Dimon Blames Democrats’ “Blue Tape” for CA Delays

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has just dropped a truth bomb squarely on the Democrats’ doorstep. Visiting one of his bank’s branches burned down in January’s catastrophic Pacific Palisades wildfire, Dimon made it clear where responsibility lies for California’s faltering recovery: excessive Democrat-imposed regulations, or as he aptly coined it, “blue tape.”

“I’d change the name from ‘red tape’ to ‘blue tape’ because it’s the Democrats who seem to want more regulations,” Dimon candidly told Fox 11 Los Angeles. This blunt assessment from one of America’s most influential financial leaders underscores the frustration felt by thousands of Californians whose livelihoods have been stalled by bureaucratic mismanagement.

And Dimon isn’t alone in his criticism. Los Angeles developer and former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso recently echoed similar concerns, calling the city’s recovery efforts a “tipping point” toward failure. According to Caruso, only 31 rebuilding permits have been issued—months after wildfires destroyed over 16,000 structures and scorched more than 37,000 acres. Instead of effectively managing the crisis, Democrat city officials are busy patting themselves on the back for what they call the “fastest disaster response” in modern state history.

Here’s the problem, folks: these blue-tape bureaucrats have become obsessed with regulation for its own sake, rather than practical solutions that put citizens first. California Democrats have lost sight of the fact that good governance isn’t measured by how many rules you can impose but by how effectively you can simplify and expedite solutions. So far, they’ve failed miserably on that front.

Caruso minced no words in an op-ed, writing, “The city’s chosen language—calling this disaster recovery the ‘fastest in modern California history’—assumes it’s more prudent to measure the response against past disasters, rather than conducting what is really needed: a clear-eyed assessment of where the mistakes were, where management failed, and how a better process can be created.” He’s absolutely right. Comparing the current crisis to past failures isn’t a benchmark for success; it’s an excuse for continued mediocrity.

The CEO’s comments came soon after developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso wrote an op-ed warning that the city is at a “tipping point” of failure after only granting 31 rebuilding permits thus far.

Caruso, who challenged Mayor Karen Bass (D) in the 2022 election, complained of city officials’ self-congratulatory posture while major challenges are still being ignored four months after the wildfires left over 37,000 acres burned and more than 16,000 structures destroyed:

“The city’s chosen language – calling this disaster recovery the ‘fastest in modern California history’ – assumes it’s more prudent to measure the response against past disasters, rather than conducting what is really needed: a clear-eyed assessment of where the mistakes were, where management failed, and how a better process can be created so hard lessons can be learned. Their rearview mirror approach is like comparing apples to monkey wrenches because the scale and devastation of what happened in January is unprecedented, and the nature of the communities impacted are markedly different than any past examples. On numbers alone, the estimated cost of the Palisades and Eaton fires may be 15 times more than the Camp Fire, and these most recent fires destroyed 15,000 more structures than the Woolsey Fire. Rebuilding is still ongoing in Paradise and Ventura County after those fires over six years ago, which can’t be our barometer for success.

We’re at a tipping point. Instead of equating this to previous disasters, we need be forward-looking and reimagine the city’s response in a way that disaster recovery has never been done before with a focus on creativity, innovation, transparency, and accountability.

In LA, we have the best and brightest companies, executives, and workers of anywhere in the world and they’re all eager to contribute. But, instead of embracing this invaluable resource as the X-factor that can make our recovery both different and better, the city has shunned it. They don’t return calls, there hasn’t been an effort to proactively engage, and there are no signs that the city wants to leverage this wealth of knowledge and ideas to drive the response, even though it’s impossible to execute a rebuild of this size without the private sector taking a significant portion off the government’s plate.”

So what’s the solution? Dimon offered a practical answer: assemble all relevant parties—sanitation, fire, police, roads, insurance, and government officials—in one room, working together with clear, focused leadership. “Because it’s a huge management problem,” Dimon pointed out, “and you know, government doesn’t put top people who can run projects into management. It’s too often politicians who were academics, who’ve never run anything.”

He’s correct. California’s Democrat leadership has shown repeatedly that it places political ideology and virtue-signaling ahead of common-sense management. The result? Endless delays, skyrocketing costs, and devastated communities left in limbo.

As conservatives, we believe in limited but efficient government—a government that doesn’t stifle private initiative but rather unleashes it. President Trump’s America First agenda has consistently emphasized cutting needless regulations that hamper growth and recovery. California Democrats could learn a valuable lesson by following this blueprint instead of doubling down on their failed bureaucratic approach.

It’s time to cut through the “blue tape.” The citizens of Los Angeles—and Americans everywhere—deserve better than endless regulation and empty promises. They deserve leaders who understand that government exists to serve the people, not burden them. Jamie Dimon’s words should be a wake-up call to Democrats: stop playing politics with people’s lives, and start putting America First.