The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 319 East and West Coasts Attack Each Other
Century City, Beverly Business Club.

Hawke met Brian who was waiting in the reception room that he had booked for a long time.

Neither of them had eaten yet, so they simply ordered dinner and had it delivered directly to them.

Brian talked about the situation at the fire department while eating: "Yesterday, the fire department headquarters held its third recruitment application this year, and hundreds of people showed up."

Hawke took a sip of his iced lemonade and asked, "All women?"

"Yes, all women." Brian elaborated: "The recruitment was supposed to end last month, but after the first batch, the fire department management kept dragging their feet, and the recruitment target has not been met until now."

He added: "Antonio, who pushed this matter forward, has won strong support from women's rights. When the competition heats up, women's rights may impact us."

Hawke was prepared: "Then let's close the door and let the blacks charge in."

Brian had thought about this before: "I think so too. Steve has a lot of influence among black people. He can gather a group of black women."

Hawke praised, "You've kept up with the times. You're using magic to counter magic."

There was a knock on the door from outside, and Brian's driver brought a woman in.

The woman was in her thirties, wearing a professional suit, with a shrewd look on her face.

Brian made the introduction for Hawke, an insider he sent into the fire department taking advantage of the first female firefighter recruitment.

Hawke asked directly: "Doing clerical work?"

"Yes," Susan said quickly, "I work in an office doing information assurance, unlike those female firefighters who have to undergo training."

Hawke thought for a moment and then asked, "What is the reaction within the fire department to this recruitment?"

Susan elaborated: "I was rejected by many people, including me. The relationship between new employees and old employees was tense because the new employees undermined the interests of old employees. The normal firefighting budget was originally very tight every year. This time, $850 million was set aside specifically for gender balance, which meant that the benefits of old employees could only be cut and the maintenance of many firefighting equipment could not be given up."

Brian continued, "I heard that the fire department laid off some male employees?"

Susan said: "In order to make room for the new female firefighters, many seasonal temporary firefighters have been dismissed. However, these people are the backbone of firefighters and are at the forefront of frontline firefighting and rescue work."

Hawke understood that these people were like temporary workers.

The U.S. government is at the forefront of outsourcing in the world. Wildfires like the one in Los Angeles are seasonal, so temporary workers are inevitable.

He asked the most crucial question: "Are the newly recruited female firefighters adapted to this job?"

"The civilian staff are very good and adapt quickly." Susan's face changed for a moment, and she quickly calmed down and said, "But with the increase in female civilian staff, the office atmosphere has continued to deteriorate, internal friction is very serious, and work efficiency has dropped significantly."

Hawke has known this for a long time. There is a recognized phenomenon in Hollywood that once there are too many women among the main cast and crew members, the set will directly become a Shura field.

The last time he met Johnson's agent's wife, she mentioned that on the set of Ocean's Twelve, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julia Roberts fought to the death, which scared the twelve male actors and Steven Soderbergh.

These are just two. If there are two more actresses of similar level, the crew can just disband.

Susan continued, "The training of frontline firefighters is very unsatisfactory. According to the training regulations, the first batch of female firefighters recruited in February should have started work in early May, and then combined work with training. However, they are still unable to take up their posts to fill the vacant positions."

It wasn't hard for Brian to figure it out: "Because of poor training?"

Susan said, "Yes, they are unqualified. Two female firefighters are not as good as one male firefighter. When the high-pressure water gun is turned on during training, they can't stand at all. In private, they don't unite as one, but blame and attack each other. During rescue training, two people can't drag a target to be rescued. Everyone, including themselves, actually knows that it is not suitable, but everyone is pushing this matter."

This is not a question of competence; it is a question of politics.

Political struggle, or stance, is above all else.

Hawke listened and considered, then asked, "Where is the original leadership of the firefighters?"

Susan replied: "Director Morgan was very dissatisfied with this and wanted to suspend the plan. He later slowed down the recruitment process and discussed it with Antonio."

Brian nodded: "No wonder the recruitment has not ended yet."

Susan emphasized, "Antonio is very dissatisfied with Chief Morgan's work and has already started the dismissal process. The firefighters will have a new chief this month. According to the information I received, the new chief will be a woman, a true female social activist."

Hawke and Brian looked at each other during the last part of the conversation.

Brian couldn't help but say, "Okay, very good!"

In order to please women's rights and gain political support, Antonio's actions were extremely cruel.

It would be fine to dismiss the seasonal firefighters and replace them with a bunch of female firefighters, after all, there are still a group of veteran firefighters. But now they are going to appoint an amateur who is good at social activities as the chief, plus the feminist deputy chief who was transferred here earlier, which means that more than half of the Los Angeles firefighters are useless.

