Working on a Building: Mayor Bass Leads L.A.’s Fire Recovery & Building

On this episode of "Conversation Live: Altadena Rising" with James Farr, rebuilding isn’t just brick and mortar. It’s power, politics, and who gets left behind. Mayor Karen Bass breaks down L.A.’s push after the Palisades fire — fast-tracking permits, cutting red tape, and President Trump's response. In Altadena, builder Joel Bryant has put a shovel in the dirt, helping a Black family start again on the same ground the flames tried to erase.

But every recovery has a side play. Tiffany Haddish and California gubernatorial hopeful Stephen Cloobeck made a public gambit — a grocery giveaway that drew thousands, left hundreds baking in the sun, and quietly cast community members as extras in a campaign commercial. The crowd didn’t see that play. Charity… or political surrogacy dressed as goodwill?