Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[tehdang]

Many faceted issues.

Bass has nothing to do with prescribed burns. Although, cutting LAFD budget by $17M before the fire season started probably was not a smart move.

If she's cutting the firefighting budget, she needs to know about fire risk. It's part of informed decision making. Even if she can't personally authorize controlled burns, she's still responsible to agitate for the concerns of the residents in her city.

Newsom yes. To a limited degree. Here is the crux of the issue, The Feds owns 58% of CA forests, 39% by private entities, and only 3% are under State government direct control. That makes it very hard for the State to do comprehensive controlled burns.

There is another issue. While Cal Fire is one of the most well-funded firefighting departments in the WORLD. The US Forest Services, the agency in charge of more than half of CA forest lands, is understaffed and underfunded. In fact, the US Forest Service firefighters have the worst pay in the nation. Google Federal Wildland Firefighters underpaid.

So you see why I brought up the federal department. Good. Let's see some investigation into why this fall's controlled burns in California at the federal level were cancelled. If there's political blowback, let's see some informed political blowback. Defend the manner of controlling risk, while simultaneously speaking about the risk on both sides of controlled burns.

[Edge-]

The Pacific Palisades are filled with villages and suburbs that have only one entrance and out. But in general this is the design of the places near the mountains, which are filled with condos, villas and whatnot.

First off, citation on the single entrance/exist since the article still doesn't say that and excuse me if I don't just blindly trust you.

When was it built, though?

[PhaelixWW]

Trump is trolling until proven otherwise.

So... Trump is always lying, unless proven otherwise?

Weird flex, but okay.


Edit:

It's a pretty weird take, that you are saying you should always be treated as a liar, unless somehow proven otherwise.

Oops, didn't read far enough down before responding. Mea culpa.

[Edge-]

If she's cutting the firefighting budget, she needs to know about fire risk. It's part of informed decision making. Even if she can't personally authorize controlled burns, she's still responsible to agitate for the concerns of the residents in her city.

Cutting the fire budget to...make sure that they don't cut the police budget, which is around $2B last I checked.

Priorities, man. If L.A. cut the police budget we'd be getting the same shit from y'all. Reality is messy and imperfect, and trying to fight the literal gangs in the LAPD and Sheriffs Office is sadly not something that it seems any politicians anywhere in LA - regardless of party - are remotely interested in doing.

Additionally: L.A. fire services are primarily city-based, not designed or trained for wildfires in suburbs which they are not frequently called to deal with. No city is set up to handle a fire like this without significant outside help.

[Rasulis]

If she's cutting the firefighting budget, she needs to know about fire risk. It's part of informed decision making. Even if she can't personally authorize controlled burns, she's still responsible to agitate for the concerns of the residents in her city.

So you see why I brought up the federal department. Good. Let's see some investigation into why this fall's controlled burns in California at the federal level were cancelled. If there's political blowback, let's see some informed political blowback. Defend the manner of controlling risk, while simultaneously speaking about the risk on both sides of controlled burns.

The blame lies entirely in the government entity that hold the checkbook, the House. For whatever reason, funding for the US Forest Service and Firefighter's pay have never been a priority for the House. Those kinds of issues typically do not motivate voters.

[Edge-]

The blame lies entirely in the government entity that hold the checkbook, the House. For whatever reason, funding for the US Forest Service and Firefighter's pay have never been a priority for the House. Those kinds of issues typically do not motivate voters.

Surely Donald will make sure that Speaker Johnson takes this up as a priority in this Congressional session.

[DarkTZeratul]

While our president talked shit. Other states are sending their firefighting units to Los Angeles.

President Elect. Our actual President is getting shit done:
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/01/08/go...angeles-fires/

[NED funded]

First off, citation on the single entrance/exist since the article still doesn't say that and excuse me if I don't just blindly trust you.

When was it built, though?

