This is Gary and Shannon and you're listening to KFI AM six forty, the Gary and Shannon Show on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Big shout out to former colleagues and new people at Fox eleven.
You guys have done a great job.
But to all the local news reporters, all of them at all of the different stations, amazing. And we all are flipping from station to station looking for sometimes neighborhood specific information.
Sometimes it's just.
Literally when somebody goes to some shot, you're looking for another shot.
I mean, we all become sort of directors in our homes.
You know. Of course, you know people think that we're competitors with various stations. We're all connected. We're in the same boat. So what I'm trying to say is I follow a lot of the reporters that you see on the other stations and all incredible work that we're doing out there, and we as in them on the front lines. They're in the actual firefight. Bring those incredible pictures. And thank goodness though that all seems to be behind us.
Yeah, it's true.
Knock on Woo, Marla, knock on wood well.
And again, and it was a I don't feel like it was like a seventy two hour run where all of you guys are out there.
For NonStop covering and just terrific work.
You know, we don't take that responsibility lightly of informing the public because we're hoping that we're saving lives and saving your home and getting you the vittle information.
It's where you get the best of local news, you know. I think there can be you know, in some when stuff mellows out, it can be kind of if it bleeds, it leads kind of stuff, you know what I mean. But I think when this sort of thing happens, you need local news desperately, and you need a local news organization. We're lucky in Los Angeles because it's still staff with people and enough people to get out there and give information that's critical to the public.
A lot of communities don't have that.
But anyway, congratulations on work well done, and sadly it's not over. So now the good news is we had a fairly yes and.
Last twenty four hours.
In fact, so we heard at the eight am press briefing that from CalFire that there was little to no new growth in both the Palisades and the Eton fires, but there's always a butt. LAFD fire chief christ and Crowley said they had their surveillance, aerial surveillance going on and infrared technology picked up quite a few hotspots and so those although you can't see the flames from your vantage point wherever you are, there are hotspots out there.
And of course we know listening to Amy that those red flag warnings remained in effect until three or six o'clock this afternoon, depending on where you live. So they are closely monitoring the hotspots. But overall, no new fire growth is great, great, great news.
I also think that it's worth noting because I know there's some people out there who still.
Don't have power.
Oh yeah, I mean there's a bunch of power shutdowns and it's been a while.
I mean it's days. Some customers haven't had power.
So tens of thousands of Southern California ED customers, because of the red flag conditions, are likely to endure more shutoffs. Again, these are to prevent new wildfires, and the connection between Southern California ED and the Altadena fire is demonstrable. I mean it feels as though there already have been four lawsuits and there could be a class action case emerging there.
But new video from overnight is apparently showing that lights are out at gas stations and shopping centers in the San Bernardino Mountains, and the utility power outage map showing that Crestline and Lake Arrowhead is or are among the areas without power this morning. So tens of thousands of Southern California ED customers no power because of these dangerous red flag conditions. More shut offs could be coming to prevent any new wildfires. That's just worth noting along the way, and.
Anytime you see a little spark r upts, you think of the world. So we were on the air last night and there was another wild fire that broke out in the Pacoima area area right along the Handsome Dam and it was right next to an apartment complex with the car port right there, literally right next to it. In La County Fire along with Angelo's National Force. They got there and they were able to put it out within thirty minutes. It was incredible. They aggressively attacked it.
But it's one of those things though now when you report we'd normally report wildfires, but now you're just on edge because is this the next big one, sure.
And structure fires fall into the same category normally. Go well, you know the structure fire, you know it's a.
Palette factory or something.
You know, you idea they had caught fire under this freeway over and overpass. It's sort of like sadly urban life, you know, and yet now it takes on an entirely different significance.
All of those things.
Well, we're just glad that so far, as mentioned, last twenty four hours have been really relatively calm, but there are still the bad players out there. Ellie County Sheriff Robert Luna he announced today that forty four people total, just in his jurisdiction have been arrested for things like looting, burglary, curfew violations, weapons possessions. And there was a second person in the last twenty four hours, mark arrested for impersonating a firefighter.
That's just insane, insane, insane.
I mean again, I'm hoping for prompt and severe prosecutions and punishments.
Well, Hawkman was part of the ad impressor and he said absolutely, you know, I mean, the other day he announced ten people charges against them, nine for looting, one for arson. That arson case was not directly linked to these recent wildfires.
Nonetheless, I think the least.
