Karen Bass plans to hire an outside consultant to manage "a significant rebuilding contract" to help rebuild the Pacific Palisades after the fire burnt most of the city to the ground.
Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute says that will result in a much different looking area, without the comeback of the million-dollar mansions.
"We're hearing that the city might decide to use eminent domain to take these properties from families where their house has been burned to the ground," he relays.
Eminent domain is the power of the government to take private property for public use, with just compensation to the owner.
Experts are already chirping about zoning regulations that will require low-income housing to replace the multi-million-dollar homes, and Dacus says that is like rubbing salt in the wounds of those who want to return.
"I believe that this would be … immoral in that you're kicking people in the face who've already been kicked once in the face," the attorney submits. "In addition, I believe that there's a good chance that courts would look at this as an errant application of the Takings Clause."
That limits the government's power to take private property through eminent domain by requiring the government to provide just compensation to the owner of the property.
He predicts most of the anger will be taken out on Bass, who shares a lot of the blame.
"Bass has been a huge disappointment for everyone from the far-left to the far-right, Republicans and Democrats," Dacus observes. "I don't think she is going to get reelected to say the least."
In fact, he suggests this situation might push the state from dark blue to purple.
"This has been a wake-up call, I think, to all voters that when they vote for people serving in office, they shouldn't vote for someone because of political ideology necessarily, but rather their competency," says Dacus.
Mayor Bass reportedly made her decision to hire an outsider to represent the city's interests and appointed a chief recovery officer without any consultation with local residents or any process of input from those affected.
Meanwhile, President Trump has endorsed the appointment of a "special master," along the model of the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, to ensure that all federal money sent to California to rebuild after the fire is spent properly.
