EPA administrator, Trump special envoy join Los Angeles mayor to evaluate fire recovery

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin, President Trump's envoy for special missions Richard Grenell and other federal and state officials joined Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) in their visit to the Palisades to evaluate fire recovery and debris removal efforts.

The EPA, as part of the debris removal process, has been removing hazardous materials in the area. The trio were joined during the Thursday visit by California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Yana Garcia, Major Gen. Jason E. Kelly and Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 9 Administrator Bob Fenton, according to Bass’s office.

“I’m grateful to have the support of our federal partners as we work urgently to rebuild the Palisades,” Bass said in a statement. “The EPA is working to complete Phase 1 of the debris removal process while the City is working to expedite permitting processes and cutting red tape so Angelenos can rebuild as quickly as possible. We will get through this together.”

The deadly and destructive fires ravaged the Los Angeles area last month, burning tens of thousands of acres and displacing thousands of residents.

Two of the largest fires in the region, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, were fully contained last Friday, according to local officials. The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres and killed at least 12 people, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office. The total death toll, as of now, is 29.

Zeldin, a former House lawmaker who represented New York’s 1st Congressional District, was sworn in as EPA head just over a week ago. Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term, visited Venezuela last week and spoke with the country’s President Nicolás Maduro. After the meeting, six Americans were freed.

“We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens. They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn’t stop thanking him,” Grenell wrote last week on the social platform X.

On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) met with Trump in Washington. The duo, who have gone back and forth in the last few weeks as the state continues to recover from the California blazes, disagree over conditioning aid to the Golden State.

Separately, former Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday toured Westwood, one of the areas that was ravaged by the Palisades Fire. She toured Altadena in January after officially leaving office.

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