L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Friday appointed longtime L.A. businessman and civic leader Steve Soboroff to head rebuilding efforts in the Pacific Palisades following the raging wildfire that devastated the area.
“Steve Soboroff’s name is attached to hope,” Bass said at a press conference announcing Soboroff’s new role. “It is attached to energy, and it is attached to many, many accomplishments. He will recommend a comprehensive city strategy for rebuilding and for expediting. Expediting is a very important word here. We want to expedite the return of residents, businesses, schools, nonprofits and parks.”
Bass added that “no one is better equipped to create a rebuilding plan” than Soboroff, who was pivotal in the creation of downtown L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena (in its earlier incarnation as Staples Center) and the development of communities in Playa Vista. Soboroff is also the retired president of the L.A. Police Commission and was senior advisor to former Mayor Richard Riordan.
Bass later stated that in the coming weeks, she will sign several executive orders to help expedite relief efforts. She also shared that a full investigation will be launched into the handling of the blaze, which has been plagued with criticisms regarding the lack of water in fire hydrants and the preparedness of the first responders.
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“What we need is and what I hope people will start out with today is hope,” Soboroff said. “There is an A-to-Z for each one of us. And ‘A’ is today, and we’re going to get there step by step. And the city is going to help to the extent it can, and we will have to outsource to the extent it can’t.”
Starting Jan. 7, the Pacific Palisades fire has burned over 20,000 acres, destroying nearly 3,900 homes and displacing thousands of families and putting Hollywood productions at a standstill.