From start to now, Los Angeles’s handling of the fires that tore through the city a year ago has been a masterclass in how not to run a city, and all of the Democratic leaders involved are happy to point the finger elsewhere instead of finding real solutions.

The latest response disaster has been fines levied against residents in the Pacific Palisades for brush-clearance penalties. Residents say that the fire department has not come to inspect their properties (which are currently under construction) and that they cannot reach anyone or even leave a message at the phone number provided on the citations they have received. According to one resident, “We have no house, and we have no brush,” and yet the citation arrived all the same.