A local mother who lost her home in the devastating Palisades Fire is speaking out against The New York Times after the publication labeled Pacific Palisades residents as the “rogue rich” allegedly exploiting the disaster for financial gain.

Kaye Steinsapir, whose home was destroyed in the fire, took issue with the Times’ portrayal and released a video response highlighting the real struggles of her community.

In an article by New York Times journalist Ronda Kaysen, the paper described Pacific Palisades as a haven for the wealthy who wield significant political power.

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“Its deep-pocketed, well-connected residents have access to power that few have: They can pick up the phone and call Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass or Steven Soboroff, whom the mayor appointed as the rebuilding czar,” Kaysen wrote.

The article suggested that Palisades residents were leveraging their affluence to control the rebuilding process in a way that other communities affected by disasters could not.

Dr. Max Besbris, an academic quoted in the article, added, “I suspect that because these are pretty wealthy households with a lot of economic and also political power, they’re going to be able to dictate the terms of their own recovery.”

The article also contrasted Palisades with Altadena, a working-class suburb of Los Angeles, implying that wealthier residents would have an easier time rebuilding while lower-income communities would struggle.

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In response, Steinsapir posted a video on YouTube, documenting the destruction in her neighborhood and rejecting the Times’ characterization of Palisades residents.

In the caption of her post, she wrote:

“Thank you, @WCKitchen, @fema, @LAPDHQ, @LAFD, @SBAgov, and everyone else who’s helping our community. @nytimes, we aren’t the ‘rogue rich.’ You came to our home a few years ago. Come back. I’ll show you the reality and introduce you to hundreds who literally lost everything and are destitute. Your ‘reporting’ has become grossly biased and inaccurate. Thanks for reminding me to cancel my subscription.”

Steinsapir pointed out that many of her neighbors are “senior citizens on fixed incomes” who purchased homes in the area decades ago, investing their life savings into their properties.

“It’s so hurtful and it’s so outrageous that people want to pretend that this doesn’t matter because they assume people here are wealthy. It’s just literally not true,” she said.

She also accused the Times of misrepresenting interviews conducted for the article, stating:

“The New York Times published a piece yesterday that was so incredibly false and hurtful. I know people who were interviewed for that piece who had their quotes taken out of context. The person who wrote the piece clearly had an agenda when she spoke to them, and it’s just sickening. So, New York Times: Fuck you! This is what it’s like.”

Steinsapir also addressed the role of public services, criticizing their failure to prevent the fire. She highlighted that Pacific Palisades is “a pretty regular place … not a gated community,” and noted the presence of a public school in the area.

She later told Breitbart News:

“I grew up poor. I worked my way through college and law school with no assistance. I became a lawyer but my career was sidelined by cancer at age 39. The idea that I’m an out-of-touch rich person is bullshit. … Most of my neighbors are not rich. The people who came to our community room are desperate. I’m livid at how we’ve been inaccurately portrayed.”

Steinsapir is not alone in pushing back against the Times’ characterization of Pacific Palisades.

Many residents have pointed out that property prices per square foot in the area were lower than other nearby communities before the fire.

Additionally, the neighborhood had more middle-class housing stock than the article acknowledged.

As recovery efforts continue, residents are hoping to rebuild their community while pushing back against what they see as misleading narratives from national media outlets.

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