GOP blames California’s policies for extent of LA wildfire damages as they debate aid bill

[W]itnesses at the hearing said California has continued to enact more regulations that prioritize environmental concerns that get in the way of possible solutions to preventing the spread of wildfires.

“It’s a confluence of bad policy involving brush clearance, water insurance, firefighting, housing and climate change. California has created a tangled web of regulation that renders this once-innovative state incapable of accomplishing anything efficiently, even environmental protection,” said Steven Greenhut, resident senior fellow and Western Region director of state affairs at the R Street Institute.