SoCal wildfires

Re “Questions that we all need clear answers to” (Jan. 19):

The article states “Given the NWS’s warnings (regarding an expected life-threatening windstorm) … should we … have dispatched crews to cut fire breaks on our hillsides?”

The question implies we should just wait and simply react to every potential disaster that may be imminent. My point of blame for the fires, and suggestion for the future, is that yes firebreaks should be cut (in hindsight) in Palisades, Altadena and West Hills, and, firebreaks and/or controlled burns (in foresight) should be implemented in Griffith Park, Topanga State Park, Paramount Ranch and every other area in L.A. that could even remotely be affected by wildfire.

Also, we shouldn’t drain reservoirs during Santa Ana wind season, we shouldn’t have non-native vegetation that dries in the drought and we should study homes that survived the wildfires.

— Robert Cuadros, West Hills

Who is to blame?

Re “Gov. Newsom and Mayor Bass aren’t the ones to blame” (Jan. 17):

Re Tom Elias’s article saying not to blame the governor and mayor for out-of -control fires because decisions were made in 1961 that contributed to the great fire — would one not question that decisions made 60 years ago should have been updated as thousands more people moved to those areas?

I totally disagree with Elias trying to protect those two and calling out President Trump for condemning their lack of updating the ways of preventing these fires since 1961.

No new reservoirs, no fire breaks, no clearing of dead brush, closing down the dams. Who is he trying to convince?

— Rosalie Hines, San Clemente

Bullet train

In regard to your editorial Jan. 12 calling for the Legislature to end the bullet train project — I feel that asking them to do that is the wrong method. I voted for the bullet train project because, and this is in agreement with the editorial, I wanted to see and ride said train from SoCal to the Bay Area.

I agree that continuing it is a bad idea, but it came to be because the people voted for it in an initiative. If the Legislature were to end it, they would be going against what the people voted for. I would gladly sign a petition to qualify a new initiative and would follow that up with my vote.

— Ron Garber, Duarte