Los Angelenos are bracing themselves for more wildfire recovery challenges as Mayor Karen Bass has announced plans to hire an outside consultant to manage the rebuilding of Pacific Palisades following devastating wildfires that destroyed over 5,500 homes.
The firm will represent the city’s interests in the wildfire recovery process, including performing damage assessments, monitoring air and water quality, interacting with various federal agencies and ensuring that the city gets as much federal reimbursement as possible, said Steve Soboroff, who was named by Bass as the city’s chief recovery officer.The announcement came during a freewheeling half-hour walking tour in Pacific Palisades that Bass and Soboroff held for reporters and some residents Monday afternoon. The walk-and-talk was the first time Soboroff and Bass took questions together since she announced his role Jan. 17 in leading the first phase of the city’s recovery on Jan. 17.Details about the scope of the forthcoming contract remain scant, but Bass said Monday that the city was in the midst of reviewing proposals from “major firms” and pledged to make a decision this week.
Breitbart’s Joel Pollack, an area resident who joined local officials during the recent roundtable with President Donald Trump to discuss the disaster and recovery efforts, indicates that Bass’ decision was made without any consultation with local residents.
Soboroff claimed that the consultant would represent locals — despite the complete lack of notice or consultation. He also suggested that the consultant would control the federal money entering California to deal with the fire damage.Locals have had virtually no input into any of the decisions currently being made by city and state officials. Most were only able to access their property for the first time on Monday, after direct intervention by President Donald Trump.
Another troubling aspect is that Bass and Soboroff focused on “toxins” and environmental issues during the walkabout, as the discussion included a description of “Phase 1” of the recovery efforts.
Soboroff called this Phase 1 of the city’s recovery efforts. He couldn’t provide a specific timeline for this phase but suggested it could take one week to three months.He also mentioned a soon-to-be-launched app that will clarify the process, including answers regarding resident’s properties.”We’re not rebuilding to have this happen again,” Soboroff said during the walk-and-talk.Bass added that once hazardous materials have been removed, homeowners will have two options for Phase 2: removal of the rest of the debris.”Once the toxins have been removed, then the owner has a choice,” Bass said. “They can do it at no cost with the Army Corps of Engineers or they can do it themselves.”
As many unhappy Los Angelenos are discovering, “environmental concerns” are cover for government incompetence and graft.
The appointment of a ‘Recovery Czar’ comes as part of Bass’s efforts to expedite the rebuilding process and address the urgent needs of affected residents and businesses3. The mayor has faced pressure to accelerate the recovery, particularly after Trump suggested that residents should be able to return to their properties immediately to clear debris.
I would like to point out that one of the expedited measures is the rapid approval of multifamily housing in the area.
Across the city, 22 multifamily developments with a total of 1,400 units are awaiting final sign off from city inspectors before they can open to residents. Bass’ order tells departments to provide temporary certificates of occupancy at those properties so that those units will come online faster. The hope is to help meet some of the soaring demand for rentals in the wake of the fires.
Personally, I fail to see how this helps residents rebuild their single-family homes and restore their properties. But I will note that these developments concern broader plans for a green utopia Bass and her fellow climate cultists have planned.
Los Angeles is a member of an entity called “C40 Cities” and has been since 2006. The city is actively involved in C40’s climate action initiatives, including working on transitioning to a green economy and supporting frontline communities in climate transitions. The group’s visions also include “15-minute cities“.
C40 announces a partnership with NREP to fund a new Green and Thriving Neighbourhoods programme, deliver proof of concept for “15-minute city” policies and empower cities around the globe to implement ambitious net-zero and people-centred neighbourhoods.
The entire C40 mission is based on pseudoscience and climate cultism. Besides, during these historic wildfires, Los Angeles’s carbon emissions exceeded any target levels these eco-activists set because Bass and the city/county/state leadership failed to maintain their water infrastructure or properly support fire prevention and response efforts.
I reviewed the chilling aspects of the 15-minute city concept in a previous post.
For all these reasons, the use of an “outside consultant” must be suspect. I certainly hope Trump proceeds to assign his own “Recovery Czar” to oversee these developments.
And soon.
Currently, Bass’ approval rating is at 37%. If she continues with the tone-deaf approach, that number is likely to be a high-water mark and recall will become inevitable.
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