(CLO) Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was forced to backtrack on Saturday when it emerged that her wildfire recovery chief, Steve Soboroff, would be paid up to $500,000 for 90 days of work.
The Los Angeles Times first reported Saturday morning that Soboroff, a real estate developer and longtime civic official, would be paid $500,000 over three months for working as the city's "chief resilience officer."
His pay will come from charities, but Bass, who first selected Soboroff for the job on Jan. 17, quickly reversed herself Saturday night, saying Soboroff will now manage the city’s rebuilding for free.
Mayor Karen Bass (right) and Steve Soboroff discuss recovery efforts during a press conference in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 27, 2025. Photo: Telegram/Drew A. Kelley
Another, longtime real estate executive Randy Johnson, will be paid $250,000 by charitable groups for supporting Soboroff, but Bass said he would also do that work for free!
Regarding Johnson, Bass said she was "grateful for his generosity and expertise," but according to the LA Times, the mayor's office declined to name the charities or clarify how the funds were raised.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, a member of the five-person committee tasked with the recovery, said it was "outrageous" that the charity groups paid the two $750,000, calling the amount "absurd."
“He got paid $500,000 for 3 months of work?” President Donald Trump’s special envoy for special operations, Ric Grenell, wrote on social media X. “And they call it a charity. Rude. Insulting.”
“I don’t get paid — nor do a lot of people,” added Grenell, who sat next to President Trump at a roundtable discussion in Pacific Palisades last month. “It’s good to have federal money tied to California.”
Larry Vein, a Pacific Palisades resident whose home was damaged by smoke, condemned Soboroff's $500,000 settlement, arguing that no one should be handling restoration efforts for "financial gain."
Steve Danton, who is living in a temporary apartment in Marina del Rey after his home was destroyed in the Palisades fire, said Soboroff's compensation was a "money-making scheme," adding that the city is going through a "leadership crisis."
Soboroff, who previously volunteered on the Board of Police Commissioners and the committee that oversees the Department of Recreation and Parks, pleaded guilty to the $500,000 charge Saturday morning.
He said he has a unique expertise, taking on multiple responsibilities, including communicating with federal agencies, and leaving other real estate and environmental consulting jobs to become a wildfire recovery specialist.
“I’ve been doing this for 35 years for free on some of the biggest public works projects in the city of Los Angeles. But no one has ever asked me to drop everything. This time they did,” Soboroff told the Times.
Soboroff said he has answered questions from “thousands of residents,” made recommendations on the city’s permitting process and advised the mayor to hire an outside project manager to lead city agencies in replacing damaged infrastructure.
Huy Hoang (according to LA Times, Fox News)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/quan-chuc-chay-rung-los-angeles-duoc-tra-nua-trieu-usd-cho-90-ngay-lam-viec-gay-ra-bat-binh-post333750.html
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