Los Angeles County has set a deadline of June 1 for private contractors to apply for permits to remove debris from burned homes — with a deadline of June 30 for contractors to complete their work.
According to a new county ordinance introduced by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose jurisdiction includes the Palisades Fire area, homeowners who do not clear their debris privately by the deadline could face liens on their property.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which is providing debris removal to the public (though later billing insurance through the county), does not have a similar set deadline, prompting charges of favoritism. Residents had until April 15 to “opt in” for Army Corps debris removal, or to “opt out” and choose private contractors instead. Those who fail to have their debris removed risk being declared a “nuisance,” with county authorities removing the debris and attaching property liens.
The idea, officials say, is not to burden homeowners, but to speed up debris removal so that slower property owners do not hold back the rest.
But one contractor who spoke to Breitbart News said that the county had already been so slow to produce permit guidelines since the January 7 fire that the June 1 deadline was overly ambitious. The contractor added that the June 30 deadline made it difficult to accept new clients, because there were no guarantees — with heavy construction traffic, OSHA inspector visits, and variable weather — that they could finish on time.
Some residents and contractors feel that a well-intentioned ordinance may actually slow debris removal rather than accelerating it, by making some private contractors reluctant to take on new clients.
A spokesperson for Supervisor Horvath said: “This isn’t intended to be punitive for people who are beginning the process in good faith. If you pull a permit and work is being prepped it’s unlikely that action will be taken June 30 if everything is not cleared. Now, for those who haven’t pulled a permit or responded at all — the county will take action while USACE is here and able to perform the work at scale. This is about public health and safety and making sure we get to the rebuilding phase.”
The Palisades Fire destroyed nearly 7,000 structures in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, portions of which fall under City of Los Angeles jurisdiction, and portions of which are governed directly by the county. The Eaton Fire destroyed over 9,000 structures within Altadena and Pasadena, most of which are unincorporated and fall under direct L.A. County jurisdiction.
Developer Rick Caruso, who ran against City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in 2022, wrote Wednesday that the process of debris removal and rebuilding is too slow, and that residents face obstacles thrown up by their governing authorities.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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