The Brief

The move to increase the number of people on the Los Angeles City Council has slowed in recent weeks as council members raise questions about how it would affect a range of issues, including the balance of power between the council and the mayor, and the delivery of city services.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform delayed a decision on whether to move forward with the proposal until at least January and is considering handing the question over to a yet-to-be-created charter reform commission.

City Council President Paul Krekorian, who chairs the ad hoc committee and has promised to get council expansion on the 2024 ballot, said last week that a commission might help build a “citywide consensus” on the issue.

But others warned that delaying could jeopardize expansion entirely.

“I am deeply concerned about the issue of momentum,” said Gary Segura, dean of the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, who co-chairs the LA Governance Reform Project, a group of academics across the city advocating for reform. “Why would they prefer a charter commission? Because it pushes the window out later."

A call for reform

Local government reform activists have long argued that the 15-member council is too small for a city of 4 million people. The panel has been the same size since 1925, when the city replaced an at-large system with a district system.

Supporters of expansion say a larger city council could better reflect L.A.’s diversity and make council members more responsive to their constituents because they would be representing smaller districts. But others say a bigger council could weigh down decision-making and place a bigger burden on city departments.

Calls for increasing the council’s size grew after the release last year of secretly recorded audio that featured members of the council discussing ways to hold onto their power through the decennial redistricting process. They were also heard making racist and derogatory remarks about colleagues and the Oaxacan community.

The scandal prompted then-council president Nury Martinez, who led the discussion, to resign. In October, she broke her silence about the affair in a podcast produced by LAist.

Another participant in the conversation, Councilmember Gil Cedillo, had already been voted out of office by the time the tapes were released. Councilmember Kevin de León has remained on the council and is running for reelection. The powerful leader of the L.A. County Federation of Labor Ron Herrera, who was also in the meeting, was forced to step down.

The scandal has created the most momentum for government reform since charter changes in the 1990s. Already, the council has voted to place on the November 2024 ballot a measure that would create an independent redistricting commission.

What is the right number of council members?

Opinions vary on whether the council should expand and by how many seats. Some activists argue the council should be as large as 31, doubling its size. Council members have also suggested expanding to 21, 23 and 25.

Supporters of expanding the council say it would make council members more responsive to their constituents because they’ll represent fewer people. Right now, one council member represents about 260,000 people.

In contrast, New York has 51 council members who represent about 170,000 people each.

Chicago has 50 aldermen who represent 54,000 and comprise the city council. Houston has 16 council members who represent 143,000 each.

“It's easier to hold them accountable,” said Ange-Marie Hancock, a former USC political science professor who co-chairs the LA Governance Reform Project. She is now at Ohio State University.

Hancock added that a larger council would likely result in a more diverse panel whose members would be more familiar with their districts.

“One of the advantages of a larger council is that it makes it possible for smaller communities to maintain a voice,” Segura added, noting a larger council means members would represent smaller districts.

But at a recent meeting of the ad hoc committee, members raised various concerns about the proposal, including that interest groups could exert more pressure in smaller council districts.

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield recalled approving a housing project opposed by a small group of residents and facing intense protests.

“For a while that community was literally at my front door,” he said. “There’s good and bad in that.”

Councilmember Traci Park said city departments would be inundated with more requests for services from more council members “based on whatever issue or rabbit hole we are going to go down next.”

“We are struggling to deliver basic city and constituent services right now,” she said. “There is basically no department in the city of Los Angeles that isn’t in the middle of a staffing crisis.”

Park said she would be unwilling to support expansion without more analysis of its impact on services.

“If we had eight more people, that’s eight more pathways that these departments are going to get requests from,” Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez added.

Worries about balance of power

More council people might make it even more difficult to develop citywide strategies on key issues like homelessness and housing, some council members argued. Mayor Karen Bass and her predecessors have struggled to tackle the crisis in part because council members hold virtual veto power over housing and other development in their individual districts and are subject to NIMBYism, or "not in my backyard" sentiment.

“The fact that our decision-making structure here is so fragmented between the mayor and 15 council districts has direct connections to why we are in the position we are in today on this particular issue,” said Councilmember Nithya Raman, an urban planner by training, in referring to homelessness and housing.

Krekorian, the council president, had the opposite concern. He said he worries about the balance of power between the council and the mayor.

“If the number increases too much, that makes a stronger mayor,” he said.

Corruption lately has been centered on the city council, in part because members control development projects in their districts. Three members have been convicted of corruption in five years. Two others currently face allegations of corruption.

“What are the pathways to corruption that we’ve seen take place on this body, and how can we make sure that council expansion doesn’t make them worse?” Raman asked.

