Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass backed down Saturday night in the face of pressure from residents, reversing a decision to open the Pacific Palisades to general traffic before most locals had been able to visit their own property.
The city had barred residents for entering for nearly three weeks after the Palisades Fire on January 7, before President Donald Trump insisted in a town hall meeting on January 24 that they be able to enter to visit their lots.
For four days, residents were able to visit their homes — or the ruins of their homes — after obtaining permits from police. But on Friday, Bass announced that the area would be open to all traffic starting at 8 a.m. on February 2.
Officials explained that there was not enough money to retain the services of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the National Guard at checkpoints at entrances to the Palisades.
Residents — many of whom had been working throughout the week and had not yet had a chance to visit the area — were furious. Many feared looting, or a rush of traffic as souvenir hunters combed the ruins, and as voyeurs and content creators tried to exploit the tragedy.
Many also noted officials’ previous claims that the area had been too toxic to allow even residents to return.
On Saturday night, Bass issued a statement:
Mayor Karen Bass announced tonight that checkpoints in the Palisades will remain in place. This is the result of work today by Mayor Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom, who has offered the city additional law enforcement resources to enable this effort to keep the Palisades closed to the public. The Mayor’s plan addresses concerns from the Palisades community as well as strains on the LAPD’s ability to operate citywide – LAPD has been on Tactical Alert since January 7.
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Starting Monday, LAPD will transfer responsibility for Palisades access to CHP [California Highway Patrol] and the National Guard, allowing LAPD to increase its service citywide while also keeping the Palisades secure.
Local City Council member Traci Park had pushed back against the mayor’s decision to open the Palisades to all traffic.
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 The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. 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.
