Category Archives: failed city

Two months after Los Angeles fires, guess how many permits have been issued in Palisades

Posted on March 26, 2025 by | 1 comment

America’s Worst Governor: Gavin Newsom

The criminal mismanagement by democrat politicians resulted in nearly 12,000 structures being burned earlier this year in wildfires. Over 5,300 structures were destroyed in the Palisades Fire.

After the fires, Governor Newsom vowed to clear red tape for rebuilding. The governor signed an executive order to suspend portions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act for fire victims planning to start over with their homes or businesses. He told NBC:

“I’m worried about time to getting these projects done. And so we want to fast-track by eliminating any CEQA requirements. Any Coastal Act changes that we’re making. I want to make sure when someone rebuilds that they have their old property tax assessments and that they’re not increased.”

After returning from a trip to Ghana while her city burned, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order to “to clear the way for Los Angeles residents to rapidly rebuild the homes they lost in the ongoing firestorm and lays the foundation for businesses to plan their rebuild.”

How do you think things are going in that area with regards to rebuilding? About as well as one could have predicted. From KABC:

“More than two months after the Palisades Fire, only four permits had been issued as of Monday for homeowners to rebuild their properties — a low figure that one Los Angeles city councilmenber said was “concerning.”

Residents in the Palisades Fire zone are trying to figure out how to move forward, but there are several obstacles in the way — including the city’s permitting process and L.A.’s looming budget deficit.

Mayor Karen Bass hired a private consulting firm to oversee the recovery effort. The contract with Hagerty Consulting is worth $10 million. Some councilmembers say that raises questions.

“We have city departments who know how to do this recovery, who have been involved in recovery efforts in the past,” Councilmember Monica Rodriguez told ABC7. “And yet they can’t be afforded the opportunity to hire the personnel that they need, but we can give a $10 million contract to an outside agency to help write a report for us.”

Read the whole story here.

At this rate, it will take over fifty years to rebuild that area.

DCG

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Posted in Democrats, failed city, failed state, Los Angeles wildfire, Nature, The Left

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Newsom’s solution to prevent homes from burning? Ban plants/shrubs within five feet of homes

Posted on February 8, 2025 by | 3 comments

You have to wonder how long California and the Los Angeles area will put up with the most feckless and incompetent leadership that they have ever elected.

After the California wildfires that devastated so many people, Gov. Newsom signed an executive order enacting new wildfire prevention rules.  Homeowners are now required to clear flammable materials (including mulch, bushes and plants) except for mature trees within five feet of their homes.

According to Newsweek, state officials and researchers claim that embers are responsible for 90 percent of structures destroyed by wildfire.

Clearing plants five feet around houses will stop this ferocious fire?

Given that the Santa Ana winds can blow up to 100 miles per hour, you have to wonder how not planting bushes within five feet from one’s house will actually save a structure.

I mean, I don’t believe that lawns and flower beds are what fueled the catastrophic fires to begin with. You know what did? A combination of ineptitude among many, many leaders.

First, there’s the Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass. Despite the National Weather Service warning of the potential for extreme fire conditions, the good mayor decided to take a taxpayer-funded trip to Ghana to attend the inauguration of their president. Once she learned of the disaster unfolding in her city, she headed back to the USA. Stone-cold silent she was as areas of Los Angeles went up in flames.

Another thing that fueled the fires? Not. Having. Water.

Santa Ynez reservoir: EMPTY at the time of fires.

Instead of being full of water, as a reservoir should be in a fire-prone area, the reservoir sat empty, leaving water supplies and hydrants dry after hours of intense firefighting. The reservoir sat empty for a year after a tear was discovered in its rubber-like protective cover. But no worries, leaders at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power are now hiring an independent engineer to assess whether the empty reservoir contributed to the failure of its water system during the Palisades fire.

Mayor Bass nominated LADWP CEO Janisse Quiñones with an annual salary of $750,000. Janisse knew about the empty reservoir and broken hydrants months before the fires. Quiñones past employer is also linked to fire scandals. She was previously a top executive at electricity company PG&E, which went bankrupt over liability for several massive wildfires in California.

Another failure of leadership at LADWP to provide water to known fire zone areas during a wildfire event.

Failure at so many levels and to date, no accountability for any of their actions. But you, homeowner, better not plant a rosebush for grandma by her front door! No pretty flowerbeds along your front window sills!

