Zeldin Meets with Residents, Selection Explained.

Lee Zeldin (black shirt) met with Palisades residents on February 4 at the American Legion Hall. He also met with residents at the portable library on March 1.

Lee Zeldin was appointed by President Donald Trump to oversee the administration’s response to the Palisades January 2025 Fire. Initially, it was thought the reason for the slow rebuilding, and it is slow, was because of state/local permitting issues and Trump ordered an executive order on permitting.

Once Zeldin arrived in Pacific Palisades, he learned that it wasn’t permitting that was holding up the process, but rather insurance money was not forthcoming to residents.  That a major problem was a gap between what insurance would pay and the cost of building.

The lack of communication between the state and federal government was responsible for incorrect information to President Trump. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass also had a conversation with Trump about the Palisades rebuild on March 6. Once it was communicated to the President, that permitting wasn’t the issue, people could start to look at the real problems.

In a secret meeting with select residents held on March 1 at the new portable library building in Pacific Palisades, those residents were told to send details of what they felt the community needed.

Those residents misunderstood and thought they needed to produce a document by March 11. They continued to discuss and put together a two-page document. Most of the community was excluded from this exercise, because of the deadline those roundtable recipients felt they had to meet.

CTN reached out to Zeldin’s office to find out how residents were selected and to ask why there was a deadline.  Zeldin’s spokesperson Daniel Gall said the selection of the residents was simple, some had reached out to the office and wanted to meet. Those residents also brought other residents to the round table. Gall was not aware of a given deadline.

Gall said, “No press was invited to ensure the most honest, open conversation without the pressure of cameras and media in the room.”

Zeldin’s spokesperson was told that many people did not feel represented by those who had participated in the roundtable or who had drafted the document. He suggested that they reach out to the office and that Zeldin would like to hear from them, too.