One bold way to take action? Federalize the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, and turn them into the Pacific Peculiar — an autonomous zone free from the bureaucratic chokehold of California’s Democrat-run government. The concept of federal intervention isn’t as radical as it may seem. Back in the 1990s, President Bill Clinton used the Antiquities Act to declare the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, bypassing local governments and federal regulations. While controversial, Clinton demonstrated the federal government’s power to sidestep incompetent local governance and take control of vital resources. He federalized 1.9 million acres, and we can do the same in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, two areas that have been utterly failed by the system in place.
The concept of the Pacific Peculiar draws inspiration from the historical model of the Royal Peculiar in England. A Royal Peculiar is a church or parish that falls directly under the jurisdiction of the monarch, exempt from the authority of the local bishop or diocese. This special status allowed the Crown to govern certain ecclesiastical institutions independently of local clerical interference. By applying this model to Pacific Palisades and Altadena, we will create a similar immediacy where federal oversight ensures swift decision-making, effective governance, and the kind of development that serves the needs of residents — not the political ambitions of a degenerate Democrat machine.
A Board of Works would govern the Pacific Peculiar, composed of competent administrators, free from the crippling influence of public sector contracts, diversity quotas, and the hyper-ideological hiring practices currently enshrined by the city and state.
It takes decades to start any significant infrastructure project in California. Newsom’s own marquee project, the bullet train, has taken 20 years just to get to the starting line of breaking ground. The same can be predicted for the rebuilding efforts in places like Pacific Palisades, where residents will be caught between slow-moving insurance payouts and a political system that has shown little urgency in responding to their needs. Federal intervention will shatter this intentional inertia that funds the army of Democrat public sector workers & contractors.
And about aesthetics, the Democrat machine would simply hand over the Palisades and Altadena to their donor suite of ugly & boring LA developers, especially in medium term housing. It would take forever, cost trillions, and would look horrible. Alternatively, the Pacific Peculiar would tap into the growing network of talent of the Trump counter-elite while also building out new branches in traditional architecture, new urbanism and design to make Los Angeles Beautiful Again.
For landowners and local stakeholders in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, the choice is clear: either continue to be stuck in the quagmire of the status quo — watching as their properties devalue, waiting for insurance claims to process, and hoping that local government will eventually get its act together — or opt into a new future with the Pacific Peculiar. This model would offer a clean break from the slow-moving, corrupt, and ineffectual system that has held these areas hostage for so long.
The Pacific Peculiar is more than just a new urbanist experiment. It’s a chance to break free from the dangerous political machine that governs California. With this model, the Trump Alliance can provide real alternatives: schools, hospitals, and police services — in essence, creating functional parts of Los Angeles that get to opt out of the Democrat Party Regime. The current system cannot be beaten at the ballot box, given its deep-seated corruption and power structure. But the Pacific Peculiar offers an alternative path — a new, federalized governance model that allows communities to thrive outside the dysfunction.
It’s time to give Pacific Palisades and Altadena the chance to rebuild — under a new framework of efficiency, competence, and beauty. By federalizing these areas and establishing a Pacific Peculiar, the Trump Administration will provide a clear, compelling alternative to the failing blue states and cities across the country for the entire hemisphere to see.
David Ragsdale was the Operations Director at Defeat the Mandates, the creator of the Covid Litigation Conference and has a Master of Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. The Ragsdales are currently 5 generations native to Los Angeles, having settled in the city in 1902.
