Victor Davis Hanson: "Nobody Expected This to Happen in CALIFORNIA..."

Is California teetering on the edge of collapse? Victor Davis Hanson paints a stark picture of the state’s wildfire crisis and its broader implications for governance, policy, and civilization itself. From gutted fire departments to mismanaged forests, Hanson argues that California’s leadership has turned a preventable disaster into a recurring tragedy.

Why are wildfires spiraling out of control? Hanson highlights a series of devastating decisions: the dismantling of the timber industry, refusal to clean forests, and a DEI-focused approach to emergency management that prioritizes ideology over competence. Add to this the negligence of leaders like Gavin Newsom, who dismantled vital dams, and Karen Bass, absent during fire season, and the situation begins to look like what Hanson calls "a civilizational collapse."

The results? Homes lost, lives uprooted, and an insurance industry fleeing the state. Hanson connects these policy failures to a larger trend: California’s de-civilization. From water policies that prioritize delta smelt over human needs to energy policies that cripple the economy, the state seems intent on regressing to a 19th-century pastoral ideal—at the expense of its 40 million residents.

Is there hope to reverse this spiral, or is California doomed to a future of chaos and decline? Watch as Victor Davis Hanson unpacks the systemic failures leading to this Dante-esque inferno—and what it means for the future of California and beyond.