The Brief

Months before the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, Calif., destroying more than 9,400 homes and buildings, the community had already been debating a fateful question: are there places too risky for new housing to be built?

Like so many communities, Altadena had grown over decades with little consideration of the risk of wildfires. Houses spread steadily into the foothills, nestled against the dense, flammable brush of the San Gabriel Mountains.

In December, Los Angeles County officials considered a new land use plan, one that would control building decisions for Altadena and the surrounding area for decades to come. The plan sought to balance two major problems. To address a housing shortage, more density would be allowed in the interior of Altadena. To reduce the danger from wildfires, new construction would be restricted in the foothills.

Some of the affected landowners pushed back, saying the plan devalued their property and their rights to use it. Those same tensions about where to build housing are playing out around the country, as hurricanes, floods and wildfires get more extreme as the climate gets hotter.

Building regulation decisions generally fall to local elected officials, who have to balance their constituents' concerns about land use with the reality of a national housing shortage and growing threat of extreme weather. As a result, few communities around the country have adopted strict development limits to reduce the risk of disasters. Now, as it picks up the pieces after the fires, Altadena will follow those new development rules as it rebuilds.

The danger of wildfires was well-known to Los Angeles County. California is one of a handful of states that has mapped where the highest risk areas are.

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"Nobody likes to hear about constraints but at the same time, do we want our neighborhoods to burn down?" says Jennifer Balch, professor of geography at the University of Colorado Boulder. "There are things that we can do and should be doing to mitigate that risk."

Altadena foreshadows a disaster

In the weeks after the Eaton fire, Nic Arnzen was running on little sleep. He was searching for temporary housing after he and his family lost their Altadena home.

"It was completely gone," Arnzen says. "I keep telling people the fridge was gone. I don't understand how a fridge just disappears to dust."

At the same time, Arnzen had the whole community to think of. As vice chair of the Altadena Town Council, he and his colleagues were juggling the logistics of a disaster. Already, many residents were vowing to rebuild.

"The focus needs to be on: what can we plan for now?" Arnzen says. "How can we know the danger we live in now, and try to improve it?"

Altadena had already been trying to plan for wildfires. Los Angeles County officials had been working on the West San Gabriel Valley Area Plan, a plan that would control building decisions through new zoning. (Altadena is an unincorporated area, so planning decisions are made at the county level.)

Boosting housing is one big focus. Los Angeles is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country and as a whole, the county needs to add more than 90,000 housing units, part of a state requirement. The plan rezones land to allow for higher density of buildings and apartments along Altadena's central corridors, where there's already access to transportation and services.

At the same time, properties on the outskirts of Altadena would be zoned for a lower density of housing, particularly areas labeled as "very high" risk of wildfires. That would limit the construction of new homes there, part of a larger county-wide policy to direct development away from places that are likely to burn.

The fires in Los Angeles County could be the most expensive wildfire disaster in history.

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"This is the example of why," Arnzen says, referring to the Eaton Fire. "To make our town safe, we do have to have some supervision. And we hate to dictate to anyone that: no, you can't develop even though you've been waiting forty years to do that."

Plan comes down to a vote

In December, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors heard that exact feedback. A group of residents who own property in the foothills registered their opposition during public comments at a hearing for the development plan.

"For us, the property is more than just land," said Altadena resident Joseph DiMassa. "It's 50+ acres where we imagine buildings, homes for our children, grandchildren, and possibly even future generations. The downzoning of our property from 52 homes to two isn't just a number, it destroys the dreams we hold for our family's future."

Still, many of the public comments were in support.

"The prevailing sentiment in Altadena is one of endorsement," Victoria Knapp, chair of Altadena Town Council, testified at the meeting. "The plan will direct development away from the Altadena foothills and other high fire zones."

When it came time to vote, the county supervisors passed the plan. That means as Altadena rebuilds and potentially expands, zoning restrictions limiting growth in the foothills will be in place.

After the Eaton Fire, Joseph DiMassa's daughter, Cara, says her family's land in the foothills was burned, destroying a summer camp they run there.

"I love Altadena so much," she says. "And all of that really is gone and it's pretty heart-breaking."

Under Los Angeles County's new plan, development would be limited in the foothills of Altadena, where the wildfire risk is highest.

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Her family had opposed the new zoning plan because they felt it drastically limited the housing that could be built on larger properties.

"We really feel like the county did not do a great job at taking a look at some of these really large parcels that are family-owned, that suddenly were becoming completely devalued," she says.

Now, with so much devastation from the Eaton Fire, Cara DiMassa is glad the zoning plan is in place.

"It gives us hope that our hillsides will be hillsides again and I certainly don't want to see huge developments go up," she says.