This is an industry with very strict professional procedures. If a serious situation really occurs and an amateur gives orders to the professionals, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Hawke considered the next steps based on these situations.

Especially inside the fire station.

After saying all that needed to be said, Brian asked a few more questions and Susan left quickly. Brian came back from outside and said, "I think the fire department alone could put Los Angeles in an unprecedented predicament."

"This one is not enough." Hawke either doesn't do it, or if he does it, he'll do it big, never in a small way.

If you miss a good opportunity like this, you may have to wait another twenty years.

Hawke said: "Although it has been less than four years since the Elephants lost the mayoral seat in Los Angeles, California has been turning blue for ten years. If you want to win the mayoral seat, you will face tremendous pressure. Instead of letting us bear the pressure, it is better to let Antonio and others face the impact of public pressure first."

Brian may not be very smart, but his greatest strength is that he can tell which advice is most beneficial to him.

He understood what Hawke meant: "Put all your chips on it?"

Hawke nodded slightly: "When dealing with enemies, it is best to defeat them all at once and not give them a chance to fight back."

He said directly: "I will have someone modify a few portable cameras and recorders. You give them to your people in the fire station and have them record the embarrassment of female firefighters during training and work, and the internal dissatisfaction with this gender plan. If possible, also record and secretly record Antonio's conversation with the current chief Morgan."

Brian understood what Hawke meant: "Morgan disagrees with Antonio's plan. Antonio intends to get rid of him, which will cause Morgan's strong dissatisfaction, but he can't stop Antonio's will. When he is forced to step down, Morgan will inevitably have a sharp conflict with Antonio."

Hawke continued: "All relevant remarks, actions and news from Antonio and the Donkey MPs who actively promoted this plan have been collected."

Brian said, “I’ve been doing it here.”

Hawke asked: "Have you decided on your side whether to launch a recall election or wait until next year?"

"I'm leaning toward a recall election." Brian's election involves more than just himself and the Ferguson family, he said, "But what really determines everything is how big a stir I can cause."

Hawke said: "The tragic experience of the firefighters in New York on 911/ and the typical cases of firefighters in California can be used as a reference."

He thought of what Susan had just said and added, "Aren't there many seasonal firefighters who were fired by the fire department because they had to give in to the female firefighter program? If you ask the media to interview them, I'm sure some of them will have strong opinions."

Brian wrote it all down.

Hawke warned: "If the election comes, you have to be prepared to be attacked."

The two sides are competing to see who is worse.

Brian said, "No one is better at this than you."

Hawke nodded: "I'll think of a way."

As the temperature gradually rose in June, Fox News launched two special programs focusing on the firefighters of the 911/ incident.

The report takes the firefighters' perspective and tells the story of the unfair treatment they suffered while participating in the rescue after 911/.

The subsidies promised by the New York City government were not met, the medical expenses for the illness were not covered, and only a small portion of the pensions for the injured and dead were paid.

Firefighters who fought for their legitimate rights were forcibly dispersed by the New York authorities several times, and the leaders of the firefighters also encountered various man-made obstacles in their lives.

As soon as the Fox news came out, it attracted widespread attention.

The East and West Coasts have never gotten along, and even though New York is deep blue, the Los Angeles Times still reposted the Fox News report as soon as possible and added some new content, saying that a large number of 911 firefighters are currently suffering from illness and dying in despair.

The West Coast seized the opportunity and attacked the East Coast without hesitation.

Twitter joined in, vigorously promoting the bravery and dedication of firefighters during the 911/ incident, which formed a sharp contrast with their tragic experience today.

Google and Yahoo are also featured.

Other media outlets based on the West Coast, such as the San Francisco Chronicle and ABC, have also stepped in to give New York a beating.

California's two major metropolitan areas are notoriously at odds with New York, just like the Yankees and Dixie back then.

Since it involved regional disputes, the New York media was unwilling to lag behind, and with the efforts of some foreign correspondents, they soon obtained the dirty laundry of the firefighting industry in the Los Angeles area.

A subsequent New York Times report highlighted several cases in which Los Angeles firefighters were not only owed pensions but also fired after being injured.

There are many similar cases in California because there is essentially no difference between the two sides.

Media on both the East and West Coasts were in an uproar, and the miserable treatment of the firefighters was exposed to the public.

At the latest White House press conference, the press secretary claimed that federal pensions had been allocated.

New York said it had not received it.

Washington and New York are quarreling again.

The focus of the several parties is not on the firefighter group, but on attacking each other.

(End of this chapter)