Example Image
Civitas Outlook
Topic
Politics
Published on
Dec 14, 2023
Contributors
Joel Kotkin

The LA Fires Are the Horrifying Consequence of Democratic Misrule

Contributors
Joel Kotkin
Joel Kotkin
Senior Research Fellow
Joel Kotkin
Summary
Blue states’ embrace of progressive fads over good governance was bound to end in disaster.
Summary
Blue states’ embrace of progressive fads over good governance was bound to end in disaster.
Listen to this article

Los Angeles authorities’ poor preparation for and lamentable response to the wildfires now devastating the city capture a broader problem – namely, the failure of governance across America’s Democrat-controlled regions. This pattern of incompetence has accelerated the shift of American economic and political power to regions outside the long dominant north-east and West Coast.

The reason for this shift lies in the clear failure of Democrats, writ large in the inferno now consuming large swathes of LA. In states like California, Democratic politicians no longer prioritise such things as public safety and key infrastructure, including roads, ports and, most importantly at the moment, water systems. Indeed, today’s ‘progressives’ generally shy away from things like building dams or maintaining water pressure in the name of protecting the environment. They are far more focussed on climate change and ‘social justice’.

Of course, California progressives will justify this by blaming the fires on climate change, even though a leading fire expert at the US Geological Survey suggests this claim is unsupported. Fires have been a regular feature of life in southern California for at least 20million years. Moreover, given the recent extremely dry weather conditions, LA should have been prepared for a conflagration. It was not. A councilperson representing the Palisades has noted the ‘chronic underinvestment in our critical infrastructure’.

Continue reading the entire article at Spiked

10:13
1x
10:13
More articles

The “Science Charade” After 'Chevron'

Constitutionalism
May 12, 2026

The End of the AI Binary

Politics
May 12, 2026
View all

Join the newsletter

Receive new publications, news, and updates from the Civitas Institute.

Sign up
More on

Politics

Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?

We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.

Richard Samuelson
Politics
Apr 29, 2026
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders

The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.

Politics
Feb 19, 2026
Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville

This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.

Raúl Rodríguez
Politics
Feb 25, 2025
Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas

Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.

James Gimpel, Daron Shaw
Politics
Feb 6, 2025

The Three Whiskey Happy Hour

Steven Hayward brings you the Power Line Blog's perspective on the week's big headlines.

View all
** items
Iranian-Americans Want Regime Gone — Aside From a Few Gun-Running Social Media Mavens

Joel Kotkin
Politics
May 4, 2026
California is Sacrificing its Economic Future on the Altar of Climate Change

John Yoo, Michael Toth
Politics
Apr 26, 2026
The Left’s War on the Supreme Court Just Hit a Terrifying New Low

John Yoo
Politics
Apr 25, 2026
Canadians Must Stop Romanticizing a Failing Europe

Joel Kotkin
Politics
Apr 23, 2026

"Get Real" With RCP's David Desrosiers: Voting Rights Act, New Affordability Agenda & Tax the Rich

Politics
May 11, 2026
1:05

May Day Protests Take Place Across the U.S.

Politics
May 1, 2026
1:05

How Gavin Newsom Ran California Into The Ground

Politics
Apr 30, 2026
1:05

WHCD Shooting Suspect Allegedly Targeted Trump Administration Officials

Politics
Apr 26, 2026
1:05

All federal law enforcement agencies must answer to the president: Former deputy assistant AG

Politics
Apr 16, 2026
1:05
No items found.
No items found.
The End of the AI Binary

Being pro-AI does not require being pro-recklessness. It means building the conditions for AI to be deployed widely and quickly while permitting core institutions to keep pace.

Kevin Frazier
Politics
May 12, 2026
Founders Versus Managers: America’s Endless Civil War

It is the constant struggle between founders and those who prefer managing problems rather than solving them through bold action that has shaped the nation from 1776 until now.

Arthur Herman
Politics
May 11, 2026
Teddy Roosevelt’s Expansive Spirit

Roosevelt left a mark not only on the American presidency but also on the American imagination, continuing to affirm the necessity of the American myth.

Emina Melonic
Politics
May 7, 2026
Trumpadelic

Lives are at stake, not just elections.

Paul J. Larkin
Politics
May 6, 2026
No items found.