Amount of jail time that these people are looking at is six years.
Yeah.
So Hawkman's serious.
Yeah, and that's what we need. We need follow through on this stuff.
It's crazy, the looting, the impastination of firefighters so you can then go in and loot, and of course arson and I get it some of the arson cases because in that press conference they were talking about, you know, some of the specifics around these arsen cases and they sound like you know, fed up street people, you know. But sorry, there is no rationale, no excuse, no framing that gives me any sympathy for people setting fires.
Oh stop, absolutely not.
And you know they've all been sort of connected on this, which is good to see the chief of fire, the chief of police, the chief of the sheriff's department, and then Hawkman out there saying we're done. You know, you you get caught, We're going to throw the book at you.
Great.
Great throwing the book is something that we have to get a lot better at.
Yeah, we haven't done that of late in recent years, but I think the tides changing.
It's been a week after the Palisades fire started, and the cleanup along PCH has started. Federal and state teams are getting rid of hazardous waste and debris from houses businesses that were taken out by the fires. They had four dumpsters filled with debris by midday yesterday. They've established a buffer zone along the freeway, so they've created two lanes of workable space for crews to park and to clear debris. And they're dumpsters all along those areas of PCH.
And of course we've talked about the We've talked about the toxins and in the air. Yeah, it's a really unhealthy period, you know, during the fires and even post fire.
You know, I'm glad you wrought that up because if you watch local forecasts right and they have their air quality censors up, and you did this, this is what you used to do, right. Sure, well, it's deceiving because the air quality sensors linked to the National Weather Service.
If you look in our area right now, it says good, which is very deceiving. But we had a doctor on last night.
He's a medical contributor who works for US, doctor Michael Daniel. He said that those sensors don't pick up all of the toxins. The only monitor five, which aren't even necessarily the worst.
They check for particulate matter I think in the main and so you don't see a lot of those toxins played out with the ultimate number that they give you. They'll give you like a you know, something in the fifties is usually acceptable type thing. And yeah, you're right. So much gets into the outfield just because the technology is not designed to be tuned to some of these toxins, I mean, metals and other just stuff that gets into your lungs, deep into your lungs.
I could really do some damage.
Well that's something to keep in mind. So there are.
Free Christmas everybody.
Yeah, sorry, well, happy New Year already. We're on day fifteen.
You know, at some point today I want to double back and talk about the cause of the Palisades fire, because it was addressed at the press conference, I believe a bit, but they just there. Yeah, No, let's do it, because essentially there was yesterday I was talking about it a bit, and today I've got some key follow up on that.
So we'll get to it.
Okay, joining us now is somebody I'm looking forward to talking to. I'm sorry that it's under these circumstances. I used to work with her at Fox eleven when she was part of the team there, she says, gone on and she's become an LA based correspondent for ABC News Network. Zorene Shaw is on the line now. Zorene, thank you so much for being with us today.
Of course, lad with you.
I saw the Instagram post from Zorine and it was moving. It was really And that's really the reason that we brought Zorine on into the mix today because her story is I think, an extraordinary one, but it's also one that is relatable. Sadly, I've heard others similar and so maybe we can begin to lay that.
Out absolutely really quite moving.
Yes, So, Zorene and her husband had spent one night in their brand new home in Malibu and then it burned down. Literally, Zorene, you closed on Christmas Eve.
Crazy, It's crazy, we did. And this was our dream house. Rechi had spent six years, you know, every month, sometimes every weekend driving up to Malibu to look for, you know, our dream house, and he found it. We were so excited and I was so proud, you know, I stayed and saved and we don't make a gazillion dollars that this job. We don't and and I, you know, my parents had never owned a home. I saved and I was so excited and proud to have twenty percent of
down payment. And we put it in. We got it, and we we enjoyed a night there. We had a few other hours, and then it was gone. And this home was a perfect home. I can't say that enough. Everyone keeps saying, oh, you'll build that better, Oh you'll build a better home, You'll build your dream home. But this was our dream home. I mean it was home where you you know, deer would come up to the window. Like we had an alvocado and a peach and a green tree. We had just this beautiful ocean view. This
is a home we wanted to retire in. We wanted to bring our friends over. We just loved it and we were excited. And look, I have to say, I have to say that we just closed on Christmas Eve. There are a lot of people out there who lost their homes, who have lost far more. They have lost a lifetime of belongings, and they have lost a lifetime of memories. We are one of the lucky ones, and we are devastated for them. We have lost. We have three friends who lost their homes in the Albany in
the fire. They lost everything, man like except for their travel bags and then like you know, the bat clothes on their back. They have nothing. And so we we know how lucky we are in this moment. But we lost the dream. That's what we lost.
