Los Angeles Mayor Says Fire Recovery Chief Will Work for Free After Backlash Over Salary

Karen Bass initially planned to pay developer Steve Soboroff $500,000 for three months’ work as chief recovery officer.

Mayor Karen Bass announces that Steve Soboroff will lead the city's wildfire rebuilding and recovery efforts in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 2025. Apu Gomes/Getty Images

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on Feb. 8 that her appointed chief recovery officer will work for free to help rebuild the community affected by the deadly Palisades Fire, after public outcry from elected officials and residents over plans to pay him $500,000.

Bass has announced a flurry of appointments and contracts as the city recovers from the fire, including the appointment of former Pacific Palisades community leader Steve Soboroff as the recovery czar on Jan. 17. Soboroff, 76, raised his family in the Pacific Palisades area, where 7,000 homes were destroyed in the Palisades Fire that started Jan. 7.

“Steve is always there for L.A.,” Bass said in a statement on Feb. 8. “I spoke to him today and asked him to modify his agreement and work for free. He said, ‘Yes.’ We agree that we don’t need anything distracting from the recovery work we’re doing.”

Before the reversal, Soboroff had said his expertise as a residential property developer made him worth the cost.

1-Stop Permitting Shop

The city plans to open an in-person, one-stop permitting shop for those who lost homes or businesses and want to rebuild.

The city also expects to work with banks and lenders on loan forbearance or payment extensions and expedite the rebuilding verification process, while waiving some fees and providing more tax relief for affected businesses, according to the mayor.

“We’ve eliminated red tape to ensure that the rebuilding of the Palisades will be swift, and residents and property will be safe,” Bass said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (R) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (C) tour the business district of Pacific Palisades as the fire continued to burn in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2025. Eric Thayer/Getty Images

The city wanted a streamlined process for property owners to rebuild their homes or businesses as they were.

“If you’re going to rebuild what was already there, you can do it even quicker,” Bass said.

Some building fees have been waived, but the mayor said she planned to see if others could be waived through executive order.

“L.A. will stand with you until the Palisades is completely rebuilt and your families return home,” she said. “We are going to be all-in on rebuilding your homes, your neighborhood, and your future.”

Debris Cleanup and Inspections

Debris cleanup is expected to start on Feb. 11. The Palisades and Eaton fires that started on Jan. 7 killed 29 people and scorched more than 40,000 acres in Los Angeles County.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plan to start removing fire debris on Feb. 11 from private properties destroyed in the fires, the agencies announced on Feb. 10.

More than 6,800 homes and buildings were destroyed in the Palisades Fire, which burned through neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and on county land.

The city has inspected all 15,000 or more structures in the Palisades Fire zone, opened a recovery center to help more than 6,000 families, and launched an online assistance tool.

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency representative works in a residential area burned by the Palisades Fire, in Los Angeles on Jan. 28, 2025. Mario Tama/Getty Images

City officials also extended this quarter’s business tax deadline to April 14 for affected businesses and helped relocate school and child care centers, Bass posted on social media platform X on Feb. 7.

The state also activated a rapid response team to help gardeners, housekeepers, nannies, and other employees affected by the Palisades Fire find job opportunities, unemployment benefits, and health care.

The city is also working with the California Community Foundation, a Los Angeles County-based charity, to raise funds for fire victims. The foundation has secured more than $50 million from 3,600 donors, according to Bass.

“People around the city and around the country are all standing in solidarity with us, and doing everything they can to help Los Angeles,” Bass said.

Bass also appointed Jim Featherstone, consultant at Themata Strategic in Los Angeles and former general manager of the city’s emergency management department, to oversee recovery in the Palisades Fire zone.

This photo taken by Pacific Palisades resident Darrin Hurwitz shows the Palisades Fire as it approaches homes in Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025. Darrin Hurwitz via AP

The city plans to conduct an independent review of the state and local response to the fire, as requested by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

‘A Full Investigation’

Bass said she planned to look into why some fire trucks were out of commission and staffing was inadequate.

“There needs to be a full investigation, because there were fire trucks that had mechanical issues, and we need to make sure there are mechanics to take care of them,” Bass said.

She added that some fire trucks stood idle during the fires because of staffing. “That’s an issue and all of that will be investigated,” she said.

Former President Joe Biden declared a disaster on Jan. 8, allowing victims to access FEMA funds. Biden’s administration pledged to support the relief efforts, but Congress must first approve the funds.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Jan. 13 that any disaster funding issued to Los Angeles may come with conditions in light of suspected water and forest mismanagement.

Former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris—a resident of Brentwood, just east of Pacific Palisades—issued a statement as she toured the fire zone on Feb. 6.

“As we think about the future, we must—as a society, as a country—invest in adaptation and resilience,” Harris said. “And we have to understand these extreme weather occurrences are extreme, but they are increasingly less rare.”

Harris previously toured the Eaton Fire zone in Altadena, about 15 miles east of Pacific Palisades, on Jan. 20, after she officially left office.

EPA Chief Visits

Lee Zeldin, the recently appointed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was also in the Los Angeles area on Feb. 6, touring both fire zones.

New EPA chief Lee Zeldin toured the LA County fire zones on Feb. 6. Above, Zeldin speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 17, 2024. Leon Neal/Getty Images

“It’s impossible to fathom,” Zeldin told reporters after seeing the Eaton Fire devastation. “No American has ever seen anything like this ever before, and hopefully no American will ever have to see something like this ever again.”

The fires created the largest hazardous debris cleanup in EPA history, according to the agency.

Zeldin said his agency has been doing “everything” in its power to complete the first phase of clearing hazardous materials and toxic chemicals from the burn zones.

More than 1,000 EPA specialists have continued to clear homes and businesses of burned lithium-ion batteries, household cleaners, paints, solvents, oils, and pesticides. The teams cleared 800 properties by Feb. 7 and had inspected more than 3,100 parcels, Bass reported.

The EPA plans to finish the first phase by the end of February, according to officials. Only about 5 percent of the affected properties had been cleared by Feb. 5.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct the second phase, which will include clearing fire debris to make way for rebuilding.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.