California Nightmare

Let me begin this by giving you a frame of reference about who is writing this essay: I am a California native. In 1974, I married another California native in New Orleans. When we returned to California in 1976, housing was affordable, but on the way up. We bought a house in 1980. In 1981 I gave birth to a son.  30 years later, he married another California native. They have two California born children. It is needless to say I am invested in the state. And yet, if I could convince my family to move, I would do it in a nanosecond. 

Obviously, you note that I have lived in other states, Louisiana, Ohio, New Jersey and Arizona. Which makes me well acquainted with other parts of the United States; the East Coast, the South, the Midwest and two states in the West. No matter how many times I attempted to leave the state for good-I loved living on the East Coast-family always brought me back. 

I am loyal to my family. 

Now, on to our subject. Much has been written, around the English speaking world, about the horror that is taking place in Los Angeles county. They also cover in full force, the blame game, that runs parallel to the tragedy. I know these things because, daily, I read The Telegraph, a newspaper out of England. The articles are straightforward. It is in the comments section where one can read all about the issues as to why this holocaust happened. I'm amused by this, that many people who have never set foot in California can tell us all about our problems. They also have the same rumors that we have in California, about who, what, when, where, why and how these wildfires began. I have heard it all, from Chilean  gangs, to an absentee mayor, and of course, the really big one, climate change brought about by human beings.

Truth, however, is stranger than fiction. That is point number 1.

Whilst it is true the mayor was not in town when this began, even if she would have been here, there was nothing she could do to prevent it. California is full of dreamers who think things will take care of themselves. So when those annual hot dry winds arrived, it didn’t take much to set Pacific Palisades ablaze. Add into this mix drought. Oh yes,  we were primed for this event. In fact, strong, hot winds and wildfires are a part of the California experience. So it is nature that laid the groundwork for such a fire. And human beings played their part by being caught with their pants down. 

Indeed, it is the modus operandi for the entire state to either shake or bake.

So what happened? Incompetency. Placing politicians into important roles, who are supposed to see to it that the various departments operate as they should, is a fool's errand. So who is really, bottom line, responsible for this? In a democracy, it is the voters. When votes are cast because of emotions and not reason, this scenario is exhibit number 1 of why things go south.

California is supposed to be a paradise, with all its beauty and lovely weather. But the truth will out the fiction. Like all of Earth, the state is in progress of moving north and south, simultaneously.  Thus, earthquakes. And with its mixture of deserts and mountains, hot dry winds come into town. We get those hot winds every bloody year. Some years are worse than others. But it amuses me how soon we forgot about those hot dry winds  even in the north. People have short memories, because a couple of years back, the same conditions burned forests, houses and people. All because of an area that was ill prepared to face mother nature’s grueling tests of character. People tend to think they can live in paradise without personal responsibility to keep it so. The northern voters acted like the southern voters; they voted with their emotions. Northern California needs what Southern California needs; people who will deal with reality. But talking about what needs to be done in forests does not get one elected. That is dry and boring stuff. You would think that at the very least, the politicians would put in place competent people who have the know-how to arrange things around California's edginess. 

You see what I mean when I say we have to hold the voters just as responsible as the people they put into power? The people need to ask hard questions. But they are too busy living the California dream. Make that fantasy. 

And what about those rumors? This is point #2. Something had to start the fire that rushed through Pacific Palisades. Or someone. In the north, in 2018, the beginning of the horrific Camp Fire began with the sparks from a downed PG & E power line. But that was on the individual who was in charge. According to Wikipedia, the power lines before the fire had not been checked in 6 years. But still, there were more wildfires in the mountains even after the CampFire. Some were attributed to lighting strikes. But again, since we know these things will happen, what measures are there to mitigate the destruction? 

Do you wanna shout out, “Who is in charge here?” 

Daydreamers. That’s who.

It is not, however, a case of the politicians fiddling whilst California burns. Millions of residents are fiddling. I repeat, nature is severe, and people are into themselves. Someone else will do the dirty work, right? So they set themselves up for catastrophe.

Yes, I know Trump, said it as well. But Trump is a bad man in the minds of too many Californians. In their minds, it is never California’s citizens who may well be at fault. Thus the blame game goes around. And nothing is taken care of. Not until you insist upon it. And not until you go into these areas and pick up dry twigs.

Fires love dry twigs. They go on to bigger and better things from burning those twigs. 

The politicians in this state are like politicians everywhere; they are not your friends, unless you have a few million to dump into their campaign. That is another truth. I pray some warrior type journalist digs deep on this. And bypasses the Chilean gangs theory. Because those rumors take the heat off, pun intended, the politicians who hired the people to ignore the real issues. Even if it was a gang of thieves, someone let them in and let them stay. Gee, wouldn’t that be the political class? 

Therefore my theory is that this is plain ole incompetence. And the citizens of California will be left holding the financial bag. We have plenty of evidence for it. We also have evidence on how the political system operates, money wise. That evidence is the train to nowhere, and that fancy apartment building that was built to house the addicts, aka, homeless, in Los Angeles. 

Among people I know, we have set up a betting pool on how long before the residents of said building will burn it down.

