David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published January 11, 2025 6:59 PM
A screenshot of a Zillow listing for a Bel Air rental the morning of Jan. 11, 2025. The listing was later taken down. (This screenshot was captured from this link: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1324-Casiano-Rd-Los-Angeles-CA-90049/20528894_zpid/)
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Courtesy Zillow.com
)
Topline:
Rental housing prices in L.A. are spiking as historic fires burn in Southern California, forcing thousands of residents who’ve lost homes to scramble to find a new place to live.
What CA law says: California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued warnings earlier this week about the state’s ban on price gouging in the wake of disasters. He said the rules banning price increases of more than 10% apply to housing as well as other essential goods like food, transportation and medical supplies. Bonta said residents should report suspected price gouging through his office’s website.
What we’re seeing: LAist spotted one Zillow listing for a furnished home in Bel Air that was posted Saturday morning at $29,500 per month. That’s a nearly 86% price jump from September 2024, when the listing’s price history shows it listed at $15,900 per month. LAist reached out to Compass’ media relations team about the listing in Bel Air, but did not immediately receive a response. By Saturday afternoon, the listing had been removed.
Read on… To learn more about the Bel Air listing and the listing agent’s responses to LAist’s questions about the listing’s pricing, including whether she was familiar with California’s disaster-related price gouging law.
Rental housing prices in L.A. are spiking as historic fires burn in Southern California, forcing thousands of residents who’ve lost homes to scramble to find a new place to live.
LAist spotted one Zillow listing for a furnished home in Bel Air that was posted Saturday morning at $29,500 per month. That’s a nearly 86% price hike from September 2024 according to the listing’s price history, which shows the home previously listed for $15,900 per month.
When an LAist reporter called the listing agent, Fiora Aston with Compass, she said dozens of prospective tenants who’ve lost homes to the fires have been contacting her about this and other listings on L.A.’s Westside. When LAist asked why the advertised rent for the Bel Air home had risen so sharply, she said she was getting another call and hung up.
“It's crazy,” Aston said, before ending the call. “I've been in the business for 35 years. I've never seen anything like this. People are desperate. There’s so many families without a house.”
LAist reached out to Compass’ media relations team about the listing in Bel Air, but did not immediately receive a response. By Saturday afternoon, the listing had been removed. Aston texted later that afternoon that a family member had moved in. LAist asked to interview the family member and property owner, but Aston declined.
California has laws against post-disaster price gouging
Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in connection with the Palisades Fire, which has already destroyed an estimated 5,000 structures in upscale neighborhoods near L.A.’s coastline. The governor’s emergency declaration includes a ban on price gouging, which is defined as any price increase of more than 10% compared to pre-disaster prices.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta told LAist partner KCAL News earlier this week that the ban on price gouging applies to housing as well as other essential goods like food, transportation and medical supplies. Bonta said residents should report suspected price gouging through his office’s website.
“If prices look really out of whack — if they look like they've increased from what you're used to — report it to us,” Bonta said. “We'll take it from there. We'll evaluate it. We'll hold folks accountable and enforce if necessary.”
Rental listing price histories show post-fire spikes
Journalists for other outlets have reported on listings where asking rents have jumped in the wake of the fires. The New York Times reviewed Zillow listings on L.A.’s Westside and found asking rents rising between 15% and 64% since Tuesday. One agent reportedly lowered the asking rent on a property in Encino from $11,500 per month to $9,800 after a journalist with the Los Angeles Times asked why the asking rent had risen nearly 28% in recent days.
UCLA urban planning and public policy professor Michael Lens said he expects L.A. rents — already considered unaffordable for many families — to be driven up by the immediate influx of people all looking for scarce housing at the same time.
“It will put a squeeze, especially on the adjacent communities,” Lens said. “That might be particularly acute from the Palisades effect on the Westside.”
Details of the Bel Air listing
Located on Casiano Road in Bel Air, the four-bedroom home that was listed on Zillow at $29,500 was described online as a “fully furnished, meticulously restored Mid-Century Modern home.” That listing described the home as “perched in a serene canyon setting” with “breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape, including the iconic Getty Museum.”
The home is currently located in an evacuation warning zone due to the ongoing spread of the Palisades Fire. Aston told LAist the home was not being shown in person due to those warnings. “We decided we're not going to be doing any showing until next week,” Aston said.
She said the owner had taken it off the market a few months ago, but later decided to list it again.
“When this whole situation happened, I told her… people are desperate, and you can probably get good money,” Aston said. “She has a second home, so she moved into her second home, and this house is for lease.”
After Aston disconnected the call, LAist texted her to ask if she was familiar with California’s disaster-related price gouging law. She texted back, “Sorry can not talk right now,” then mentioned another listing in Mar Vista where she said one person offered $10,000 above the $15,000 asking rent.