Tensions of housing needs and wildfire risk

By considering wildfire risk, Los Angeles County's land use planning is ahead of many other Western communities. County supervisors are also considering a new ordinance that would put even more restrictions on construction in risky areas. The county knows which areas to target because the state has mapped wildfire hazard zones. Other states lack those maps or are in the process of developing them, like Oregon.

Across the country, new construction is expanding into areas that are prone to burning, known as the wildland-urban interface. Around 32 million homes were built there between 1992 and 2015, according to one study.

"We're building into flammable landscapes and just ignoring the fact that we're building into flammable vegetation," Balch says. "And we are increasingly doing that, and it's not changing anytime soon."

Wildfires are also spreading more explosively, driven in part by climate change. A hotter, drier atmosphere pulls the moisture out of vegetation, making it more flammable. Balch and her colleagues found that between 2001 and 2020, there was a 400% increase in how fast fires grew in California.

"Fires are getting harder to fight," Balch says. "So we cannot expect to live in flammable landscapes, and firefighters are going to just come along and put out the ignitions in our homes. This is something we need to address well before the fire actually ignites."

Many communities around the country struggle with balancing the need for new housing with the growing risk from more extreme weather.

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Still, many communities are in desperate need of new housing and elected officials may not want to appear anti-growth. New housing also means an increase in local property taxes, a key source of funding.

"Zoning laws and development regulations really do happen at local levels and so part of the challenge is: what are the incentive structures?" Balch says.

California legislators have attempted to address how communities build in wildfire-prone areas at a statewide level. In 2020, a bill was introduced to put new restrictions on developments in risky areas, requiring them to have adequate evacuation routes and to fund programs to clear flammable vegetation. It was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom, who cited the state's housing needs. Several similar bills have been introduced since then, but also failed.

"The biggest opponents were the builders and realtors," says Hannah-Beth Jackson, a former California state senator who authored the vetoed bill. "People wanted to just keep building and building. The bottom line is the climate is changing."

When communities build in wildfire-prone areas, there are also few rules about using fire-resistant materials in most states. Studies show that following wildfire building codes can improve the chances a home will survive a wildfire. California has passed those codes, which means many homeowners rebuilding in Los Angeles will have to meet them. But the majority of other states have not.

While the conversation to build or not build can be tense, Altadena's Nic Arnzen says, in light of the devastation his community is recovering from, it's worth having that conversation, no matter the pushback.

"To tell people no is a difficult thing to do because you care about them and they're your constituents," Arnzen says. "But you have to buffer their anger with your knowledge. And sometimes you have to, as I've done as a parent, you just have to say no and take the beating."
Copyright 2025 NPR

Protesters are planning to gather in Downtown Los Angeles Saturday afternoon in reaction to the overnight airstrikes launched by the United States and Israel across Iran.

A coalition of organizations including the National Iranian American Council, the ANSWER coalition, and 50501 are holding an “emergency day of action” nationwide to protest the attacks and in opposition of a war with the country.

Locally, the demonstration is scheduled outside City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles beginning at 2 p.m.

LAPD to step up patrol

The office of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that the city is closely monitoring for "any threats" to the city and urges Angelenos to voice their views in a "peaceful" way.

“While there are no known credible threats at this time, LAPD has stepped up patrols near places of worship, community spaces, and other areas of the city, and we will remain vigilant in protecting our city," the statement reads.

What local lawmakers saying

A number of state and local lawmakers are weighing in on the attacks.

• Rep. Judy Chu

“President Trump has launched an unlawful war with Iran despite no imminent threat to the United States, no long-term strategy, no support from the American public, and no authorization from Congress.”

Chu is a Democrat who represents California's 28th Congressional district, which includes parts of the San Gabriel Valley.

• Rep. Young Kim

“President Trump took decisive action in response to refusal by the Iranian regime to take diplomatic off-ramps, dismantle its nuclear program, & end its reign of terror against the United States & our allies. I stand with the Iranian people who have made their desperation & courageous struggle for freedom clear. I hope for a swift & decisive operation that will pave the way for a more peaceful Middle East & a safer world. My prayers are with our brave US service members risking their lives to protect our nation. I look forward to Congress being briefed on Operation Epic Fury.”

Kim is a Republican who represents California's 40th District, which includes parts of Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

• Sen. Alex Padilla

“At a time when millions of hardworking families face higher costs of living and skyrocketing health care to pay for tax breaks for billionaires, Donald Trump is now pushing the country toward a war that risks American lives without presenting a clear justification to the American people or any plan to prevent escalation and chaos in the region.”

Padilla is a Democrat who has represented California in the U.S. Senate since 2021.

• Sen. Adam Schiff

“Trump is drawing our country into yet another foreign war that Americans don’t want and Congress has not authorized. The Iranian regime is a brutal and murderous dictatorship. But that does not give Trump the authority to unilaterally initiate a war of choice. Congress should immediately return to vote on the Kaine Paul Schiff Schumer War Powers Resolution.”

