Palisades mall owner didn't leave mall's fate up to the city — and it's now one of the only structures still in one piece



Fires have burned through 36,000 acres in Los Angeles County, destroyed or damaged over 10,000 buildings, displaced tens of thousands of residents, and claimed the lives of at least 10 people. By midday Friday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire protections indicated that only 3% of the Eaton fire, 35% of the Kenneth fire, 37% of the Hurst fire, and 8% of the Pacific Palisades fire had been contained.

While seemingly unstoppable, the Palisades fire, which began on Tuesday and has devoured homes, businesses, schools, and other structures alike, appears to have left the Palisades Village, an outdoor mall developed by Rick Caruso, largely untouched, reported SF Gate.

It appears the mall may have survived because Caruso, the former president of the Department of Water and Power who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2022, did not leave the structure's fate up to the city, whose mayor, Karen Bass, has been gallivanting around Africa and whose fire department recently had its budget cut while prioritizing diversity over quality.

According to the New York Times, Caruso had a team of private firefighters deployed in the area Tuesday night to protect the mall, which he owns, as well as nearby houses.

'This is a window into a systemic problem of the city.'

While taking matters into his own hands appears to have paid off — the mall is, after all, still standing — Caruso told the Los Angeles Times that the Palisades Village, which opened in 2018, still suffered some damage.

Caruso criticized the city for dropping the ball on infrastructure, particularly on water supply.

Within hours of the fire's initial spread, the first two of three one-million gallon municipal storage tanks that supply water to the hydrants in Pacific Palisades and other communities were depleted. The third was reportedly drained by Wednesday morning.

"There's no water in the fire hydrants," said Caruso. "The firefighters are there [in the neighborhood], and there's nothing they can do — we've got neighborhoods burning, homes burning, and businesses burning. ... It should never happen."

L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park similarly blasted the water issues, stating Wednesday, "The chronic under-investment in the city of Los Angeles in our public infrastructure and our public safety partners was evident and on full display over the last 24 hours."

Janisse Quiñones, chief executive of the DWP, said that the three tanks above the Palisades "help with the pressure on the fire hydrants in the hills in the Palisades, and because we were pushing so much water in our trunk line, and so much water was being used. ... We were not able to fill the tanks fast enough."

"This is a window into a systemic problem of the city — not only of mismanagement, but our infrastructure is old," said Caruso."

'Budgetary reductions have adversely affected the Department's ability to maintain core operations.'

"We have got a mayor that is out of the country, and we have got a city that is burning, and there is no resources to put out fires," the former mayoral candidate told KTTV-TV. "It looks like we're in a third-world country here."

Bass apparently thought it was a good idea several months ago to cut the budget for the city's fire department.

Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia confirmed in October that Bass and the city council cut the LAFD's budget by $17.6 million for this fiscal year.

Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, told Fox News Digital Thursday, "The mayor wanted $23 million [cut], she got $17.8 million as I understand. But that's a sort of, really, I think a bad call, especially water and fire is exactly, you know, I see the end result of that devastation."

L.A. Fire Chief Kristen Crowley noted in a Dec. 17, 2024, report that "budgetary reductions have adversely affected the Department's ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communication infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention, and community education."

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Democrats Who Exacerbated California Blazes Give Angelenos A Giant Middle Finger

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-09-at-10.41.51 AM-e1736441189183-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Screenshot-2025-01-09-at-10.41.51%5Cu202fAM-e1736441189183-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]At every turn, national and state politicians have failed to do their duty to the taxpayers and feign even an ounce of sympathy.

Father accused of setting house on fire with his 3 children inside



A Texas father accused of setting a house on fire with his three children inside has been charged with attempted murder.

Fulshear Police said a Nov. 6 house fire in the 31000 block of Eldorado Lane in the Polo Ranch Community led to the arrest of Pedro Luis Parra Pulgar, 46, who was charged with intentionally setting the fire while his three children were inside. Fulshear is about 40 minutes west of Houston.

