Horvath, Barger push accountability measures after second fire recovery report
Los Angeles County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath (D-Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Calabasas, Malibu, Pacoima, Panorama City) and Kathryn Barger (R-Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, San Marino, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, portions of San Gabriel Valley) introduced a motion directing the county to track and enforce implementation of recommendations from its second independent after-action review of the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires, which the Board received this week.
The review, conducted by the McChrystal Group, examined the county’s recovery and repopulation performance and found, among other things, that no county agency had clear authority over key decisions during recovery.
Horvath and Barger’s motion specifically directs the county to complete outstanding recommendations from the 2019 Woolsey Fire after-action review, whose findings went largely unimplemented before the January 2025 fires hit.
Horvath and Barger’s motion explicitly tied yesterday’s action to follow-through on recommendations from the Woolsey Fire, referencing the 2019 after-action review whose recommendations went largely unimplemented before the January 2025 fires hit.
“Survivors have been holding government accountable from the beginning by telling us where systems broke down, where they were left without answers, and what must work differently next time,” said Horvath. “A recommendation on paper does not change someone’s experience in a disaster. Implementation does. That means assigning responsible parties, a timeline, and the necessary resources behind the work, and being transparent about our progress.”
“The pain and suffering endured by wildfire survivors must drive us to step up and do better — and accountability means turning lessons learned into action,” said Barger. “Los Angeles County will undoubtedly face another major disaster. We can’t control when it happens, but we can control how prepared we are. This motion ensures these recommendations don’t sit on a shelf. We’re putting accountability behind them, tracking their implementation, and making sure the County follows through.”
Feldstein Soto sues fire truck makers over alleged price-fixing scheme
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto filed an antitrust lawsuit yesterday against fire truck manufacturers, dealers and a national trade association, alleging a multi-year scheme to fix prices, rig bids, restrict supply and reduce competition in the fire apparatus industry.
The suit, brought on behalf of the city and the people of California, alleges the defendants transformed what was once a competitive fire truck market into a highly concentrated one, using that market power to raise prices and extend delivery times for fire departments that depend on the vehicles to protect lives and property.
According to the complaint, fire apparatus prices have doubled or tripled over the past decade, far outpacing inflation, while manufacturers simultaneously restricted supply even as demand grew, contributing to a nationwide shortage.
“We allege that these companies manipulated the market for this critical equipment, forcing Angelenos to pay more and fire departments to wait longer for the trucks they need,” said Feldstein Soto. “That is unacceptable. We are bringing this action to recover what Los Angeles taxpayers lost and to restore fair competition to this market.”
The complaint alleges manufacturers and other defendants coordinated on prices, output and bids through the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association, which it says maintained a database of detailed transaction information — including specific prices — supplied by its own members and distributed among competing manufacturers.
Beyond the antitrust claims, the city alleges violations of the California False Claims Act and breach of contract against companies that sold fire apparatus and repair parts directly to Los Angeles.
The city is seeking treble damages for losses tied to the alleged anticompetitive conduct, along with restitution, civil penalties and a permanent injunction to stop the alleged practices and restore competition in the market.
Mitchell blasts Board for delaying vote on LASD deputy gang framework
Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell (D-Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Compton, Carson) cast the lone dissenting vote Tuesday after the Board of Supervisors split on her motion targeting deputy gangs within the Sheriff’s Department, pushing most of it to Nov. 10.
Mitchell’s motion, which LACP covered when it came before the Board this week, would require the Sheriff’s Department to develop criteria for identifying deputy gangs, cliques and secret subgroups, inspect facilities for unauthorized insignia, and publicly report findings.
The Board voted 4-1 to bifurcate the motion, approving only a directive requiring a report back within 30 days on which of the proposed reforms would require labor negotiations with sheriff’s employee unions, while continuing the remaining 12 directives for 45 days, until the Nov. 10 meeting.
Mitchell said the motion had already gone through the county’s Cluster review process a month before reaching the Board, giving the Sheriff’s Department and other affected offices ample time to weigh in — and that the department came back with no substantive comments despite the opportunity.
“For decades, Los Angeles County has talked about deputy gangs. We have had reports, investigations, hearings and lawsuits, and we have heard directly from community members and deputies about the harm they have experienced. Yet we continue to delay meaningful action,” said Mitchell. “The directives in this motion are fundamentally about gathering information so that we can understand what we know about deputy gangs, cliques and secret subgroups; how we identify them; how allegations are investigated; and what options are available to this Board to hold these groups accountable. Continuing them again delays the very information we need to make informed decisions and take meaningful action.”
“I also believe we have a responsibility to respect the public’s time,” she added. “Community members have been raising concerns about deputy gangs for decades. They should not have to continue waiting for the County to establish a clear process for identifying these groups, investigating allegations and determining how to address them.”
González, San Jose mayor push governor to sign copper theft crackdown
Assemblymember Mark González (D-Boyle Heights, Downtown Los Angeles, Koreatown, Pico-Union, Chinatown, Vernon, Montebello, Commerce) and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, joined by AT&T, Verizon, the LA County Sheriff’s Department and the Central City Association of Los Angeles, are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 1941, which would create new tools to prosecute organized copper wire theft.
The bill targets repeat and organized offenders who steal or traffic prohibited metal materials, allowing prosecutors to charge them with a misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail or a felony carrying 16 months to three years. It builds on González’s AB 476 from last year, which Newsom signed into law.
“If we are talking about building a more affordable California, let’s start by protecting our infrastructure from being vandalized,” said González. “This bill sends a clear message. If you treat our neighborhoods as salvage, if you destroy our infrastructure for some quick cash, if you endanger our community with these senseless crimes, there will be consequences.”
Backers of the bill point to a dramatic rise in copper wire theft statewide: more than 38,000 feet — roughly seven miles — of copper wire were stolen from downtown LA’s Sixth Street Bridge alone, causing more than $2.5 million in damage.
The city’s Bureau of Street Lighting received nearly 45,000 service requests for outages in 2024, many tied to wire theft, with some repairs taking up to six months to complete. AT&T reported 2,200 separate copper wire theft incidents in 2024 and spent $60 million on related repairs in 2025 — outages that backers say have also disrupted access to 911 and 988 emergency services.
AB 1941 is currently on the governor’s desk.
