Imperfect Paradise: After disasters, California mandates timely reports. Why it matters that more than 100 of them are years overdue

Norco 80

LAist Studios

True Crime

3.7 • 889 Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Catastrophic fires are becoming more and more common across California. After-action reports about the fires and other disasters can help officials prevent past mistakes. But the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or CalOES, has failed to deliver legally mandated reports on time following disasters for years. LAist Science Reporter Jacob Margolis looks at why the agency is so far behind, whether anyone is being held accountable and the worrying consequences for all Californians when we can’t learn from past emergencies until years later.

You can read all of Jacob Margolis’ reporting at LAist.com.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Ear Hustle podcast is bringing surprising and unforgettable stories from inside prison to the lodge room in Highland Park on Thursday, February 12th.
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0:15.0	Here at L.A.ist, you ask, we answer. With our mobile app, you can keep listening to LAST 89.3, wherever you go, and you can also read our great reporting. Plus, there's plenty of on-demand content so you can get the news you need when you need it. Download the LAist app today.
0:30.6	This is in Perfect Paradise. I'm your host, Nereida Moreno.
0:37.0	Last year's LA fires, considered among the most catastrophic fires in California's history,
0:42.3	have only intensified questions around emergency response and accountability.
0:46.8	It's the latest disaster to ignite serious criticism of preparedness, protocols, resources, and officials.
0:55.4	The consequences are playing out across Southern California as Angelinos continue to recover
1:00.9	from the historic fires and rebuild homes and neighborhoods.
1:05.3	Nothing interests me except my wishes to rebuild my home.
1:13.3	I would say that we've survived our worst day,
1:20.5	and it just gets better from now. In many cases, answers to questions about disaster response come from after-action reports. These reports establish official narratives about what happened,
1:26.0	what worked, and what went wrong, and they
1:28.5	often contained recommendations that emergency responders everywhere can learn from.
1:35.0	These are findings. L.A. as science reporter Jacob Margolis has reported on for years, and most
1:40.6	recently on Imperfect Paradise last October. That was shortly after the release of LA County's report on the January fires,
1:47.5	when Jacob noticed some striking similarities to the 2018 Wolsey Fire.
1:52.1	What we saw in both of the fires was a struggle, especially early on,
1:56.1	to set up that communication infrastructure.
2:04.5	Music that communication infrastructure. The state's disaster agency, which is required by law to deliver these comprehensive
2:09.4	reports by a specific deadline, has failed to follow the law for decades.
2:14.8	Why is this agency breaking the law and missing its mandated deadlines? What is causing
	...

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