Schiff is a Democrat who has represented California in the U.S. Senate since 2024.

• Rep. Jimmy Gomez

“By launching this operation on his own, the president has put Congress and the country in the worst possible position. He started a war first, and now Congress is being asked to deal with the consequences instead of deciding whether the war should begin at all.”

Gomez is a Democrat who represents California's 34th Congressional district which includes downtown L.S. and many neighborhoods in the central part of the city.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday after weeks of threats from President Donald Trump over Iran's nuclear capabilities

Here's what you need to know about the US and Israeli attacks on Iran:

Israel and the US launched military strikes against Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the goal of the joint US-Israeli strikes is to quote "remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran."

Netanyahu said in a video: "Our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands."

A person briefed on the operation told NPR it was expected to last a few days, with Israel's military focusing on targeting Iran's missile program.

Trump announced what he called 'major combat operations'

President Trump announced what he called "major combat operations" that are "massive and ongoing" in Iran in a video posted to Truth Social at 2:30 a.m. Eastern. He said the objective was to "defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats" from Iran.

Attacks came after a week of US-Iran negotiations over the country's nuclear program

A third round of indirect negotiations between Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner failed to produce a diplomatic solution Thursday.

The Israel strikes targeted Khamenei and the Iranian president

The Israel strikes targeted Khamenei and the Iranian president, trying to assassinate them, a person briefed on the operation told NPR's Daniel Estrin. A person briefed on the matter told NPR that Israeli assessments are that Khamenei was hit.

Iran's news agency IRNA says the US-Israeli strikes hit a girls school, killing at least 53 young female students and wounding dozens more.

Trump encourages overthrow

Trump encouraged innocent Iranians to "take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations" once what the Pentagon is calling "Operation Epic Fury" is over.

He previously said he was concerned about the Iranian regime's killing of protesters and has previously cited that as potential justification for US strikes.

Iran's response

Iran's foreign ministry has called the airstrikes by the U.S and Israel a "gross violation" of its national sovereignty and vowed to respond decisively.

The UAE's Defense Ministry says Iranian ballistic missiles targeted the country, which hosts U.S. troops at several locations in the country

Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan have all been targeted by Iran. All of them have US troops present.

US Navy's Fifth Fleet service center in Manama, Bahrain, was hit according to the government there. The other countries say the missiles were intercepted. The UAE says debris from a missile interception killed an Asian migrant worker. Loud booms have been heard over Dubai according to our correspondent there.

Copyright 2026 NPR

For decades, the Miller sign greeted drivers on the 210 freeway passing through Irwindale.

But, a year ago, during January’s wind storms, the crimson red and white “Miller” logo was damaged.

Then in December, a new sign — "City Brewing & Beverage” — went up, leading many commuters to wonder what happened.

To answer that question, let's go back to Irwindale's history.

An aerial view of the wind-damaged "Miller" sign at the Irwindale brewery in September 2025.

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More than a brewery

Irwindale was once best known for its mining quarries, which were older than the city itself and were integral to the construction of L.A’.s freeway system.

Most of the quarries ceased operations in the 1970s, and with them, so went much of Irwindale’s industry.

Around that same time, the site of the old Irwindale Raceway, which used to be one of the few racetracks in the San Gabriel Valley, went up for sale.

And here came Miller beer.

“So Miller, according to legend, bought the property for a dollar and then they built the brewery,” said Anita Hernandez, communications manager for City Brewing who used to work for Miller.

As it turns out, the $1 land acquisition isn’t just a legend.

“No, that's actually true," said Iris Espino, assistant to Irwindale’s city manager. "So while it was just a dollar, the city thought it would build wealth over the next 30, 40, 50 years. And essentially, it did."

The Irwindale brewery under construction.

The Irwindale brewery under construction.

The Irwindale brewery at the beginning of construction in 1977.

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The Irwindale brewery in the middle of construction in 1978.

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The Irwindale brewery under construction.

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Miller purchased the lot in 1977. The deal included 230 acres of land to build the brewery, which opened in 1980.

Three years later, the sign overlooking the 210 went up. The 48-by-34-foot structure rolled into Irwindale on three separate rail cars.

It rotated until the late 1990s, but faulty gears led the company to make it stationary. It's been facing both sides of the 210 Freeway ever since.

A sign of identity

Ownership of the brewery — which locals just called Irwindale brewery for convenience — changed hands over the years.

In 2021, City Brewing & Beverage moved in.

They decided to keep the “Miller” sign for all that it had brought to Irwindale.

“Over the last few decades, we have seen the jobs, the infrastructure and this economic identity that Irwindale is now this large industrial hub. And it started with Miller Brewery,” Espino said.

Other big manufacturers came in following Miller. Q & B Foods, which distributes Kewpie mayo in the U.S., moved there in 1986. Huy Fong Foods, the maker of
sriracha, broke ground on a new factory in 2010.