No doubt Newsom’s executive order will ensure that the wind can only blow burning embers four and a half feet or less. You democrats never learn…

DCG

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Posted in climate change, clueless, Democrats, failed city, safety, The Left

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Oakland, California opens largest abortion clinic in U.S.

Posted on February 2, 2025 by | 3 comments

The city of Oakland in the S.F. Bay Area of failed blue state California is already notorious for its crime-ridden streets and its corrupt mayor. See DCG’s post, “Decades of democrat leadership on display in Oakland, CA.”

Now, Oakland is hellbent on sinking even lower.

California Catholic Daily reports that the largest abortion clinic ever just opened for business in Oakland:

The Planned Parenthood abortion business is opening its largest abortion business ever. The massive facility will be located in Oakland, California and could kill babies in abortions up to birth.

Located at 1400 Broadway, the Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Barbara Lee Oakland Health Center opened its doors on December 17 with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for February 1, 2025.

Planned Parenthood officials expect it will be able to kill thousands of babies. The opening of the Oakland center is seen as a strategic move to attract more abortion customers coming to the Bay Area on flights from pro-life states for abortions.

The health center is named in honor of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a radical abortion activist who never voted pro-life. Lee was delighted an abortion center that kills children will be named after her.

In a statement, Lee expressed her gratitude, stating, “To have a Planned Parenthood health center with my namesake is a great honor, and one I do not take lightly.”

The opening comes on the heels of the death of Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood’s former president.

In the recently released 2022-2023 fiscal year annual report titled, “Above & Beyond,” Planned Parenthood states it performed 392,715 abortions. That means Planned Parenthood killed 1,075 babies in abortions every single day even though the abortion giant claims its main focus is merely “women’s health care.” In other words, Planned Parenthood kills 44 babies every hour.

“Above & Beyond” also shows that 34 percent of Planned Parenthood’s revenue, $699.3 million, comes from “government health services reimbursements and grants,” or taxpayer dollars.

Thank God for President Trump who, on Jan. 24, signed an executive order reinstating the Mexico City Policy which forbids using taxpayer dollars to fund nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. (Fox News)

~E

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Posted in abortion, Democrats, Evil, failed city, failed state, President Donald Trump, The Left

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Place your bets: How long will it take to re-build the burned downed areas of California?

Posted on January 16, 2025 by | 4 comments

The California citizens affected by the fires are in for a world of hurt.

While fires continue to burn more than a week later after the Palisades fire, residents are trying to return to their residences to find the fate of their homes and possessions.

With more than 12,000 structures destroyed, AccuWeather estimates the cost of rebuilding is expected to be between $250 billion and $275 billion. No doubt rebuilding will take years, if not over a decade, due to cleanup, insurance claims processing, the amount of materials and labor required, and, of course, bureaucracy.

On January 12, Governor Newsom on Sunday issued an executive order aimed at cutting red tape for rebuilding efforts in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles County wildfires.

The order suspends regulations under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to allow people to rebuild their destroyed or damaged properties faster. Newsom’s office said the governor is also directing state agencies to find more ways to suspend permit requirements to help speed up rebuilding efforts.

Three days later, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health issued their own order prohibiting cleanup or removal of fire debris at fire damaged and burned properties located in Critical Fire Areas until a hazardous materials inspection is completed by an approved government agency.

If you thought residents were let down by the criminal mismanagment of their democrat politicians who enabled this inferno, just wait until they attempt to rebuild.

Their “California dream” is gone due to decades of incompetence and deriliction to provide even the most basic services. As residents seek even the first chance to cleanup, they are going to be met with bureaucracy. And that will happen at every step they take to obtain permits and rebuild.

Place your bets as to how long it will take for this area to recover. Or, place your bets as to how many packup and leave this mismanaged state.

DCG

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Posted in Democrats, failed city, failed state, Los Angeles wildfire

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WA State wants to punish gun owners who have firearms stolen

Posted on January 15, 2025 by | 8 comments

When Seattle was safe…

I grew up in Washington State and moved to a red state over a decade ago.

The most populas county (King, where I grew up) was a decent and safe place growing up. As teens we would go downtown to the Seattle Center and run around by ourselves (go on the rides, monorail, etc.) with no incidents.

Fast forward after decades of democrat control and Washington state (and their most populas counties) are no longer safe.

