Are we gonna let the tail wag the dog. The problem is not the fire budget. The problem is lack of and even banning of fire mitigation measures like clearing brush and tall weeds and cutting trees. Lord knows there are plenty of people in the jails of LA to get the job done.
Exactamundo.
"There is fire, so we must need more fire budget," is the same as saying, "There is crime, so we must need more police budget."
Government Employee Unions ( <--- No such thing ) make sure that the more you pay them, the lower the quality goes... which can of course be addressed with more pay.
This is because when a Union engages in collective bargaining with employers, a deal is struck that balances workforce demands with guarantees that benefit the employer. If the Employer says, "No" then he is welcome to give it a go with other workforce, if the Workforce is too greedy, then the business goes under and nobody has a job.
This is not possible with governments because handing over generous demands to the Workforce doesn't come out of Management's "end," nor is it possible for Gov to "go out of business" when the Workforce is greedy and compensation is too generous.
California is the PRIME example of this, anywhere in the US.
For example... there are many "Chiefs" of all the little neighborhood departments that they make, and their roles are primarily admin and motivational. Guess how much they make?
$241K, $232K, $222K, $218K...
Oh, but they are assisted in their roles by Assistant Chiefs... what do those guys make?
$197K, $191K, $190K...
More fire budget means that these guys get a second vacation in Thailand and a Tesla- not less fire. You actually get MORE fire.