Yeah, I mean, obviously you were pretty into perspective there, and everyone has their own story. Nonetheless, it doesn't take away or diminish you know what you and your husband are going through. Just to think that the one night, how how are you two doing? What's recovery look like? Are you planning to rebuild there?
Absolutely we are, but we we you know, Marlon. I'm also dealing with I certied as a reporter because you and I we've covered fires for so long. My god, you know, I've said on so many since near so many people burned down homes. I've said on so much turned lands. I mean, as a reporter in Los Angeles, you cover these over and over and over again. While I'm dealing with it with it be my home, and
I'm learning so much. I'm learning, you know, first of all the thing that I thought would be the biggest struggle is not the biggest struggle. I thought that. I look, we're very nervous, we're not going to get our fire insurance that could still be at What we're hearing from a lot of people who lost their homes in these fires is if you have fire insurance, when your home completely burns to the ground, you typically do get the
full amount. Like I'm just I'm just repeating what I've heard from other people, which is a relief, huge relief to us, and I hope that works out for us and everyone else.
That's what I wanted to ask you about. I'm sorry, go ahead.
We have a California Fair Plan. We have a California Fair Plan. I'm I'm very nervous about it, very nervous about the future of it. But what we're hearing is that it will be okay. That the race will probably go up over time, but right now will likely be okay.
The thing that I didn't realize would be the big problem, the big sort of that you don't really realize having these stories as a reporter, right because we kind of go in, we cover it, and then we sort of move on off, And is the permitting that the permitting takes so long because of the bureaucracy in LA that there's months and months of all these different departments looking over and then look, we have the original plans to
our house. A lot of people whose house is burned down do or you can pull them, and but yet it is supposed to be such an effort to rebuild. So that's one of the And look, there's many things I'm learning as I'm navigating this. They had no idea of covering these fires for so long, but that's one of the big ones.
Well, this is interesting that you mentioned this because one of the things that they've talked about is the ways in which they are going to fast track a lot of the rebuild. So the Coastal Commission is notorious in Malibu. I mean, there is almost no way you can navigate that in any kind of expeditious manner. But now they're saying, no, we're going to now change the way the rebuild will work, so you may be able to fast track a lot of things.
I think. I think that's true in a couple of spaces, And what I really want to do is really break down through there's a few different departments right in the Permaning Department. And then there's a few different agencies like, for example, the LA County Agency that remove debris that apparently takes a few months, right, But there's so many things you don't even think about that goes through the county that that can take a long period of time that hold a lot of us back. And I believe
personally we need to build back fast. We have the the Olympics coming in twenty twenty eight. This place looks like a war zone. We have the World Content he in yeah twenty six, we have you know, a litory election obviously in twenty twenty six, eight presidential election in twenty twenty eight, and hoping some of these things will force our elected officials to remove more of these sort of like these things that just delay and delay and delay.
Well, there's bureaucracy and there's also building back smart. We can't just fast track everything and you end up in the same place years later. So we have to build back with fire resistant materials. We've got to build back smart, otherwise we'll be talking to Zorin again in another three years.
Mark, I got to tell you on that point, and this is where I get confused, right, because I'm like, okay, all this stuff does take so long. We're you know, for the original people who built my house in twenty eleven, they spent eight years getting permits. Sometimes it took them one year to get an answer back on a single questions. Wow, yeah, our health. Our house is built of glass and steel. If you look at the top of it, right, we had sprinklers and we remotely turned on the day of
the fire we had. We didn't have a house behind us, we did not have a house next to us. And so my fear is these fires are getting so strong and it's stronger and sound right, it's not getting any better, right, Like, yes, we do have to build back stronger and smarter, but to some extent I don't know.
I don't know. Yeah, it sounds like you were already pretty smart.
I mean on the on the on the build back so that that actually your a gallon.
We had a fire gallon of water, a fire und down water tank next to our home. I do not believe we need to go up a closer look, but we don't believe it was ever used. And this is look, we know our firefighters were stretched. We we know they had a really tough time out there. But I'm say I will be very satisfy. Really border this tank was not used from the picture I took, and from the angle or the angle that we saw, it was not. And look we did not make it close to the house.
