Several networks aired stories on the anniversary of the disastrous fires in Los Angeles, but none was as remarkably partisan as the PBS News Hour. In nearly nine minutes of reporting, PBS correspondent Stephanie Sy could never bring herself to utter the following words: "Democrats," "Mayor Karen Bass," or "Governor Gavin Newsom."
Someone might say, well they also didn't say "Republicans." Because they would have to mention Republican criticism of the Democrats. The state's very slow rebuild is somehow not an occasion for holding Democrats accountable.
News Hour anchor Amna Nawaz introduced it: "Today marks one year since wildfires set parts of Los Angeles ablaze, killing 31 people. And there's still anger and pain over the response to those fires." Anger at....whom?
Sy began with the problem: “In the Pacific Palisades, the scale of rebuilding hasn't come close to the scale of destruction. The number of rebuilding projects under way is in the low hundreds, but more than 6,000 structures were burned in this area a year ago.”
Sy spoke with journalist Peggy Holter, whose home was destroyed. “Today, going back to the site, Holter wonders at how quickly nature rebounded, when rebuilding for the majority of displaced fire victims has been slow, held up by a web of bureaucracy, insurance claim delays, and rising material and labor costs. Construction is starting to speed up; 14 percent of homes destroyed here have received rebuilding permits, according to a recent L.A. Times analysis.”
Holter is part of a lawsuit against government incompetence, but notice how vaguely it’s described:
SY: Holter suspects some of those losses could have been avoided. She is one of more than 3,000 Palisades Fire victims now suing for alleged failures by state and city agencies.
HOLTER: The reason I felt that it was important to be part of it is that it's important for the city and the county and the state to know that they can't be sloppy about stuff like this.
SY: They allege the fact that a major reservoir which serves the Palisades was offline undergoing repairs affected firefighting capabilities just as demand was overwhelming water supplies.
HOLTER: I was furious, as was everyone, because how can you have something like that with 115 million gallons of water in it and then have it be empty?
Sy found no party to be questioned: “Recently, questions have swirled around whether state policies protecting endangered plants may have hampered firefighters, preventing them from bringing in bulldozers to fully extinguish the initial fire. State officials have repeatedly denied those claims.”
The PBS reporter also underlined how the unincorporated town of Altadena represented wealth creation for black families, but warned “some residents feared the disaster worsened inequalities. A recent study found nearly seven in 10 of severely fire-damaged homes in Altadena show no signs of rebuilding, with Black and Asian homeowners most likely to remain stalled.” The town is governed by the Los Angeles County Council, four Democrats and one Republican. They didn’t come up.
PBS did mention Karen Bass....when it was an occasion to attack the Trump administration. Last July, then-PBS reporter Laura Barron-Lopez mentioned local ICE activity: "Karen Bass, the L.A. mayor there, said that this is another example of the administration ratcheting up the chaos."
