Exclusive | LA Mayor Karen Bass used this lone house to claim shes cutting red tape for wildfire victims but owner says hes had to fight at every turn

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Karen Bass used Walter Lopes’ Pacific Palisades home as a prop to pat herself on the back for helping the neighborhood rebuild after the January wildfires.But The Post can reveal that Lopes’ house is the only structure standing for blocks and blocks in the charred, desolate neighborhood.And even he isn’t buying Bass’s narrative that rebuilding is going swiftly and smoothly.Lopes said he was only able to get started so quickly because he was rebuilding his house exactly as it was constructed just a few years ago — and he’s shelled out millions of dollars and pulled out all the stops to get it done.

“I don’t agree that there are a lot of homes popping up,” Lopes said.“I drove through my neighborhood yesterday, and I saw maybe one lot laying a foundation, and that was pretty much it.”Other homeowners say they’re still in California bureaucratic hell — waiting for the government to clear debris, test for toxic chemicals left behind, fighting with insurance companies over payouts and trying to navigate the Golden State’s notoriously punitive homebuilding restrictions.But Bass crowed in a May 26 X post that was accompanied by tear-jerker music, “Homes are under construction throughout the Palisades — ahead of expectations.“We’ve taken action to cut red tape and expedite the permitting process to get families home.”She also made a big show of meeting Lopes outside his house to talk about all she had done.Lopes said he is grateful for the mayor’s visit but added he’s had to struggle with officials at every turn.“We have had to push back.We’ve had to fight.

My construction isn’t happening just because the city is expediting things,” he said.“Every single step of the way, we’re there.

We’re in meetings.We’re asking questions.

We’re pushing back on things.”The reality is, five months after the wildfires tore through the Pacific Palisades, fewer than 300 homeowners have even applied for rebu...