Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), who has been through the devastation that we are seeing there, and our hearts go out to those in California. His district has been hit by this several times, and I will say that hearing the stories and conversations he has from his district, it just puts it into perspective. This is tough stuff. He has been down this road before and has been a strong leader on communicating what we need to do to keep it from continuing to happen. Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, California has had a lot of problems inflicted upon it, partly by nature and partly self-inflicted by governing. As we bring resources and aid to southern California and reflect here on these horrific events happening with the fire down there in the Pacific Palisades and surrounding communities, it is very sobering but also points out the need for leadership and competency in preparing for it. It is really basic stuff. The north part of the State has been through it many times, with the losses of communities. We all remember the Paradise fire. Eighty-five people lost their lives, and 90 percent of the town was consumed. We have to do better in the preparation ahead of time before fire season on how we treat the lands and have the apparatus ready, instead of complications due to contracts, for example, with the Forest Service not being ready to have the equipment that would be there in the forests, and on and on.…”