President Donald Trump reportedly plans to lift federal restrictions on Monday to help rebuild Los Angeles County ravaged by wildfires.
Axios co-founder Mike Allen has been reported out of Trump's potential timeline Saturday morning, just hours after the president vowed to waive the Reconstruction requirements.
“After touring the wildfire devastation like a war zone on Friday, President Trump plans to act immediately on Monday to bring in federal regulatory relief to help Angelenos clean up and rebuild.” ,” Allen wrote.
Trump is reportedly relying on decades of building, development and regulatory expertise to help rebuild Los Angeles County.
“Trump is leveraging his expertise with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Commission, which will play a major role in residents’ ability to rebuild,” Allen wrote.
At a Friday night roundtable in Los Angeles County, Trump focused on CEQA and the Coastal Commission.
At the roundtable, when told that CEQA could add years to approve an application, Trump replied, “You can't.”
“We need to override the Coastal Commission because we've been dealing with the Coastal Commission for a long time. They're considered the hardest in the nation and we have to force them to play the game and wait 10 years. “You can't give permission to someone,” Trump said.
“In fact, I'm going to override the Coastal Commission. I'm not going to let them get away with their antics,” he added to applause.
January 12, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) especially Suspended permitting and review requirements under the Coastal Commission and CEQA.
Trump implored Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) to waive local permit requirements as well. Bass said she would refrain from standards, but when Trump challenged her commitment to this, they had a tense exchange.
When Trump insisted that the victims have immediate access to clean up his lot, Bass insisted they could, leading to pushback from attendees.
“And if an individual wants to clear out their property, they can,” Bass said.
“Yes, but you know you can go back soon,” she admitted. “We will think about it within a week.”
Trump said it's been a “long week.”
