{"id":2390464,"date":"2025-01-15T09:18:54","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T14:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wildfire-looters-show-las-law-order-da-faces-uphill-battle\/"},"modified":"2025-01-15T09:21:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T14:21:59","slug":"wildfire-looters-show-las-law-order-da-faces-uphill-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wildfire-looters-show-las-law-order-da-faces-uphill-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildfire Looters Show LA&#8217;s Law &#038; Order DA Faces &#8216;Uphill Battle&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwildfire-looters-show-las-law-order-da-faces-uphill-battle%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2390464&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a recent incident in los\u2064 Angeles, two men were detained during curfew hours at Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; home in Brentwood amidst ongoing wildfires in the \u200barea. The police initially responded\u200d to\u200c a potential burglary report but found \u200bno evidence \u200cof a crime. These men were taken into \u2062custody for violating the curfew set to \u200dprevent looting during the emergencies, raising questions about their motives for being there early in the morning.<\/p>\n<p>As wildfires have devastated the region, causing at\u2064 least 25 fatalities and destruction of thousands of structures, an increase in looting has also been reported.Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has charged several \u2062individuals \u2062with various crimes, including looting in affluent neighborhoods.Hochman condemned these actions \u200cas a direct attack on the community during a time of crisis and emphasized a commitment to prosecuting such crimes severely, representing a shift from\u2062 previous leniencies under the\u200b former DA, George Gasc\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>Hochman&#8217;s election signifies a public demand for stricter \u200blaw enforcement in response to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mccarthy-house-gop-signal-support-for-police-in-midst-of-defunding-calls\/\" title=\"McCarthy, House GOP Signal Support for Police in Midst of Defunding Calls\">rising crime rates<\/a> \u2064in the wake of perceived &#8220;soft-on-crime&#8221; policies. Los Angeles residents have voiced a desire for increased accountability \u200dand public\u200c safety to address the disturbing \u200ctrend of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">property crimes amidst disasters<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s Left Coast crime and punishment in a nutshell: Two men were detained at <a href=\"https:\/\/ktla.com\/news\/local-news\/police-detain-2-people-at-vice-president-harris-brentwood-home-during-curfew-hours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo; posh Brentwood neighborhood home <\/a>very early last Saturday morning as wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles area. They reportedly broke curfew. Will they face a lengthy grounding?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>LA police first responded to the 3,500-square-foot property Harris shares with Second Gentleman Doug Emhofff for a report of a burglary. They ultimately found no evidence of a property crime. The men were, however, briefly taken into custody for violating Los Angeles County&rsquo;s 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew aimed in large part at stopping looting. Why they were out and at the second couple&rsquo;s home at around <a href=\"https:\/\/ktla.com\/news\/local-news\/police-detain-2-people-at-vice-president-harris-brentwood-home-during-curfew-hours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4:40 a.m.<\/a> remains unclear. Whether Harris will <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/08\/25\/opinion\/kamala-harris-support-for-bail-fund-that-freed-violent-criminals-shows-how-tough-on-crime-she-really-is\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donate to a bail fund for looters<\/a> taking advantage of victims of the Los Angeles-area wildfires remains unknown.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>What we do know is that, as of Tuesday evening, the conflagrations had <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/live-updates\/california-wildfires-los-angeles-weather\/?id=117613594\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">killed at least 25 people<\/a> and devoured some 12,000 structures and more than 35,000 acres.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s a sad commentary on society, particularly leftist-led jungles like Los Angeles. As the area in and around the nation&rsquo;s second-largest city faces a nightmare of fire, police are being forced to respond to a growing list of looting and other property crimes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;A Direct Attack on Our Community&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier this week, Los Angeles County District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/da.lacounty.gov\/media\/news\/nathan-hochman-sworn-new-la-county-district-attorney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nathan Hochman<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxla.com\/news\/hochman-charges-against-alleged-arsonist-looters-be-announced\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charged<\/a> nine suspects with looting, and another with arson (reportedly not related to the wildfires). These discount seekers definitely know where to shop. Not counting the two reported curfew breakers at Harris&rsquo; smartly appointed four-bedroom, 4 1\/2 bath Brentwood estate, the accused looters picked some swanky places to burgle, according to police &mdash; including LA&rsquo;s mansion-packed Mandeville Canyon area. In one of the arrests, police <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/10-people-charged-with-burglary-arson-during-los-angeles-wildfires-8773644\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> recovered an Emmy award.