Last September, a 2023 FBI crime data report showed that for the last five consecutive years when comparing Washington state to the national average, murders are 408% higher, vehicle thefts higher by 144%, and burglaries, robberies, and aggravated assaults are all higher since 2019.

Governor Jay Inslee (first elected in 2013, out of office as of this month) enacted some of the strictest gun control laws during his tenure in Washington state.

But for democrat gun grabbers, it is never enough. Now the demorats in the state legisltature are proposing even stricter gun storage laws and if your firearm is stolen because you didn’t store it according to their mandate, one could face very stiff penalties.

From MyNorthwest:

“A new bill aimed at curbing rising gun thefts throughout the state has been drawn up for lawmakers to mull and debate in the Washington Legislature.

House Bill 1152 proposes specific requirements for storing a legally owned firearm for gun owners (they would have to store their firearms in a hard case or lock the trigger in a soft case) and significant penalties if the gun is stolen. The owner of a gun that becomes stolen could face a $1,000 fine, and if the thief who stole the firearm is someone who legally cannot own a gun and commits a violent crime with said gun, the gun owner could be charged with a separate felony.

“For example, in your vehicle, if you have to have the pistol, it has to be stored and unloaded in a container that’s opaque, locked, hard-sided and fixed to the vehicle. It has to be concealed and your vehicle has to be locked. If it’s a rifle or a shotgun, it needs to be stored in a soft-sided case and have a trigger lock,” Andrew Lanier, producer of “The Gee and Ursula Show,” said on the show. “Now, if that gun is stolen, you can be liable for a fine of up to $1,000 if it is not secured. If someone steals that gun, it is a misdemeanor.

“If someone who’s not allowed to own a gun, say, a felon or a minor, steals it and gets possession, it is a gross misdemeanor,” Lanier continued in his explanation of the proposed bill. “If someone not allowed to have a gun gets your gun and commits a crime with it, say, for example, someone holds up to 7-Eleven, now it becomes a felony if your stolen gun that was unsecured was used in a crime that hurts someone else. And I need to point out a Class C felony is up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. I don’t think you would get that much, but it would also mean that you’re a felon and no longer allowed to own a gun.”

Read the whole article here.

Democrats have been doing their best to implement “backdoor” laws that limit gun ownership. They will do everything they can to punish legal gun owners in hopes of eliminating the Second Amendment.

Loved ‘ya growing up, Washington. Sad to say I will never move back to that once beautiful state.

I will stay put in my red state of Oklahoma. Our residents and politicians would never tolerate such an infringement upon our Second Amendment right. Which is just how I like it. Course the only drawback to living in Oklahoma is dealing with this:

DCG

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Posted in Crime, Democrats, failed city, failed state, safety

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Los Angeles inferno from criminal mismanagement by Democrat politicians

Posted on January 9, 2025 by | 9 comments

This is an excellent video by a foreign (Australian) news source because our MSM or legacy media are corrupt.

Elections have consequences

This was how Los Angeles County voted in the November 2024 election (source):

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Los Angeles County voted for Gavin Newsom by 80-90% (source). Newsom Cut Roughly $150 Million From Wildfire Prevention Budget In The Past

In 2022, Democrat Karen Bass was voted as mayor of Los Angeles by 54.83% (vs. 45.17% for Democrat Rick Caruso). (Source)

I weep for the pets and wildlife that are killed or injured in this wholly manmade inferno, the destruction of which is so mind-boggling it’s biblical in scale and ferosity.

~E

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Posted in Crime, Democrats, Evil, failed city, failed state, God's creation, Hollywood, The Left, woke culture

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No scruples or shame: Fired St. Louis DA abdicated her duties

Posted on January 9, 2025 by | 2 comments

Democrats have absolutely no shame. None at all.

Fired St. Louis DA (backed by George Soros) Kim Gardner is proof of that.

Former St. Louis DA Kim Gardner

From the Daily Mail:

“St Louis’ former DA took nursing classes during her taxpayer-funded working hours before being fired over soaring crime.  

Former Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who was backed by progressive billionaire George Soros, spent 34.5 days attending classes at St Louis University in Missouri over two years instead of doing her public sector job. That’s according to a state audit released on Tuesday by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick in a damning 71-page report.

The review also found widespread staff turnover, misuse of public funds and a large drop in the number of cases filed, referred and closed before she resigned in 2023.

Gardner quit after Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey took steps to remove her from office after she let too many cases, including homicide, go unpunished. 

