Fire safety vs conservation: How one endangered plant stopped a major wildfire prevention project in California?

In a clash between fire safety and conservation, California's eco-bureaucrats halted a wildfire prevention project near the Pacific Palisades to protect an endangered shrub called Braunton's milkvetch. The project, initiated by the Los Angeles department of water and power (LADWP) in 2019, aimed to replace nearly 100-year-old power line poles in Topanga State Park with steel poles, widen fire-access lanes, and install wind- and fire-resistant power lines since the area was deemed to have an “elevated fire risk."
"This project will help ensure power reliability and safety while helping reduce wildfire threats," the LADWP said at the time. "These wooden poles were installed between 1933 and 1955 and are now past their useful service life."

However, the project was halted within days after an amateur botanist complained about the harm done to some of the park's Braunton's milkvetch during the work. The city—accused by the state of carrying out the work without proper permits—was ordered to pay $2 million in fines and instructed by the California Coastal Commission to reverse the project and replant the rare herb, according to a report by The New York Post.

The work saved about 200 Braunton's milkvetch plants, which have likely been torched in the recent Palisades Fire that consumed Topanga Canyon and nearly 24,000 acres of LA's most sought-after real estate. Wildfires, however, are typically essential for milkvetch germination, creating a vast new habitat for dormant seeds to grow into a fresh generation of the rare shrub.

25 dead in LA wildfire

The number of confirmed deaths from the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires jumped to 25 as of Monday morning. The Palisades Fire, the most devastating blaze in Los Angeles history, has claimed at least eight lives and destroyed 5,000 homes. On the other hand, 17 died in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner and sheriff Robert Luna.

Wildfire safety vs conservation debate between Trump and Newsom

The wildfire has also sparked a debate between US President-elect Donald Trump and California governor Gavin Newsom over California's approach to wildfire safety versus conservation.
Trump accused Newsom of prioritizing the wellbeing of "worthless fish" over Californians' safety by blocking his 2020 federal order to divert water runoff from Northern California to southern reservoirs. Newsom responded to criticism from conservationists who argued it would harm the endangered delta smelt and other native fish.

The two politicians have bickered back and forth over California water access, with Trump vowing to block wildfire aid to the state if the governor doesn't give in. Newsom called Trump's accusations "pure fiction," with a spokesperson saying, as quoted by The New York Post, "The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need."

California's water supplies have been scrutinized amid the fires, especially after some fire hydrants in the city ran dry as firefighters battled the flames, and the pressure for what water they had was often low.