Screenshot of texts between LAist reporter David Wagner and listing agent, Fiora Aston on Saturday, Jan. 11. The address has been redacted because we learned it transposed numbers in the text about the listing.
Do you have a question about the wildfires or fire recovery?
Check out LAist.com/FireFAQs to see if your question has already been answered. If not, submit your questions here, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.
Angelenos cast their ballot at the Arroyo Seco Regional Library in Los Angeles, California on Nov. 5, 2024.
(
Zaydee Sanchez
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Large support from Latino voters helped President Donald Trump win the 2024 election. But according to recent numbers from the Associated Press, about 6 in 10 Hispanic voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the presidency and more than 7 in 10 disapprove of his performance on the economy.
The economy: Latino support for Trump in 2024 was largely driven by economic concerns. That's still the case now, according to Mike Madrid, Republican political consultant and author of The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy. He joined AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, to discuss what's driving voting behavior this time around.
“ One hundred percent of Latinos are affected by the economic crisis that's afflicting everybody right now, especially working-class people, of which Latinos make up the largest share,” he said.
Party dealignment: The Latino shift away from Trump and the Republican Party does not mean a shift towards Democrats. “Latinos really do not have confidence in either party, and it's manifesting in wider and wider swings in how they're voting,” Madrid said. “They're rejecting the parties in power, they're rejecting establishment politics, and we're witnessing the rise of an emergent Latino populism."
Immigration enforcement isn't a top priority: Madrid pointed out that even with increased ICE raids, immigration only comes in as the fifth most concerning issue for Latino voters, and a third of those Latino voters are in favor of deportations.
Listen to the full conversation:
Listen
10:54
Latino voters helped put Trump back in the White House. What’s their next move?
Nicolas Perez
is one of the producers for AirTalk and FilmWeek, hosted by Larry Mantle.
Published October 19, 2026 3:44 PM
Installation photo from "Home of the Future, 1925–1985: Designing Domestic Utopias"
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Jonathan J. Urban
/
Courtesy LACMA
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The exhibit:
LACMA’s new exhibit, "Home of the Future, 1925–1985: Designing Domestic Utopias," explores visions of how designers imagined technologies would transform life in American homes. Some of these predictions, like rooms centered around television sets, would come to pass while ideas like self-cleaning kitchens remain tantalizingly out of reach.
Why it's interesting: “For the past 30 years, I've been inspired by a quote from the historian Marshall Berman, who defined modernity as a struggle to make ourselves at home in a constantly changing world,” curator Wendy Kaplan said during a conversation on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show. "The reason our exhibition starts in 1925 is that you have this post-World War I optimism and also a need to apply the technologies that were developed during World War I by the military."
Don’t miss: the Kohler electric sink from 1926 on display, which promised better living through electric dishwashing but did not catch on at the time.
When to see it: The exhibit runs through March 14, 2027, in LACMA's Resnick Pavilion, located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Listen to the conversation with the curator:
Listen
10:06
New LACMA exhibit looks at past visions of the future homes
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Kavish Harjai
writes about how people get around L.A.
Published October 19, 2026 2:27 PM
The protected bike lanes are just one part of a longer-term project to increase mobility on Fountain Avenue, including sidewalk widening.
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The city of West Hollywood
)
Topline:
The West Hollywood City Council will consider a motion Monday evening that thwarts long-planned and nearly shovel-ready protected bike lanes along Fountain Avenue out of concerns that the cyclist improvements will eliminate too much street parking.
The motion: The motion was introduced by West Hollywood City Councilmember Lauren Meister. If passed, it would direct city staff to evaluate an alternative design for Fountain Avenue, one that maintains the road’s existing parking capacity and adds a center turn lane — but doesn’t include protected bike lanes.
Participate in Monday's meeting: The West Hollywood City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. October 19. The meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. You can also watch online at www.weho.org/wehotv. The agenda, which includes instructions on in-person and remote public comment, is available here.
Read on ... to learn more about the plan West Hollywood City Council approved last year.
The West Hollywood City Council will consider a motion Monday evening that thwarts long-planned and nearly shovel-ready protected bike lanes along Fountain Avenue out of concerns that the cyclist improvements will eliminate too much street parking.
The motion was introduced by West Hollywood City Councilmember Lauren Meister. If passed, it would direct staff to evaluate an alternative design for Fountain Avenue, one that maintains the road’s existing parking capacity, reduces the road to one travel lane in each direction and adds a center turn lane — but doesn’t include protected bike lanes.
“Continued investment in bicycle infrastructure elsewhere would remain a separate consideration,” according to a copy of the motion.
Meister did not respond to LAist’s requests for comment about her motion.
How to participate on Monday
When: The West Hollywood City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. October 19. Where: City Council Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. Watch online: www.weho.org/wehotv. Agenda: The agenda, which includes instructions on in-person and remote public comment, is available here.
