Trump tells LA Mayor to let California fire victims start rebuild sooner than '18 months'

President Donald Trump and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had brief arguments over Southern California's approach to wildfire response and recovery.

On Friday, Jan. 24, the president arrived at LAX to survey the aftermath of the 23,000-acre Palisades Fire. Following the tour, a roundtable discussion was held with Los Angeles city and county leaders to discuss Southern California's rebuilding efforts.

During the discussion, Trump and Bass spoke over each other and briefly clashed over the projected timelines of when evacuated residents should be allowed to return to their properties.

"We are going to do everything we can, slashing regulations, expediting everything so that people can begin the process right away," Bass said during the meeting.

As Bass was speaking, Trump interjected, mentioning that some of the displaced residents were told that they may have to wait up to 18 months to start the rebuild.

"We know the one thing is they are saying they will not be allowed to start for 18 months," Trump said of the 18-month timeframe.

"That will not be the case," Bass responded. "First, we have to take care, to make sure that there's not that getting rid of the hazardous waste, cleaning things up, so that people can start right away. And just like you said, if somebody had their house destroyed and they're going to rebuild essentially the same, maybe a little bit longer, a little bit higher, they really shouldn't have to go through much of a process. So I want you to know that we are expediting that. We absolutely need your help. We need the federal help."

Trump then pressed the LA mayor on the apparent timing of when the displaced residents can legally return to their properties, saying even a week is too long to make the evacuees wait.

"They want to start now. They want to start removing things and are not allowed to do it now," Trump said.

In that brief exchange, the two did not end up finding a middle ground on when Pacific Palisades residents can formally start the rebuild. In Friday's meeting, Trump said he is going to waive all the federal permits needed to start the rebuild.

While Trump cited hearsay when he brought up "18 months," Bass did not give a number that gives an estimate on how long displaced Angelenos should actually wait before starting a rebuild.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who was at LAX to personally greet Trump on Friday, was not invited to the roundtable meeting.

The Hughes Fire

The Huges Fire was first reported in the Castaic area on Wednesday, Jan. 22 along Lake Hughes Road near Castaic Lake. Within an hour, the fire exploded from 50 to 500 acres. Officials quickly issued evacuation orders and warnings, including students who were taken to other schools and locations. 

The first day of the firefighter also caused a temporary closure of the Grapevine along the 5 Freeway. 

By the next day, several evacuation orders and warnings were downgraded. 

The Eaton Fire

The Eaton Fire was first reported on Tuesday, Jan. 7 near Altadena and Midwick drives.

Some residents did not survive the flames and at least 7,000 structures were destroyed.

Authorities have implemented a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for all areas that remain under mandatory evacuation orders in the Altadena area. This comes after more than 30 looting arrests were made by the LA County Sheriff's Department.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but they were fueled by extreme drought conditions, combined with the supersized Santa Ana winds that whipped flames and embers at 100 mph – much faster than usual. 

A lawsuit filed Monday claims Southern California Edison equipment sparked the Eaton Fire. 

The lawsuit alleges that Southern California Edison failed to comply with essential electrical and fire safety standards, including failing to maintain power lines and overgrown vegetation.

The Palisades Fire

The Palisades Fire broke out on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 7 as parts of Southern California were hit by powerful Santa Ana winds – the strongest to hit the area in over a decade, officials said.  The piercing winds not only intensified the spread of the fire, it also prevented helicopters and planes from dumping water or fire retardant onto the burning scene as it was too dangerous to fly during the first day of the massive fire.

The fire extended well over 23,000 acres in seven days, destroying homes and businesses across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The fire also forced evacuations across parts of LA County, including Bel-Air, Brentwood and Santa Monica.

The fire also destroyed the Pacific Palisades Charter High School and other schools in the fire's path. 

What caused the Palisades Fire?

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, a popular hiking destination, Skull Rock – an area north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades – is at the center of an investigation "as a possible starting point for the Palisades fire."

Meanwhile, local authorities have announced multiple rounds of arrests taking place from the Palisades Fire scenes, but none of which are explicitly related to the cause of the fire. Over the weekend, there was an announcement of a man arrested for impersonating a firefighter. The alleged "fake firefighter" was accused of trying to break into one of the evacuated homes.

Other people have also been accused of arson across Southern California.

Quick Resources

The Source: This report used direct quotes from Friday's roundtable discussion featuring President Donald Trump and Los Angeles area leaders.

Los AngelesWildfiresInstastoriesLos Angeles CountyDonald J. TrumpKaren BassCaliforniaCalifornia PoliticsPacific PalisadesAltadenaMalibu