The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the people who brought Pacific Palisades an empty reservoir and dry fire hydrants, is intricately planning to defend itself far better than it ever defended that neighborhood against fires.
The LADWP has lined up a top-flight L.A. law firm to defend the public agency against inevitable fire-related lawsuits at a cost as high as — wait or it — $1,975 an hour.
Estimates of the damage caused by the fires in LA are now at $125-150 billion.
— Shelley G (@ShelleyGldschmt) January 11, 2025
That is more than the entire GDP of over 100 countries.
Incompetence costs lives and money.pic.twitter.com/XjR5uttX4B
The city hired the Munger, Tolles & Olson (MTO) firm in a three-year, $20 million contract to defend it against the expected blizzard of lawsuits some of which have already been filed, the L.A. Times reported. "Under the deal, partners at the firm will charge the city up to $1,975 per hour for their legal work," the Times said. But not to fear, taxpayers, because "Associates will bill from $745 to $1,180 per hour." Indeed, the L.A. City Attorney's office says, that "this 'discounted rate structure' was among the factors that led to the selection of the firm." Emphasis added.
The L.A. Times, newly emboldened to report the news even if it makes their woke friends look bad, reported, "The swift hiring of the law firm contrasts sharply with DWP’s pace in finding a contractor to repair the Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117-million-gallon water storage complex in the Palisades that was empty during the Palisades fire." Couldn't have said it better myself.
The reservoir cover is a heavy-duty tarp, but for some reason, the utility saw the need to empty the reservoir while seeking bids for the repair. The reservoir had been dry for nearly a year. Great job, everyone.
All done by design.
— WayneTech SPFX®️ (@WayneTechSPFX) January 8, 2025
🚨The LA fire hydrants are ran out of water because the city neglected to fill the reservoirs
"They knew the winds was coming"
Credit: nicksortor pic.twitter.com/b60xWsKrhI
If the reservoir had been filled, there likely would have been enough pressure in the lines to keep the fire hydrants filled and usable at the first moments firefighters arrived at the Pacific Palisade fire.
Related: Trump Gloriously Lays Waste to L.A. Politicians Standing in the Way of Rebuilding
Residents were stunned when they discovered that the reservoir had been empty for nearly a year.
Friends in Pasadena are telling me that fire hydrants have run out of WATER
— AJAC (@AJA_Cortes) January 8, 2025
The fire went from 400 to 2500 acres and Los Angeles firefighters have no reliable access to water
Absolutely 3rd world https://t.co/0ayr9Ubnru
There were also water shortages in Pasadena and Altadena at the site of the Eaton Fire.
So far, five lawsuits representing 36 plaintiffs, two of whom are former MTV reality show cast members, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, have been filed in L.A. County courts. The cases demand a jury trial and claim "inverse condemnation," faulting the city for emptying the reservoir and taking the "calculated risk that private property would be damaged and destroyed by fire."
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he would also investigate why the reservoir was dry.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass went to the African continent after the National Weather Service issued high wind warnings in early January. Let's go to Bass, fresh off the plane from Ghana, for a comment.
'Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent whilst their homes were burning? Do you regret cutting the fire department's budget?
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 8, 2025
@skydavidblevins questions the mayor of LA, Karen Bass, as she faces backlash regarding the California wildfires.https://t.co/Nkz8onjC7V pic.twitter.com/WwRwp6Imqz
I include the above comments to make sure you see them before they become difficult to find in the future for some reason.
The law firm has subject matter expertise in defending utilities after big fires. It represented Hawaiian Electric Industries and Hawaiian Electric Co. after the Maui fire. In addition, the firm also defended Pacific Gas & Electric after the devastating California Camp Fire that incinerated the town of Paradise. The Times reports that settlements for both those conflagrations are being held up but are expected to reach as much as $4 billion.
Related: And Suddenly, Gavin Newsom's Electric Car Mandate Looks Pretty Dumb to L.A. Fire Victims
A local radio host has brought up the specter of Ground Zero-like toxic aftermath in the air around the fire zones and urged residents to wear respirators when they're in the area cleaning up their properties. The city and the California Coastal Commission have some legal vulnerability in this as I reported in Stunner: California Saved a Shrub Instead of Protecting Humans From the L.A. Firestorm. The Coastal Commission fined the DWP and ordered it to take out the fire roads and other fire mitigation measures it made in Topanga Canyon — the suspected point of origin of the Palisades fire.
Meantime, things are going along normally at DWP. This lady got a bill that was more than three times the usual amount.
And again here we go @LADWP... for context our bill is usually about $200 which is still insanely high. This is the second time in 12 months I am fighting with them. We just had the worst fires we've ever seen in SOCAL, and the predatory energy agencies are again robbing us pic.twitter.com/jIiof9CbG1
— melanie kristeen (@TheMelSpell) February 11, 2025
Thousands of L.A. residents lost their power for days following the fires, so how does one receive a bill for a higher amount?
I know where she can find an attorney at the "discount" price of $1,975 per hour. Maybe they can find out.
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