A month after the wildfires: LA to speed up rebuilding efforts
LA wildfires: An aerial view shows the devastation left by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Friday marked the one-month anniversary of the LA wildfires with a vow to fully rebuild and conduct a thorough review of the response to the disaster.
Bass — who has taken heat from some critics for her handling of the firestorm — spoke to reporters at City Hall Friday morning and outlined numerous steps she says have been taken to expedite rebuilding and the recovery process.
She also announced that the city has contracted with Hagerty Consulting, which she described as a “world-class disaster recovery firm.”
Hagerty, which also works with Los Angeles County, will “provide expertise and operational support to facilitate our comprehensive recovery effort,” Bass said. “Hagerty will focus on implementing the city’s vision for community resilience, infrastructure restoration and environmental mitigation.”
The mayor said the last month has been “a defining 30 days for our city.”
“So over the next 60 days, we are going to make further progress through an all-hands-on-deck effort,” she said.
“We are continuing to identify antiquated red tape restrictions so Palisades neighbors can quickly rebuild. We will work with our state partners to change the law where it’s needed to streamline the rebuilding process, and starting next week, we will open a one-stop rebuilding office where residents can go for every question related to rebuilding and process their permit applications.”
She reiterated her appointment of longtime civic leader and activist Steve Soboroff to spearhead the city’s recovery efforts, and said she has appointed former Los Angeles Fire Department Interim Chief Jim Featherstone to oversee the city Emergency Operations Center’s Recovery Group.
Bass also said she will work in collaboration with the governor’s office to conduct a comprehensive independent review of the state and local response to the fire.
The Los Angeles Fire Commission will conduct an investigation of its own, headed by Tyler Izen, special investigator for the LAFD’s Office of the Independent Assessor, she added.
“While much has been done over the last two weeks, much, much more needs to be done, including participating in the review, evaluation and critique of everything, and then quickly acting on recommendations,” Bass said.
The mayor’s remarks came on the heels of a major advancement in the debris-clearance efforts in the Palisades and Eaton fire burn zones. (CNS)
