00:00The election of 2026 is being driven in many ways by the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire
00:07disasters of January 2025. Much of what has shaped the race for Los Angeles mayor, for example,
00:13has to do with the city's poor response to the disaster, as well as the very slow pace of
00:18rebuilding. This is my neighborhood in Pacific Palisades, and behind me you see one of my
00:23neighbors who is building or rebuilding on their property. Now, until recently, you didn't see that
00:29so much, President Donald Trump came in in January with a new executive order taking over permitting
00:34in Pacific Palisades and in Altadena and Pasadena, and that spurred locals into action. It turned out
00:41permitting wasn't the only problem or even the most significant problem. There were also problems with
00:45access to insurance, problems with various regulations, and mostly just a lack of political
00:50will because Governor Gavin Newsom had placed a premium on fighting with President Trump rather
00:55than getting things done. But things are starting to move. However, they're not moving
00:59fast enough for the community to feel confident that rebuilding is actually happening. And Spencer
01:03Pratt, who's mounting a very energetic campaign for mayor, is using that frustration to build a
01:09broader case against Karen Bass. It's very emotional for me to cover this race from here in Pacific
01:15Palisades because so many of my neighbors feel that there has to be political change after the disaster
01:22we've lived through. If the status quo simply goes on as before, it's going to make a lot of people
01:29feel
01:29very nervous about LA and about California's future.
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