Richard Grenell States: Conditions Will Apply to Los Angeles Fire Assistance
The special envoy from the Trump administration stated that discussions are ongoing at the White House regarding what the conditions will be.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell recently indicated that any federal aid for California wildfires will come with specific conditions.
“As a Californian I’m all for it,” Grenell expressed during a discussion with PMG’s Dasha Burns at the Conservative Political Action Conference held in Washington on Friday.
He noted that the administration is currently deliberating what those conditions might entail, suggesting a focus on the California Coastal Commission, which he criticized as “a disaster” and described its members as “crazy woke left.”
In the first month of Trump's administration, Grenell has taken on various responsibilities, including accompanying the president on tours of wildfire damage and steering operations at the Kennedy Center in Washington. His criticism of the Coastal Commission aligns with prior sentiments expressed by Trump and Elon Musk, the latter having litigated against the powerful agency last year over its denial of SpaceX's rocket-launch proposal. The commission, responsible for overseeing permits along California's extensive coastline, has a long history of conflicts with developers, Hollywood figures, and billionaires.
“Squeezing their federal funds, making sure they don’t get funds, putting strings on them to get rid of the California Coastal Commission is going to make California better,” he stated.
However, it’s important to note that this commission was established through a ballot initiative in 1972, meaning any changes to the agency would require approval from voters — a challenging hurdle in a state where environmental conservation is highly valued.
“I don’t have faith that if we went back and just gave California hundreds of millions of dollars, they were gonna go back to their same old ways of not giving us enough water, having dangerous situations on the ground in terms of forestry — it’s going to happen again,” Grenell remarked.
Residing in the Los Angeles area, Grenell has been vocally critical of how Democrats have managed the wildfires. During the conversation, he hinted at a possible interest in running for office in California.
Grenell noted he is open to entering the California governor’s race, particularly if his opponent is former Vice President Kamala Harris. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist running against her,” he said.
In a wide-ranging interview, Grenell also discussed negotiations with Ukraine, supporting the Trump administration's approach to the ongoing conflict and emphasizing the need for dialogue with Putin.
“What we want to see is talks with Putin,” Grenell stated, following a recent exchange between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which Trump labeled Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections.”
When asked if he concurred with Trump’s views on Zelenskyy, Grenell acknowledged the frustrations some felt regarding the absence of elections, yet refrained from labeling him a dictator, while conceding that Russian President Vladimir Putin is indeed a dictator.
The interview concluded with Grenell discussing his new role at the Kennedy Center, which he claimed is in need of financial revitalization. He announced plans for a grand Christmas celebration in December, saying, “We want to make art great again.”
Alex Nieves contributed to this report.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
“As a Californian I’m all for it,” Grenell expressed during a discussion with PMG’s Dasha Burns at the Conservative Political Action Conference held in Washington on Friday.
He noted that the administration is currently deliberating what those conditions might entail, suggesting a focus on the California Coastal Commission, which he criticized as “a disaster” and described its members as “crazy woke left.”
In the first month of Trump's administration, Grenell has taken on various responsibilities, including accompanying the president on tours of wildfire damage and steering operations at the Kennedy Center in Washington. His criticism of the Coastal Commission aligns with prior sentiments expressed by Trump and Elon Musk, the latter having litigated against the powerful agency last year over its denial of SpaceX's rocket-launch proposal. The commission, responsible for overseeing permits along California's extensive coastline, has a long history of conflicts with developers, Hollywood figures, and billionaires.
“Squeezing their federal funds, making sure they don’t get funds, putting strings on them to get rid of the California Coastal Commission is going to make California better,” he stated.
However, it’s important to note that this commission was established through a ballot initiative in 1972, meaning any changes to the agency would require approval from voters — a challenging hurdle in a state where environmental conservation is highly valued.
“I don’t have faith that if we went back and just gave California hundreds of millions of dollars, they were gonna go back to their same old ways of not giving us enough water, having dangerous situations on the ground in terms of forestry — it’s going to happen again,” Grenell remarked.
Residing in the Los Angeles area, Grenell has been vocally critical of how Democrats have managed the wildfires. During the conversation, he hinted at a possible interest in running for office in California.
Grenell noted he is open to entering the California governor’s race, particularly if his opponent is former Vice President Kamala Harris. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist running against her,” he said.
In a wide-ranging interview, Grenell also discussed negotiations with Ukraine, supporting the Trump administration's approach to the ongoing conflict and emphasizing the need for dialogue with Putin.
“What we want to see is talks with Putin,” Grenell stated, following a recent exchange between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which Trump labeled Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections.”
When asked if he concurred with Trump’s views on Zelenskyy, Grenell acknowledged the frustrations some felt regarding the absence of elections, yet refrained from labeling him a dictator, while conceding that Russian President Vladimir Putin is indeed a dictator.
The interview concluded with Grenell discussing his new role at the Kennedy Center, which he claimed is in need of financial revitalization. He announced plans for a grand Christmas celebration in December, saying, “We want to make art great again.”
Alex Nieves contributed to this report.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
