Los Angeles Times

Coast Guard's failure to act on boat safety costs lives in Conception fire, feds say

On the first anniversary of the 2019 Conception boat fire, Susan Tibbles walks past a memorial for the 34 people who died, in Santa Barbara, California.

LOS ANGELES — Federal investigators on Monday criticized the U.S. Coast Guard for failing to heed years of boat safety recommendation, saying more aggressive action could have prevented the 2019 boat fire that killed 34 off the coast here as well as other deadly maritime incidents.

Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, speaking at a Congressional transportation subcommittee, described decades of intransigence by the Coast Guard, which is meant to regulate maritime safety.

Monday's hearing in Santa Barbara was a short trip from where the Conception dive

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