LA wildfire recovery czar developer forgoes $500,000, 90-day salary amid backlash

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has reversed her previous statements and said that Steve Soboroff, a real estate developer who was selected to serve as chief wildfire recovery officer, will not be receiving compensation after backlash arose over his $500,000 pay for 90 days of work.

Bass said in a statement, "Steve is always there for LA I spoke to him today and asked him to modify his agreement and work for free. He said yes. We agree that we don’t need anything distracting from the recovery work we’re doing." The reversal came on Saturday evening, with Soboroff defending the arrangement before the reversal saying his expertise made it worth the pay, per the LA Times.

Soboroff was selected in January to serve as Bass’s wildfire recovery czar after multiple wildfires burned tens of thousands of acres in the Los Angeles area. Soboroff is a real estate developer who raised his family in the Pacific Palisades, which was hit heavily by the Palisades fire, and was well-known for his work on developing thousands of homes in Playa Vista.

Residents of the Palisades and public officials and lawmakers criticized the $500,000 salary for Soboroff, which would have been far more than any city official makes, including the mayor. His salary was set to be funded by charitable organizations. The names of the charitable organizations were not revealed.

Richard Grenell, President Trump’s envoy for special missions, spoke out on Saturday against Soboroff’s pay after the $500,000 total was revealed by the Times, calling it "offensive."

"He’s getting paid $500,000 for 3 months of work? And they call this a charity. Gross. Offensive. I’m getting paid $0 - as are many people. It’s a good thing there will be strings on the Federal money for California."

Bass on Saturday also revealed that Randy Johnson, a longtime real estate developer who will be reporting to Soboroff on rebuilding efforts and was set to receive $250,000, also agreed to work for no pay. Bass said she was "grateful for his generosity and expertise."