Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva discusses the devastating local response to the California wildfires on The Big Money Show.
destructive Wind-driven fires Those that hit Southern California this week have prompted some experts to criticize the impact of federal and state regulations on mitigation efforts.
Several wildfires are burning in the greater Los Angeles area, including the Palisades Fire, which destroyed an estimated 1,000 structures in Pacific Palisades and Malibu as of Wednesday, and the Eaton Fire near Altadena. At least five people died in the fire.
More than 70,000 residents in the area were ordered to evacuate as strong Santa Ana winds of 100 miles per hour pushed the wildfires.
The Golden State is battling devastating wildfires in both areas Southern California And Northern California has in recent years spurred scrutiny of federal and state regulations that critics say make it more difficult to conduct mitigation activities such as prescribed burns or treatments to remove hazardous trees and vegetation.
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Firefighters run as a brush fire burns near a neighborhood in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 7, 2025. (Photo by David Swanson/AFP) (Photo by David Swanson/AFP Getty Images/Getty Images)
Chuck DeVore, a former member of the California State Assembly and chief national initiatives officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told Fox Business in an interview that federal and state regulations have hampered wildfire mitigation efforts, resulting in greater fuel loads. fire
“The nature of the wildfire problem varies somewhat from north to south… In both cases, you have the problem of air quality management districts that are under both federal and state mandates to clean up the air. That makes it difficult. prescribed burn That kind of frequency needs to be there to be able to reduce the fuel load,” Devore said.
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People evacuate their homes as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 7, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
“A lot as well as Northern California Northwest Pacific OceanYou have the problem of environmental regulations that came with concerns about spotted owls that basically destroyed the domestic timber industry,” he explained. “When the timber companies go in and harvest, they clear the underbrush and replant. Since it's really taken off, what's happened is the rapid growth of the forest with your fire suppression and this massive fuel build-up that's causing more fires up north.”
“In Southern California, you have the problem of creating a defensible space around any structure, both residences and commercial structures,” Devore said. “Ideally it should be 100 feet, in many cases it's mandated and fire departments try to enforce it. But people forget that, over time you live in a place, you like to see things, shrubs and trees start to take over. Your on the property and you don't cut it your way.”
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Elderly patients are quickly evacuated by emergency vehicles as embers and flames approach during the Eaton fire in Pasadena, California, on January 7, 2025. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Joe Reddan, a registered professional forester in California and retired forester with the US Forest Service, told Fox Business that both federal and state policies can create “roadblocks” for property owners.
“Give California Environmental Quality Act “On the federal side, with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the requirements that go along with it. The federal Endangered Species Act, archaeological resource protection and countless other federal laws and procedural laws that you have to work through,” says Reddan.
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The map shows the wildfires Southern California is battling (Fox News)
Reddan explained that the heightened fire threat at the wildland urban interface—a transition zone between unmanaged forestland and human communities that has significant vegetation and fuel for wildfires—means that property owners have to be “very, very dedicated to managing vegetation so it's not overgrown” and Easy to handle in case of fire.
“Southern California gets Santa Ana windsAnd it's just an atmospheric phenomenon – you can't prevent it, so all you have to do is mitigate the hell out of everything to protect your population and your assets: your home, your business from this fire… wind driven with a small amount of fuel. Fires, can still damage homes and so on, but it's much easier to manage than overgrown vegetation that's freeing up a lot of energy,” Reddan explained.
Reddan noted that California has programs at the state and county level aimed at helping homeowners and property owners in wildfire-prone areas create defensible spaces around their properties. However, he said a perception among property owners that nothing bad will happen to them may lead to underutilization of the programs.
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“It's a sociological problem, in my view. It's that people become complacent — they convert after they meet Jesus in that sort of thing — and then they become very complacent.”
“It's hard to give people 30% when California pays you 70%. People don't see the benefits. 'Oh I'm not going to burn,' and that kind of thing… If you can solve that, you'll get more people willing to invest and Will do the necessary to protect their assets,” he said.