Despite the concerns raised by his colleagues and himself, Krekorian said he remains optimistic council expansion will get onto the November ballot.

“We’ve started to develop a momentum now towards this,” he said. “I hope.”

Krekorian’s reform committee is scheduled to meet next in January.

People who take transit in Los Angeles largely depended on catching rides from friends, family or ride-share companies to evacuate from the January 2025 wildfires, according to a forthcoming study led by researchers at UCLA.

Some evacuees, left without any other option, escaped danger on foot.

“I called 911, and the 911 operator said that they were stretched so thin that nobody could help me get out,” one participant said, according to a draft version of the study shared with LAist. “The paramedics were [nearby], and I asked them, could I just have a ride down the hill? And they said, no, they're just stretched too thin.”

“So I started walking,” the participant continued.

Madeline Brozen, a UCLA transportation researcher who led the study, said one of the main takeaways from the research is the importance of advanced planning.

“I think it just points to the need to really have a plan and try to communicate it before something happens in order for everyone to feel safe,” Brozen said.

Researchers presented their findings at a workshop over the summer with representatives from regional transit agencies, including L.A. city’s Department of Transportation and L.A. Metro. The study is slated to be published in late January.

How the study was conducted

In early February 2025, Brozen and her colleagues sent a survey to people in L.A. County through the Transit app, which helps users plan public transportation travel. Researchers received responses from more than 160 people who evacuated from the fires and interviewed 35 of them.

A larger group of more than 620 transit riders were asked about how and if their transportation habits changed in response to air quality problems after the fires.

“Despite the severe risks present and the convergence of wildfire, toxic air pollution, and urban transit disruption, research on how transit-reliant populations perceive, respond to, and adapt in such emergencies remains virtually nonexistent,” the authors wrote in the draft. “This study addresses this critical gap.”

What did the evacuees say?

People who evacuated by car told researchers they had issues with congestion and experienced “general confusion about where to go or what routes to take,” according to the study draft.

“There was lots of traffic, there was heavy smoke, so it was kind of difficult to see,” one participant said.

White and higher-income respondents were most likely to evacuate using a personal vehicle.

More than half of Black and Asian transit rider evacuees, and nearly half of Latino respondents, needed more than an hour of travel to reach safety. That’s compared to 38% of white respondents who evacuated.

Just over a fifth of the more than 160 evacuees who responded to the survey used transit, including trains and buses, to escape the fires. Black respondents were the most likely group to use transit.

“Black people tend to ride transit at higher rates than their population, so it’s not terribly surprising that that was a group that most heavily relied on transit for their evacuation,” Brozen said.

While the data hasn’t yet been disaggregated by location or fire, Brozen said she would “confidently speculate” that people seeking safety from the Sunset Fire in Hollywood used transit at higher rates than those in the Palisades or Altadena.

Researchers’ recommendations

Based on the study’s findings, researchers recommended transit agencies in the state “encourage riders to make emergency evacuation plans … before emergencies occur.”

The study will be available at this link later in January. In the meantime, you can take a look at a summary of the researchers’ data in this UCLA policy brief.

Gov. Gavin Newsom will deliver his final State of the State address on Thursday, capping seven years in which he oversaw an aggressive expansion of health care and early childhood education access in California, pushed the state’s progressive climate policies and — in a break from his predecessors — made reducing homelessness and increasing housing supply top state priorities.

In his speech, Newsom is expected to unveil his budget priorities for the year ahead. The address comes as Newsom continues to burnish his national reputation ahead of a possible presidential run in 2028, and as the state faces ongoing fiscal threats from both rising state costs and the Trump administration.

Jason Elliott, a longtime adviser to Newsom who left the administration last year but remains close to the governor, said this year will probably be more about finishing what Newsom started than rolling out new initiatives.

“Gov. Newsom, in order to feel satisfied with the job he did as governor, will want to see universal transitional kindergarten extended to every single eligible kid in California. He will want to see child care slots expanded to the level that he promised and promoted. He will want to see homeless encampment grants and Proposition 1 bond funding for homeless mental health housing be administered quickly,” he said.

“There’s a lot that he talked about over the last eight years that is not quite done that needs to get finished,” Elliott said, “and I would expect that his focus would be very much on completing those multi-year commitments that he made.”

The California State Capitol in Sacramento. (iStock/Getty Images Plus)While there are critics aplenty, as Newsom begins his final year in the governor’s office, he has managed to maintain relatively cozy relationships with business and labor leaders as well as other powerful interest groups in Sacramento.