I was ready to go up there and stand on the you know, on the remains of my house. My husband was inconsolable. We got there and I said, do you want to drive up that's the bottom of the driveway where you can see the photo that I took from the angle, And he said no, no, and he was just sobbing. He said, take a picture and let's go. And but I am so curious to go up there. I just all I want to know is how did this happen?
A tree?
You know, maybe an ember? The toll on a tree my house.
By the way, I learned that stat from Dean Sharp, who has a show here on KFI. He said that eighty percent of homes that are struck by wildfire come from embers. They're not on the fire line. So that's very welcome your situation, Zorine.
We got to run. Thank you so much though, for it really is and wishing you whenever and.
Rishi your husband the best Zorine Shaw if you see Los Angeles correspondent, but the g man, he'll be calling in a little bit later.
Very if we can, if we can stitch it together, we're going to try to make it happen so he can say.
Hi his listeners miss him and Shannon of course, yeah, those two are great.
The governor is busy with an executive order signed yesterday. This is to help protect victims of the fire from predatory real estate speculators. There's a lot going on, but speculators come in and they'll just buy it up as is right.
Oh yeah, there's already offers pouring in.
And so newsom came and you know who was along with them was the board chair of Ellie County Supervisors, Katherine Barger. She joined last night during the Fox eleven news at six o'clock, so I had her on. I asked her about it because there was a photo op of her with the governor and other local officials, and she said, oh, yeah, because we are. We're tired of it already, of people trying to take advantage of literal victims to be victimized.
Here's what she told me. What's the takeaway?
Well, the takeaway is that you know, there are predators out there that are taking advantage of people. And you know, we talk about price gouging, and then we were talking about individuals. I was passing the convention center and sought individuals handing out cards saying you don't need to go through your broker, we'll take care of you. And now we have people calling and saying we'll buy your property. We'll give you one two hundred thousand dollars.
And these people.
Are vulnerable, they are in shock, and it is sickening to know that there are individuals out there who are taking advantage of these victims.
They are victims.
Can you believe that I want to get back to some as you said in there, that she was at the Pasadena Convention Center, which is now serving as an evacuation center. It's the largest one out there for victims of the Eaton fire or Policies fire.
But obviously this is.
Close to Altadena, and she had an LA County jacket on it didn't say that she was a supervisor, and let alone the board chair and the fraudsters were there and they walked up to her and they handed her a card.
You know something about here, We're here to help you.
That's just wild.
I mean it is that is how it's.
Like going to a hospital and praying on people who are about to sure and on their last breath.
Right, you can sign your estate over to me, now.
Exactly, I'll take care of you. Don't worry. I'll take care of your family. So is that that bad to hear all of those stories out there?
So on the politics of it all? You spoke to her about that. Here you go.
What's the takeaway?
Oh, oh, it's a different cut or is just the same cut?
That's what's the takeaway? What's going to be for the next segment?
Oh?
It was, yeah, but we can do.
It all now, Well, let's do it next segment. Then. I like staying on plant, you know, I like to order off the menu.
Are you sure?
Yeah, we're going to do that. Is that okay with you? Keana?
Is that we're gonna We're gonna we'll do this when we come back. Yeah, okay, Garian Shannon Show. We do like to follow a plan. You know, it seems very loose, and it is loose, but we do have a plan.
Well, Kenna is the producer and she's doing great jobs.
And we like to follow her plan and restruct her plan.
Jacob on the board, Yeah, exactly.
Jacob's plan is pretty much set every day. He is unshakable. But our plan is movable. And there's an Israeli a Mas deal that was reached. And you may hear much about this today because it's probably the lead story internationally. I mean, this is a fifteen month war that's gone on and the destruction that it's wreaked is otherworldly.
And we've heard this time and time again that you know, they're getting closer to a deal, closer to a deal. According to mediators, the deal includes phased hostage releases, hundred prisoner exchanges, and of course it aims to ultimately end the fifteen month long war, though there are questions that do remain about the displaced Palestinians returning Gaza's reconstruction and achieving lasting piece.
Well, even the hostage release, there are questions there. It's going to be a phased release, is what they're saying of these hostages. And this all is, as you know, probably broker by the Qataris.
The Kataris, it is, yes, are very much a part of this.
Many of the Hamas leadership lives in Qatar, and so the Qataris were involved in this from the very beginning, and envoys for Biden and Trump have been present at this latest round of negotiations, and of course the Secretary of State Anthony Blincoln obviously very much a part of this as well.
