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Wildfire victims thought help was coming — but Sacramento arrived
with a blueprint for a land grab, not a recovery plan. In places
like Pacific Palisades and Altadena, voters elected leaders they
believed would fight to rebuild after the January 2025 wildfires.
But rather than deliver relief, California Democrats are exploiting
the crisis to push a government-controlled “land banking” scheme —
political speak for seizing private property and expanding
bureaucratic power.

This isn’t compassion. It’s control. And the communities devastated
by fire are now watching their homes, their land, and their futures
handed over to the state — all under the false flag of disaster
relief.

At the center of this betrayal is Senate Bill 549 (2025–2026
Regular Session).

What SB 549 Really Does
SB 549 was introduced in early 2025 and was passed by the State
Senate in May 2025. Billed as a solution to the wildfire
devastation, its official title — “Second Neighborhood Infill
Finance and Transit Improvements Act: Resilient Rebuilding
Authority for the Los Angeles Wildfires” — sounds like a mouthful
because it is.

On paper, the bill promises faster recovery, affordable housing,
and infrastructure upgrades. In reality, it’s a Trojan horse for
top-down control.

Here’s how:

Grants sweeping power to a new Resilient Rebuilding Authority (RRA)
to buy up fire-damaged land across Los Angeles County, including in
Pacific Palisades and Altadena, with or without local approval.

Allows the state to “bank” that land for redevelopment,
prioritizing high-density, low-income housing and transit projects
that communities never asked for.

Lets this authority issue public debt without a single vote from
taxpayers, by tapping property taxes and state/federal grants.

Cuts local voters and city councils out of the process entirely by
putting all decisions in the hands of unelected, politically
appointed bureaucrats.

READ RELATED: Democrats Slammed for Promoting Dense Housing After
California Wildfires

Palisades Resident Destroys LA Mayor Bass' Narrative, Describes
'Bureaucratic Hell' Following Wildfire

The true cost of this so-called “resilience” is clear: local
decision-making is gutted, leaving city councils and residents
powerless. The county gains unchecked authority to seize private
property with little transparency, saddle taxpayers with bond debt
they never approved, and push housing projects that clash with
neighborhood character and safety.

This isn’t rebuilding. It’s a takeover — communities reshaped from
the top down by distant politicians and bureaucrats, paid for by
taxpayers who have no say.

“Resilient rebuilding” sounds promising, but it’s code for
Sacramento deciding what your neighborhood looks like, who lives
there, and how your land gets used — whether you agree or not.

Voters Signed Off on This
Here’s the bitter irony: voters in these communities helped elect
the very politicians behind SB 549, and by large margins.

How Pacific Palisades voted in the 2022 State Senate Election:

? Ben Allen (Democrat): 8,760 votes — 66.3%
? Kristina Irwin (Republican): 4,444 votes — 33.6%
How Altadena voted in the 2024 State Senate District 25 Election:

? Sasha Renée Pérez (Democrat): 17,810 votes — 77%
? Elizabeth W. Ahlers (Republican): 5,316 votes — 23%

Ben Allen didn’t just vote for SB 549 — he authored it. And Sasha
Pérez eagerly backed it. So, while voters in Pacific Palisades and
Altadena overwhelmingly elected these Democrats, what they got in
return was a plan to hand their land, their neighborhoods, and
their future over to an unelected, unaccountable bureaucracy.

This Is Betrayal
The wildfires destroyed homes, livelihoods, and any sense of
normalcy. Naturally, people hoped their leaders would help them
“Build Back Better.” Instead, SB 549 hijacks that hope — using a
crisis to expand government control and trample on property rights.

Voters didn’t elect Ben Allen and Sasha Pérez to push land seizures
and top-down planning. They expected leaders who would protect
their communities, not pave the way for unelected bureaucrats to
seize land and dictate what comes next.

This isn’t a housing bill. It’s a line in the sand: Will your
neighborhood be shaped by the people who live there or by
politicians and planners who think they know better?

The Bigger Picture: Centralizing Power, Diluting Your Voice
SB 549 is just the latest chapter in Sacramento’s steady march
toward centralized control — stripping away local authority and
handing power to state-appointed bureaucrats.

Here’s what that means on the ground:

Local voices shut out, as city councils and residents are sidelined
in critical land use decisions.

Property rights weakened, with government acquiring land and
issuing debt — no public vote required.

Neighborhoods transformed from the top down, through state-imposed
projects that ignore the people who actually live there.

Wildfire recovery should empower communities — not erase them. And
no emergency justifies steamrolling the democratic process.

What Residents Can Do
SB 549 is currently before the Assembly Local Government Committee,
making this a crucial moment to turn up the pressure — especially
on the lawmakers representing the communities most at risk.

If you live in Pacific Palisades or Altadena, your State Assembly
members — Democrats Jacqui Irwin and John Harabedian — need to hear
from you now, before this bill moves any closer to becoming law.
They have a choice: stand with their constituents, or rubber-stamp
Sacramento’s power grab.

Here’s how residents can fight back:

Contact Irwin and Harabedian directly, demand they oppose SB 549,
and defend your right to local control.

Insist on community oversight of wildfire recovery, not backroom
deals by state bureaucrats.

Push back on no-vote bond schemes that pass debt to taxpayers
without their consent.

Get loud — show up, write in, speak out. Your voice matters, but
only if you use it now.

The bill still must go to a full vote in the Assembly. That means
there’s time to stop it — but not if people stay silent.

Rebuild, Don’t Replace
The wildfires tore through Pacific Palisades and Altadena, leaving
behind loss, devastation, and a desperate need to rebuild. What
these communities deserve is support, not a government power play.

SB 549 isn’t about recovery. It’s about control. It hands the keys
to Sacramento bureaucrats; strips power from local residents; and
uses crisis as cover to reengineer neighborhoods without consent.

The people of Palisades and Altadena didn’t vote for a land grab —
but that’s exactly what they’re getting, courtesy of the very
politicians they trusted to defend them.

Now is the time to draw the line. To stand up and say: wildfire
recovery must mean rebuilding with us, not replacing us.

Because if the government can take your land today in the name of
“resilience,” your voice will be next.

https://redstate.com/steve-williams/2025/07/16/california-democrats- are-using-wildfires-as-cover-for-a-land-grab-n2191726
 

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