The project
Introducing protected bike lanes to Fountain Avenue was approved by City Council in 2025 as part of the first phase of the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project.
The approved designs include reducing the road to one travel lane in each direction, installing pedestrian improvements and creating a bike lane separated from vehicular traffic by concrete curbs.
The goal of the road redesign is to increase safety. Between 2013 and 2024, there were 35 collisions resulting in severe injuries and five fatal collisions, according to the city. Last year, Blake Ackerman, a 27-year-old attorney, died while biking on Fountain Avenue in a hit-and-run collision.
But to make room for the reimagined Fountain Avenue, city staff said they would need to remove 60% of the road’s street parking. To mitigate that loss, city staff has suggested allowing residents with parking permits to use nearby parking lots.
Although it was ultimately approved, the issue caused disagreement among the five members of the City Council. Two voted against it — Meister and West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman.
The election
The future of Fountain Avenue has been a political issue at play in recent city elections, and this year is no different.
Meister and Heilman are termed out, and there are three seats on West Hollywood City Council up for grabs. 14 candidates are vying for a spot, and their views on the bike lane debate are front and center.
Incumbent Chelsea Byers, who is an advocate for the protected bike lanes, is running to retain her seat.
Several candidates have spoken out against Fountain Avenue’s planned bike lanes, including Kyle Brazeal.
Brazeal has earned the endorsements of Meister and Heilman. He told LAist he isn’t against bike lanes and believes there are other West Hollywood streets that are better candidates for cycling infrastructure.
The timeline
West Hollywood officials said construction for the first phase, including the protected bike lanes, is scheduled to begin before the end of 2026. That schedule would change if the City Council decides to pursue an alternative design.
Officials said in a report that changing the project’s scope could “jeopardize” the nearly $5 million in state grant funding it’s planned to use for construction.
City staff said in the report that if the motion is approved, it would seek clarity on how any design changes would impact grant funding and if the city would need to find alternative funding sources.
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Faheem Khan
is an Associate Producer for AirTalk and FilmWeek, assisting with live radio production and in-person events.
Published October 19, 2026 2:04 PM
West Hollywood has been a hub of the LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles for decades.
(
Samanta Helou Hernandez
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Over the last century, Southern California’s gay and lesbian bar scene has helped build cultural hubs throughout the region. From the Coast Inn’s historic Boom Boom Room in Laguna Beach to The Boulevard in Pasadena, many historic venues have since shut down due to a sharp decline in standalone gay and lesbian bars.
Joseph Hawkins, former director of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, the largest LGBTQ+ repository, joined AirTalk, LAist’s daily news program, to talk about the legacy and current state of these spaces.
Economic woes: As the story goes with a lot of local businesses right now, gay and lesbian bars are suffering the same economic challenges due to rising costs and a decline in alcohol consumption.
“Masses of people who can go to a bar and sustain it over a long period of time has become more and more difficult,” Hawkins said. "Some bars don't have the clientele that they used to because of the internet.
Tony in Anaheim called into AirTalk and shared a funny story about showing up embarrassingly early (8 p.m.) for a night out at the Abbey in West Hollywood, but ultimately remembered it as a safe place to make friends after moving to Los Angeles.
Jeff in Palm Springs called in to say bars in his city seem to be thriving thanks to an older population and tourists.
Hawkins said there may be a silver lining in the shift we're seeing.
"Maybe we're not losing gay bars; what we're doing is opening up other spaces where gay people can be included," he said.
Listen to the full conversation for more history and insight.
Listen
20:25
The economic downfall of gay and lesbian bars
Topline:
Over the last century, Southern California’s gay and lesbian bar scene has helped build cultural hubs throughout the region. From the Coast Inn’s historic Boom Boom Room in Laguna Beach to The Boulevard in Pasadena, many historic venues have since shut down due to a sharp decline in standalone gay and lesbian bars.
Joseph Hawkins, former director of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, the largest LGBTQ+ repository, joined AirTalk, LAist’s daily news program, to talk about the legacy and current state of these spaces.
Economic woes: As the story goes with a lot of local businesses right now, gay and lesbian bars are suffering the same economic challenges due to rising costs and a decline in alcohol consumption.
“Masses of people who can go to a bar and sustain it over a long period of time has become more and more difficult,” Hawkins said. "Some bars don't have the clientele that they used to because of the internet."
Tony in Anaheim called into AirTalk and shared a funny story about showing up embarrassingly early (8 p.m.) for a night out at the Abbey in West Hollywood, but ultimately remembered it as a safe place to make friends after moving to Los Angeles.
Jeff in Palm Springs called in to say bars in his city seem to be thriving thanks to an older population and tourists.
Hawkins said there may be a silver lining in the shift we're seeing.
"Maybe we're not losing gay bars; what we're doing is opening up other spaces where gay people can be included," he said.
Listen to the full conversation above for more history and insight.
