A townhome complex in the Pacific Palisades destroyed by the January wildfires. The asking price for one listed townhome property: $750,000.
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Matt Levin
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Marketplace
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The first publicly listed and closed property in the Palisades sold for $1.2 million. If you’re wondering how in the world a lot with 9,900 square feet of rubble fetches over a million dollars? It’s the Palisades.
Figuring out a property's value: Before the fires, Richard Schulman, a real estate agent, estimates the property could have sold for upwards of $2.5 million. He listed the property for $999,000, based off a rough calculation of the value of the underlying land. “This hasn’t been done before here, so we’re trying to guess along the way and try to get the best answer,” said Schulman, who has worked in West Los Angeles real estate for 21 years.
The winning bidder: The property was purchased byan L.A. based investor. The plan is to build a new house that the investor can either sell or eventually move into, although it may be a while before construction starts.
Read on ... to learn why the seller sold and how the transaction happened.
There’s not much left of 17126 Avenida de la Herradurain the Pacific Palisades' Highlands neighborhood. A charred file cabinet a few feet from where the front door probably was. Some blackened cans of paint strewn about what was likely the front yard. Five neighboring homes on the cul-de-sac look similarly obliterated.
But at the end of the street, there’s still an ocean view.
"This is the first publicly listed and closed property in the Palisades," said Richard Schulman, standing outside what used to be a 2,500 square foot ranch house. "This closed for $1.2 million."
Schulman listed the property Jan. 15, barely a week after the fires started. The sale closed in late February.
If you’re wondering how in the world a lot with 9,900 square feet of rubble fetches over a million dollars? It's the Palisades.
"This is one of the most beautiful places to live in the world," said Schulman. "You're in a totally secluded part of L.A., but you're still in the city."
Before the fires, Schulman estimates the property could have sold for upwards of $2.5 million. He listed the property for $999,000, based off a rough calculation of the value of the underlying land. But it’s not like there were other burned down comps he could find on Zillow.
"This hasn't been done before here, so we're trying to guess along the way and try to get the best answer," said Schulman, who has worked in West Los Angeles real estate for 21 years. While he's completed difficult sales before, including fire-damaged properties, he had never been involved in selling a property quite like this.
Schulman settled on a price he thought would drum up interest. But he wasn’t sure exactly how much demand there would actually be.
Terri Bromberg, the seller, also had her doubts.
"I couldn't imagine anybody wanting to buy a completely destroyed, burned up property," Bromberg said.
Bromberg, 69, is an artist and associate professor at Santa Monica College. She lived at the Herradura property for 20 years, the last few with her daughter Rosie Galanis and son-in-law Kenneth.
While Bromberg was at work when the fires came, Rosie and Kenneth had to wait hours to make their escape. Abandoned cars were blocking the only exit route.
At first, Bromberg wanted to rebuild. When she told her daughter she was looking into contractors, Rosie started crying.
"When she brought that up I just broke down, and I was like, 'We go back and rebuild for what? For this to happen again?'" said Galanis.
That $999,000 listing price meant Bromberg would likely be selling the home for less than the $1.5 million she and her late husband paid for it 20 years ago. Even with insurance, Bromberg would be taking a financial hit.
But she had made her mind up that she was going to relocate. Within a week, she had made a successful bid on a new home in Santa Monica. Selling the Palisades property for whatever it was worth would hopefully help restore some of the savings she had to deplete for the new house.
"Our decision was mostly an emotional one," said Bromberg. "We don’t want to live back there again, we want to relocate."
Realtor Richard Schulman posted 17126 Herradura on the MLS with pictures of the house before the fires. He knew the pool of buyers would be mostly wealthy developers and investors offering all cash, but didn't know how deep the pool would be.
"We had over 60 inquiries," said Schulman. "We had a stack of offers. I think we had six offers over the list price."
Because access to the Palisades was restricted, all of those offers came without buyers seeing the actual property.
Joe Solamany is the agent who represented the winning bidder, an L.A.-based investor who declined to be interviewed.
"We did a lot with Google Street view, we did a lot of other stuff," said Solamany.
There's no house on the lot that sold and no neighborhood to speak of around it. But the ocean views and the hope that Palisades will return attracted multiple offers.
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Ted Soqui
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CalMatters
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Solomany's client was able to see the property during a 15-day escrow. The plan is to build a new house that the investor can either sell or eventually move into, although it may be a while before construction starts.
Investors like the one Solamany represents are betting that in five to seven years, demand to live in the Palisades will be stronger than before the fires. Theybelieve new fire-hardened homes and infrastructure will convince potential buyers it’s less risky now.
"Because this risk was there before and if you even go back to other places, that in the past, they had fire or what have you, after a while, people start going back," said Solamany.
As a condition of the sale, Solamany's client has accepted responsibility for debris removal from the property. The seller Bromberg will also have a few weeks after the closing date to recover any personal items from the property that may still be there, although her visits so far haven't yielded much.
