by Cassie B., SHTF Plan:
-
- Only four rebuilding permits have been issued in Pacific Palisades three months after wildfires destroyed 6,000 structures, leaving residents in bureaucratic limbo.
-
- The city faced backlash for prioritizing demolishing a family’s treehouse over speeding up fire recovery efforts.
-
- Mayor Karen Bass seeks a $1.9 billion state bailout while threatening to label fire-damaged properties as “nuisances” if debris isn’t cleared quickly.
-
- A $10 million contract to a private consultant for recovery oversight sparked outrage amid severe permitting delays and lost applications.
-
- Local leaders warn of systemic failures, with only 72 rebuilding applications submitted due to an opaque and backlogged system.
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
Nearly three months after wildfires ravaged Pacific Palisades, reducing 6,000 structures to ash, the City of Los Angeles has issued a mere four rebuilding permits—an agonizingly slow pace that has left displaced residents in bureaucratic limbo. Meanwhile, city officials diverted resources to demolish a 20-year-old family treehouse over permit violations, sparking outrage among homeowners who say the government’s priorities are catastrophically misplaced.
As victims of the January inferno struggle to navigate a labyrinth of red tape, builder Alexis Rivas revealed the city lost his pre-approved fire rebuild application — forcing him to restart the entire process. At the same time, Mayor Karen Bass, already grappling with a $1 billion budget deficit, is seeking an additional $1.9 billion state bailout on top of $2.5 billion in fire aid — even as she threatens to label fire-ravaged properties as “nuisances” if owners don’t clear debris quickly.
The glacial pace of recovery has drawn sharp criticism from local leaders, including Councilwoman Traci Park, who called the permit backlog “concerning” and warned of “hundreds of billions in economic losses.”
Permit purgatory while treehouses get bulldozed
The city’s sluggish response stands in contrast to its efficiency in enforcing petty violations. Just weeks ago, L.A. officials demolished a beloved family treehouse in a nearby community after a years-long legal battle — a move that cost the owner over $50,000 and taxpayers untold sums in enforcement costs.
Meanwhile, homeowners like Rivas face maddening delays. “This is a pre-approved fire rebuild ADU. Flat lot. There should be no complications,” Rivas posted on X. “We built the exact same one last year in 45 days — start to finish. The city has now spent more time shuffling paper than it takes us to build.”
His frustration echoes across Pacific Palisades, where only 72 rebuilding applications have even been submitted — a fraction of the need — due to the city’s opaque and backlogged permitting system.
Mayor’s $10M consultant deal sparks backlash
Amid the crisis, Mayor Bass awarded a $10 million contract to Hagerty Consulting, a private firm, to oversee recovery efforts—a decision that infuriated City Council members already wary of the city’s fiscal mismanagement.
“We have city departments who know how to do this recovery,” Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez told ABC7. “And yet they can’t be afforded the opportunity to hire the personnel that they need, but we can give a $10 million contract to an outside agency to help write a report for us… It’s obscene.”
