Victor Davis Hanson Condemns California’s DEI Hiring In Fire Departments, ‘Not Muscularity, Not Experience,’ Just DEI

Victor Davis Hanson, Wednesday on Newsmax, slammed the implementation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) criteria in fire department hiring practices in California.

During an appearance on “Finnerty,” Hanson said these policies prioritize DEI above essential firefighting qualifications like experience and physical readiness. Hanson said that hiring workers based on DEI led to an ill-equipped workforce in the state.

“The DEI fire chief, 70% of her hires have been based on DEI. Not muscularity, not experience, not size, not competence. The primary criterion was DEI. And so the only… thing that is different about this is that this was not the inner city. This was, as Donald Trump mentioned, and I’ve taught at Pepperdine, I just got back from there. This is the most elite area of California,” Hanson told Rob Finnerty.

Hanson also said that there’s a broader failure in California’s management of natural resources and emergency preparedness.

WATCH:

📺 Embedded media — coming soon

“This could have been prevented long-term. We’re letting out all of the water that comes out. 90% of the water from the northern rivers goes out to the sea,” Hanson said. “The aqueduct transfers that water down to LA. They should have had more water. They don’t. The insurance system is completely broken because of overregulation, fraud, and mismanagement by the state. So you cannot buy fire insurance in most cases.”

Hanson said that the systemic failures not only threaten the physical landscape but also risk the financial stability of California’s wealthiest communities, potentially resulting in billions of dollars in losses.