Episode Details

One year ago this week Los Angeles was forever changed by the most destructive natural disaster in the county’s history. Alissa, Mike, and Kate survey the impact of the firestorms, and discuss what year two of recovery looks like for the thousands of Angelenos who are still displaced. Plus LAFD’s after-action report is deemed a “cover up,” and the real story behind the collapse of the state’s insurance system.

Listen to Kate’s Rebuilding LA podcast

Although the death toll for the firestorms is officially 31 — revised up in July when additional remains were found west of Lake Avenue in Altadena — a recent study estimated that up to 440 people died due to the dangers of wildfire smoke

One (1) house has been rebuilt in each burn area, although the completed Palisades home is actually a spec house that was built by a developer with demolition permits that had been approved on the morning of the fires. Additionally, an ADU was completed in November that received the first certificate of occupancy in Altadena

As of mid-December, permits have been issued for 16 percent of the homes destroyed in Altadena and 14 percent of the homes in Pacific Palisades. Even though permitting is starting to pick up survivors are facing challenges like city rebuilding fees 

LAist: “Investors are buying close to half the empty lots in LA burn zones, report says”

Listen to Kate’s conversation with Greenline’s Jasmin Shupper, who is trying to help Black homeowners and business owners hold onto their Altadena properties through land banking and other alternative financing models

Washington Post: “A year later, Altadena fire survivors confront hard choices about housing”

Meanwhile, the Palisades mobile home community is just now getting its debris cleared

The big after-action LAFD report that we talked about last time was described as “watered down,” “highly unprofessional,” and, finally, deemed a “