Kit Bobko writes for the Federalist about the likely negative impact of replacing competent leaders with those who meet diversity, equity, and inclusion targets.

There will be time enough to allocate blame and accountability for what happened in Malibu, the Palisades, Woodland Hills, Altadena, and Pasadena. But even at these early stages, some truths have revealed themselves about the deep-blue dominated California and Los Angeles and the one-party, progressive model of government.

First, ideology is not leadership, and leadership is not fungible. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass demonstrated within hours her unfitness to deal with calamity unfolding on her watch. California, a Democratic Party-controlled state where no Republican holds statewide office, chooses its political leaders based on ideological conformity and immutable traits. The result is that government positions are filled by far-left “firsts” pledged to the progressive agenda. In one-party California, it is more important an individual with the desired traits and ideology holds a position of power than their ability to actually do it.

California also chooses leaders based on DEI, and DEI always cracks under pressure. As Henry Kissinger correctly observed, the intellectual capital leaders accumulate prior to reaching the top is all they’ll be able to draw from while at the top. Democrat politicians in California’s one-party system do not accumulate intellectual capital because they don’t have to.

The political conveyor belt powered by the public employee unions and their bosses moves Democrats through the ranks. But when they arrive at the top, their leadership cupboard is bare. In the moments of crisis, they have no mental resources or experience to draw upon. Bass put this on full display when she stood mute and shellshocked in a jetway at the airport while being questioned by reporters after returning from a junket in Ghana.

Nobody cares whether you are the first female, black mayor of Los Angeles if you’re incapable of leading through the crisis. Or to paraphrase Thucydides, disasters bring politicians’ character to the level of their fortunes. The fires have revealed Mayor Bass’ character.