Real estate mogul Mauricio Umanski says California needs to work with the federal government to help Los Angeles rebuild.
Real estate mogul Mauricio Umanski says California officials need to work with the federal government to help people rebuild in areas affected by wildfires and now is not the time to pick a fight with President Trump. .
“It’s time to put politics aside and rebuild Los Angeles,” Umansky told FOX Business. “Now is not the time for our state government to get political and start opposing Trump.”
The Agency, Umansky’s luxury real estate company, represents a portfolio of homes and properties for sale around the world. But many of the company’s customers are in areas hardest hit by the wildfires that ripped through Los Angeles County earlier this month.
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Umansky said the situation is dire for families who have lost everything.
Some of his agents have lost their homes, and he’s working around the clock to find them all a place to go. But it wasn’t always easy.
“One of the most difficult things is that every house has 10 applicants and nine are rejected,” he said. “When you think about it, these are all homeless people… their depression is insane.”
Aerial view of the sun rising over houses burned by the Eaton Fire on January 21, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Tama Mario/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Umansky said people are moving into the city and many want to stay close to home. But there are many others going north and leaving the state.
“We’ve evacuated thousands of people, so it’s going to be very difficult,” he said.
Umansky said it’s still too early to know how people will rebuild, but he knows it will require governments at the state and federal levels to work together.
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“We’re looking for answers. I don’t think the government is doing a good enough job of warning people about what’s going to happen,” he said, adding that residents are still struggling to understand the situation. he added. I am planning to take out insurance.
Firefighters have been battling devastating fires in Southern California for weeks, but more blazes continue to break out.
They need to put their egos and politics aside,” he said. “We’re going to need federal funding. We’re going to need state money.
The Hughes Fire, first reported Wednesday morning, broke out in the unincorporated community of Castaic in northwestern Los Angeles County. The strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly, making it difficult to extinguish the fire.
Aerial view of a destroyed house in the Eaton Fire on January 19, 2025 in Altadena, California. (Tama Mario/Getty Images)/Getty Images)
Mr. Trump has been at odds with California Governor Gavin Newsom since the wildfires began on January 7th. Newsom has faced harsh criticism over the state’s response to the Los Angeles fires. On Friday, California’s governor hugged President Trump on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport after the president disembarked from Air Force One.
President Donald Trump greets California Governor Gavin Newsom as he arrives to inspect the effects and destruction of wildfires in Southern California at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California on January 24, 2025. (Reuters/Leah Millis/Reuters)
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Newsom also slammed President Trump’s criticism earlier this month, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that “misinformation and disinformation will not do us any good.” . Meanwhile, Trump, a longtime critic of California’s government, recently slammed the state, even suggesting that the state might not receive federal aid unless it changes certain policies, including water management. .
Flames from the Hughes Fire burn through the foothills of Castaic in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, on January 22, 2025. (Robin Beck/AFP via Getty Images)/Getty Images)
As fires continue to burn in parts of Southern California, Mr. Newsom signed a relief package providing $2.5 billion for recovery efforts, but Mr. Umanski said there was “questionable doubt” that the state would also need federal aid. There is no room,” he said.
“They need to put their egos and politics aside,” he says. “We’re going to need federal funding, we’re going to need state funding.”
He said states should not fight President Trump.
“When I say I won’t fight him…I mean he has ideas. He’s going to need help from the federal government. There’s no doubt about that,” he said. .
FOX News’ Anders Hagström contributed to this report.