Ready Pac Foods moved there in 1993 and has become one of Irwindale's largest employers.

But Miller started it all.

“The sign, definitely iconic to residents, to just people that drive that 210 freeway every single day,” Espino said. “And we hear it. I can't tell you the amount of times we hear about that sign.”

The old "Miller" sign along the 210 Freeway.

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For people in Irwindale, it’s still a point of pride to have worked at the business that started the economic boom.

Ben Maillete is plant manager for City Brewing. He started working at the brewery in 2014, back when it was owned by Miller. He said there was one easy way to explain to people where he was employed.

“I was like, ‘Well, you know that sign on the highway?’ " he said.

Three construction workers inside the Irwindale brewery sign work on replacing the old "Miller" sign with the new "City Brewing & Beverage Irwindale" sign, December 2025.

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A sign for a new era

Employees at the Irwindale brewery debated on whether to restore the sign or make a brand new one when it was damaged during last year’s January wind and fire storms.

A third of the City Brewery's current employees worked for Miller and felt a connection to the original sign, so the company decided update the sign but keep the iconic structure and shape as a tribute.

The new Irwindale brewery sign near the 210 Freeway January 2026.

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“I don't think anybody knew that City Brewery and Beverage was operating here, and now they do,” Maillete said.

He said it’s their way of giving a nod to the past while also looking toward the future.

News came this week that a buyer is in sight for the so-called "graffiti towers" in downtown L.A. — known in its better days as Oceanwide Plaza before falling on hard times to become, to its critics, a landmark of shame.

The purchase, priced at $470 million, is subject to final court approval that could happen in a couple of months.

Construction of the $1 billion luxury high-rise residential and hotel project began in 2015 with the aim to transform downtown Los Angeles. Four years later, the three towers sat skeletal after their Chinese developer ran out of money to finish the job. The buildings gained worldwide notoriety in 2024 when a video of its thoroughly tagged up exteriors, sprouting hundreds of feet above ground, went viral.

For the would-be joint owners — KPC Group and Lendlease — one of the first orders of business will be to strip away all the graffiti.

A view of the so-called Graffiti Towers, where graffiti writers tagged 40 floors of an unfinished luxury skyscraper development on March 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California

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So how would it be done?

Dustin Coad is the owner of Kaptive Construction and Preservation, a firm that mainly specializes in restoring the facades of historic buildings.

"So tile, brick stone, marble, terracotta, concrete, and then also any type of historic windows," Coad said.

Kaptive, which has been in the business for more than three decades, has done graffiti removal work on a number of architectural gems, including the Merritt building on Broadway in downtown L.A.

With Oceanwide Plaza, as with any other structures, graffiti removal methods depend on the building materials.

If the frames of the towers were made with poured concrete, Coad said you could apply a chemical stripping agent on the surface and leave it soaking overnight.

"And then you kind of peel them off," he said. " And that's hopeful."

Another option is to blast the paint off with tiny little beads of glass.

 "[They] are pressurized and hit the building and kind of explode and would pull the paint off without damaging the concrete or the substrate," Coad said.

That's the method Kaptive used to remove decades-old graffiti from the marble facade of the Merritt building — a more damage-prone material than concrete.

"We deal with concrete all the time — but old concrete — newer concrete is more solid and should be easy to remove," he said.

The so-called Graffiti Towers in 2024.

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The tough part

While the exterior — if it is indeed poured concrete — is a relatively straightforward job, the windows are not.

"The vast majority of the graffiti is on the windows," he said. "I have no idea what films or elements or whatever [else] may be on that glass. The chemical agent may work poorly with whatever is applied to that glass."

So the first thing Coad would do is to call up the manufacturer for recommendations, and then test things out.

"Option 1 is to remove it. Option 2 is to replace everything," Coad said. "And Option 1 will be significantly cheaper, but it will not be cheap."

Above all, safety first

The so-called Graffiti Towers behind Crypto.com Arena in 2024.

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Another major consideration is safety. After all, each of the towers is more than 500 feet tall, with graffiti on multiple floors.

"Number one is looking at it from how would we access all of the panes of glass from the exterior of the buildings," he said, adding that he would work with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from the get-go to put in place the safest possible work environment for his crew.

"Everybody will be harnessed in. There'll be the main line, there'll be a safety line, and I think we would want to erect some sort of netting or railing," he said.  "I want to make sure if they slip that nothing's going to happen to them other than maybe a bruise."

Time line and price tag

Coad said it's going to require spending time out at the towers, followed by mockups and sample strip tests to arrive at an accurate quote and timeframe for the project. Ballpark-wise, " hundreds upon hundreds of hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not in the million range."

One thing he is certain about.

" It's not gonna be cheap," he said. "It will take a very long time."