
Mayor hires consultant without asking fire-affected community first
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced plans to hire an external consultant to oversee the rebuilding efforts in Pacific Palisades following recent devastating fires, making this decision without any community input or consultation.
During an unexpected Monday visit to Pacific Palisades, Bass appeared alongside Steve Soboroff, her recently appointed chief recovery officer, who had been notably absent since his appointment – which was also made without local input.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “The city of Los Angeles is planning to hire an outside consultant to handle a significant rebuilding contract for areas devastated by this month’s Palisades fire, Mayor Karen Bass said Monday.”
President Trump just annihilated Karen Bass. They even had to take her mic away😂😂😂
Bass showed how horrible she is, live, in front of the whole world. pic.twitter.com/TvjrF2sjVd
— Spitfire (@DogRightGirl) January 25, 2025
The Times further reported, “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, according to chief recovery officer Steve Soboroff.”
The report added, “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.”
Despite the complete absence of community engagement, Soboroff asserted that the consultant would serve as a representative for local residents and suggested they would have control over incoming federal disaster relief funds.
The affected community has been largely excluded from the decision-making process by city and state officials. Many residents were only able to return to their properties on Monday, following direct intervention from President Donald Trump.
Last week: LA mayor Karen Bass fought President Trump after he blasted her for making it impossible for LA residents to access their property.
This week: LA resident who hasn’t seen his property for three weeks is turned around and forced to get an “Orange pass” so he can maybe… pic.twitter.com/a1Ai2YQkN9
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 28, 2025
Bass’s popularity among Los Angeles residents has significantly declined since the fires, with polling indicating that more voters now believe Rick Caruso should have won the 2022 mayoral election.
During a recent town hall meeting attended by President Trump, Bass, and other officials, a proposal was made for the appointment of a “special master,” similar to the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, to ensure proper allocation of federal reconstruction funds.
Trump responded positively to this suggestion, tasking Ambassador Richard Grenell with identifying potential candidates or establishing a committee for this oversight role.