Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that parts of Pacific Palisades will reopen following her meeting with President Donald Trump.
Trump told Bass during his trip to California, “One thing is they are saying they will not be allowed to start for 18 months… You should let them do it because by the time you hire contractors, it’s going to be two years. The people are willing to get a dumpster and do it themselves and clean it out. There’s not that much left. It’s all incinerated.”
“You have emergency powers, just like I do, and I’m exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also,” Trump said.
“I watched hundreds of people standing in front of their lots, and they’re not allowed to go in. It’s all burned. It’s gone. It’s done. Nothing’s going to happen to it,” he added. “It’s not going to burn anymore. There’s nothing to burn. There’s almost nothing to burn. They want to go in. The people are all over the place.”
Bass has since caved to Trump’s push to reopen the area.
“Evacuation orders have now been lifted for select safe zones,” Bass wrote on X. “Residents must provide proof of residency. Know the risks. Follow public health guidelines: wear a N95 mask and use personal protective equipment.”
To re-enter evacuated zones, residents must provide a government-issued ID with their address.
“Residents seeking re-entry will be required to provide proof of residency when approaching roadblocks,” a statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says. “Acceptable forms of identification include a government-issued photo ID that clearly displays the resident’s name, photo, and physical address. These measures are in place to facilitate a safe and organized re-entry process.”
A petition to recall Bass has received more than 164,000 signatures.
