Wildfires Leave Pacific Palisades Residents in Despair

LOS ANGELES — The Pacific Palisades community has been left in shambles after wildfires swept through last year, destroying nearly 7,000 homes.

Throughout the past year, homeowners have been stuck in a cycle of temporary housing, dealing with insurance claims, and navigating interactions with contractors and city officials. Despite Mayor Karen Bass and other leaders urging quick recovery, many residents find themselves still grappling with the aftermath.

Now, one year later, the area resembles a ghost town, where the only signs of life are wild coyotes roaming the deserted streets.

As per city data, just 646 permits for rebuilding homes and businesses have been issued, and a survey indicated that only 13% of homeowners have begun construction.

‘Paying a Mortgage on Vacant Land’

Sarah Trepanier is among those waiting for her modular home to be built in San Francisco; it will be one of the first new structures on her block. Yet, she knows this new house won’t replicate the beauty of her former home, which was lost in the fire.

“Our previous house was a stunning Spanish-style home with curved windows and walls. This new place is just a basic square box—it’s all that insurance covers,” she explained.

For Trepanier, this property represented not just her home but her financial security for retirement and a legacy for her children. Now, she fears that to manage her growing debts, selling the new home might become necessary.

“It’s frustrating. I’m paying a mortgage and taxes on land that’s empty,” she said.

She feels the damage stems from two main issues: first, her home was undervalued at $720,000, while she had paid $3.5 million for it. Second, she believes the city’s support for rebuilding has been lacking.

‘They Let Us Burn’

Jeremy Padawer, another resident, criticized the city’s recovery efforts, saying if the mayor claims it’s the quickest recovery on record, he is mistaken. He hasn’t even begun the foundation for his new home.

Padawer is organizing a protest called “They Let Us Burn” for the anniversary of the fire. He argues for more transparency from local government and tax incentives for those looking to rebuild, along with exemptions from permit fees that have already been promised but not delivered.

“After the fire, officials were quick to label it as a ‘natural disaster,’ but the reality is that it was a preventable disaster caused by years of poor management,” Padawer asserted.

He contended that the depletion of resources, like a significant reservoir, and the inability to mobilize necessary firefighting resources exacerbated the situation.

‘They Didn’t Even Do the Bare Minimum’

Bud Kling, a longtime resident and local tennis coach, has been trying to rebuild but lost a cherished Olympic memorabilia collection he had spent decades accumulating.

Kling has lived in the area for 43 years and wishes to stay, even as many neighbors have been forced to leave due to the lengthy and chaotic rebuilding process.

He noted that while the permitting process has sped up somewhat, it still took him nearly a year to secure a permit. He feels that if city officials had prepared appropriately, his home could have been saved.

‘This Unknown Abyss’

Kimberly Bloom recalls one particularly frustrating day speaking with an insurance adjuster who required an itemized description of her home, down to the marble in the bathroom.

After much negotiation, she and her husband are finally poised to start rebuilding, but they face a daunting bill of over $100,000 just for city permits.

“Having to pay just to rebuild a house that burned down through no fault of our own feels outrageous,” she expressed.

Bloom is skeptical about the city’s promise to aid fire victims, particularly with its inability to even afford basic landscaping repairs.

‘Our Neighbors Are Scattered’

Miriam Engel managed to keep her home, thanks in part to her husband’s efforts during the fire. However, even with her house intact, she feels a loss of community. Friends have left, and social connections have been severed.

As an organizer of the protests, Engel said, “This demonstration is called ‘They Let Us Burn’ because the failures of the government have continued to affect our lives long after the fires.” She has witnessed frustration across community lines, uniting residents against what they view as systemic neglect.

“We’re angry at all levels of leadership for not supporting us adequately, especially when billions in aid go overseas while we struggle,” she remarked.