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But as Julio Rosas, national correspondent for Blaze Media, told me Tuesday on &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/426-the-vicki-mckenna-show-27246267\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Vicki McKenna Show,<\/a>&rdquo; the looting &mdash; like the wildfires &mdash; knows no socio-economic boundary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not only celebrities. The evacuation orders have gone out to middle-class and even the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/at-home-covid-test-deliveries-delayed-after-wild-west-style-train-robberies\/\" title=\"At-Home Covid Test Deliveries Delayed After \u2018Wild West-Style Train Robberies\u2019\">lower-income neighborhoods<\/a>,&rdquo; Rosas, who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=609764911553067\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">covered the Eaton Fire&rsquo;s destruction<\/a> in places like Altadena, Calif., where large swaths of the unincorporated Los Angeles suburb have been reduced to ashes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So the looters have been out in full force like the vultures they are. Hochman described the crimes as most Americans would, &ldquo;appalling,&rdquo; and that they represent &ldquo;a direct attack on our community during a time of unprecedented loss and vulnerability.&rdquo; And then the new DA issued a stern warning:<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Let me be clear: If you exploit this tragedy to prey on victims of these deadly fires, we will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,&rdquo; Hochman said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If his office indeed prosecutes these maggots &ldquo;to the fullest extent of the law,&rdquo; it would be a real change in course from the soft-on-crime DA Los Angeles County voters had been used to. Holding criminals accountable is what voters signaled they wanted after four years of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-set-to-pick-who-will-lead-new-york-citys-economic-recovery-fight-against-rising-crime-and-more\/\" title=\"Voters Set To Pick Who Will Lead New York City\u2019s Economic Recovery, Fight Against Rising Crime And More\">rising violent crime<\/a> and disorder. Let&rsquo;s see how committed this deep blue metropolitan area that cried for unquestioned &ldquo;social justice&rdquo; four years ago in the wake of the violent Black Lives Matter movement is to public safety now.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Pro-Criminal Extreme Policies&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Hochman, a former federal prosecutor who <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Nathan_Hochman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unsuccessfully ran for California attorney general <\/a>as a Republican in 2022, bludgeoned leftist LA District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/losangeles\/news\/los-angeles-california-district-attorney-george-gascon-nathan-hochman-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">George Gasc&oacute;n<\/a> at the polls in November by 20 percentage points <a href=\"https:\/\/results.lavote.gov\/#year=2024&amp;election=4324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">(60% to 40%)<\/a>. It&rsquo;s funny how rampant crime and zero accountability changes even the hardest leftist&rsquo;s perspective on the basic need for law and order.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Voters also resoundingly rejected the <a href=\"https:\/\/da.lacounty.gov\/media\/news\/district-attorney-gascon-announces-launch-pre-filing-diversion-program-for-youth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;restorative justice&rdquo;<\/a> reforms of&nbsp;Gascon, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2024\/oct\/29\/george-soros-missing-action-soros-da-george-gascon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">George Soros-backed<\/a> DA known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/11\/06\/us-news\/progressive-los-angeles-da-george-gascon-voted-out\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;godfather of progressive prosecutors.&rdquo;<\/a> Gascon <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumnews1.com\/ca\/southern-california\/politics\/2024\/11\/06\/hochman-elected-los-angeles-county-district-attorney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote the language <\/a>for <a href=\"https:\/\/courts.ca.gov\/publication\/proposition-47-faqs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Proposition 47<\/a>, the 2014 citizen-backed crime reform law that, among other things, gave thieves a pass by downgrading thefts under $950 from felonies to misdemeanors. More than 10.3 million California voters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/elections\/results\/2024\/11\/05\/california-proposition-36\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">(68%)<\/a> voted for <a href=\"https:\/\/rivcoda.org\/blog\/prop36\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Prop 36<\/a> in November, rolling back provisions in the bedlam-releasing Prop 47. Far-left <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/newsletters\/california-playbook-pm\/2024\/10\/07\/newsoms-not-so-subtle-prop-36-message-00182778\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gov. Gavin Newsom opposed Prop 36,<\/a> so that tells you just about everything you need to know about the public safety measure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As CalMatters <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/politics\/elections\/2024\/11\/prop-36-california-election-result\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> the day after the election, &ldquo;Property crime <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ppic.org\/publication\/crime-after-proposition-47-and-the-pandemic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spiked in California<\/a> after the pandemic while the state, counties and local governments have struggled to contain and control sidewalk encampments of homeless people.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Retailers understandably have grown fatigued by criminals constantly <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/tag\/smash-and-grab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">smashing up their stores and grabbing their goods <\/a>&mdash; no matter how committed they were to equity and the rest of that leftist nonsense.