California Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted the Trump administration for carrying out a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in MacArthur Park on Monday just as he and other politicians gathered in Pasadena to talk about the next phase of fire rebuilding.
That the raids — which consequently pulled Los Angeles city Mayor Karen Bass away from speaking at the rebuilding event — occurred on the six-month anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton fires was called out as a “disgrace” and “theater” by Newsom.
Federal agents’ presence at the park, which is located in the city’s Westlake neighborhood, once again called into question how the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts could mar rebuilding in Altadena, Pasadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu. With government officials touting the clean-up phase of burned lots as nearly done, communities are now turning to the rebuilding of the over 12,000 homes destroyed by January’s fires.
Newsom called the raids’ impact on the state’s construction industry “foundational” when it comes to recovery in Altadena and the Palisades.
“For [Trump] to intentionally do what he did today, they know what they’re doing and, then again, they have no idea what they’re doing,” Newsom told reporters after he and other elected officials discussed next steps in the rebuilding. “Their ignorance is legendary and the impacts of this will be felt in the recovery. And that’s on them. Donald Trump owns that. He owns the cruelty. He owns the arrogance.”
A similar point was made by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, who underscored during Monday’s presentations the importance of immigrants within California’s construction industry.
“They’re the construction workers that we need to continue the rebuilding process for our communities,” Padilla said. “[This is] not the time to threaten or terrorize construction workers and their families in our community.”
A study released last month by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute in San Francisco and University of California, Merced, found that nearly 14 percent of the state’s construction workers are undocumented. Immigrants make up about 41 percent of California’s overall construction workforce.
Prior to speaking with reporters, Newsom and other government officials revealed next steps in the recovery predominantly focused on the unincorporated parts of L.A. County that were impacted by the Eaton Fire.
One of the plan’s goals is to keep costs of rebuilding low. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors already approved deferring county permit fees in unincorporated areas, which can sometimes be in excess of $20,000, according to Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
“I’m confident that we’ll be identifying long-term funding solutions to permanently waive these costs, but that finding is going to be on me — not on the survivors,” said Barger, whose district includes Altadena, during Monday’s event.
The county is set to launch artificial intelligence-backed software July 15 in a bid to expedite permitting. That’s akin to software the city of L.A. introduced earlier this year as a tool for self-certification. Barger said the software will be complemented with the hiring of additional staff to keep pace with the expected increase in demand.
The county, state and private sector are also coordinating to ensure availability of builders and materials as more homeowners begin building.
Following Monday’s event, Newsom signed off another executive order that extends California Coastal Act and California Environmental Quality Act exemptions for the rebuilding of public schools. It also waives the requirement that homeowners rebuild with rooftop solar and battery storage systems installed in a bid to reduce costs. Additionally, Newsom’s order puts a pause on building codes set to go into effect at the start of next year to allow property owners time to complete plans for their homes.