Trump Urges L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to Activate Emergency Powers During Wildfire Briefing – One America News Network
OAN Staff Abril Elfi
9:40 AM – Sunday, January 26, 2025
President Donald Trump criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday, urging her to utilize her “emergency powers” to permit residents to return home and start rebuilding.
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After assessing the damage from the Southern California wildfires, Trump called on Bass (D-Calif.) to provide access for residents to their properties for debris removal and rebuilding efforts.
“I believe you need to let people access their sites and begin the process immediately,” Trump expressed to the Democratic mayor, who was present next to him at a roundtable that included much of the local congressional delegation.
“And we will,” Bass replied, although she contradicted herself shortly after by mentioning a one-week timeline for residents to visit the charred remains of their homes. “We want to prioritize safety.”
Numerous residents were gathered, expressing their frustration over their inability to assess the damage the fires inflicted on their properties.
“We can’t even check on our homes right now!” a local resident exclaimed.
Trump urged Bass to activate her emergency powers, as acquiring proper permits could take as long as “18 months.”
“I saw hundreds of individuals standing in front of their lots, and they are not permitted to enter,” Trump remarked.
“It’s all burned. It’s gone, it’s finished. Nothing’s going to come of it… People are everywhere, and they say… ‘We’re trying to obtain a permit,’ and the permit could take, everyone has indicated, 18 months,” he continued.
“You hold emergency powers, just like I do, and I’m invoking mine. You need to do the same,” Trump urged Bass.
“I have invoked them,” she countered. “If individuals wish to clear their properties, they are allowed to do so.”
Trump persisted, stating that he would seek to expedite the rebuilding process by waiving any federal permits and would press California officials to follow suit.
“We are going to essentially waive all federal permits,” Trump commented. “I plan to bypass the Coastal Commission; I won’t let them obstruct this process.”
Previously, Trump had criticized California Democrats for their handling of the crisis, including the failure to clear dry vegetation, inadequate water supply, allowing fire hydrants to be dry, and the withdrawal of many fire insurance companies from the region last year.
Continuing his critique, Trump admonished California officials for not ensuring fire insurance for Los Angeles residents, indicating he was “not a fan” of insurers but mentioning that “you lost your insurance providers six months ago as the state wouldn’t accommodate their needs.”
“Individuals with your mindset have made it exceedingly difficult,” Trump told Representative Brad Sherman (D-Calif.).
The president announced that he would mandate the flow of water from Northern California to the Los Angeles region.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) greeted Trump on the tarmac when he landed in California on Friday, though he did not accompany the president to any of the engagements with residents and firefighters.
“I’m about to sign an executive order to open the pumps and valves in the north. We need to ensure that hundreds of millions of gallons of water flow into Southern California as quickly as possible,” Trump stated. “The fire department is in favor of this… I strongly recommended this seven years ago, and I think I’m just going to take action.”
Trump also mentioned that he would place his first-term ambassador to Germany, Ric Grenell, in command of federal wildfire recovery efforts.
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