Did you hear the one about the arson watchers who were on duty in broad daylight when everyone has eyes, but who are not authorized to watch after sunset when everyone is asleep and no one else is watching?
The Police who respond to complaints about loud music and drives into neighborhoods, but do not have the authority to respond or drive onto public parkland to arrest arsonists, not to mention litterers and pot smokers?
The Rangers understaffed and stationed over an hour away, but who are designated to protect the park, respond to complaints of the locals and exercise the jurisdiction the local police do not have.
The County that locked up a patrolable canyon park with a protected entrance at sunset, but leaves open the apparent unpatrolable mountaintop park with an unprotected entrance and a history of illegal and reckless parties?
The Environmental Lawsuit that theoretically could help fish traffic in a creek but resulted in a one-lane bridge that blocked traffic of two crowded neighborhoods during the fire in order to accommodate unnoticeable fish in a practically dried up water route?
The City in charge of the one road leading up and into the canyon, but that approved a one-lane bridge restricting fire engine-sized vehicles from entering an at-risk canyon with a history of fires during the worst fire season conditions?
The Conservancy that made a deal with the city to impose overnight camping, but in the very area where more fires caused by reckless behavior have swept through than any other region?
The Council that held a meeting to accommodate 400 residents who showed up to responsibly and reasonably oppose overnight camping that encourages more reckless parties, but accused them of being “elitist” and “racist?”
The Mother of two girls who called 911 at 3:15 a.m. to report the wild fire heading toward her neighborhood, but ended up watering her roof until she saw fire trucks at 5:15 a.m.
The Activist who met with officials at the source of the fire a week after the last fire, but lost his concrete house located near a fire hydrant to the very preventable fire he persistently warned the authorities about as he had the one-lane bridge and particularly stopping the reckless partying going on at the top of the canyon?
The Tourist who engaged in the media coverage, but dismissed the victims, assuming they must be all rich, might need to endure a little suffering, and can easily afford to pay the price of living even near Malibu?
The TV Reporter who investigates and interviews, but concludes that a local must have started the fire to destroy three canyons and four neighborhoods in order to block the overnight camping initiative?
The Town Mayor who announced on the news that the recent preventable fire was not as “serious” or dangerous as the electrical fire that burned three homes, but did not say much after it destroyed over 50 homes, three dogs and the health of hundreds of kids?
The News Report that called a electrical fire the “perfect storm” but could not come up with a sexy name for a perfect preventable screw up?
Stephen Polk