For L.A.'s mayor, a Palisades recovery marked by missteps, reversals and delays

"It was supposed to be a speech with a clear message of hope for survivors of the Palisades fire. In her State of the City address in April, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called for a law exempting fire victims from construction permit fees - potentially saving them tens of thousands of dollars as they rebuild their homes. Eight months later, the City Council is still debating how much permit relief the city can afford."

"Palisades residents have been left hanging, with some blaming Bass for failing to finalize a deal. "This should have been pushed, and it wasn't pushed," said electrician Tom Doran, who has submitted plans to rebuild his three-bedroom home. "There was no motor on that boat. It was allowed to drift downstream." Since the Jan. 7 fire destroyed thousands of homes, Bass has been announcing recovery strategies with great fanfare, only for them to get bogged down in the details or abandoned altogether."

"They have also made her more politically vulnerable as she ramps up her campaign for a second term. Bass, seated in her spacious City Hall office earlier this month, said the recovery is happening at "lightning speed" compared to other devastating wildfires, in part because of her emergency orders dramatically cutting the time it takes to obtain building permits. By mid-December, more than 2,600 permit applications had been filed for more than 1,200 addresses - about a fifth of the properties"

A proposal to exempt wildfire victims in Pacific Palisades from construction permit fees promised substantial savings but remains unresolved amid City Council debates. Residents seeking to rebuild express frustration and blame leadership delays. Several recovery initiatives experienced reversals, including pulled tax-relief measures, backtracked traffic checkpoint changes, and the short tenure of the chief recovery officer. Critics warn that inconsistent or stalled actions have undermined trust and increased political vulnerability for local leaders. Emergency orders have shortened permitting timelines, and by mid-December over 2,600 permit applications were filed for roughly 1,200 addresses, about one-fifth of affected properties.

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