Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass portrayed the anger of California wildfire victims after she suggested in a meeting with President Trump that residents be allowed to start rebuilding “immediately.”
“No, it's not,” Bass replied. When the president said he heard it would be 18 months before Pacific Palisades residents who lost their homes could start rebuilding, Bass responded:
Bass, 71, argued that fire department homeowners “really don't have to go through a lot of processes” once city and county officials clean up hazardous materials left on their lots.
The mayor's suggestion that the process was being fast-tracked was met with disbelief and confusion from several homeowners in the back room of the Pacific Palisades Fire Department where the public meeting was held.
“So we were told 18 months last night,” one resident told Bass. “So if that's not the answer, Mayor Bass, what is the answer? Because that's what we were all told last night.”
Bass responded that the city and county are “doing everything we can – reduce regulations, expedite everything, get people started on the process right away.”
“You have a lot to clear. You guys are in charge!” another resident yelled at the base.
“Last night, the Army Corps of Engineers told us it would take 18 months. Isn't it 18 months?” a third resident asked the mayor. “That's the answer we got, and that's what we're all hanging on to.”
Angry man explains that people in the community are desperate for clear answers, decisions to rent other homes and other key arrangements are pending timelines for rebuilding from local officials. He said it depends on.
“So if you're telling us faster now, is it six months?” he asked Bass.
Before the mayor answered, “Not good,” chimed in six months later.
“We're interested in the weekend right now because of the chance of rain, but we're going to move as quickly as possible,” Bass said. “But we want you to be safe, and we want you to return to your home soon.”
Trump claimed that the agitated homeowner in the background appeared ready to start work “tonight.”
“He doesn't want to wait seven months,” the president said of the man investigating the bass for clarity.
Bass argued that “if an individual wants to clean up their property, they can.”
The remark infuriated one woman in the crowd.
“You can’t even go in there without Trump!” she shouted, demanding to know exactly when residents would be allowed back into the neighborhood.
In a hesitant tone, Bass replied: “We'll think about it in a week.”
“We can't even see the house now,” the incredulous woman said. “We're blocked from entering the street. We can't either – it's the first time we've seen our house. It was yesterday.”
Bass, who was traveling to Africa when the fire broke out, saw her approval rating plummet in the aftermath of the devastating and deadly blaze.
More than half of those surveyed in a recent Madison McQueen poll said they disapproved of Bass' leadership, and the mayor would trail Democratic rival Rick by 7 points in a hypothetical mayoral matchup. I'm behind Caruso.
