As RedState reported, parts of Los Angeles are now facing an apocalyptic series of wildfires, none of which have been contained as of this writing. To make matters worse, firefighters started running out of water early Wednesday morning.

SEE: LA-Area Fires Continue to Rage, Engulf Over 2,900 Acres

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, is currently on a taxpayer-funded trip to Ghana to attend the inauguration of its new president. Why does the mayor of a major American city need to use her residents' money to fly to Africa for a photo-op? That's a really great question and one that she should be made to answer. 

Notably, President-Elect Donald Trump repeatedly called for changes in how flammable brush and the water supply in California are managed. In return, he was mercilessly mocked by the press and Democrat politicians. 

Trump’s suggestions have prompted head-scratching from experts who say his prescriptions — more raking, less water released into the ocean for environmental purposes — suggest he does not understand the science of wildfires. Critics also point out that most of California’s wildlands are federally managed.

I'm astonished by that paragraph, and it's a reminder of just how insane the press was during Trump's first stint in the White House. The suggestion that California retain more water and increase its management of forest floors "prompted head-scratching" from "experts?" Really? They were perplexed by such common-sense measures? Perhaps we've found one of the issues. 

To be fair, the narrative that California does nothing to prevent forest fires isn't true. An increase in energy rates, approved by the state government, has seen more money spent on anti-fire maintenance. The 2024 budget also included increased funding for forest management and wildfire prevention. The state now has the largest aerial firefighting force in the world. Further, it should be noted that much of the land that burns in California and then spreads to populated areas is federally owned and maintained.

Unfortunately, President Joe Biden's Forestry Service canceled all of its controlled burns last Fall out of worry the agency (and by virtue, the White House) would be blamed if anything went wrong. Yes, the federal government valued protecting itself from scrutiny over the lives and livelihoods of California residents. I'd say that's surprising, but it's not surprising at all.

One of the larger issues that does fall on the shoulders of California's leadership is water management. While rainy winters have helped mostly fill the existing reservoirs over the last several years, the lack of capacity has still led to valuable water flowing into the ocean. California has not built a new reservoir since 1979 despite suffering numerous droughts and wildfires over the years. That isn't lost on voters in the state, who passed Proposition 4 in November, which allocated significant funds to increase capacity that is sorely lacking. Whether that will be followed through on is anyone's guess.

Astonishingly, the health of a three-inch-long, minnow-like fish has taken priority for decades in the discussion of water management in California.

Trump attempted to change federal government policy to increase water diversions into existing reservoirs as a measure to fight wildfires. He was sued by the State of California and a series of environmental groups. They won an injunction in 2020, stopping his plans to provide more desperately needed water. 

Putting all this in perspective, there is no doubt that the expert class, including California Democrats, dropped the ball here in significant ways. In some cases, they placed dunking on the orange man over protecting their own residents, unwilling to make simple compromises regarding water management. The national press was just as culpable, pushing the narrative that Trump was an idiot when what he was suggesting and trying to do was obviously smart policy. Now, the chickens have come home to roost, and the receipts are embarrassing, to say the least.