'How evil do you have to be? He should never breathe free air again.'

Police said the suspect's extensive injuries sustained in the fire resulted in an extended stay in a hospital; he was released Thursday and taken to the Fort Bend County Jail, where he faces three counts of Attempted Murder.

Judge Argie Brame of the 434th Associate District Court set bond at $750,000 for each Attempted Murder charge, totaling $2.25 million, police added.

In the fire, two children managed to escape with minor injuries — but a 3-year-old was trapped inside, police said.

Officers heard faint sounds in the home, quickly entered through a bedroom window, and rescued the child, who was suffering from severe smoke inhalation, police said.

The child was airlifted to a hospital, received treatment, and has since been released, police said.

You can view a video report here about the incident.

How are people reacting?

The police department's Facebook post about the arrest has attracted over 300 comments, with many of them praising police for rescuing the trapped child. Others expressed anger at the suspect:

  • "He deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail," one commenter said.
  • "How evil do you have to be? He should never breathe free air again. I really hope these kids are with someone who loves them and cares for them so they can heal," another user stated.
  • "How does this happen[?] How does someone become so twisted as to believe this is an acceptable behavior? How worthless does someone need to be?" another commenter wondered.
  • "Hope he rots in prison," another user wrote.

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Portland Tells Voters ‘Nothing To See Here’ As Ballots Literally Go Up In Flames

Drop boxes near Portland, Oregon, caught fire overnight. Police found a 'device' near each of the boxes.

Suspected arson fires torch perhaps hundreds of ballots in drop boxes in Pacific Northwest



Hundreds of ballots likely went up in flames after an explosive device apparently went off in a ballot drop box in Washington state, one of two such explosions that occurred early Monday morning.

Around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, police began working tirelessly to put out a fire in a ballot box near a bus station in Vancouver, Washington. Video of their efforts shows crews toiling in the pouring rain as the contents of the ballot box were reduced to ashes.

— (@)

"It appears that a device was attached to the outside of the ballot drop box that resulted in the ballots being ignited," Clark County auditor Greg Kimsey said, according to Oregon Live.

The ballot box was outfitted with a fire suppressant, Kimsey noted. Unfortunately, it did not work effectively.

When asked how many ballots were affected, Kimsey declined to give an exact number but claimed it was in the "hundreds."

Kimsey described the incident as "heartbreaking." "It’s a direct attack on democracy," he added.

Police likewise described the device as "suspicious."

'Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence.'

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) suggested the incident may have even been an act of "terror."

"I strongly denounce any acts of terror that aim to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state," he said in a statement, according to ABC News.

The drop box is located in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, where Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) and Republican Joe Kent are in a tight rematch. In 2022, Perez beat Kent by fewer than 3,000 votes.

"Southwest Washington cannot risk a single vote being lost to arson and political violence," Perez said in a statement, according to ABC News.

Kent's team did not respond to a request for comment, the outlet claimed.

Ballots at the drop box were last collected around 11 a.m. on Saturday, so anyone who deposited a ballot after that time is encouraged to check the status of their ballot online. They may also contact the county elections office to receive a replacement ballot by calling (564) 397-2345 or emailing elections@clark.wa.gov.

Sadly, the drop box in Vancouver was not the only one in the area to be hit. About two hours before the incident in Vancouver, an "incendiary device" exploded in a drop box in Portland, a press release from the Portland Police Bureau indicated. Portland, Oregon, is located about 10 miles south of Vancouver, Washington.

Fortunately, a fire suppressant installed in the Portland ballot box activated, preventing a significant fire. Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott claimed that only three ballots had been damaged and that elections workers had already made plans to contact the affected voters.

"By the time officers arrived, the fire had already been extinguished by security personnel who work in the area," the PPB press release said. "Officers determined an incendiary device was placed inside the ballot box and used to ignite the fire. PPB’s Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU) responded to the scene and cleared the device."

