Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., told Newsmax on Thursday that the decision to cut funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department was "inexcusable" as the city deals with the worst wildfire outbreak in Los Angeles County history.
The City of Los Angeles is continuing to fight numerous wildfires that have broken out all over the city, including in densely populated neighborhoods like the Palisades.
LaMalfa said on "Newsline" that "cutting the funding for the fire department, that's the inexcusable part … focusing on things besides public safety, all the DEI initiatives and the other nonsense that doesn't help people is really the question that needs to be asked."
The budget proposed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass last year included $814,281,952 in funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department, down $22,909,285 from the year before according to Newsweek.
The congressman also questioned "the condition of the equipment" being used to combat the fires, and claimed to have "seen videos of firefighters using handbags to scoop up water and throw it ... on a bit of flame there. I mean, that's pathetic."
He went on to criticize California Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying he merely gave "platitudes" and "rehearsed lines" in response to the crisis.
"He comes when he comes, waving his arms around at a fire, saying, 'Oh, it's this. It's that.' He is not focused. He's not a serious guy on a lot of these issues, including fire in California, because we can go all the way back to 2018 and the fire in Paradise, California."
LaMalfa continued, "There were 85 people who lost their lives and 90% of the town was gone. I mean, the moonscape reminds me of ... what people are suffering there in Pacific Palisades and the other areas ... a little bit of Paradise."
The congressman concluded, "Really preparedness of the landscape ahead of time is critical."
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