It has been four months since catastrophic fires devastated Los Angeles and the surrounding communities.
While Mayor Karen Bass says the city's recovery is 'the fastest in modern California history,' it's clear Bass and the citizens of L.A. have very different definitions of fast.
Actress Mandy Moore, who lost most of her home to the wildfires, said the process of rebuilding has been 'maddening and heartless.'
I guess no one is really surprised that California has made it basically impossible to rebuild after the fires, but it's incredibly depressing. What a horribly run state. https://t.co/2dbxxTupuP
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) May 9, 2025
The This Is Us alum, 41, gave fans an update on her house rebuild on Tuesday, May 6, slamming Los Angeles County for making it so hard to pick up the pieces following the January fires that destroyed more than 16,000 structures.
'Thanks, LA County for making it as frustrating and impossible to rebuild after the fires as possible,' Moore quipped via an Instagram Story statement. 'Shouldn’t be surprised but it’s mind boggling the red tape and hoops they’re putting us all through.'
The actress, whose house in Altadena was partially spared, noted that amid the “fury” of her initial post her message might’ve come out “a bit convoluted” so she penned a second statement directed at the county.
'It’s maddening and heartless … the endless hoops and meaningless protocol LA County is asking of fire victims who want to rebuild and get their lives back,' Moore wrote, asking, 'Wasn’t California going to make this as easy as possible?'
A defeated Moore added, 'We JUST finished construction in November and the fact that we’re back at square one is heartbreaking enough … '
It would be very easy to dunk on Moore, because her politics likely led to the leadership failures that not only caused the disaster, but make the rebuilding process nigh on impossible.
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But Mandy Moore has money, fame, and clout.
What about the Los Angelenos who don't? What about those who didn't vote for Karen Bass? What hope do they have of ever rebuilding their lives in L.A.?
Little, it seems.
The L.A. Health Department requires inspections before allowing homeowners to clean up the ash piles that were once their homes. Despite Karen Bass saying she streamlined the process by allowing residents to meet with the twelve different city agencies involved in the permitting process, Gavin Newsom said those who lost everything thanks to his incompetence will not be able to rebuild like before.
And, given that no substantial legislation to address wildfire mitigation has made its way through the one-party government in Sacramento, there's no doubt in my mind that we'll see the same thing next wildfire season. So the upside to Mandy Moore having to jump through all those hoops is that maybe the next wildfire will just burn down the ruins left from the last one.
Karen Bass is housed in Getty House, L.A.'s mayoral residence. Gavin Newsom owns several expensive homes. Neither of them lost so much as a blade of grass to the wildfires. Meanwhile, the people who aren't Democratic politicians are forced to jump through myriad pointless hoops for the most basic of needs: rebuilding their homes.
The lesson for the rest of us watching from the sidelines is this: Democrats make promises they have no intention of keeping. To get your votes and keep their power.
And now they're abusing their base, too. It will not end well for them.
