LA’s Fire Crisis: Budget Cuts and Insurance Cancellations Leave Residents Vulnerable

How local government raised millions for policing and cut the fire budget, insurance companies abandoned homeowners, and a comprehensive list of resources

Before we get into this article, please click HERE for a comprehensive resource on shelters, mutual aid, and help. This list should provide you with any and all information you need to stay safe and receive updates if you are impacted by the fires.

It’s winter, and five fires are ravaging the Los Angeles area. According to the Cal Fire website, all of the fires are 0% contained. The Eaton and Palisades fires alone are at 10,600 and 2,925 acres at this time.

Before I became a news content creator, I worked as a communications specialist at PG&E’s Wildfire Operations Center for a year. There, I worked with countless firefighters and chiefs from local fire, Cal fire, and forestry (federal firefighters). As a person with this experience, I can tell you that the aftermath of these fires will be devastating. The fact that all of the fires are 0% contained is absolutely terrifying.

City of LA Cut Fire Budget to Fund Cops…

LAFD’s budget decreased by about $17.6 million this year (compared to the previous year). They did this while giving the green light to a four-year commitment contract to grow LAPD—with a hefty price tag of $1 billion (this was passed in 2023).

The council agreed to a nearly 13% increase in pay for new officers, 12% cost-of-living increases in the next four years, and various bonuses and incentives. In addition to the already approved $3 billion LAPD budget, this would cost an extra $75 million in 2024-2025, another $91 million in 2025-2026, and another $95 million in 2026-2027.

It is interesting how Los Angeles has so much money for policing yet found it fitting to cut the LAFD fire department’s budget. What are all the police going to do? Shoot the fire?

Reports That People are Losing Their Fire Insurance

When you watch this interview, the interviewee claims that even though her parents had lived in the same house for 75 years and had the same insurance, the insurance providers decided to cancel their fire coverage.

This isn’t surprising at all. In August 2024, 17,000 Liberty Mutual customers in California lost their fire insurance policies. When confronted about this decision, Liberty Mutual said, "The decision to stop writing this product line is not specific to California and not related to fire risk."

The Department of Insurance says that since 2022, seven of the top 12 insurance carriers have either discontinued their existing homeowners’ policies or stopped selling new ones. It’s gotten to the point that if you are a homeowner in California with insurance, you're lucky. Much less adding fire protection to that.

Critics claim that more insurance companies seem to be looking for an excuse to drop policyholders. After all, the impacts of climate change are costly, and covering all damage costs for insurance companies isn’t profitable.

From @andrewkimmel on Twitter

Sending More Aid to Israel While Americans Suffer

With less than two weeks left in his administration, Biden let Congress know that they are doing an additional; $8 billion arms deal with Israel. This included air-to-air missiles, 500-pound bombs, and other weapons.

Since October 7, 2023, the U.S. government has already spent at least $17.9 billion on military aid for Israel. That puts us at more than 50,000 tons of weapons and equipment to Israel alone.

Can you imagine what we could do with that money in America? Actually, investing it into Americans?

ALWAYS BE PREPARED

Where you live doesn’t matter; you should always be prepared for a natural disaster. When I worked at PG&E, we had an emergency kit guideline we all followed. Always have an emergency kit ready to go with the items in this list that fit your family’s needs:

• Drinking water

• Nonperishable food

• Tools and utensils

• Baby and pet food

• Flashlights

• Extra batteries

• Radio

• Cell phone

• First-aid kit

• Medications

• Blankets and clothing

• Toiletries

• Cash

• Important documents

• Activities for children

If you live in an area impacted by wildfires, you should also have N95 masks. People think only direct contact with fire will affect them, but that’s not true. The smoke from the fire can cause severe respiratory issues, especially if you have a history of asthma or other pre-existing conditions that can impact your breathing.

The devastating wildfires ravaging Los Angeles are the latest example of how crucial resources are being misallocated. Cuts to the fire department’s budget and the growing inaccessibility of fire insurance leave residents more vulnerable than ever.

Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to prioritize military aid abroad over domestic disaster preparedness, exposing failure to invest in the safety and well-being of people who live in America.

As the fires continue, the urgent need for better funding, stronger insurance protections, and a greater focus on local safety has never been more apparent.