So this is big news.
It's huge news.
And Biden is preparing to address the breakthrough agreement later tomorrow because today the spotlight's on him because at five o'clock our time today he does his farewell address.
He's doing his exit interview, is what Joe Biden is doing?
Yeah, is it really an interview? No one's asking him questions.
Well, it's the closest you'll get as president, so one way interview, which is oftentimes the way it works when you're president.
Of the United States.
That's right, it's your own after action review. Well, speaking about it, I did agree, How did you do? I did great?
Let me tell you we are all about after actions when it comes to this fire and the questions that are being asked. And I say this fire, I mean generically this fire situation. A. It's not done. Red flag warnings are still up. But b you've had a series of conversations with local leadership. Yep, that shed some light on what's going on again post at least this initial phase of five.
Well, there's so many politics surrounding it, right, and so even let's just start with President ELEC.
Trump.
He takes over the White House on Monday, and local leaders have asked him to come here. The first one was the board chair of La County Supervisors, Katherine Barger. She sent him a letter over the weekend and said, you know, mister soon to be president again, will you please come and survey the damage. You need to see this for yourself. So she joined me last night on the Fox ELEVENUWS at six o'clock.
She said that she is confident that he is coming.
She said, as far as everything that she's being told, he will be here later next week. We don't have a date. There's not an official confirmation yet. She hasn't actually spoken to him while I had her, though, given the topic around Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, he has alluded to having conditions tied to the California wild fire aid and that hasn't voted. Well, I asked her about that, and here's what she had to say.
And it will sound something like this is from last night.
All the politics that have come along with this, and the strings attached with Washington and wildfire relief, your thoughts on all that strings attached.
When we get money from the state, there are strings attached. So I'm not going to get caught up in the strings attached because quite frankly, nobody should write a blank check. You know, the reality is there are checks and balances. Taxpayers expect that. But when there are things in place like FEMA, like SBA small Business Administration, when there are things that are already in place, let's make sure we use them. So I'm not going to play politics and
the strings. I'm not going to get caught up in that because at the end of the day, no matter who's in the White House, there are always going to be strings attached. I would expect no less, but I am confident that we're all going to work together. At least I'm going to my district. My constituents don't care whether you're Republican or a Democrat. They want to know that you're there to help them. And I guarantee you I've made that promise.
That's a smart politician right there.
It is she's a straight shooter, sort of a no nonsense, but it does make sense. I mean, when people's lives have been uprooted, lives have been lost. This is really like a paradigm shift, if you will, where things from you know, the fires fire started and then life change from that moment. We don't need politics in it. We just need help.
But the idea somehow that you would say, hey, no big deal, of course there's strings attached where going to be. I mean, the idea that you would not let that get your back up. Yes, it is really really smart.
As she said, no one should just write a blank check.
Yeah.
And also it's you can always you got to pick your battles. And that doesn't feel as though it's a smart battle. It's all rhetorical right now. People are just you know, kind of taking shots at California. I think it's despicable necessarily to wrap a lot of politics in it, but sadly that's just the way it is. And that's a politician who understands sort of that that's just the way it is and isn't going to, as I say, get knives out based on that rhetoric.
And you know, Trump was here earlier, what several years ago, with the the Woolsey fire, and he surveyed the damage then, and that was when he and Newsome, who he likes to call Newscomb, were more amicable.
And now obviously that ship is sailed.
And when he comes here though, and sees the destruction and just the devastation between all of the fires, I would I find it hard to believe that he's going to withhold aid.
Oh, I would agree.
I mean, it still has to be navigated very sensitively, and that's going to come time to Newsom probably, you know, but you're right. I think i'd certainly hope that the FEDS, in the form of Donald Trump would step up. And as you say, he'll be president beginning Monday. When we come back. We'll talk about several things related to the fires that may speak to the future. I also want to visit the cause of the Palisades Malibu fire because something was mentioned yesterday and I want to follow up
on it, and it's fascinating. In fact, Amy King has had a bit of it in her news through the morning. Anyway, we'll talk about the causes as we continue as well. Jay Leno was serving hot meals to the firefighters. We'll visit that as well, and again the politics of the fires and the politics.
Of Washington today, all of it still to come.
It's the Gary and Shannon Show, Mark and Marla sitting in on KFI AM six forty.
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