

As the flames took the homes and lives of its citizens, criticism mounted against the city’s top leaders, including Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, for misplaced priorities in funding social causes instead of ensuring public safety with proper emergency preparedness.

Questionable Spending Priorities

While the LAFD’s urgent funding requests were ignored, the city found room in its budget for such things as:

• $14,010 for the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles.
• $190,000 for a homeless and HIV needle exchange program.
• $100,000 for Juneteenth celebrations.

While these allocations may be symbolic to some, the stark contrast between such allocation and the very real underfunding of LAFD has brought on outrage. For Angelenos who have watched homes burn and lives uprooted, this feels like a slap in the face.

A Stark Contrast: Prioritizing Public Safety Elsewhere

Public safety is accorded the utmost importance in smaller rural counties around the country. Last month, for instance, officials in a rural Iowa county of 12,000 residents gave the green light to an appropriation to purchase one new fire truck and three new ambulances. If small-town America can commit resources to providing emergency services, why can’t Los Angeles?

The answer lies in misplaced priorities. Apparently, it is virtue-signaling programs and not the safety and security of its residents that has captured the leadership priorities in Los Angeles, with disastrous consequences.

Accountability Required

The tragedy unfolding in Los Angeles is not an act of God; it’s a man-made failure. And it’s time for the voters to demand that their leaders take responsibility. Something is broken when emergency services are begging for the bare necessities while funds are doled out to all types of pet projects and symbolic initiatives.

Wake up, Angelenos, it’s high time for a wake-up call. These glaring failures cost: the loss of life, the homes razed, and the communities displaced. If you want change, it all begins at the ballot box. Share this article. Speak up. And above all, vote for leaders who take seriously the issues of safety, security, and sovereignty over frivolous spending.

Do you agree that it’s about time Los Angeles gets its priorities right? Comment below and let your thoughts be known!