Any information about the Pacific Palisades Fire

[look 171]

Originally Posted by techweenie

If the undocumented are taken away, rebuilding will take at least twice as long.

Really? Most illegals are mainly laborers with limited skills. Sure they can help speed things up a bit not sure about twice as long.

[look 171]

The county requires specific recycling in all construction projects waste, large or small. They are stickers about that and it has been a PITA over the past couple years. Stupid Green BS. I wonder how will they approach that. Permit fee will go up come the next couple months

No hotels, people has been calling me about rental.

Red Flag day has been posted from LAFD as of tonight. This mean wind is expected to pick up again come tomorrow

[Tobra]

Coastal Commission and permitting construction will cause the biggest delays in recovery.

Everybody just lost their Prop 13 tax property tax break.

Could you afford to stay where you live if your property taxes and homeowners insurance went up 700%

[William930t]

Short video of a C 130J cockpit cam during drops on Palisades fire, lots of altitude warnings and you can hear the "woosh" release of the Phos-Check

[Sooner or later]

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/01/12/governor-newsom-signs-executive-order-to-help-los-angeles-rebuild-faster-and-stronger/
Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order to suspend permitting and review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act to allow victims of the recent fires to restore their homes and businesses faster.
More at link

https://www.dailynews.com/2025/01/09/property-owners-suffering-fire-damage-are-eligible-for-property-tax-deferrals/
Normally, the second half of the tax bill would be due by April 10 for those who pay their taxes directly instead of including them with their monthly mortgage payment.

To get the deferrals, homeowners must file a “Misfortune or Calamity” application with the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office.

“We will adjust the assessments for them, with or without an application,” Prang said. “People shouldn’t be paying property taxes for a home that’s been destroyed.”

Assessments will drop to the land value only for homes destroyed by the fires, Prang said.

Those lower assessments will remain in effect until the home is repaired or rebuilt.

In addition, home and building owners will retain their lower Property 13 assessments provided the new structure is “substantially equivalent” to the prior structure, according to the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector’s Office. For bigger homes, however, the added square footage will be assessed at current market value, which usually is higher than the Proposition 13 value.
More at link

[GH85Carrera]

I can't imagine losing all one's possessions, likely one's job if the business where they worked burned down, and still owing mortgage payments of the burned down house.

Who will pay to pick up all the debris, and sort through it for any remaining personal goods?

[KFC911]

These events have become common.... east of me, west of me, whole coastlines, etc.

The poor suffer .... right here in my county ... and can't afford to live here now.

Same as it ever was ... but much worse too

I have no answers ... just hope for you guys ...

Be safe!

[oldE]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I can't imagine losing all one's possessions, likely one's job if the business where they worked burned down, and still owing mortgage payments of the burned down house.

Who will pay to pick up all the debris, and sort through it for any remaining personal goods?

Unfortunately I can. In December '77, the old farm house we were renting had a chimney failure. I detected the fire in the attic around 6 AM, woke my wife and called the owner, who called the local volunteer fire brigade.
It is funny how one's mind works ( or doesn't) in times of crisis. My wife grabbed clothes from the closet and dresser, threw them on the bed and we used the bedding to get those out to the barn across the road. I remember standing in the kitchen thinking 'we have to have things to eat' and grabbing flour and mixing bowls, ignoring the electric frying pan. All of my photography equipment was in the room where the chimney failed, years of negatives and prints. My wife got our cats into the car and moved it onto the road.
We got some furniture from the ground floor out when help arrived. The house was totally involved by 8.
Later that afternoon, looking through the ashes with the insurance adjuster, I came across a couple of small caliber rifles, the remains of my wife's electric typewriter and a mug. This was special, as it had been given to my wife by her best friend. It sits on a shelf in our kitchen as a reminder that things can be lost, but the love of a good friend stays.



We were lucky. The community rallied around us and we had insurance to allow us to replace many things. No loss of life.
My thoughts are with the tens of thousands who are struggling to know what to do next.

Best
Les

[rsrguy]

The whole deal is almost inconceivable. Thousands of structures, the casualties and no means to effectively fight back .... surreal.
Prayers to the effected. All while people are still in tents from the hurricane all over the south east. Our leaders have failed us.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

Assessments will drop to the land value only for homes destroyed by the fires, Prang said.

....

