Topline:
Rebuilding after January’s fires is underway for some people. But others are facing what may be insurmountable financial obstacles.
Why it matters: The lack of direct, long-term financial aid for rebuilding is one of the biggest issues facing fire survivors who are underinsured or not insured at all.
Read on ... to meet an Altadena man who is fiercely determined to rebuild despite a wide financial gap.
Alphonso Browne pulls open the gate to his property, revealing a wide dirt lot, the concrete foundation of his former home and a pile of bricks that once framed his wraparound porch.
At the back of the lot, where there used to be a garage, two burnt-out classic cars remain — a 1947 Dodge pickup and a 1964 Volvo sedan. The Volvo was Browne’s favorite from his once-expansive antique collection.
At the front of the lot, there’s a new trailer Browne and his wife bought with the help of FEMA funding.
“We have this for a backup, just in case the temporary housing runs out,” Browne says.
The Brownes have lived in Altadena, just west of Lake Avenue, for more than 30 years. They raised four children in their 1912 Craftsman.
The only negative of the house, Browne recalls, was its lack of insulation.
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t change the house for nothing, except now Mr. Eaton makes us change it,” he says with a smile and soft laugh.
Browne, a retired bus driver, and his wife, Celestine, a former mail carrier, have been moving from place to place since losing their home: the Pasadena Convention Center for a month, various hotels and finally a small senior housing apartment in Pasadena, which they are paying for with FEMA funding.
They’re about to apply to renew their application for that temporary housing, which lasts up to 18 months.
“If they approve it, then great. If they don't, then, you know, we have to depend on another organization,” Browne says.
Or they’ll move into the trailer.
The Brownes live on a fixed income. They want to rebuild, but there’s a major obstacle: They were dropped by their homeowners insurance a month before the fire.
Browne points to the stump of what was once a large oak tree shading the home.
“They determined that the branch was hanging over the roof,” Browne says of his insurance company, Liberty Mutual. “I had some Christmas garlands on the side, hanging over the roof of the patio.”
And he had 10 vehicles, mostly classic cars, in the back. All reasons he was given by his insurer for dropping him.
A spokesperson said Liberty Mutual can’t comment on specific cases.
“Each risk is considered on its own merits,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “It’s important to fully consider the condition of a property, which could include roof health, overhanging trees and excessive growth and debris that presents potential loss.”
Neighborhood Housing Services of L.A. County:
The Brownes do have $400,000 from their mortgage lender’s insurance, but that’s far from the amount they need to rebuild. Browne says most of the estimates he’s received from contractors to rebuild what he had come in at over $1 million.
“That's why I'm telling these people, please quit using the word that you’re here to help me when you’re only here to help yourself,” Browne says.
The couple has been cobbling together what they need through GoFundMe, as well as county, state and philanthropic funds. They’ve gotten $18,000 here, $10,000 there, though most grants offer just a few thousand dollars at most.
“We’re just saving it to go toward the rebuild,” Browne says. “We’re not just going along, spending, buying cars. This is our focus.
“Whether it takes one year or 10 years, we are going to rebuild.”
The lack of direct, long-term financial aid for rebuilding is one of the biggest issues facing fire survivors who are underinsured or not insured at all, several experts told LAist.
“Homeowners need more direct support and clarity,” says Gabriella Carmona, a senior research analyst at UCLA’s Latino Policy and Politics Institute, who cowrote a new analysis about the issues facing fire survivors.
That report found that a small percentage of survivors have sold their properties, and roughly 70% have yet to take any steps to rebuild.
Black homeowners, who were disproportionately affected by the Eaton Fire, were more likely to be stalled in their progress nine months on.
Another recent report, by the nonprofit Department of Angels, found most survivors are being forced to dig into their savings and take on debt.
“This slow pace could be shaping who eventually comes back and what Altadena ends up looking like a couple years from now,” Carmona says.
How could recovery be improved? Carmona suggests expedited insurance payouts, more technical assistance and financial counseling for survivors, more bridge funding for the long-term recovery and better transparency and data about who has and hasn’t received resources.
For the Brownes, even with the help of a case manager from Community Organized Relief Effort, funding that moves the needle on rebuilding is almost impossible to come by.
“Why is it more than half of Altadena residents are still in the same square that we was on Jan. 8?” Browne asks.
For example, philanthropic funds have been allocated to a variety of nonprofits, all focused on different aspects of recovery and all with their own vetting and application requirements to disperse the funds. It’s hard to find the grants, and if survivors do, some, like Browne, get baffling rejections.
Another major snag? Congress has yet to appropriate federal funds to assist survivors with long-term recovery.
In late February, Gov. Gavin Newsom requested nearly $40 billion in federal aid. Congress has yet to act, and the government shutdown has stalled any further discussion.
Lori Gay, president of Neighborhood Housing Services of L.A. County, which is working with more than 1,000 fire survivors, says her group is seeing an unprecedented number of under- and uninsured households. The lack of federal funding is only adding to the strain.
