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While Los Angeles officials were stripping millions of funding of his fire department before one of the most destructive wildfires in state history, hundreds of thousands of dollars went to fund programs such as a “Gay Men’s Chorus” and housing for the homeless transgender
Deadly fires erupted in Southern California this week, which were amplified by strong winds that caused the destruction of about 10,000 homes and businesses. After hydrants failed to produce water and homes burned, residents began calling out the state’s Democratic-led leadership, which cut funding to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) by $17.6 million. of dollars a few months earlier.
But even as the department’s funding was being pulled, a Fox News Digital review of the L.A. County budget found thousands of taxpayer dollars going toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programs that gave syringes to homeless people.
For example, the budget allocated $14,010 this year to the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, a group that seeks to “create musical experiences that strengthen our role as a leader among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and performing arts”. organizations”.
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Firefighters walk as they battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Another $190,000 went to the Homelessness and HIV Program, which includes a “syringe exchange” program that provides sterile syringes to homeless drug addicts.
An additional $100,000 of county funds were set aside to pay for Juneteenth celebrations, while $13,000 was allocated to “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month Programs.”
The Department of Civil + Human Rights and Equity also received $100,000 for a “Midnight Stroll Transgender Cafe” to fund housing for transgender homeless people in Hollywood.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles performs on stage during the 2013 Do Something Awards held at Avalon in Hollywood, California on July 31, 2013. (Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
The county also awarded $13,000 to “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Heritage Month Programs” and $4.5 million to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Appropriations for the City’s General Purposes allowed $250,000 to be set aside for “equity and inclusion.”
According to the report, funding for the homeless was larger than LAFD’s budget for the second year in a row.
Amid the fires in the Los Angeles area, celebrities such as actress Sara Foster, state officials shouted for its legislative approach over the years.
Entire blocks of homes are seen burning in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles on Thursday. (Mark J. Terrill)
“We pay the highest taxes in California. Our hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, trash was not cleaned up. Our governor emptied our reservoirs because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our mayor cut our fire department budget. But thank god drug addicts are getting their drug kits,” Foster wrote in a post on X. “@MayorOfLA @GavinNewsom RESIGNATION Far-left policies have ruined our state and our party too.”
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After the funding cut, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday that “there are not enough firefighters in LA County to deal with four different fires of this magnitude.”
