Los Angeles Firestorm - II

January 10, 2025

My family and I remain safe in Los Angeles, although the apocalyptic feel is growing. New fires continue to erupt in the foothills with alarming regularity. Air quality is unhealthy everywhere. Billowing plumes blot the sun. Though the winds have slowed, the scale and number of the existing fires have stretched emergency services to the breaking point. Schools are closed, so traffic is eerily light. New evacuation orders are issued hourly. Power outages have stretched into their third day.

Although the winds are abating, the storm of disinformation is growing—fanned by the President-elect and his billionaire handler. For those dealing with the loss of homes, injuries, dislocation, and fear, disinformation adds insult to injury. Sadly, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Soon-Shiong, and a recent candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, billionaire developer Rick Caruso, have contributed to the wave of disinformation.

Firefighters are having success in knocking down new fires, but three established fires (Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst) remain largely uncontained. Although the winds have moderated, even moderate winds can spread existing fires with surprising speed. Embers can land a mile ahead of an existing fire, creating new emergencies every minute.

President Biden held a cabinet-level meeting on live television to discuss the federal response to the fire. Biden refuted the silly and ignorant claim by the Trump-Musk axis of disinformation that Los Angeles has “run out of water.” False. Although firefighters are experiencing low or no pressure in some hydrants, that situation is caused by power outages that have disabled pumps that help create pressure in pipes (by filling elevated water storage tanks).

It is also false that Los Angeles cut the budget for its fire department last year. That falsehood was given flight by Rick Caruso, a billionaire developer, who recently ran for mayor of Los Angeles. During a Fox News interview, Caruso apparently referred to a preliminary budget that did not include all funds that were anticipated to be allocated to the fire department. That misinformation was repeated by the owner of the Los Angeles Times.

Caruso, who runs pristine and wildly successful shopping developments in the City of Angels, likened his hometown to a “third-world country.” It is fortunate that Los Angelenos did not elect Rick Caruso as their mayor, given his willingness to trash the city at the first opportunity.

The truth is that the final budget increased the LA Fire Department budget by $50 million (to approximately $870 million). See MSN, Widespread Online Claims Proven False as Report Shows LA Fire Department Budget Actually Increased by $50 Million Last Year. Online sources that claim otherwise are ignoring the increase in firefighter salaries granted in a separate union contract—funds that were not included in the proposed “budget” but are included in the actual allocation of funds to the fire department.

Trump, Musk, and their followers continue to claim that efforts to diversify LA’s almost exclusively male fire department are to blame for the catastrophic losses. LAFD met its racial diversity goals two decades ago; the current diversity efforts relate to increasing the number of women on the force.

In 2022, women accounted for only 4% of LAFD’s workforce, and former Mayor Eric Garcetti started an initiative to increase that percentage. So, when Trump and Musk complain about “diversity,” they are describing efforts to include more women in a workforce that is 96% male. See HuffPo, Trump Calls On Newsom To Resign; Republicans Blame DEI For Inability To Contain Wildfires.

Personal anecdotes are rarely helpful in settling disputes over policy, history, or contested facts. But as a native Angeleno, I can say that after 68 years in Los Angeles, the windstorm on January 7 and 8 was the first time in my life that I was worried by the force of the winds. It felt like a hurricane and sounded like an earthquake as the winds thrummed our rooftop. Imagine trying to control a brushfire in the face of such winds. The notion that attempting to expand the number of women employed by the LAFD is responsible for the losses is insulting to women, to firefighters, and to all Angelenos.

For a brief period on Thursday, the historic observatory atop Mount Wilson was threatened by the flames—which advanced to the boundaries of the facility. But the 100-inch Hooker Telescope was spared. That is the telescope used by Edwin Hubble to determine that the universe extends beyond our own Milky Way Galaxy and that the universe is expanding. See photo below of the 100” Hooker Telescope.

Los Angeles has many tough and heartbreaking days ahead. I continue to hear from readers and friends who have lost their homes or have family members who have lost their homes. Many readers have asked for advice about contributing to recovery efforts. I suggest waiting a few days. Los Angeles is still trying to control the fires, and relief efforts have not begun in earnest. Please exercise caution to ensure that any organization you recommend to others is legitimate and will deliver the donations to those who need them.

Stay safe and take care of friends, family, and complete strangers!

---

Legal developments

US Supreme Court rejects Trump request for stay of sentencing in hush money case.

By a one-vote majority and the slimmest of rationales, the US Supreme Court denied Trump's request to delay his sentencing hearing in the New York hush money / election interference case. On Friday, January 10, 2025, Judge Juan Merchan will enter a judgment of conviction and Donald Trump will become—officially—a “convicted felon.” See Ian Millhiser in Vox, The Supreme Court hands Trump a loss in his bid for legal immunity, in Trump v. New York.

Justices Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett joined Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson in ruling that an emergency stay was unnecessary because “the alleged evidentiary violations at President-Elect Trump’s state-court trial can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal.” The majority also noted that the burden of appearing at the hearing by video was minimal and that Judge Merchan indicated that Trump will receive an “unconditional release.”

While we should be grateful for the small victory, Millhiser notes that the presence of four justices in dissent suggests that Trump may prevail ultimately on appeal. Per Millhiser,

Nothing in the Court’s order prevents it from getting involved in this case after it is heard by other appeals courts. The Supreme Court is merely staying its hand for the time being.

It is notable, however, that even in this low-stakes dispute, four justices dissented. That suggests there is strong support within the Court for reading the July immunity decision very broadly. And, of course, if any one of the five justices in the majority should flip their vote, Trump will prevail the next time this dispute arrives on the Supreme Court’s doorstep.