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Upon losing, Gascon said &ldquo;the rightward shift across America&rdquo; on Election Day was &ldquo;heartbreaking.&rdquo; He was &ldquo;deeply proud&rdquo; of the &ldquo;criminal justice reform&rdquo; he pushed over his time in office.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hochman said he won because LA County voters had had quite enough of &ldquo;D.A. Gasc&oacute;n&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heartbreaking-soros-lackey-issues-statement-about-countrys-rightward-shift-after-suffering-blowout-loss\/\" title=\"&#039;Heartbreaking&#039;: Soros&#039; Lackey Issues Statement About Country&#039;s &#039;Rightward Shift&#039; After Suffering Blowout Loss\">pro-criminal extreme policies<\/a>; they look forward to a safer future.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Culture of Lawlessness&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Hochman is making a good start, putting criminals on notice that they will actually be prosecuted for the crimes they commit. But the former federal prosecutor must know that it will take some heavy lifting to straighten out the mess the leftist DA left behind. Just look at some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/da.lacounty.gov\/media\/news\/district-attorney-announces-charges-pacific-palisades-and-altadena-looting-and-azusa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repeat violent offenders<\/a> Hochman&rsquo;s office has charged in connection with the rash of looting. They&rsquo;ve been through the revolving door of what constitutes criminal justice in Democrat-led California, on parole or probation while burglarizing and looting properties in the evacuation zones.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If that weren&rsquo;t enough, as of Tuesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/14\/us-news\/los-angeles-police-arrest-4-people-for-allegedly-trying-to-start-new-blazes-as-wildfire-death-toll-rises-to-25\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">police had arrested four people<\/a> on arson-related charges for allegedly attempting to start new fires. One arson suspect was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant for arson, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/14\/us-news\/los-angeles-police-arrest-4-people-for-allegedly-trying-to-start-new-blazes-as-wildfire-death-toll-rises-to-25\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to the<\/a> New York Post.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The four arrests come after a homeless man, a Mexican national [Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva] who entered the US illegally, was tackled by brave onlookers after they saw him <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/13\/us-news\/suspect-arrested-with-flamethrower-near-kenneth-fire-is-an-illegal-immigrant-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">using a &ldquo;flamethrower&rdquo; to start new fires<\/a> in Woodland Hills,&rdquo; the Post reported.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement &ldquo;placed a detainer request on him three days ago, but the federal agency does not expect it to be honored due to California&rsquo;s sanctuary state law,&rdquo; sources <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/13\/us-news\/suspect-arrested-with-flamethrower-near-kenneth-fire-is-an-illegal-immigrant-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> the publication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">UPDATE: ICE confirms our reporting that he is an illegal alien, adding that he has a lengthy rap sheet. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1vPIUFFsai\">pic.twitter.com\/1vPIUFFsai<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillMelugin_\/status\/1879224583032807834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 14, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Sure. Criminals are opportunists. One of the most destructive wildfires in California history presents plenty of opportunity for would-be looters, burglars, and curfew violators. But California criminals have long been emboldened in soft prosecution cities like Los Angeles, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/election-2024-san-francisco-california-mayor-races-6e60cbc0f8e61ca8c9a90f302f3aa9db\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7news.com\/post\/recalled-alameda-county-district-attorney-pamela-price-whats-next\/15556185\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oakland<\/a>. While leftists leaders in these cities are beginning to pay a price for treating criminals like victims and victimizing law-abiding citizens, making the American cities safe again will take a long-term commitment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no surprise that the culture of lawlessness that was overseen and encouraged, in my opinion, by the previous [LA County] district attorney, Gascon, obviously that&rsquo;s still an issue today,&rdquo; Rosas said. &ldquo;It just shows the uphill battle that the new DA is going to have to deal with in the years to come to combat this entrenched culture of lawlessness.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two men were detained at VP Kamala Harris&#8217; home for curfew violation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2390465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Screenshot-2025-01-15-at-12.01.52-AM-1024x541.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[25546,22213,28745,32086,22644],"class_list":["post-2390464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-law-and-order","tag-da","tag-la","tag-looting","tag-wildfire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Screenshot-2025-01-15-at-12.01.52-AM-1024x541.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2390464"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2390468,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390464\/revisions\/2390468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2390465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2390464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2390464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2390464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}