Letters to the Editor: Officials’ reservoir conclusion won’t placate frustrated Palisades fire victims
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To the editor: Political strategist Lee Atwater was credited in the 1980s with saying, “perception is reality.” This expression — cliche by now — has been widely adapted to political strategizing, where the way something appears (the “optics”) is often prioritized over the underlying substance.
Politics aside, the recent report by state officials concluding that the Santa Ynez Reservoir being empty at the time of the Palisades fire was not a significant factor in hampering firefighters’ ability to stamp out the devastating flames will be a hard sell to the angry, frustrated residents of Pacific Palisades (“Even a full reservoir wouldn’t have ensured water in Palisades fire, California officials say,” Nov. 21).
What people believe to be true is based on their subjective experiences, and is often more important than the actual facts of a situation. Perceptions are filtered through emotions, and the emotions of people who lost their homes in January while a nearby 117-million gallon reservoir sat empty are understandably running high.
State office holders and representatives, starting with our governor, have their work cut out for them in convincing Palisades residents that what they perceive is not true.
Teresa DeCrescenzo, Studio City
