The battle against the Palisades and other fires may be over, but the war of words over affordable housing in the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades has only begun.
As detailed in the Los Angeles Times, billionaire developer and past mayoral candidate Rick Caruso has expressed concerns about a push for more affordable housing to be created out of the ash and ruins of the Palisades Fire.
“Now is not the time for outside groups with no ties to the area to slow down the ability of people to rebuild their homes by trying to impose their agenda,” Caruso told the Times.
One of Caruso’s associates, however, took things a bit further on X, formerly Twitter.
Joe Lonsdale, a founder of data analytics company Palantir Technologies and board member of Caruso’s wildfire foundation Steadfast LA, shared a headline from the conservative outlet Washington Examiner that claimed that due to L.A. law, rebuilt residences in the Palisades would require the inclusion of affordable housing.
“Sorry guys, no rebuilding your fancy houses that burned down by the ocean in LA until there’s a new crack den installed right in the middle of the neighborhood,” he quipped.
How affordable housing, rent control and stabilization, and other housing-crisis-related matters will be handled is yet to be seen, with local and state officials working on the issue.
As for the administration of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, her recovery czar, developer Steve Soboroff, told the Times that while more apartments in the Palisades is something he could support, it wasn’t his focus.
“We’re not rethinking,” Soboroff said. “We’re rebuilding.”
