Residents told U.S. senators that local and state officials failed miserably
— Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida sat down Thursday with Palisades Fire victims to hear their stories firsthand. Residents told them local and state officials failed miserably.
The two-hour field hearing, held at a veteran’s organization in the burned community, opened with remarks from Johnson and Scott. Former reality star Spencer Pratt, who’s been outspoken about the lack of accountability from California leaders, spoke thereafter.
Each of the six victims said state and local officials failed to prepare residents for what was coming, despite knowing strong winds were forecast and another brush fire burned nearby just days before.
Here at Pacific Palisades field hearing with Sens. Rick Scott and Ron Johnson leading as victims are expected to speak about the impact of the disastrous fires.
Notably, @spencerpratt is opening with a statement and brought to tears about how he lost everything and the tragic… pic.twitter.com/kur82W5pQP
— Hailey Grace Gomez (@haileyggomez) November 13, 2025
“I think it’s notable that of the parts of government that have actually helped, it’s been the federal government. I’m not a big fan of the federal government, but it sounds like FEMA, the Army Corps, cleared out the debris very rapidly,” Johnson said after the hearing. “So these people need help from the federal government.”
“We’re going to go back to Washington, D.C. President Trump knows how to get things done,” Johnson added. “We need elected officials who are competent and unfortunately don’t have them here in California, Los Angeles.”
PLEAS FOR THE GOVERNMENT
Nearly every resident in the room asked the federal government to step in and help their city. Pacific Palisades Community Council Rebuilding Committee Chairman David Schwarz testified that if federal aid does come, LA County should not be handed a “blank check.”
“Before another dollar is appropriated, Congress should insist on four conditions to ensure that federal funding will actually be used to rebuild my community on budget and on time,” Schwarz said.
The conditions listed by the chairman included the establishment an independent Pacific Palisades Reconstruction Authority (PPRA) board, with Governor Newsom delegating certain emergency powers to the PPRA, ensuring the board is accountable to residents and the federal government. A PPRA would allow residents to co-invest with the federal government in infrastructure repair projects.
“These are the sorts of conditions that President Trump insisted upon when he visited the Palisades nine months ago,” Schwarz said. “It’s also what our community wants.”
“This is about accountability … these are not political issues.