You can open a map and check by yourself. Those are some of my favs

[Edge-]

You can open a map and check by yourself. Those are some of my favs

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ba...oASAFQAw%3D%3D

Doesn't seem to be the case at all.

I'm trying to find a single credible news outlet reporting on the singular entrance/exit.

[NED funded]

Wildfire high-risk neighborhoods like Pacific Palisades, Hollywood Hills, Laurel Canyons, Topanga Canyons, etc. go back 60 to 100 years. Most new constructions have been limited to remodel or replacement of existing structures. Not sure how the City of LA can retroactively tell homeowners to abandon their homes or forbid them from building homes on previously approved parcels.

I do agree with your assessment. Just not sure what the City or State could do about that without getting embroiled in multi-million-dollar lawsuits.

Dunno how many of the properties are 60-100 years old. I was checking on this and found many properties that have 20 years tops, but I also that the average age for many zip areas is indeed 60 years, so I am bit in the dark there. Ill grant you that

But the city can simply not approve permits citing fire risks? They need to do something about that, cuz that is the issue and will be an issue for as long as people are allowed to live in those areas.

[Templar 331]

You can open a map and check by yourself. Those are some of my favs

God, looking at that map reminds me of Joe Yannetty's comedy skit.

[Rasulis]

Dunno how many of the properties are 60-100 years old. I was checking on this and found many properties that have 20 years tops, but I also that the average age for many zip areas is indeed 60 years, so I am bit in the dark there. Ill grant you that

But the city can simply not approve permits citing fire risks? They need to do something about that, cuz that is the issue and will be an issue for as long as people are allowed to live in those areas.

Likely the original homes were demolished and replaced with newer and bigger homes. Some of the homes probably been rebuilt 3 - 4 times. Considering the average home price in Pacific Palisades is $3M, I don't think withholding permit is a realistic option. At least not without a prolonged costly court fight. Which the City may lose.

[Edge-]

Dunno how many of the properties are 60-100 years old. I was checking on this and found many properties that have 20 years tops, but I also that the average age for many zip areas is indeed 60 years, so I am bit in the dark there. Ill grant you that

But the city can simply not approve permits citing fire risks? They need to do something about that, cuz that is the issue and will be an issue for as long as people are allowed to live in those areas.

Where were you checking on this? The same place you were finding only one entrance and exit, which seems to be a complete figment of your imagination?

[NED funded]

Where were you checking on this? The same place you were finding only one entrance and exit, which seems to be a complete figment of your imagination?

https://clustrmaps.com/a/3vmbgl/

There are websites that check the age of the property and surrounding properties.

All neatly collated in one dashboard

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God, looking at that map reminds me of Joe Yannetty's comedy skit.

Dude so many of those houses are built in canyons its insane lol

[Rasulis]

Explanation about how it is not just about the smelt.

The problem is that there's only so much water to go around in California, and even less when you consider its regular droughts. The water coming into the river delta is freshwater, but where it meets the ocean it becomes salty. Newsom, environmentalists and the commercial fishing industry have generally pushed for more freshwater coming downstream not just to protect the smelt, but also to help more valuable fish, such as salmon and steelhead, which spawn there.

But that's not the only issue. When the river starts running low, either from a drought or from people drawing too much water out of it, the saltwater starts creeping further upstream, Mount explained. As it does, it damages the local plants and wildlife. And if it gets too far upstream, it will eventually spoil the freshwater that's being piped to farmers, nearby towns and other users.

As Mount put it, even if you don't care about the fish, you still need to let some freshwater go downstream or nobody will get anything.

Jeffrey Mount, water policy expert at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California

[tehdang]

Cutting the fire budget to...make sure that they don't cut the police budget, which is around $2B last I checked.

Priorities, man. If L.A. cut the police budget we'd be getting the same shit from y'all. Reality is messy and imperfect, and trying to fight the literal gangs in the LAPD and Sheriffs Office is sadly not something that it seems any politicians anywhere in LA - regardless of party - are remotely interested in doing.