Advocates for education and child care, affordable housing, health care, and the business community all cited major policy accomplishments that they are hoping to protect in the face of growing costs and shrinking revenues.

Leading on early childhood education

Among the governor’s biggest achievements, said longtime early childhood education advocate Scott Moore, was the creation of a new school grade for all 4-year-olds, transitional kindergarten, as well as the expansion of child care and preschool slots for low-income families.

“Unquestionably, he is the early childhood champion governor,” said Moore, who advised both Newsom and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on state councils and is now CEO of Kidango, a nonprofit preschool organization that serves low-income families in the Bay Area.

The toddler room at Kidango Early Care & Education in San José on Dec. 11, 2024. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)Moore has worked in the field for a quarter-century and said the progress made just in the past few years has been staggering.

“Back then, we had about 50,000 or so children that got public-funded pre-K in the state of California. And now we have over 500,000. That’s a big difference. And most of that growth happened under Governor Newsom,” he said.

Health care expansion limited, holding the line on taxes

Health care advocates also give Newsom high marks for his aggressive expansion of coverage, including to immigrant communities. But they remain disappointed that last year — facing budget constraints and political pressure — Newsom and lawmakers moved to freeze new enrollments of undocumented adults in Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program.

Kiran Savage-Sangwan, executive director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, which works to ensure all Californians have access to quality, affordable health care, said Newsom has made universal coverage a priority since day one.

“The first executive order that he signed immediately after being sworn in was to establish the Office of the Surgeon General … That really showed that he understood the connection between the conditions that poor communities are facing and health outcomes,” she said. “He has continued to tackle what we consider the twin issues of the rising and unsustainable cost of health care, and getting to universal health coverage for all Californians.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a successful 2024 mental health ballot initiative at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego on March 19, 2023. (Adriana Heldiz/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP Pool)Savage-Sangwan also gave Newsom high marks for establishing an Office of HealthCare Affordability in 2022. But as he heads into his final year, she hopes he will reconsider limiting Medi-Cal for undocumented adults — especially as consumers confront President Donald Trump’s deep cuts to both Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies.

“We’re hoping that this is gonna be a moment for the state of California to distinguish ourselves from what is happening at the national and federal levels,” she said. “We think that California has an opportunity to stand in contrast to that rather than bow down and continue that trajectory of taking health care from people.”

She urged Newsom to consider new revenue sources, something that the business community is staunchly opposed to and that Newsom has been generally unwilling to consider.

In fact, CalChamber CEO Jennifer Barrera said taxes are one area where Newsom and the business community have been in lockstep. This year, he has made clear his opposition to a proposed ballot measure being pushed by labor unions that would levy a one-time tax on billionaires.

“He has really drawn the line in the sand on tax policy. He has been the one who has been defending against tax increases for the past several years,” Barrera said.

Barrera also gave Newsom high marks for generally embracing fiscal restraint, for helping broker a huge deal between labor and business in 2024 related to labor protections and litigation, and for generally understanding the importance of the business community to the state’s economic health.

But there have been areas of sharp disagreement, Barrera noted, including around labor protections, environmental laws and oil and gas regulation.

“There’s always going to be those tough calls on some of these labor bills,” she said. “In the environment space, there was some legislation that we certainly would have preferred not be signed and are dealing with now.”

She cited laws limiting oil and gas operations and others requiring large companies to disclose climate emissions as among those challenges. One of the climate disclosure laws is on hold after a lawsuit by business groups.

Mixed reviews on housing, homelessness

Newsom also gets mixed reviews in one of his signature policy areas: housing and homelessness. Republican leaders in the state Legislature note that Newsom failed to deliver on his 2018 campaign promise to build 3.5 million new homes, and say it’s part of a larger pattern.

“Gov. Newsom has made big promises and launched endless new initiatives,” Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora said in a prebuttal to Newsom’s speech. “But no matter what he says [today] Californians are paying more and getting less, because his policies keep driving up the cost of everyday life.”

California state Assemblymember Heath Flora in Sacramento on May 15, 2017 (Bert Johnson/KQED)But others say Newsom and the Democratic-led Legislature made big strides in increasing housing production and tackling homelessness through policies that will continue to pay dividends after he leaves office. Newsom also used the bully pulpit to bring the issue front and center, said Ray Pearl, executive director of the California Housing Consortium, which advocates for affordable housing.

Pearl noted that Newsom’s 2020 State of the State speech was entirely about housing and homelessness.

“With former governors, when they’d have a State of the State, we would look for anywhere where housing was mentioned,” he said. “I think more than anyone, he helped change the trajectory of the housing issue and made it a mainstream issue.”

