By Kenneth Schrupp
The Center Square

President Donald Trump condemned the possibility of building low-income housing in the Pacific Palisades, and the City of Los Angeles’s slow issuance of rebuilding permits for the fire-ravaged community.

“You see what’s happening now, they didn’t get their permits,” said President Trump at a press conference Monday. “This is among the most beautiful areas — was — in the country. Now they’re talking about putting low-income housing there, can you believe this?”

In January, the Palisades Fire destroyed 6,837 structures and burned 23,448 acres. According to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s latest rebuilding update from the end of July — almost seven months after the fire, “nearly” 300 rebuilding plans have been approved by the city.

Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $101 million in funding for “multifamily low-income housing development” as a “rebuilding” measure that will “contribute to a more equitable and resilient Los Angeles.” The funding notice assigned priority to projects with “geographic proximity to the fire perimeters of the Eaton, Hughes, and Palisades fires.”

Earlier this year, The Center Square broke news that Los Angeles City Ordinance 188481 would require that older, fire-destroyed apartments in the Pacific Palisades be replaced with low-income housing; before the fire, the median Pacific Palisades home listed for $4.6 million.

When The Center Square contacted Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Pacific Palisades, regarding the president’s comments, her staff pointed out that both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have signed executive orders waiving state and local requirements that certain destroyed housing be replaced with low-income units.

However, these waivers only apply to the City of Los Angeles, meaning the state’s replacement requirements are still in effect for the rest of Los Angeles County, where otherwise applicable — such as parts of the Altadena, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre communities destroyed by the Eaton Fire. That fire struck at the same time as the Palisades Fire and burned 9,414 structures.