Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who is now running for mayor, has proposed banning backyard barbecues on Red Flag Warning days to "fight wildfires" — because apparently the city that watched Pacific Palisades burn to the ground has finally identified the real threat to public safety: your Weber grill.
That's right, folks. The progressive brain trust that couldn't keep Los Angeles from turning into a charcoal briquette wants to make sure you can't turn a hamburger into one either.
Here's what makes this weapons-grade stupid. According to LAFD data reported by RedState, Los Angeles has seen over 75,000 homeless-related fire incidents between 2020 and 2025. In 2020, there were 7,165 homeless-related fires. By 2025, that number had exploded to 16,982 — an average of 46 fires per day. Forty-six. Every single day. But sure, Nithya, the problem is Dad's Fourth of July ribeye.
Raman has sat on the LA City Council representing District 4 for six years. Six years of watching homeless encampment fires consume the city block by block, and her big policy idea is to go after families grilling carne asada in their own backyards on hot days. The ban would kick in during Red Flag Warning days — like the stretch from August 20-24, 2025, when temperatures hit 100 degrees. You know, peak grilling weather.
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez of the San Fernando Valley wasn't having it. "The last thing Angelenos need is a ban on hosting a carne asada in their own backyard," Rodriguez said. She added that "the proposal felt completely disconnected from how families across Los Angeles actually live." Completely disconnected from reality is basically Raman's brand at this point.
And then there's Spencer Pratt — yes, that Spencer Pratt — who is also running for mayor after losing his home in the Pacific Palisades fire. During a debate, Pratt said, "First off, Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together... I would MUCH RATHER run against Councilwoman Raman! Thank you very much." When a reality TV star is dunking on your policy proposals, you might want to reconsider your life choices.
The numbers tell the whole story. Over 16,000 homeless-related fires exposed the catastrophic failure of LA's progressive leadership, and Raman's answer is to regulate what law-abiding homeowners do in their own yards. Not a single proposal to clean up the encampments. Not a word about the 46-fires-a-day crisis. Just a ban on backyard cooking.
Mayor Karen Bass, the incumbent, has her own problems — but at least she hasn't proposed criminalizing hot dogs. Raman's betting odds sit at a pathetic 16% as of May 11, 2026, and honestly, that feels generous.
This is peak California governance. The city can't stop actual wildfires. It can't stop homeless camps from igniting on a daily basis. It can't manage a forest or a budget or a fire department. But it absolutely can tell you that your Fourth of July cookout is a public safety emergency.
They don't want to solve problems. They want to control you. And if that means prying the tongs from your cold, barbecue-sauce-stained hands, so be it.