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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. () — More than two months after the Palisades Fire, only four permits had been issued as of Monday for homeowners to rebuild their properties — a low figure that one Los Angeles city councilmenber said was “concerning.”
Residents in the Palisades Fire zone are trying to figure out how to move forward, but there are several obstacles in the way — including the city’s permitting process and L.A.’s looming budget deficit.
People gathered at a City Council committee hearing Monday to try to get answers, but more concerns are being raised as the city tries to rebuild from the devastating fire.
“We want to get going,” one Palisades resident said at the meeting, held on the Westside.
“The blessing here is that we have been given an opportunity to show the world how you do disaster relief and rebuilding effectively,” said Jessica Rogers, president of the Pacific Palisades Residents Association.
But the Department of Building and Safety told the committee that so far the department has approved only four permits. Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Palisades and attended the meeting, says that’s not acceptable.
“When I hear in the community meeting like we had today that only four permits have been issued — and we’re on day 75 post-fire — that is concerning to me,” Park said. “And I don’t think it’s a lack of interest in rebuilding, I suspect it is indicative of systemic issues that we need to continue to focus on.”
Mayor Karen Bass hired a private consulting firm to oversee the recovery effort. The contract with Hagerty Consulting is worth $10 million. Some councilmembers say that raises questions.
“We have city departments who know how to do this recovery, who have been involved in recovery efforts in the past,” Councilmember Monica Rodriguez told 7. “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.
“For me for me, it’s just — it’s obscene,” Rodriguez said.
Some worry the city is in such a delicate financial situation that it could make the recovery effort, and even dealing with city services, that much more difficult. The city is facing a budget deficit of $1 billion next year.
“The loss of business and tax revenue is going to impact us,” Park said. “I mean we are looking at hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses overall, and I don’t think there is any real easy way to sugarcoat this. It’s a mess.”
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