Still, Trump will enter the presidency as the first-ever convicted felon—on 34 counts of fraudulently attempting to conceal the fact that he paid a former adult film actress to keep quiet about an extra-marital sexual encounter that occurred just after Barron Trump was born. Would disclosure of that fact have changed the outcome of the election? Trump thought so—which is why he paid the hush money.

In this sordid saga, one man and twelve jurors emerge as heroes of democracy: Judge Juan Merchan and the twelve jurors who listened to the evidence and convicted a once and future president. To them, we owe a debt of gratitude for helping to finally—finally—hold Trump accountable for at least one of his crimes.

11th Circuit denies Trump's request to prevent disclosure of special counsel Jack Smith’s report

The 11th Circuit denied Trump's request to block release of Jack Smith’s report regarding the election interference indictment. But the 11th Circuit left in place Judge Cannon’s lawless stay of the release—which will expire on Monday. See CBS News, Appeals court won't block partial release of special counsel's Trump report.

Trump appeal will be from the 11^th Circuit reversal of Judge Cannon’s order. The request to block Jack Smith’s report on the election interference case is meritless. Judge Cannon had no authority to block its release, and the Supreme Court should summarily reject Trump's request for relief.

Brief notes.

The dislocation from the fires has scrambled our schedules and I have had less time to write the newsletter over the last few days, including today. But there are potentially significant political developments that deserve attention. I link to relevant stories below.

Funeral of President Jimmy Carter

The state funeral of President Jimmy Carter took place on Thursday, January 9, 2025, in the National Cathedral. See NYTimes, Jimmy Carter Remembered in Washington as a ‘Practitioner of Good Works’. (Accessible to all.)

President Biden delivered the eulogy, in which the current president emphasized the essence of Jimmy Carter: “character, character, character.” Dan Rather’s Substack, Steady, does an excellent job of describing the state funeral. See Steady, “Character, Character, Character”.

Senator John Fetterman to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago

John Fetterman plans to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and is telling critics to shut up and calm down. See NBC News, John Fetterman says Democrats need to stop 'freaking out' over everything Trump does. Fetterman claims he will meet with Trump to see if he can advance the interests of Pennsylvanians. The problem is that Fetterman knows (or should know) that the answer to that question is, “No, Trump cares only about himself.”

By meeting with Trump, Fetterman is granting Trump a patina of legitimacy and normalcy that is an illusion. Trump's unhinged, delusional press conference two days ago demonstrates that Trump remains a clear and present danger to democracy.

John Fetterman is turning his back on hundreds of thousands of grassroots volunteers who supported his outsider bid for the Senate. He is now disparaging those same grassroots volunteers as people who are “freaking out” over “every move Trump makes.” Apparently Fetterman is not paying attention to Trump's moves; otherwise, he would be expressing dire concern, as well.

Come on, John! Don’t be fooled by Trump—and don’t trash-talk the grassroots base that elected you to office!

Democrats are on the verge of abandoning trans-rights in national defense bill

Republicans used transgender rights as a wedge issue in the 2024 presidential election. Some Democratic commentators have urged Democrats to abandon the transgender community. They don’t quite say it that way; instead, they urge Democrats to stop talking about trans rights—which is the same thing. Democrats talk about trans rights because Republicans are intent on demoting trans people to second class citizens—as they did with women in the Dobbs decision and ensuing state legislation.

Erin Reed explains that Democrats in Congress are on the verge of passing the National Defense Authorization Act with a provision that will effectively ban transgender people from participating in sports. See Erin in the Morning, Federal Trans Sports Ban Down To The Wire: House Action Tuesday, Senate "Close".

Erin’s essay explains that the provision in the NDAA is the first step by the religious right to launch a broader attack on trans people, which is itself the first step in attacking LGBTQ rights in general.

Nazi eugenics began by targeting handicapped children and then moved onto “homosexuals, transvestites, and depressives.” From there, the mass genocide of the Jewish people was a short step. We must never forget the lesson that the failure to protect vulnerable groups is not only morally wrong, but a danger to everyone.

Read Erin’s article and then contact your representatives in Congress.

---

Concluding Thoughts

I will hold a Substack livestream on Saturday, January 11, at 9:00 am Pacific / 12 noon Eastern. The livestream is open to all readers, but you will need the Substack App to join. There is no “link” to the event; you will receive a notification in the app when I go live.

This is a difficult time for everyone, and will remain so for the indefinite future. Readers are expressing more than the usual amount of frustration and anxiety. The last several days have revealed the depth of those feelings in the Comment section. As I have acknowledged, readers who are experiencing those feelings are reacting in a reasonable, normal way to unsettling events. Sharing those feelings is a healthy thing to do. I am glad that readers feel comfortable doing so in the Comment section.

I encourage readers who have begun to re-engage to share their experiences, as well. Doing so will help to lift up and encourage others who are not at that point yet. The best way to do so is to lead by example—sharing your activities, strategies, tribulations, and victories. Avoid bragging or moralizing; think “gentle encouragement.”

We all need encouragement from time to time. If you can give it, that will be a blessing for others!

Stay strong and stay safe. Reach out to others in need!

Daily Dose of Perspective

Below is a picture of the Hooker 100-inch Telescope, used by Edwin Hubble to determine that the universe expands beyond the Milky Way and that the universe is expanding. The Hooker Telescope sits atop Mount Wilson and was briefly threatened by the Eaton Fire on Thursday.

A view of the sunset on Thursday, taken at a park at the end of our block.