She told auditors she had been pursuing a family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate ‘to improve the office and bring mental health awareness’ to the office.

Other issues cited in the audit include $58,000 being spent on flowers, a DJ, car detailing, an office picnic, a chili cookout and her own legal expenses. Auditors also found difficulty in obtaining information from her office while she was in charge. 

Employees denied or delayed requests by auditors for two years until they had to respond due to court subpoenas.  The audit said that ‘full access to documents, personnel, and the office itself was only given after the new administration took over’. 

An additional $1.9 million was found to have been used to pay contracts for outside legal representation, new software, consultants, and office equipment.

She told auditors that some of the purchases, which also included $5,180 at a bar and grill and $2,585 in pizza were to ‘boost morale’, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.

Under her watch, murder in St. Louis hit a 50-year high and the city saw fewer and fewer felonies prosecuted.“

Read the whole story here.

None of this should shock any one. Garner was crooked from day one. One look at the long list of controversies on her Wikipedia page should tell you how rotten she was.

Dont hold your breath that she’ll be held to account for her reckless actions. In October of last year, Gardner was accused of misappropriation of funds by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In a pretrial diversion agreement, Gardner formally admitted to the misappropriation of funds, agreed to remain crime-free for a period of 18 months, reported to a pre-trial services officer, and has to repay the misappropriated funds.

Sure is good to be a demorat.

DCG

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Posted in Crime, failed city, safety, The Left

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Decades of democrat leadership on display in Oakland, CA

Posted on January 8, 2025 by | 4 comments

Outsted Oakland demorat mayor Sheng Thao (left).

Oakland, California has been under demorat rule for decades. As a result, crime, homelessness, and overall decay is on the rise within the city.

Mayor Sheng Thao, who started her term in January 2023, was recalled this past November by nearly 65% of the voters. She leaves behind a mess of a city in which many are now calling a “zombie apocalypse.”

Thanks to feckless leadership, Oakland now has a massive graveyard of abandoned cars and illegal dumping. Check it out:

Abandoned cars along UPRR in Oakland.

From the Daily Mail:

Oakland likened to ‘zombie apocalypse movie’ thanks to horrifying trend

“Oakland has been compared to a ‘zombie apocalypse film’ as the crime-ridden city has seen a recent up-tick in a horrifying trend where abandoned cars are left along the Union Pacific Railroad. 

A massive ‘graveyard’ of ditched vehicles, including GMC and Ford pickup trucks, cargo vans, sedans and Chevrolet Tahoes have consumed the area for years, but recently, the problem has only grown worse. 

The area has been plagued by illegal dumping, leading officials and angry residents to speak up about the issue, which they say depicts a set from a ‘zombie apocalypse film,’ the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

Oakland residents are determined to make the illegal dumping ground a high priority for the struggling city. Oakland officials, who have been trying to tackle the surging issue for some time now, told the outlet they don’t have access to enough resources to fight the trend. 

What’s more is there is an issue with the location of the dumped cars, as it is technically owned by multiple parties – Union Pacific, Caltrans and Alameda County.  Union Pacific said it previously cleaned up the area in November, and plans to clear the impacted spot out again next week, the Chronicle reported. Meg Siffring, a spokesperson for Union Pacific, told the outlet the company is currently ‘working on a plan’ with the county and city to clean up the cars. 

Meanwhile, the Oakland Police Department said they have towed stranded vehicles, arrested people and installed barriers to try to fight the rising trend. 

Despite the department’s best efforts, the police union said they can’t fully clear the slew of vehicles because towing abandoned cars in the city is a job for the transportation department.

Although they came in to help, Oakland Police Sgt. Tim Dolan said progress has decreased since the transportation department took over because of training requirements and a heavy workload. 

‘It’s mind-boggling,’ Dolan said. ‘It’s an ongoing issue. But it’s just gotten out of control over the last few years.’ 

The city previously implemented surveillance cameras in dumping hotspots in 2022 in a bid to catch those abandoning the cars and other items in the junkyards. A total of 457 incidents were caught on camera from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, but only 59 were given citations, the outlet reported. The city was unable to issue more citations because 23 percent of the vehicles did not have license plates on them.”

Read the whole story here.

City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins is the interim mayor until voters choose a new mayor in an April special election.

