The Daily Mail is hit-and-miss, but they really missed with this one. The Mail is slamming billionaire tycoon — and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ opponent in 2022 — Rick Caruso for relying on private firefighters to save his properties from the wildfires. Yes, there are private businesses that are equipped to deal with emergencies like these, which makes him evil or something.
Billionaire tycoon is blasted after hiring a private fire crew to protect his luxury outdoor mall as devastating wildfires continue to rip through LA https://t.co/eS3b3Q0OSK pic.twitter.com/8IMHPKMjPV
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) January 10, 2025
They’re blasting him? For being prepared for the disaster he knew was coming?
The Palisades Village Mall, developed by Rick Caruso, is one of the only commercial structures still standing in the center of Pacific Palisades
Caruso hired a private firefighting service and deployed water tankers
How utterly embarrassing for the Democrats running Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/6p01LnN4gi
— Alana Mastrangelo (@ARmastrangelo) January 12, 2025
Trash media (Daily Mail) and other outlets attacking Rick Caruso for using private firefighters to save his mall.
They’d rather have everyone burn together.
We’ll find equity in ashes.
This is the philosophy that led to the election of Karen Bass over Caruso.
Rest easy,… pic.twitter.com/7bIpdJUFvT
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) January 12, 2025
… Rest easy, she’ll never privately organize any effort to save anything. If that’s your standard, she’s the perfect mayor for Los Angeles.
Never mind that just a couple of days later, Caruso donated $5 million to the Los Angeles Fire Department, which had its budget cut by more than $17 million under Bass.
CA should’ve voted for Rick Caruso instead of Karen Bass. He just donated $5 million to firefighters department and Karen proposed to take anyway another $47 millions just a couple weeks before fire started. CA Democrats wake up! #RecallKarenBass #RecallGavinNewsom https://t.co/fy6XFuHYk9
— Lindsey Nguyen (@realLindseyNG) January 13, 2025
He could have been mayor.
Alternative Headline:
“LA Citizens Distrust Mismanaged Government Services, Forced to Seek Alternatives”
— Smartnership (@Smartnership) January 12, 2025
It appears that a private solution worked where a government solution failed.
— Jonathan Rolfe (@JonathanAKRolfe) January 13, 2025
Many insurers who insure very expensive properties in California, because of the risk of wildfires, hire private fire fighters to protect the property from loss since it is cheaper than trying to rebuild the property.
— Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE (@bzalma) January 13, 2025
He is responsible for his businesses and his property.
He took care of his responsibilities.— Apollo (@ApolloFuri) January 12, 2025
You just wrote Rick Caruso’s ad in his next mayoral run. Or maybe I should say that Karen Bass did. He just needs to say that he’ll protect their house like he did his mall.
— Paul Charles (@pcharlesn843) January 13, 2025
This is an absolute joke.
It’s more like, “Billionaire tycoon could have saved all of the Palisades if elected.” We even have proof that his own property was saved. imagine if he was mayor of all of Los Angeles.
— Economic Hitman (@economichitman3) January 12, 2025
I wish it were surprising that this is their takeaway, but I think we all knew deep down that it was inevitably going to be the takeawayhttps://t.co/tZ1E7KnFjA
— Daniel Reid (@danielp_reid) January 13, 2025
When the masses become deluded and elect profoundly incompetent leaders, smart people with means find a way to take care of themselves.
What else would you expect?
— scott moore (@heartofhonor231) January 12, 2025
Rick Caruso hires private firefighters to save his mall, and the media melts down. Meanwhile, politicians like Karen Bass can’t even ensure hydrants work for the rest of LA. It’s not about saving lives—it’s about enforcing their ‘equity in ashes’ agenda. Pathetic.
— Kentucky Kernels Of Truth (@TrackDaddyKy) January 13, 2025
Janisse Quinones, head of the L.A. Department of Water and Power, told a radio station after she was hired that “It’s important to me that everything we do, it’s with an equity lens and social justice and making sure we right that wrongs that we’ve done in the past from an infrastructure perspective.”
Equity and social justice demanded that the high-end mall be razed to the ground as well.
Good for him. It shows he’s smarter than the rest.
— Terry Davis (@TerryDavis51544) January 13, 2025
Why would anyone be upset about someone trying to protect their own property.
— Raphaël P. (@RaphaPerpenna) January 13, 2025
The City of Los Angeles has access to the same technology and equipment that Caruso used. But they chose to spend those resources differently.
— Richard True (@RichardTrue14) January 13, 2025
Maybe they should concentrate on how a “private fire crew” can be profitable providing a public service that is supposed to be covered by taxes…
— ENOUGH IN ALBERTA! (@BrownTrentonJR) January 12, 2025
Caruso pays taxes to fund the fire department and then donates an extra $5 million to fund it even further. Maybe The Daily Mail would like to match his contribution.
Breitbart’s Joel Pollak lives in Los Angeles and has been touring the area:
The Riviera neighborhood of Pacific Palisades made it through the #PalisadesFire largely unscathed, thanks partly to private firefighting and to private security company @Nastec_Intl, whose employees stayed behind to hose down properties. Mountains beyond are completely scorched. pic.twitter.com/Y6mpps6IpI
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) January 13, 2025
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