California fostered the conditions for the Los Angeles wildfires through poor forest management, lackluster water storage, and incompetent leadership. Naturally, the state wants to ignore those problems and focus on its expertise: hyperregulating normal people and pretending that these regulations move the needle.

California is currently “drafting the toughest statewide rules in the country for vegetation,” according to NPR, turning the state into one giant, nagging homeowner’s association. Per NPR, “In areas at risk of wildfires, homeowners would be required to clear some or all of the plants within five feet of their house, depending on what regulators decide.” (Emphasis added). The result is meticulous regulation debates about whether potted plants can be kept within 5 feet of a house, whether plants should be allowed to be taller than 18 inches, and whether or not the plants are “well-maintained.”