Being a good lefty or media operative (which is much the same thing) requires insisting that obvious crises caused by their policies don’t actually exist.

Border crisis? No such thing. Massive crime rate spike? A fiction. Diseased vagrant junkies everywhere? It’s a housing problem.

Occasionally the crisis gets bad enough that some politicians, usually former ones, will address it.

In what appeared to be a stinging critique of his successor, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called the city he once lead “rudderless” and “adrift.”

“I was born and raised here,” Villaraigosa said Sunday on NBC4’s NewsConference. “I have lived here my entire life. I have never seen this town so dirty, I’ve never seen crime go up so quickly… the spread of homelessness… I think there is a lack of clear leadership in this town.”

Oh there’s “leadership”. But leadership consists of implementing leftist policies. That’s how we got here.

There’s no lack of willingness to raise taxes and spend the money on “homeless” services. Or a lack of leaders eager to dismantle the criminal justice system and legalize drugs.

There’s just a lack of willingness to address the problems caused by leftist leadership.

“I think, to many, Rome is burning” Villaraigosa said. “I shined shoes on 7th and Broadway and sometimes on 5th and Broadway… I know Broadway and downtown. I remember when we left in 2013 it was booming… and we are going to have to do something. Humane yes, but something, to address the level of homelessness.”

Villaraigosa is touting Rep. Karen Bass’ expected mayoral run. That would just be pouring gasoline on a burning city.