In addition, home and building owners will retain their lower Property 13 assessments provided the new structure is “substantially equivalent” to the prior structure, according to the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector’s Office. For bigger homes, however, the added square footage will be assessed at current market value, which usually is higher than the Proposition 13 value.
More at link

That first part isn't nearly as helpful as it sounds. The vast majority of a property tax bill comes from the valuation of the land. The physical building is (I'm guessing here, because I don't have my tax bill in front of me) maybe 30% of the overall assessed value. I'm sure that varies based upon location location location, but the rough principle will hold true.

That second part sounds fair-ish. A lot of people (especially the older homes that were built many decades ago and were typically smaller in sq footage) will probably build bigger. But then again, had there never been a fire to destroy their original home, any addition would be assessed like this, anyway.

[Noah930]

FWIW, I can feel the winds picking up. They weren't much in LA this morning, but now I'm in Ventura County (to the north), and it's pretty gusty here. Which is what it was like when this all started last Tuesday.

Another factor: I don't know what it is today, but humidity was crazy low (single percentage points) last week, which certainly made things a lot worse.

[jyl]

I believe:
- Homeowner can search debris, with a sifter if they want, but won’t find much. My friend just did that, searched through for his house in Altadena. He recovered . . . a garden gnome. There’s basically no meaningful “personal items” left after this, so the main thing homeowner can hope for it is closure and maybe a fragment to remember by.
- State will then hire contractors to remove the debris and contaminated soil. Will take some months.

As pointed out before, the people who lost their homes and possessions will be compensated through their insurance. They will, eventually, be able to rebuild. In most cases anyway.

[Noah930]

There was a story of a woman who found her wedding ring! You're right: there won't be much. But it's natural that people will try. We all would were we in those shoes.

[techweenie]

Originally Posted by jyl

I believe:
- Homeowner can search debris, with a sifter if they want, but won’t find much. My friend just did that, searched through for his house in Altadena. He recovered . . . a garden gnome. There’s basically no meaningful “personal items” left after this, so the main thing homeowner can hope for it is closure and maybe a fragment to remember by.
- State will then hire contractors to remove the debris and contaminated soil. Will take some months.

All true. Saw a woman in Altadena happy to find one blue tile from her daughter's bathroom. Was about all that was recognizable.

Saw reporting from Altadena last night where a 1960 Thunderbird convertible was sitting with no apparent damage, surrounded by fully burned-down homes. Randomness.

Also: the media and some pols are promoting a lot of arrests for "looting," but the facts are of 4 sheriffs arrests in the Eaton area, one was a potential looter, two curfew violators; one DUI. LAPD reported the fake firefighter, a drone operator and curfew violators. I think there were two with burglary tools and three "shoplifters." But claiming 30+ 'looter arrests' plays better in the media...

[GH85Carrera]

I would assume most of the hotels are full of the folks displaced from the fire. Many can go to a friends or relatives house, but that is usually a temporary setup.

Where will those thousands of people live for the next year or ten until they can move back into a house built on their old lot? And the few that have houses that were not destroyed, will not have any utilities for quite a while.

[techweenie]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I would assume most of the hotels are full of the folks displaced from the fire. Many can go to a friends or relatives house, but that is usually a temporary setup.

Where will those thousands of people live for the next year or ten until they can move back into a house built on their old lot? And the few that have houses that were not destroyed, will not have any utilities for quite a while.

True fact. I anticipate a bump in demand for solar installations.

[jyl]

I guess this is a wakeup call to check our own insurance, documents, go-bag.

Living in the central city of Portland, I cannot think of any disaster that would destroy my neighborhood. Not an urban/wildland interface area, well above sea level, wood frame house bolted for earthquake. But anyone can have a house fire.

[techweenie]

Pacific Palisades fire now 14% contained.

5100+ personnel

44 helicopters, 540 fire engines

Santa Monica canceled 'warning' areas

[jyl]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I would assume most of the hotels are full of the folks displaced from the fire. Many can go to a friends or relatives house, but that is usually a temporary setup.

Where will those thousands of people live for the next year or ten until they can move back into a house built on their old lot? And the few that have houses that were not destroyed, will not have any utilities for quite a while.

They will rent apartments, houses, move elsewhere temporarily, live in motels, etc.

My aunt and uncle were out of their house for almost a year, after it was destroyed by a plumbing leak. They lived in an extended-stay hotel suite. They didn’t complain, it was what it was.

Greater Los Angeles is a huge metropolis of 20 million population including Orange County, Inland Empire, San Fernando Valley, etc. The displaced are 0.1% of that.

[techweenie]

For affected locals:

https://recovery.lacounty.gov/resources/