Pacific Palisades leader cheers as Trump team arrives in LA after city leaders ‘abandon’ community
A frustrated Pacific Palisades community advocate said she’s excited residents will finally be heard in a closed-door meeting with state officials — as she blasted state and local officials who “let us burn” during last year’s deadly wildfires.
Jessica Rogers, a Pacific Palisades resident who lost everything when a wildfire tore through the City of Angels, will join three other community leaders in a panel discussion with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday to discuss rebuilding efforts and the lack of support and obstacles they’ve faced from state and local leaders.
“We feel very grateful that they took the time to come out, so that the community could have a voice,” the community leader and mother of two told The Post.
“A lot of the pain we’ve had since the beginning of the fires is that the residents don’t feel it. The residents feel abandoned. And when the federal government says we’re sending help, then we get to meet Lee Zeldin and tell him what the community’s needs are, it’s big for us.”
Last week, President Trump overcame California Democrats who were thumbing their noses and signed an executive order to speed up reconstruction in Los Angeles, a year after fires destroyed 16,000 homes and businesses, caused $150 billion in damage and left 12 people dead.
With the city and county issuing only 2,600 new building permits, the president appointed Zeldin to hear the needs of the public and cut municipal red tape.
“People want their communities back,” insisted Rogers, who broke down in tears as Trump signed his executive order.
“Most people are still being evicted and will be displaced for years. What people really want is to go back to what they know. The local leaders and the government did not do enough to protect us … let us burn.”
Overall, less than 15% of all homes burned by the fire have received the permits needed to move forward, according to the Trump administration.
During his visit, Zeldin will also meet with Mayor Karen Bass, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and other city officials responsible for the approval process.
Zeldin will be accompanied on his trip by Kelly Loeffler, director of the US Small Business Administration. Both will host a roundtable with homeowners and small businesses affected by the fire.
“It’s important that we hear directly from them and the community about what they believe is working, what isn’t working, and how we can speed up the rebuilding process,” Zeldin told The Post on Monday.
“Our goal is not only to listen and fully understand their challenges, but to help them move forward as quickly as possible.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Bass criticized the Trump administration shortly after news of the executive order broke, calling for federal funding.
But Zeldin doesn’t believe federal money is the answer, noting that the EPA’s previous experience quickly cleaning up devastated communities will be useful in the next phase of helping residents rebuild.
“Newsom wants an astronomical, ambitious amount of federal taxpayer dollars that clearly extends beyond any normal smell test. President Trump has made it clear that his administration will not stand still while non-federal red tape continues to hold back the recovery,” Zeldin said.
“The citizens of Los Angeles must be allowed to finally rebuild their homes and lives.”