It is unclear whether the two incidents are linked.

Yet another incendiary device was discovered at a drop box in Vancouver on October 8. Luckily, it did not cause any damage.

A man also allegedly admitted to lighting a fire in a ballot box in Phoenix last week, destroying perhaps 20 ballots, as Blaze News previously reported. The suspect denied having any political motivation, claiming instead that he "wanted to be arrested."

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Mom scores major free-speech victory after Arizona mayor attempted to silence her



An Arizona mother won a major First Amendment victory earlier this week when a justice of the peace dismissed the case against her after she was arrested in connection with publicly criticizing a city official.

On August 20, 32-year-old Rebekah Massie and her 10-year-old daughter attended a city council meeting in Surprise, a suburb of Phoenix. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Massie stood at the podium and slammed city attorney Robert Wingo for accepting a raise despite poor job performance.

As Massie expressed her views on Wingo, Mayor Skip Hall repeatedly interrupted her, insisting that her criticisms of Wingo violated rules regarding public comments at city council meetings. That rule read that "oral communications during the City Council meeting may not be used to lodge charges or complaints against any employee of the City or members of the body."

Massie did not deny that she was violating that rule but insisted that the rule was unconstitutional. "That's a violation of my First Amendment rights," she said during the meeting, as Blaze News previously reported.

After Massie continued speaking in defiance of Hall, the mayor eventually ordered security to arrest her. She was then charged with trespassing, a class 3 misdemeanor, as well as resisting arrest and obstructing government operations, both class 1 misdemeanors. She also claimed the arresting officer threw her to the ground and against a wall during the incident.

At a hearing to formally dismiss the charges on Wednesday, Justice of the Peace Gerald Williams excoriated the city rule proscribing public criticism of officials.

"That policy regulated not just speech; but political speech," Williams wrote, apparently aghast.

"No branch of any federal, state, or local government in this country should ever attempt to control the content of political speech. ... In this case, the government did so in a manner that was objectively outrageous," he continued.

"The Defendant should not have faced criminal prosecution once for expressing her political views."

Williams ultimately decided to dismiss the case with prejudice so that no prosecutor could refile the charges, claiming "justice" demanded such a decision.

'We want to make it crystal clear to governments across the United States that brazenly censoring people and betraying the First Amendment comes with a cost.'

In a statement to Blaze News, Massie expressed "relief" at the ruling and at all the support she has received from other freedom-loving people.

"For more than two months I’ve been living with the threat of punishment and jail time — being taken away from my kids, even — for doing nothing more than criticizing the government," she said, adding, "Free speech still matters in America."

Bret Royle of Feldman Royle, who represented Massie in the case, is also gratified by the court's decision.

"Rebekah should never have been detained, let alone criminally charged, for speaking her mind," Royle said in a statement to Blaze News. "That’s the kind of thing that happens in tyrannical countries but should never happen here. No American should face jail time for exercising their freedom of speech, and we’re relieved the court agreed."

It seems the government recognized that Mayor Hall and others likely overstepped their bounds because both sides wanted the charges against Massie dropped, Williams noted in his decision. Surprise has likewise dropped the rule about publicly criticizing officials.

Massie has also joined forces with FIRE, a legal organization dedicated to protecting free speech, which has since filed a federal lawsuit against the city for the now-defunct rule.

"This is an incredible win for Rebekah and an important message to government bureaucrats around the country that the First Amendment bows to no one," said FIRE attorney Conor Fitzpatrick in a statement in Blaze News. "The fight goes on in Rebekah’s lawsuit against the City of Surprise [and] Mayor Hall. ... We want to make it crystal clear to governments across the United States that brazenly censoring people and betraying the First Amendment comes with a cost."