As of Monday, eleven candidates have filed campaign account paperwork to run for Oakland mayor in April, including former Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D), Johnny Gatlin, Wendy Adams, Tyron Jordan (D), Peter Liu (famous for his anti-semitic comments in a mass email), Mindy Pechenuk (a Trump supporter) Fabian Robinson (his Instagram profile shows him with Gavin Newsom), Derrick Soo, Elizabeth Swaney (an American who competed for Hungary in the 2018 Winter Olympics), Loren Taylor (D), Renia Webb (who has the endorsements of the founders of Moms Demand Action) and Larry Lionel Young Jr.

Choose wisely this time, Oakland:

DCG

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Posted in Crime, Democrats, failed city, failed state, safety, The Left

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Stingy Seattleites vote for economy-crushing polices; vow to stop tipping working folk

Posted on December 27, 2024 by | 10 comments

Seattle is a hardcore, progressive blue city. They’ve had a demorat mayor in office since 1969. The consistently vote for progressive, ultra-left council members that once included the socialist Kshama Sawant.

Seattle’s fight to increase the minimum wage dates back to 2014 with the “Fight for $15” movement. Many residents approved of the increase that resulted in Seattle having the highest minimum wage of any major city in the United States.

Fast forward ten years: After four years of “Bidenomics” and several years of crushing Wuhan virus restrictions set by Governor Inslee, Seattleites are now singing a different tune with a new minimum wage of $20.76 per hour.

The result: Many Seattle residents vow to quit tipping restaurant working staff in the new year.

From MyNorthwest:

“As Seattle ushers in the new year, a growing number of residents are pledging to stop tipping much or even altogether. This movement, gaining traction on Reddit, is a direct response to the city’s escalating minimum wage, which will rise to $20.76 an hour in 2025, up from $19.97 in 2024. Reddit Seattle has been buzzing on the topic of tipping. With Seattle now boasting one of the highest minimum wages in the nation, many in Seattle question the necessity of tipping on top of already substantial wages, especially in the context of escalating prices in restaurants and retail. 

The city’s minimum wage ordinance, which mandates annual increases based on inflation, was supposedly designed to ensure a “living wage” for all workers. But the Seattle minimum wage crusade came with unintended consequences. Consumers complain about ‘tipping fatigue,’ exacerbated by ‘tipflation,’ where suggested gratuities have risen in tandem with wages.

Seattle restaurant operators are panicked ahead of a minimum wage update that will now prevent tips and benefits from being deducted from hourly wages. For some Seattle restaurants, it will add about $45,000 in expenses per month that they don’t have.

When Seattle leaders hastily passed a $15 minimum wage hike, they offered a 10-year ramp-up period for small businesses (those with 500 or fewer employees). Under the current formula, restaurants may pay a $17.25 hourly wage if their employees earn at least $2.72 in tips per hour or in medical benefits. In 2025, this practice ends and the city of Seattle has refused to step in and help already-struggling restaurants.

Without tips, servers who once made $40-$50 an hour during busy shifts could find themselves stuck at Seattle’s flat-rate minimum wage if or when tipping culture changes or ends.”

Read the whole story here.

Rising food and labor costs, combined with Washington State’s Wuhan virus restrictions, have led to many restaurant closures.

I have no doubt that this new mininum wage will result in more restaurant closures. And I also have no doubt that Seattleites will never comprehend this message:

DCG

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Posted in clueless, Democrats, failed city, The Left

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California is worst state to raise a family

Posted on December 23, 2024 by | 4 comments

Surprise!

Not.

To go to the interactive map, click on the Consumer Affairs link below.

From Consumer Affairs, Dec. 10, 2024:

To determine the best states for raising a family in 2025, ConsumerAffairs compared each state on cost, safety, education, health care and quality of life.

The bottom five states for raising a family are all located in the West and South and face significant challenges in education and quality of life.

  • California ranks at the bottom, with poor scores in quality of life, affordability, safety, high child poverty rates, a shortage of libraries and bad air quality.
  • Texas follows closely behind, scoring poorly in health care, safety and quality of life. The state has the lowest pediatric health care score, with the highest percentages of uninsured children and families that can’t afford their children’s health care bills.
  • New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada round out the bottom, with poor public education and lower rankings in quality of life.

Vermont is the best state to raise a family in. It finished first in quality of life, sixth in child health care access and sixth in education. The top five states for raising a family are Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Wyoming.

~E

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Posted in Democrats, failed city, failed state, Finances, Health, safety, The Left

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