Five
people, perhaps more, have already died in the fires
raging through Los Angeles, California. In the span of only 2
days so far, entire neighborhoods have been reduced to
ashes due to multiple concurrent
fires. Thousands of homes,
schools, and businesses are gone.
These
are the most devastating wildfires Los Angeles has seen
in years, yet the budget for the fire department — the
city's first line of defense — was recently
gutted.
Several months ago, Mayor Karen
Bass and the L.A. City Council slashed $17.6 million
from the Los Angeles Fire Department's budget. This
decision has left firefighters scrambling for resources
at a time when lives are hanging in the balance.
There have even been reports of empty fire
hydrants, with no water in them! Brave
firefighters are fighting an impossible battle with
inadequate tools.
Right now, wildfires rage
across over 7,500 acres, driven by wind gusts
reaching 99 mph. Over 1,100 structures have
already been lost, including children's schools, and
homes for both celebrities and working-class families
alike. Hundreds of thousands of residents have
received orders to either evacuate. The fires
are still at 0% containment.
It is especially
important to make sure that the L.A. fire department is
properly and fully funded, since we already know that
climate change is going to make
these types of fires worse in the
future.
The L.A. City Council
and Mayor must immediately restore full funding to the
fire department, ensuring they have the resources to
protect us from future disasters. Sign the petition
now!
