In the early morning hours of Jan. 8 last year, Marisol Espino lost the home she shared in Altadena with her father, child, sister, and sister’s children to the Los Angeles wildfires. Since then, she moved at least 10 times before finding an apartment where she could stay for a little while. Now she spends hours each day getting her son to and from school. Her old neighbors, she says, remain close, even if they are scattered.
But “we kind of still feel stuck,” she says. “A lot of us can’t even believe it’s been a year because a lot of us feel like we haven’t made progress.”
Her sentiment is shared in Pacific Palisades, another Los Angeles community that was devastated. “There’s a little frustration that [recovery is] not faster, but there’s also recognition from previous nearby experiences that this takes five years or more,” says Patrick Healy, a retired LA newscaster turned Palisades historian.
Why We Wrote This
Wildfires devastated LA-area communities about a year ago. There are some signs of recovery, but many residents remain uncertain about whether, or when, they will be able to rebuild their homes.
With property and other financial losses estimated between $95 billion and $164 billion, the Eaton and Palisades wildfires are the most costly disaster in the LA area’s history. Beginning Jan. 7 and burning for more than three weeks, the fires killed 31 people, destroyed 13,000 homes mainly in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades, and left thousands more uninhabitable. An October report showed about 80% of Altadena residents and 90% of Pacific Palisades residents were not living in their homes.
The fires came amid an insurance crisis, with carriers pulling out of high-risk areas over the last few years and forcing many homeowners onto a state-run plan that was more expensive for less comprehensive coverage. The statewide gap in private insurance coverage for single-family homes is estimated at up to $1.3 trillion. In many cases, residents’ decisions to rebuild may be determined by whether they had insurance, and if their coverage pays enough for them to stay in one of the nation’s most expensive real estate markets.
Both Altadena and Pacific Palisades have deep roots and homeowners who have lived there for decades – many of whom could not afford to buy into their neighborhoods at today’s rates. Survivors also understand that some of their neighbors may not be interested in a years-long rebuild, and that selling an empty lot could bring a substantial windfall.
Still, some optimism is spreading in each community as businesses begin to reopen and some building gets underway.
“Every day I go and I see a new house going up,” says Veronica Jones, president of the Altadena Historical Society. “In that state of recovery, there’s a feeling of hope … It’ll be not the same, of course, but we will be Altadena.”
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff/File
Historic change
Residents in Pacific Palisades and Altadena are frustrated by a lack of clarity regarding who qualifies for financial assistance, what resources are available to homeowners and renters, and by the malaise of loss and displacement.
“This is by far the single most significant event in the century since the [Pacific Palisades] was founded,” says Mr. Healy, secretary of the neighborhood’s historical society.
The fire destroyed every essential community element: homes, schools, most businesses and churches “just disappeared,” he says.
In both areas, residents have expressed concern that building back might erase the neighborhoods’ distinct characters. If too many properties go to developers, they argue, the focus will be on profit, not spirit.
“I’m all about things getting better and looking better and being better for the community,” says Ms. Espino. “I don’t want it to be better and not affordable for us who were there before, and we just permanently get displaced and essentially shoved out of our community that was ours.”
Ocean Development and Black Lion Properties – two developers active in the recovery – did not respond to requests for interviews.
“A lot of human stuff”
A survey by the Department of Angels – created by the California Community Foundation and Snap founder Evan Spiegel to help residents affected by the fires – shows just over one-third of survivors said they would rebuild no matter what. Two-thirds of people whose homes were a total loss said out-of-pocket costs are an obstacle, and about one in five plan to sell their lot and move on.
A handful are back in rebuilt homes. Many are still trying to figure out how to bridge the gap between temporary housing and the years it may take to piece together funding, find a contractor, and complete construction. At the same time, they are managing jobs, families, school, and the trauma of disaster.
“It’s not just a real estate project,” says Bea Hsu, president and CEO of the nonprofit Builders Alliance. “There’s a lot of human stuff going on here that is very real.”
Builders Alliance is connecting fire-impacted homeowners with homebuilders. An online portal allows owners to search an address and find turnkey designs in a range of prices that fit the parcel.
“Their eyes really open. I think there were a number of people who, through the course of the year, had come to believe that they could not afford to rebuild. And maybe this is helping people think about it again,” she adds.
Shumin Zhen isn’t there yet – she wants to rebuild the condo she lost in Altadena, even though she has no idea what it will cost or how she’ll get the money to do it. She and her husband found temporary housing nearby in a Pasadena apartment complex for seniors.
Ms. Zhen’s story underscores the difficulties of recovery. She has tried to use publicized resources, like mortgage assistance, but was turned down. Her insurance policy for additional living expenses expires in January, so she’ll have to pay rent on top of her mortgage.
State of California, California Department of Insurance, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
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Jacob Turcotte/Staff
The median loss for survivors – those who lost their homes and those whose homes were damaged – is $200,000. Net losses for more than half of them exceed their annual income.
Many lawsuits have been filed over both fires. In the Palisades and Malibu, homeowners are suing state and city agencies, claiming a mismanaged response made damages worse. Ms. Zhen is among those who are suing Southern California Edison, forgoing settlements offered by the utility company, which acknowledges its equipment may have started the Eaton fire. The offer, says Ms. Zhen, would be a “huge loss” for her.
Meanwhile, she says, she is changed by the fires.
“Life is not about stuff,” she says. “Life is about happiness and health.”
