Scott and Johnson Are Right: California Owes Fire Survivors Answers - and a Readiness Plan

Accountability isn’t optional after a disaster. On November 12, Senators Rick Scott and Ron Johnson sent a detailed document request to California Parks and Recreation Director Armando Quintero ahead of today’s field hearing in Pacific Palisades. Their letter seeks training manuals, mutual‑aid agreements, prescribed‑burn records, and any draft after‑action reports tied to the Palisades and Lachman fires - materials that can reveal who was responsible for what, and when. It also sets a firm production deadline: 5:00 p.m. ET on November 26, 2025. That urgency puts survivors first.

The hearing itself, “Forgotten After the Flames,” held Thursday, November 13, in Pacific Palisades, centers on people who lived the failure points. Witnesses include local leaders and multiple fire survivors. By bringing oversight to the neighborhood rather than a Washington hearing room, Scott and Johnson keep the focus on practical fixes, not theater. 

Facts that demand answers are now on the public record. Federal prosecutors allege the Palisades catastrophe was a “holdover” from the smaller Lachman Fire in Topanga State Park: suppressed at the surface on January 1, 2025, but smoldering underground until winds resurfaced it on January 7. A grand jury indicted 29‑year‑old Jonathan Rinderknecht on three felony counts in October; he has pleaded not guilty and is detained pending trial, now expected to be delayed into 2026. Those criminal proceedings must run their course, but they underscore why rigorous after‑action scrutiny of detection, mop‑up, patrol, and interagency alerts during the Jan. 1-7 window is essential. 

The Scott-Johnson request is appropriately granular. It asks for: records on arson investigations and any communications about whether the Lachman burn scar was fully extinguished; prescribed‑burn decisions in Topanga State Park, including any delays for environmental or air‑quality concerns; interagency agreements spanning State Responsibility Areas, mutual‑threat zones, and aerial contracts; and communications with LA’s mayor, city council, fire departments, LADWP, the governor’s office, and federal partners. This is the playbook of preparedness and coordination. Publishing it quickly will highlight what worked, what didn’t, and where responsibilities were blurred.

Here’s the solutions agenda Congress should press, and California should embrace - not partisan, just operational.

First, daylight the full after‑action record. DPR should release manuals, MOUs, and draft AARs with a corrective‑action tracker and completion dates. Sunshine accelerates fixes across agencies and gives the public a clear yardstick. If gaps appear, say, unclear handoffs between park authorities and city or county fire, legislators can standardize incident‑notification chains before the next wind event. 

Second, enforce prescribed‑burn transparency. Require agencies to disclose when planned burns were postponed, why, and the quantified risk of delay. That’s not about second‑guessing firefighters; it’s about disciplining decision‑making at the administrative layer, where paperwork can quietly turn into fuel. The senators’ request for communications on postponements and endangered‑species considerations is the right aperture.

Third, tie funding to red‑flag readiness. Eligibility for certain federal recovery dollars should hinge on demonstrating pre‑season fuel‑reduction schedules, patrol protocols after initial attack, and mutual‑aid activation standards. Field hearing testimony from survivors will help identify which steps actually sped evacuations and protected property - data Congress can use to set performance‑based benchmarks. 

Finally, measure recovery the way residents feel it. Monthly public scorecards should track rebuild timelines, debris clearance, utility hardening at the park‑urban interface, and support to displaced families. The point of oversight isn’t a press release - it’s safer neighborhoods before the next Santa Ana wind. 

The path forward is clear: respect first responders, center survivors, and force a preparedness system that performs. California DPR can help itself, and every wildfire‑prone state, by meeting the November 26 deadline and engaging in full transparency. If Congress keeps the focus on mechanics - plans, training, and coordination verified in daylight - communities nationwide will be better positioned when the sirens start again.