Schulman already has three other Palisades listings, including a townhome that was part of a larger complex completely destroyed by the fires. It looks like a bomb got dropped on the property.
The asking price: $750,000.
"It's a dream of what this will be in the future," said Schulman. "What you're buying is the view of this hillside here and the trees here, and how this is going to look when it's done."
Schulman said he’s already got plenty of interested buyers eager to get into the Palisades for less than a million.
Elly Yu
reports on early childhood. From housing to health, she covers issues facing the youngest Angelenos and their families.
Published January 26, 2026 5:00 AM
At least 280 childcare facilities were destroyed or damaged in the Palisades and Eaton fires.
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Libby Rainey
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LAist
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Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing $11. 5 million in next year’s budget to help rebuild child care centers affected by the fires last January.
The backstory: At least 40 childcare facilities were destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires, and more than 200 were damaged. Providers have struggled to reopen, even a year later, especially those who ran their businesses out of their homes that then burned down. They have called on the state for assistance. Some providers did receive payments from the state for 30 days after the L.A. fires, after which point the governor’s office directed them to an unemployment phone line.
“We fought hard to win this funding and will continue to advocate for policies and funding that ensure the state is better prepared to support providers and families in the immediate aftermath of future disasters,” said Claudia Alvarado, a child care provider with the union Child Care Providers United.
What’s next: Lawmakers have until June 15 to agree on and pass the state’s budget.
This week, check out Cat Video Fest, Grammy Week, a Bridgerton ice cream social, Katherine Ryan at the Wilshire Ebell and more.
Highlights:
The L.A. Central Library is turning 100 this year, with a number of events celebrating 100 years of learning. The kickoff includes the unveiling of a time capsule that was placed in the building’s cornerstone during its original construction in 1926.
Part Dear Abby, part Joan Rivers, Katherine Ryan is touring with her new special, Battleaxe.
Storied L.A. cocktail bar The Varnish closed in 2024, but you can step back behind the bar with one of its legendary mixologists, Sari Asher. This class will teach you the secrets behind three classics and provide a chance to relive the Varnish magic.
From the Upper Valley in the Foothills at Marta in Los Feliz centers on wood. The exhibit is sponsored by Angel City Lumber, a “unique lumber mill that specializes in sourcing downed trees from around L.A. County for use in community projects,” and each artist chose a section of wood that was cleared from Altadena. The invitation called upon artists to “examine the regenerative potential of a single, fundamental material” and includes works from furniture to sculpture and more.
While the rest of the country battles a real season with snow and freezing temps, we are deep into awards season, with Oscar noms already out and the Grammys coming up next weekend.
Since it’s Grammy Week, I’ll let our Licorice Pizza expert Lyndsey Parker give the lowdown for all the best music events:
Pull all the strings you can to get into the VIP parties and events around town, but there’s plenty of great tunes even for those without red carpet status. On Monday, everyone’s favorite indie-rock comic Fred Armisen is back at Largo, while Texas rockers Nothing More will take over the Belasco on Tuesday. On Wednesday, singer-songwriters Madison Cunningham and Mike Viola play the Bellwether, folk buzz band Lavender Diamond is at 2220 Arts + Archives and bluegrass star Molly Tuttle is at the Grammy Museum. On Thursday, Cannons play the Fonda, Lindsey Troy of Deap Vally is at Bardot for “It’s A School Night,” Inara George is at Zebulon, Grace Bowers plays the Troubadour, Robert Glasper plays the Blue Note and perhaps most exciting of all, Lizzie McGuire herself, Hilary Duff, makes her comeback at the Wiltern.
Thursday, January 29, 11 a.m. Mark Taper Auditorium L.A. Central Library 650 W. 5th Street, Downtown L.A. COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Downtown L.A.'s Central Library.
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Wikimedia Commons
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The L.A. Central Library is a gem in our fair city — it hosts incredible author events and artists residencies; has a dedicated teen area and a museum; and is an architectural icon. There’s an entire prize-winning book about the 1986 fire that ripped through it (one of my favorite books ever, highly recommend). And the library is turning 100 this year, with a number of events celebrating 100 years of learning. The kickoff includes the unveiling of a time capsule that was placed in the building’s cornerstone during its original construction in 1926.
Bridgerton Ice Cream Social
Thursday, January 29, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams 1954 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Dearest Reader, Cool down from the steamy launch of Bridgerton season 4 with a cool Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams social. The afternoon includes a performance from Vitamin String Quartet (who do those cool orchestral covers of pop songs in the show) and free scoops of the new Queen Charlotte Sponge Cake flavor.
