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THESE FIRES DIDN’T HAVE TO HAPPEN.
Twenty years ago, what began as a simple act to help friends stand up to a local injustice pulled me deep into the shadows of one of the most powerful and least accountable agencies in America: the California Coastal Commission.
What I uncovered was not just overreach — it was a system where unchecked power, good intentions gone awry, and a total lack of oversight created policies that put people directly in harm’s way.
And now, in the wake of the devastating 2025 fires in Malibu and Pacific Palisades, the consequences of those policies are no longer theoretical. They are measurable in ash, ruin, and lives lost.
The question we face today is urgent and unavoidable:
How do we protect our environment without sacrificing the people who live in it?
WHEN FIRE ERUPTS - IT'S TOO LATE!
COASTAL LAND POLICY FUELS FIRES
The American West is bracing for another brutal fire season. A wet winter fed explosive vegetation growth—but hotter, drier conditions now loom, turning that growth into fuel. And yet, a draft executive order calls for more of the same: “immediate fire suppression.” We already have that!
What we need is prevention. Bold, year-round, science-driven action—before the flames. Other nations get it.
In Australia, fire agencies work year-round on controlled burns, Indigenous-led cultural burning, and landscape-scale fuel reduction.
In Southeast Asia, countries like Indonesia and Thailand use satellite monitoring and land-use reforms to act early.
The U.S. must stop treating fire like a surprise attack and start managing it as a natural, predictable force.
Firefighting begins with fuel management. With planning. With will.
Once the helicopters arrive— IT'S TOO LATE