I get it, that it is difficult to believe that voters vote for such people, that would rather risk holocausts than do their real job. But the average citizen dreams of having to do nothing to live in paradise, except to go to work everyday. But that is living in fantasy land. 

In California, the politicians are in their own fantasy land as well. In truth they are psychopaths. They are good with the lies that promise you things you don’t need. They have zero empathy. But psychopaths are good at manipulating. Californians simply need to wake up. 

Now, the political class is a bit nervous because people are pointing fingers at them. I point to the people who put them there. Supporting the Karen Basses of this state, I have to ask you, what were you thinking when you put such people into power  over your lives? The evidence is obvious that the game is rigged.  For them. Not you. But you didn’t vote for her abilities, did you. 

The third point is another reality check. Does it occur to folks that there are too many people squished into Los Angeles?

Back when I was a teenager, I could drive to the San Fernando Valley, and back, from Atwater Village to Sun Valley, in 45 minutes. Try that today. I made this trek weekly because my voice teacher’s studio was in Sun Valley. It was 20 minutes out, and a little longer to get back because by then, the after work traffic began to pick up. That was in 1967. Today? Ha! You don’t want to know. 

I always thought LA was mismanaged. But that was not the real issue. It was, drum roll please, the migrants. No, not from across the border, but from across the land. It was they who brought the progressive movement into this state. How can I say such a thing? Because I was in university by 1967, and I heard them talk. The professors were, by that time, showing their progressive colors as well. In 1969, the first no-fault divorce law was passed, and signed into law by that conservative paragon, Governor Ronald Reagan. That, to my mind, was the symbolic gesture of the beginning of the takeover, with the “conservatives” allowing it. And then, I had the opportunity to move to Ohio, and then Louisiana. When I returned 4 years later, the progressives had made headway. 

The New Yorkers and other East Coast liberals were everywhere. I met two in the gym one day. I just listened to them talk about how they were going to “fix” California. This is back in the day when NYC was having all sorts of issues, like rising crime rates, trash, and a housing shortage. Sound familiar? So did we need guys like this in California? No. As I left the gym, I asked them where they were from. New York. I chuckled and asked them why they were here? The weather. 

Beware of people who come to California for the weather. They bring their politics with them. 

The most conservative people I met were the people from other countries who came here for seminars at USC. I performed at the Hilton Hotel restaurant across from the university. I did a solo gig, me at the piano singing songs of love and life. During the breaks, I would talk people up. It was a great gig, for that reason alone. The people from other lands give perspective. 

In 1985 we moved to Northridge, in the San Fernando Valley. Very conservative. In spite of being within walking distance of a university. In 1994, we were on the epicenter of the Northridge earthquake. It was my second experience with a big shaker. This one was a 6.9, with aftershocks aplenty. The first thing I did that morning was check on a few neighbors who had not come out of their houses. Everyone was okay. The second task  was to make coffee for the neighbors because I had a camp stove. We came together, as a community to do what really does come naturally: hang together to insure everyone was ok. And remained so. Around the corner, an apartment building had collapsed, killing several individuals. 

The fires last week make the Northridge quake look like child’s play. But once those folks get back into their neighborhoods, the first thing they will do is comfort one another. 

Being in New York two months after 9/11, it was the same attitude. People were a part of a community, and helpful. No politician told them to be helpful. It is a sign of civilization, the anthropologist Margret Mead noted decades ago, when people stop to help others. Not bureaucrats, not officials, not the politicians who lie to us, but people. Your neighbors, your friends, your family. You. Me.

Therefore, it is important that we stop fighting among ourselves. Let go of the politics. And tell the politicians, who will lie to you, to take a hike. No matter what party you belong to. We don't want to help the politicians to create more messes.

Politicians, and their overlords, that is, the people who fund them, rule. The fascinating part of this event is that these were wealthy neighborhoods. These are the spots where the ruling class lives. And now they have found out that it is Mother Nature who is the real tyrant of California. No matter how many electric cars we buy, they cannot convince nature to change her tune. And now that those human potentates  have proved their incompetence, will you continue to let them rule? 

Government is inept because the government is not accountable to anyone, but its overlords.

In my book, Leadership in Literature, I address the issue of the training needed to lead effectively. Anyone can call themselves a leader. But what we see in our state is not effective leaders, but muddlers. They dilly-dally in all sorts of nonsense. They wish upon a star and give us a half a trillion dollars of debt. 

 Observing the political class with eyes wide open, it does seem to us that these political leaders are quite irrational. I mean I don’t think they mean to destroy the state. A charcoal color may be good in a painting scheme, but for the entire state? 

My call to action is quite simple. Firstly, say this out loud:

It is natural for California to have wildfires and earthquakes.

Secondly, think about this question before you answer it:

What is my culpability, as a voter, when real issues are ignored by those I voted for?

Thirdly, for all of you who want to think rationally, answer these questions:

Do you think the elected are ever responsive to the people?

Do you think the elected should stop using the press to speak to us, and use instead, the town hall methods, talking to gatherings of citizens about the problems in our state?

And think deeply before you answer this one:

Is it time to rethink the way we choose our leaders? 

That last one does open the proverbial can of worms. So leave a comment. And let’s talk.