Wildfire tragedy proves why ‘ability,’ not party, matters in choosing leaders: LA Times owner

Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong hit out at American voters with an “I told you so” about their elected leaders’ response to the wildfires in the LA area.

Criticizing the ability of local officials, Soon-Shiong wrote in X that their handling of the crisis proves why voters should not choose leaders based on party lines.

“Perhaps the lesson we have learned from this tragedy in California is that voting is now not based on left or right or D versus R but perhaps based on experience with or without skill in doing the job!!” the businessman wrote on his account on Thursday.

“We have to choose based on ability…yes ability is important,” he added.

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Fast forward—Shiong has made waves in the past few months by emphasizing the absurdity of partisanship in American politics. His opinion prompted him to announce that his paper would not be putting up a candidate for the 2024 presidential election — a move that dismayed the staff and listeners of the liberal-leaning organization.

The owner also announced the creation of a new, nonpartisan editorial board for The Times, among other measures he proposed to ensure it does not become a “one-sided echo chamber.”

Soon Shiong said his goal is to make the paper “a middle-of-the-road, reliable news source.”

The owner’s focus on non-partisanship has led to his recent criticism of leaders in California and Los Angeles, with him insisting that the wildfire disaster proves that getting caught up in electing leaders along political lines interferes with knowing whether they can handle a disaster.

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Firefighters battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP)

Shiong immediately made it clear earlier this week his belief that the Democratic leaders in the state can’t.

In a statement to X on Wednesday, he said, “Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes and are looking for shelter. The fires in LA are sadly not surprising, yet the Mayor has cut the budget of the LA Fire Department by $23M. And reports of empty firefighting equipment raise serious questions .

Although Bass’ original budget proposal called for $23 million in cuts, city officials cut LAFD funding by $17 million last year.

In a subsequent letter Thursday, he wrote that “Today’s ‘false’ evacuation alert for all of LA County is yet another example” of the incompetence of California leaders.

Shiong was soon seen talking about a false mass evacuation alert across Los Angeles County that was sent just before 4pm PT on Thursday that was quickly withdrawn.

The next warning went out to county residents that read, “Disregard the last EVACUATION WARNING. It was for the Kenneth Fire Only,” referring to residents living near Calabasas and Agoura Hills – near the scene of the Kenneth fire.

A local official chalked the false evac order up to a “technical error.”

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