Californians 'angry' amid devastating wildfires, asking where high tax dollars went: local researcher

Kristian Fors, a Los Angeles County resident and research fellow at the California-based Independent Institute, says locals are wondering what their tax dollars are going toward as officials struggle to contain devastating wildfires fanned by strong winds. 

The wildfires have destroyed more than 12,300 homes around LA over five consecutive days, leaving at least 11 people dead and thousands displaced. As of Saturday morning, the Palisades Fire was 11% contained, the Eaton Fire 15% contained, the Kenneth Fire 80% contained, and the Hurst Fire 76% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

"I think at its core level, we, the citizens of the United States and of Los Angeles, we expect certain provisions from our government. And when people see that our basic needs are not being met, they're angry," Fors told Fox News Digital.

"I think the people of California — they're willing to pay high taxes. They're willing to support things that maybe they don't necessarily agree with because there is a basic assumption that underlies it all, that our government is here to take care of us," he continued. "But now in a situation like this, when there's total mismanagement, when people are scared, when there's 0% containment, people are asking themselves a question, what did all those tax dollars go for?"

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Fors, whose research focuses on government waste and inefficiencies in California, evacuated his home in La Cañada Flintridge, which neighbors the now-smoldering city of Altadena, with his grandfather after their next-door neighbor knocked on their door at 6 a.m. and said, "You need to leave."

The research fellow pointed to multiple issues he believes could have been addressed to mitigate wildfires, including more favorable insurance policies that would encourage "a lot of productive sorts of construction" built to withstand wildfires and other natural disasters; putting fire-resistant power lines underground; turning power off when strong winds blow through certain areas; and more controlled burns.

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Fors also noted that California has been struggling to address its housing crisis for years, and displaced residents are struggling to find places to go after evacuating from their homes.

"[California Gov.] Gavin Newsom back in 2020 came up to a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Forest Service, and they agreed that they were going to clear … 500,000 acres of forest land per year," Fors explained. "And that means doing controlled burns, because part of the issue with living in a place like California is we're surrounded by wild lands. These wild lands accumulate brush, and that brush is incredibly dangerous. … So they came to this memorandum of understanding they were going to clear 500,000 acres, but they've only cleared about 100,000 per year."

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LA County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone told reporters on Saturday that his department is prepared for the strong Santa Ana winds that could fan the flames through Wednesday.

"These winds, combined with dry air and dry vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County high," Marrone said.

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The Eaton Fire has burned 14,117 acres and is now 15% contained, with over 7,000 structures damaged or destroyed. Marrone said 2,832 emergency personnel are deployed to fight the fire.

Todd Hopkins, battalion chief for Cal Fire, said the Palisades Fire is now at 21,596 acres and is 11% contained. A total of 5,316 structures have been destroyed in the fire, including 426 homes. More than 150,000 residents have been evacuated, he added.

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.