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Arizona Ballots Marred In Mailbox Fire, Authorities Say

The flames were put out by firefighters responding to the scene

Georgia chemical plant goes up in smoke once again, prompting evacuation



A chemical plant in Conyers, Georgia, quickly transformed into an inferno Sunday morning, darkening the sky above the city of roughly 17,000 with a chemical-laden plume and prompting the evacuation of its residents.

The Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency announced Monday morning that the county remains closed and continues to advise residents to shelter in place, to turn off their air conditioning units, and to keep their windows and doors shut.

According to surveys conducted by the Environmental Protection Division and the Environmental Protection Agency, chlorine "was detected in the air emitting from the incident location of BioLab," an apparent manufacturer of pool treatment products.

It's presently unclear whether other potentially hazardous chemicals were thrown up over Conyers, which sits roughly 25 miles east of Atlanta.

"You could feel the burning. You started feeling like you wanted to cough or throw up," Ruby Knauers, one of the evacuees told NBC News.

Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel indicated that around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, there was a fire on the roof area of the chemical plant. The initial roof fire had apparently triggered the sprinkler system, which in turn set off a water-reactive chemical at the plant.

While this fire was apparently "contained," another fire kicked off around noon as product from the building was being offloaded.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the giant plume of smoke was visible roughly 30 miles away at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Officials quickly implored locals to "CANCEL all church services for the day" and to avoid the affected area of town.

While the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office initially advised locals to "remain indoors and keep windows closed to minimize exposure to any potential hazards," the RCSO announced later in the day that residents would be evacuated from affected areas.

Chief McDaniel noted in an update that the fire was ultimately snuffed out around 4 p.m., but that the massive column of smoke resulting from the chemical reaction might remain visible for days.The roof and walls of the warehouse have since collapsed.

This is not the first time that the BioLab facility in Conyers has made life difficult for locals.

McDaniel noted further that this is the third incident of "this magnitude" to have occurred at the plant during the past seven years she has been with the fire department, reported the Journal-Constitution.

'Suffocation is the characteristic initial complaint of patient/victims exposed to chlorine.'

On Sept. 14, 2020, a "thermal decomposition event" took place involving a product containing chlorine. According to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, there were no injuries reported, but smoke from the incident nevertheless shut down Interstate Highway 20.

A similar fire, fueled by 250,000 pounds of dry chlorine pellets, started in May 2004 at the BioLab warehouse, again darkening Conyers with a chemical cloud.

The UPI reported at the time that 40 people were treated in local hospitals for breathing problems and 30 firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion. BioLab's parent company agreed several years later to a settlement for the residents and businesses impacted by the incident.

A CSB report concerning an Aug. 27, 2020, incident at a BioLab location in Westlake, Louisiana, indicated what appears to be at issue. Trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA), used as a sanitizer to kill algae and bacteria in large bodies of water, is stored in these warehouses. The report explained:

When a TCCA-based formulation ... comes in contact with or is wetted/moistened by a small amount of water and does not dissolve, it can experience a chemical reaction, generating heat and causing the decomposition of the chemical, which in turn produces toxic chlorine gas and can produce explosive nitrogen trichloride.

Chlorine gas was used as a chemical warfare agent to kill multitudes of men during World War I.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that at low concentrations, chlorine gas can cause eye and nose irritation, sore throat and cough. At high exposure levels, the gas released by BioLab can cause "irritation of the upper respiratory tract and accumulation of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) contribut[ing] to a sensation of choking."

"Suffocation is the characteristic initial complaint of patient/victims exposed to chlorine. The majority of deaths occur within 24 hours and are due to respiratory failure," noted the CDC.

KIK Consumer Products, BioLab's parent company, said in a statement Sunday, "We are actively responding to an occurrence at our facility in Conyers, Georgia. Our employees are accounted for with no injuries reported. Our team is on the scene, working with first responders and local authorities to assess and contain the situation. As always, the safety of our community remains our top priority."

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ROOKE: Republicans Step On Another Rake With Self-Owning ‘Antisemitism’ Bill

'language of the bill restricts constitutionally protected speech'
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