“There's not some big check coming, so then what?” Gay says. “Most of the gaps we're seeing are up to $250,000 that people are short in being able to rebuild. So who pays for that? Nobody planned to burn homes. This is something that happened to families.”
One federal program that can be instrumental in filling such gaps is the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery. The funds are significant — households in the town of Paradise, which was razed in the 2018 Camp Fire, received funding up to $500,000, more in some cases, to assist with their rebuilds.
But that funding didn’t get to Paradise until more than two years after the Camp Fire.
“If that's kind of normal programming, will people make it that long if they're trying to hold out?” Gay asks about survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires. “What happens if it doesn’t show up at all?”
The uncertainty about federal grants worries Robin Hughes, an Eaton Fire survivor and board member of the Altadena Builds Back Foundation. “I fear we will not be able to rebuild Altadena without these federal resources,” Hughes says.
The Altadena Builds Back Foundation is working to fill the gap of long-term rebuilding needs by launching a program with San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity to rebuild homes of multigenerational families and seniors on fixed incomes.
The slow pace and limited funds available for such programs could force people to take on debt, Hughes and Gay worry.
Or make a tough decision to sell and relocate.
Or people may take early payouts through Southern California Edison’s Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program.
That may end up being the case for Browne, who is seriously considering dropping his lawsuit against Edison and joining the utility’s payout program, if the details make sense to him when they’re released.
“I don't want to be rich,” Browne says. “I just want the house back.”
Topline:
Less than 24 hours before season opener, longtime Dodgers fans demand the team divest from immigration detention centers and decline the White House visit.
More details: More than 30 people joined Richard Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. “We are demanding that the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together we have the power to make a change.”
The backstory: The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.
Read on ... for more on how some fans are feeling leading up to Opening Day.
This story first appeared on The LA Local.
Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium.
“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.
Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.
More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team.
“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”
Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”
Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.
In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers.
“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.
The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants.
In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.
The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.
When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a “slap in the face.”
“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”
According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.
“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”
The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place.
Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.
“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Topline:
The warmer weather and high water flow are causing an early outbreak of black flies in the San Gabriel Valley, according to officials.
What are black flies? Black flies are tiny, pesky insects that often get mistaken for mosquitoes. The biting flies breed near foothill communities like Altadena, Azusa, San Dimas and Glendora. They also thrive near flowing water.
What you need to know: Black flies fly in large numbers and long distances. When they bite both humans and pets, they aim around the eyes and the neck. While the bites can be painful, they don’t transmit diseases in L.A. County.
A population spike: Anais Medina Diaz, director of communications at the SGV Mosquito and Vector Control District, told LAist that at this time last year, surveillance traps had single-digit counts of adult black flies, but this year those traps are collecting counts above 500.
So, why is the population growing? Diaz said the surge is unusual for this time of year.
“We are experiencing them now because of the warmer temperatures we've been having,” Diaz said. “And of course, all the water that's going down through the river, we have a high flow of water that is not typical for this time of year.”
What officials are doing: Officials say teams are identifying and treating public sources where black flies can thrive, but that many of these sites are influenced by natural or infrastructure conditions outside their control.
How to protect yourself: Black flies can be hard to avoid outside in dense vegetation, but you can reduce the chance of a bite by:
SGV Mosquito and Vector Control District
Submit a tip here
You can also send a tip to district@sgvmosquito.org
(626) 814-9466
Greater Los Angeles Vector Control District
Submit a service request here
You can also send a service request to info@GLAmosquito.org
(562) 944-9656
Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control
Submit a report here
You can also send a report to ocvcd@ocvector.org
(714) 971-2421 or (949) 654-2421
Local favorite mom and pop shop READ Books in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say they’re just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.
What happened? The building where Kaplan and his wife Debbie rent was recently sold and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.
What's next? While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.
Read on... for what small businesses can do.
A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.
Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.
Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.
“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.
But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.
Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.
California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.
Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.
Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.
Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.
“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.
She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.
“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.
Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.
After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.
While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.
Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.
Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.
By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.
When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.
“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.
“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”
Topline:
The Los Angeles City Council approved a plan in a 13-1 vote on Tuesday to send ballots to more than half a million property owners asking if they are willing to pay more per year to fortify the city’s streetlight repair budget, most of which has essentially been frozen since the 1990s. The item still requires L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ signature, but her office confirmed to LAist on Wednesday that she’ll approve it.
Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.
Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.
Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote on Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.
Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.
How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.
Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired.The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.
Topline:
The Los Angeles City Council approved a plan in a 13-1 vote Tuesday to send ballots to more than a half-million property owners asking if they are willing to pay more per year to fortify the city’s streetlight repair budget, most of which essentially has been frozen since the 1990s. The item still requires L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ signature, but her office confirmed to LAist on Wednesday that she’ll approve it.
Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.
Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.
Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.
Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.
How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.
Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.