Additionally: L.A. fire services are primarily city-based, not designed or trained for wildfires in suburbs which they are not frequently called to deal with. No city is set up to handle a fire like this without significant outside help.

I think we know what you mean when you say "politicians anywhere in LA - regardless of party." It's a one-party city. It's a 65% Kamala county. Dems haven't gotten their act together in navigating "messy" "reality."

The blame lies entirely in the government entity that hold the checkbook, the House. For whatever reason, funding for the US Forest Service and Firefighter's pay have never been a priority for the House. Those kinds of issues typically do not motivate voters.

It's still a greater remove from controlled burns (why do they take place regularly in other parts of the country, but not in CA?), but that should be looked at. Both in terms of the overall federal budget and redistributing funds, and also in terms of how much of forestry funds go to workers payroll.

[Rasulis]

I think we know what you mean when you say "politicians anywhere in LA - regardless of party." It's a one-party city. It's a 65% Kamala county. Dems haven't gotten their act together in navigating "messy" "reality."

It's still a greater remove from controlled burns (why do they take place regularly in other parts of the country, but not in CA?), but that should be looked at. Both in terms of the overall federal budget and redistributing funds, and also in terms of how much of forestry funds go to workers payroll.

It's not only CA. We are simply not doing enough prescribed burns in the Western region to mitigate wildfire risk. Last year we had major wildfires in CA, TX (surely you remember that one), NM, AZ, FL, NV, UT, ID, OR and WA. Until the LA fires, CA actually had a pretty mild fire season.

Unfortunately, fighting wildfires in CA is more difficult because of the terrain and climate. Most of CA major wildfires are associated with the Santa Ana or Diablo winds. Think of 100 mph wind gusts blowing fires through giant canyons acting like wind tunnels fueled by dry creosote-rich vegetation. These are characteristics specific to CA wildfires only. The difficulty is compounded by homes built along the canyon ridges.

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Turned out sex with a porn star, paying to silence her and cooking the financial books to hide the payment are not considered official presidential acts.

Supreme Court declines to block Trump's sentencing in New York hush money case

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Is that considered a felony? That would mean that after sentencing, the US will officially have a felon as president.

[Corvus]

Damn, 4 of the judges sided with Trump. Only Roberts and Barrett on the conservative side followed the rule of law.

[PhaelixWW]

Turned out sex with a porn star, paying to silence her and cooking the financial books to hide the payment are not considered official presidential acts.

Supreme Court declines to block Trump's sentencing in New York hush money case

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Is that considered a felony? That would mean that after sentencing, the US will officially have a felon as president.

This isn't anything new. This is the same felony conviction from back in May of this last year (2025 already, yeesh).

The sentencing just got delayed. Trump's been trying to get the conviction vacated ever since. The way the judge decided to do it was to keep the conviction, but basically just nullify the sentence itself and SCOTUS refused to block it.

[Edge-]

https://thehill.com/policy/internati...enland-staged/

A member of Greenland’s Parliament said Donald Trump Jr.’s visit to the island this week was “all staged” to make it look like Greenlanders supported President-elect Trump as he ramps up rhetoric about acquiring the Danish autonomous territory.

“No journalists were allowed to interview him,” Pipaluk Lynge, a member of Parliament from Greenland’s largest party as well as chair of the parliamentary foreign and security policy committee, told Politico. “It was all staged to make it seem like we — the Greenlandic people — were MAGA and love to be a part of the USA.”

She noted that Greenland wants “our own independence and democracy.”

A source familiar with Trump Jr.’s visit said that the President-elect Trump’s son had visited Greenland “to shoot some fun video content for podcasting” and did not plan to meet with government officials while there.

Unsurprisingly, the Reality TV Star president sending his dumbass cokehead son and Charlie Smallface who speaks with college kids to Greenland was indeed an entirely performative waste of time.

They just need some more b-roll for their podcasts.