Remember the Varnish: Cocktail intensive
Monday, January 26, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. TalkTales Entertainment 555 N. Spring Street, Suite 106, Downtown L.A. COST: $85; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Talk Tales
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Storied L.A. cocktail bar The Varnish closed in 2024 (and if you, like me, frequented it in its mid-aughts heyday, it might be time for your first colonoscopy), but you can step back behind the bar with one of its legendary mixologists, Sari Grossman, who created balanced concoctions there for eight years. This class will teach you the secrets behind three classics and provide a chance to relive the Varnish magic.
From the Upper Valley in the Foothills
Through January 31 (open Wednesday to Saturday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.) Marta 3021 Rowena Ave., Los Feliz COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Ryan Belli
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Marta
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The concept for this group show in Los Feliz centers on an element that came into singular focus following last year’s devastating Palisades and Eaton fires: wood. The exhibit is sponsored by Angel City Lumber, a “unique lumber mill that specializes in sourcing downed trees from around L.A. County for use in community projects,” and each artist chose a section of wood that was cleared from Altadena. The invitation called upon artists to “examine the regenerative potential of a single, fundamental material” and includes works from furniture to sculpture and more.
Katherine Ryan: Battleaxe
Thursday, January 29, 7 p.m. Wilshire Ebell Theatre 4401 W. 8th Street, Mid-Wilshire COST: FROM $30; MORE INFO
Full disclosure, if there’s one podcast I keep up with, it’s Katherine Ryan’s Telling Everybody Everything. Part Dear Abby, part Joan Rivers, Ryan is relatable even when she’s not. Always a little too honest, she spills about raising a family, the ups and downs of a comedy career and all the guilty pleasure celeb news you’re afraid to admit you read. The Canadian comic has been living in the UK since she was in her 20s and has a unique take on England that’s more Real Housewives than Bill Bryson. She’s touring with her new special, Battleaxe.
Transgresoras: Artists Giana De Dier and Marilyn Boror Bor with Elena Shtromberg Tuesday, January 27, 1 p.m. California Museum of Photography, UC Riverside 3824 Main Street, Riverside COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Latina women artists used the postal service starting in the 1960s to circulate their artworks and avoid censorship. Now, that work is being shown to the public in a new exhibit at UC Riverside’s California Museum of Photography. On Tuesday, there’s a free online talk with artists Giana De Dier and Marilyn Boror Bor, both featured in the exhibition, moderated by the exhibition’s co-curator Elena Shtromberg. The discussion will explore “both artists’ interventions in narratives around public space in Panama and Guatemala within the context of their broader artistic practice.” You can stream the talk for free; it will take place in Spanish with live audio translation. The show is on at the museum until February 15.
NHM Movie Night: Cat Video Fest Thursday, January 29, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Natural History Museum’s NHM Commons Theater 900 Exposition Blvd., Expo Park COST: $20; MORE INFO
Regular readers of this column know I can’t pass up a good cat event, and this one at the Natural History Museum might be the, um, lion of them all. The CatVideo Fest features 75 minutes of curated cat videos, plus the entire evening is cat-centric, with an opportunity to walk through the lauded Fierce Cats exhibit, check out local cat-friendly vendors and meet with museum educators.
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Demonstrators gather in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota.
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Jordan Rynnin
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LAist
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Topline:
Demonstrations are planned by several different local groups in SoCal today over the fatal shooting of a man by federal agents in Minnesota on Saturday morning
Read on to learn more.
Several local groups in SoCal have planned demonstrations today over the fatal shooting of a man by federal agents in Minnesota on Saturday morning.
A Kaiser Permanente employee works on a computer at Kaiser Permanente Medical Office in Manhattan Beach, California.
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Etienne Laurent
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
Some 31,000 nurses and healthcare workers employed by Kaiser Permanente will begin an open-ended strike in California and Hawaii on Monday.
Why it matters: California has the largest share of picketing Kaiser workers, with about 28,000 employees.
Why now: The health system and the union representing Kaiser workers — United Nurses Associations of California & the Union of Health Care Professionals — have been negotiating for a new labor contract for months.
Some 31,000 nurses, pharmacists and healthcare workers employed by Kaiser Permanente will begin an open-ended strike tomorrow in California and Hawaii, with 28,000 of those workers in California alone.
The health system and the union representing Kaiser workers — United Nurses Associations of California & the Union of Health Care Professionals — have been negotiating for a new labor contract for months. Core bargaining issues include wages for nurses, understaffing and retirement benefits.
"Staffing's been a big problem, wages, working conditions ... and that's just to name a few," said Peter Sidhu, Executive Vice President of UNAC/UCHP. "We will have the largest open-ended healthcare strike in U.S. history."
Picketing is slated to begin at 12 local Kaiser medical facilities in the following communities: Anaheim, Baldwin Park, Downey, Fontana, Irvine, Los Angeles, Ontario, Riverside, Harbor City, Panorama City, West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills.
Kaiser said in a statement that their hospitals and medical offices will stay open during the strikes, but some pharmacies will close.
