Almost five months after Firestorm placed waste in a wide strip of Palisades in the Pacific, Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday that global infrastructure company AECOM will help develop a master plan for rebuilding the region.
The company will work with both the city and Hagerty Consulting, according to the mayor’s office.
Hagerty, an Illinois-based disaster recovery company, has been signed with the city for up to $10 million for a year, but faces persistent questions about the job details.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond when asked Friday if Hagerty’s role had been reduced.
In late January, the mayor, along with four councillors and other city authorities, is also looking to become the city’s disaster recovery contractor, as well as presentations from Hagerty, AECOM and a third of the companies.
After Bass chose Hagerty in February, she said the city is still discussing another deal with AECOM.
“Unprecedented natural disasters require unprecedented, all-hand responses. Every level of government, philanthropy, private sector and educational institutions is coming together to support our communities and rebuild safely as quickly as possible,” Bass said in a written statement on Friday. “AECOM’s expertise in planning and designing long-term infrastructure will only further promote our work to bring families home.”
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond when asked whether the city currently has a contract with AECOM or if there were details of that contract, including compensation.
Longtime local developer and “former chief recovery officer” Steve Soboroff publicly criticized the decision to choose Hagerty over AECOM as the city’s first disaster recovery contractor. In an interview in mid-April when he was leaving the Post, Soborov raised questions about Hagerty’s role and said he thought Ecom should be hired instead.
AECOM will support the development of a comprehensive reconstruction master plan and rebuilding the Palisades infrastructure, as well as help coordinate broader public and private reconstruction efforts.
The company is working on “logistics planning for material management in collaboration with local builders and suppliers” and master transport planning as more homeowners jump into the reconstruction process, according to a news release.
AECOM is also the “official venue infrastructure partner” for the 2028 Olympics, according to a March news release from LA28.
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