Residents of the Pacific Palisades returned home on Saturday following President Donald Trump’s visit the previous day, with many gaining access to their properties for the first time since the Palisades Fire devastated the area more than two weeks ago.
On Friday, Trump met with residents and local officials, holding a roundtable discussion at the local fire station where affected individuals were able to voice their concerns for the first time.
During the meeting, residents expressed frustration over being told it could take 18 months to clear debris from their lots and that local permitting processes were delaying rebuilding efforts. Most had been prohibited from even visiting the ruins of their homes. President Trump sided with the residents, challenging the city’s restrictions. When Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass suggested residents would be allowed to access their properties within a week, Trump responded, “A week is a long time,” insisting they should be allowed immediate entry.
The following day, residents rushed to Santa Monica Parking Lot #3, the designated assembly point for police-escorted caravans to the Highlands, a less-affected area of the Pacific Palisades. However, residents demanded access to other neighborhoods, such as Marquez Knolls, the Alphabet Streets, and the Bluffs, citing Trump’s assurances.
While some residents were turned away, others persisted and managed to visit their lots, if only briefly.
“I personally needed to go back,” one resident told Breitbart News. “We weren’t here when it [the fire] happened, and luckily my parents listened to us and evacuated. … If we could get in today and not have my parents sit for hours to get in — so that worked.”
Some residents reported continued denials of entry by National Guard soldiers and police. One resident shared on Instagram, “They didn’t let us in but they also said they wouldn’t arrest us if we went around them. So we went.”
A few who gained access expressed dismay at finding “half-eaten food and empty water bottles” left behind by workers repairing infrastructure and removing hazards to prepare for residents’ return.
For many, there was little left but dust and rubble, though some were able to salvage meaningful items like ceramic Christmas ornaments.
“I went up because a friend in the Alphabet Streets found some things that were significant to her and salvageable, and that just gave me hope to see if there was anything at ours,” one resident explained. “I wanted to get in before the rain made it worse.”
Despite the devastation, residents voiced determination to rebuild and hope that President Trump’s intervention would expedite the process and help overcome bureaucratic hurdles.
