Cement trucks moved along, debris was hauled and cars with resident passes tucked onto the windshields whizzed by on the Pacific Coast Highway on Thursday, April 17. In Altadena, the trucks continued to haul away debris.
Thursday marked 100 days since the monster fires tore through Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
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Many are still processing the grief and the loss. But as the hustle and bustle of recovery churned on amid the ruins, local leaders and residents paused to stake stock of the resiliency and the shortcomings of a recovery now 100 days since January’s Palisades and Eaton fires.
John Brown was among them.
Standing across from the fenced-off Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates, Brown described a once-vibrant community of more than 400 residents that was reduced to ash and rubble 100 days ago by January’s devastating wildfires.
“This is a really amazing community,” Brown said. “Half of the people had dogs. We walked our dogs during the day. We would stop and chat with each other. At least a quarter of the community was senior citizens, and a bunch of families with kids.”
Brown, who lived in the mobile estate with his family, said his two children attended Palisades Elementary School and that living there was a “way for us to be able to live in the Palisades and go the amazing schools here.”
In the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, which burned 23,448 acres and destroyed the estates, Brown said residents now face a new challenge —fighting the property owner for access to what’s left of their homes in hopes of recovering valuables such as wedding rings, children’s toys and other irreplaceable items.
“There have been times that the owners have given us access basically under watch, like we’re doing something wrong,” Brown said. “This isn’t even a hole in the law. This has become an inhumane lack of progress.”
Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass with other city officials speaks during a press conference at Will Rogers State Beach marking 100 days since the start of the horrific LA Fires Thursday, Palisades, CA. April 17, 2025. Community leaders and stakeholders to discuss policy proposals introduced to aid our recovery efforts.(Photo by Gene Blevins, Contributing Photographer}
Brown was among several residents who joined a coalition of elected officials Thursday to mark 100 days since the fire. As they reflected, they also pushed for stronger recovery measures.
“We are part of the community. It’s not separate. We were homeowners, but not landowners. We need to figure out a way to navigate,” Brown said. “You guys need to support us, not get in the way of us getting back home.”
State Sen. Ben Allen, who represents a stretch of west Los Angeles that includes the Palisades, brought together a group of officials to take stock of the progress and the sometimes the lack of it seen in the three and a half months since the fires.
It was a chance to tout legislation being developed as a result of the fires and aftermath, including from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and state Sen. Sasha Renee Perez, who represents a district that includes Altadena.
Standing below the burned remains of the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates, Allen and Perez spoke about the legislation they are working on as a response to issues their constituents have faced in navigating every sector of recovery– from insurance, to permitting systems.
“It’s been 100 days of despair, of destruction, but also of growth and rebuilding,” Allen said.
“We brought Republicans and Democrats alike to walk these streets with us,” Allen said, gesturing to the bluffs of the Palisades above.
Senator Ben Allen speaks during a press conference at Will Rogers State Beach marking 100 days since the start of the horrific LA Fires Thursday, Palisades, CA. April 17, 2025. Community leaders and stakeholders to discuss policy proposals introduced to aid our recovery efforts.(Photo by Gene Blevins, Contributing Photographer}
He referenced the bipartisan efforts of the Legislature and emphasized the vast breadth of recovery efforts that the state and city leadership have worked for, including education, a modernized tax credit system for TV and film workers and rebuilding of homes.
“There are so many issues brought up by this fire that we need to get resolved in law,” Allen said.
Perez, who was elected in November and began her term in the state senate in January, just before the fire, is working on 12 bill directly related to the fires, informed by conversations with the community.
“They highlighted the challenges our residents continue to face with accessing disaster relief, the uncertainty that residents feel as Trump threatens to eliminate FEMA, and the need to protect and preserve the Altadena community throughout the rebuilding process,” Perez said.
She and Allen are collaborating on SB 610, a bill of protections for homeowners, mobile homeowners and tenants.
“The bill requires the state of California to act swiftly to collaborate with banks and mortgage lenders to provide mortgage forbearance programs to impacted homeowners,” Perez said. “Additionally, the bill will clearly spell out the obligations of landlords and mobile home park owners during a state of emergency to clear toxic debris and ash and cap rent increases on mobile home parks for 12 months following a disaster.”
In response to the unique plight of mobile homeowners, Allen is also introducing SB 749, to incentivize the preservation of affordable housing.
“ This current law almost disincentivizes the rebuilding of a home park like this, AND so we are seeking to address this. We want to create a mechanism for the right of first refusal,” Allen said. “If an owner wants to close or change the use of the property. We want to give [homeowners and tenants] the first opportunity to purchase the property.”
Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass with other city officials speaks during a press conference at Will Rogers State Beach marking 100 days since the start of the horrific LA Fires Thursday, Palisades, CA. April 17, 2025. Community leaders and stakeholders to discuss policy proposals introduced to aid our recovery efforts.(Photo by Gene Blevins, Contributing Photographer}
Perez also discussed SB 658, which is focused on community preservation and keeping properties in local hands as both Altadena and the Palisades undergo changes during rebuilding. Government and nonprofit entities can declare their intent to purchase land in the burn zones and property owners can notify the county and nonprofits of their intent to sell.
“The goal here is to keep properties in local hands and groups who are committed to being good stewards of the community and not simply speculators or Wall Street firms looking to cash in on our disaster,” Perez said.
Perez also detailed SB 293, which “would allow LA County homeowners impacted by the wildfires to bring their property records up to date without penalty and reduce the immediate tax burden associated with property value reassessments,” she said. It is aimed at helping homeowners who have had properties in their families for generations and may not have updated property records when older family members passed away or passed a house on to them.
Allen is also working on SB 495, which will “ask your insurer to pay for the full contents coverage that you have been paying for,” without an itemized list being provided.
Mayor Karen Bass focused on the speed of the recovery, but acknowledged that issues remain, such as the continued closure of the Pacific Coast Highway, which negatively affects businesses, particularly those in Malibu and overall increased traffic.
“Recovery is months ahead of expectations. Water and power was restored in two months. The Camp fire, it took 18 months. The first permits were issued in 57 days. At the Camp fire, it took 123 days. Woolsey took 230,” Bass said. We’ve received over 179 applications to build already. We have a one stop rebuilding center where you can go and contact 12 different city agencies, all in the same location.”
On Monday, Bass will deliver a State of the City address, where she is expected to provide more fire recovery updates.
Gov. Gavin Newsom also weighed in on Thursday, echoing local recovery efforts. He highlighted the 500 crews from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers involved in debris cleanup in both burn footprints.
And he noted that 2,300 parcels have been completed and signed off by the county as they move toward permitting for a rebuild.
“Our work is far from over — but 100 days since the fires first broke out in early January, California remains united and together will rebuild, recover and rise,” he said in a statement.
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City News Service contributed to this article.
