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Selling Sunset star JASON OPPENHEIM: LA’s stupid politicians failed my celebrity real estate clients

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Jason Oppenheim slammed California politicians who failed residents amid wildfires

With the Los Angeles wildfires still raging, this is not the time to point fingers, but to learn from our mistakes. And mistakes have been made.

While I can’t be sure anyone would have been able to stop these fires in their tracks, something could have been done to mitigate the damage.

The first starting point is the stupidity of some of our politicians and their misguided priorities.

They have decreased funding for the fire and police departments (Mayor Karen Bass cut nearly $18 million from the LAFD budget last year), all while wasting money on ridiculous projects.

Take, for example, the $100 billion that will go toward the absurd bullet train from Bakersfield to Merced. It is not scheduled to be completed until 2033 at the earliest and will be completely obsolete when it is completed because we will have autonomous vehicles.

Jason Oppenheim slammed California politicians who failed residents amid wildfires

At least 24 people have died in the Los Angeles area and approximately 180,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

At least 24 people have died in the Los Angeles area and approximately 180,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

No one is going to want to drive to a train station to catch a stupid train for four hours when they could have driven there watching TV and sitting in their safe, self-driving car.

Politicians are so focused on doing sexy things that will get them re-elected, instead of doing the hard, dirty work to protect us and keep us safe.

Forestry is not attractive. Water pressure, retention and availability is not sexy.

Spending millions of dollars on helicopters and fire extinguishers just in case something happens is not sexy.

But politicians must put aside their egos and focus on the things that really help save us in times of need.

I’m trying to do my part.

I donated $100,000 today to the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department, largely in an effort to draw attention to the need to fund them more.

Over the weekend, I reported landlords who were trying to profit from the wildfires by illegally increasing rental prices.

Mayor Karen Bass cut nearly $18 million from the LAFD budget last year

Mayor Karen Bass cut nearly $18 million from the LAFD budget last year

Jason has criticized politicians for being too

Jason has criticized politicians for being too “focused on doing sexy things that will get them re-elected.”

They are taking advantage of the fires and their victims by raising their prices online.

Sure, the owners have had it tough in recent years. Often they cannot even cover their costs. But now is not the time to try to take advantage of a situation and take advantage of the 92,000 people who are displaced and enduring the worst.

Many people have been affected and have lost not only their family homes, but also decades of memories.

Paris Hilton lost her home where she was raising her two young children. Bella and Gigi Hadid lost their childhood home, and Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt lost their home and all their belongings.

Now it should be about giving back: at least offering your property at no more than market value before these fires.

There may be some who are unknowingly breaking the law, but right now they need to know: We are currently under an emergency order restricting rent increases above 10% of pre-disaster market value.

Several celebrities have lost their homes, including Paris Hilton, whose Malibu home burned down last week.

Several celebrities have lost their homes, including Paris Hilton, whose Malibu home burned down last week.

Candy Spelling's $24 Million Home on Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway Was Lost in Wildfires

Candy Spelling’s $24 Million Home on Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway Was Lost in Wildfires

I believe agents have a responsibility to not allow owners to act this way and I sent an email directive to all my agents just to clarify our responsibilities.

I also sent a letter to the governor’s office and the mayor’s office, explaining some things we can do to help the victims of these fires.

In addition to cracking down on price gouging, the state can post leased properties online and make them available to everyone. That will eliminate brokers’ ability to hide properties from the public, known in the industry as “pocket listings.”

Finally, some of the people who lost their homes will choose to rebuild them, but many will end up selling them to developers. My hope is that they receive fair prices for their land; maybe the government can play a role in that too.

These people have suffered enough and we must do everything we can to ensure, as real estate agents and as a community, that they receive adequate value for their land.

Jason urges politicians to put aside their egos and focus on the things that really help save us in times of need.

Jason urges politicians to put aside their egos and focus on the things that really help save us in times of need.

There are things we can do to accelerate development, to make things easier for those who choose to rebuild. We owe it to them.

I will conclude with this: despite all this tragedy and heartbreak, I am hopeful for the future.

Houses will be rebuilt better. Firefighting technology and awareness will improve. Los Angeles will rise reborn from the ashes, but I am no stranger to the challenge.

It will take five to seven years to rebuild the Palisades. There will be tremendous hard work ahead, and the real estate community must be a part of it.

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