Bill Maher Says Politicians Are Absolutely Partially to Blame for L.A. Fires​on January 18, 2025 at 2:17 pm

Bill Maher is furious at folks who are lecturing Angelenos to stop blaming politicians for the devastating fires … he says that exactly where a big part of the blame lies.

The “Real Time” host delivered a scathing review of City and State politicians whom he says share the blame. Starting at the top, B.M. scoffs at Governor Gavin Newsom, who said local officials are trying to figure out why there was no water in many of the hydrants, and why 300 hydrants were out of service and not repaired. As Bill puts it, maybe they all should have figure that out before L.A. burned.

And don’t get him started on the argument people make … well, do you want your taxes raised? Maher notes he and others pay the State of Cali 13% of their income, so start re-prioritizing what’s being spent.

Bill has plenty to say about L.A.’s Mayor, Karen Bass, who had cut the Fire Dept’s budget in a way the Fire Chief says impacted the Department’s ability to respond.

And speaking of the Chief, Bill wonders if she was picked because she was the best person for the job or the best lesbian for the job. He raises that issue, partly because her own official bio talks about diversity before it goes into actual firefighting.