Show Me the Money: Wildfire Recovery Czar Tangles With L.A. Mayor Over Lost Salary

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaks to journalists in a press conference to announce Steve Soboroff (left) to lead L.A.'s wildfire rebuilding and recovery efforts on January 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

The relationship between Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and the city’s chief recovery officer, Steve Soboroff, who she appointed in January to lead the first phase of the city’s wildfire rebuilding effort, is starting to fray. 

At an event last week, Soboroff, a real estate developer and a former Los Angeles police commissioner, addressed public pushback over his announced salary for the position, which was created to help rebuild the city after the devastation…