Pearl said Newsom pushed unprecedented state investments in affordable housing by significantly increasing tax credits and other resources. He’s hopeful this year that the governor will support a proposed $10 billion affordable housing bond being considered by lawmakers.

As Newsom enters his final year and looks to a potential 2028 presidential run, those close to him know that the state’s shortcomings — and what Newsom did or didn’t do to address them — will be under a microscope.

Elliott, Newsom’s former adviser, said he believes the governor laid the groundwork over his two terms to fundamentally change the state’s trajectory, particularly around housing and homelessness.

“When you’ve got a problem that’s 40-plus years in the making, you don’t see overnight results. That’s frustrating to me. I know it’s frustrating for the governor. I know it’s frustrating to the average Californian,” he said. “What I’m saying is we’ve spent the last seven or eight years in this state putting the pieces in place to materially address all those problems.”

If you’re looking for fire anniversary events (many of which continue through the weekend), check out our roundup here.

We’re continuing with our staff L.A. resolutions, and Associate Editor Anthony Schneck has on his list some old and new adventures for 2026. First, it’s to have a martini at Musso and Frank (despite the touristy rep!), then it’s a trip to a Grand Ole Echo night at The Echo for some country music vibes. Later in the year, he’s excited to watch World Cup matches at the boisterous fan villages.

Senior K-12 education reporter Mariana Dale is trying not to take our beautiful landscape for granted this year; she hopes to spot an octopus at the tidepools after lucking out seeing a bat star and a colorful nudibranch during the last king tide at White Point tidepools in San Pedro. She also plans a valiant return to Eaton Canyon once the damaged trails begin to reopen.

Our friends at Licorice Pizza have tons of new music on their 2026 to-do list; this weekend, Mike Garson wraps up this three-night Bowie tribute residency at the Sun Rose with a rotating cast of all-stars, including Billy Corgan, Chad Smith, Jake Wesley Rogers, Judith Hill, Luke Spiller and Licorice Pizza’s own all-star Carmine Rojas. Friday and Saturday, Galantis play the Hollywood Palladium, and on Saturday there’s another big benefit show at the Shrine, Artists For Aid, to raise funds for those affected by the ongoing crises in Sudan and Palestine. Also on Saturday, you could also check out Unwritten Law at the Teragram Ballroom, or American Idol winner Lee DeWyze at the Hotel Café.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can keep up with anniversary events marking one year since the Eaton and Palisades fires, meet five new species discovered in 2025 and catch up on the new laws that will affect California schools in 2026.

Events

Power Up Altadena!

Sunday, January 11, 11 a.m.
Zorthian Ranch 
3990 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Altadena 
COST: FREE, $10 SUGGESTED DONATION; MORE INFO

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Courtesy KCRW

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Dena United is hosting this all-day festival at Altadena’s historic Zorthian Ranch to celebrate the community’s diverse culture and commemorate one year since the devastating Eaton Fire. Expect to see a wide range of performances from acts including Bobby Bradford, Dwight Trible, Baba Onochie Chukwurah & the Rhythms of the Village Family Band, the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Earthseed Band and the Whispering Giants with MCs Medusa and Myka 9.

Polar Bear Plunge

Saturday, January 10, 10:15 a.m.
Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica 
COST: FREE, $10 for heated pool admission; MORE INFO

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Courtesy Annenberg Community Beach House

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Cold plunge, or really cold plunge? Start your year with fellow polar bears at the Annenberg Community Beach House and take a group jump into the Pacific, followed by a 300-yard swim out and back to warm up for those with a little more stamina. Brrr!

Morton Feldman: Centennial Marathon

Sunday, January 11, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. 
Wende Museum 
10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy Wende Museum

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Two special afternoons of concerts from Piano Spheres at the Wende Museum on Sunday and The Brick on Monday span the masterworks of legendary American composer Morton Feldman. The two days will feature works including Crippled Symmetry, For Bunita Marcus, and Patterns in a Chromatic Field. Special guests like Amy Williams, Conor Hanick and more will perform. On Monday, head to Melrose Hill to art space The Brick (518 N. Western Ave.) from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. for a second set of music.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Saturday, January 10, 8:30 p.m.
Rooftop Cinema Club
888 S. Olive Street, Downtown L.A.
COST: $31; MORE INFO

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Focus Features

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The rainy weather seems to be taking a break, so take advantage and enjoy some eternal sunshine of your own at Rooftop Cinema Club’s Fireside Films. The modern classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, is a meditation on memory — and the setting is cozy, with outside heaters and a roaring fire. Tickets include a hot beverage.

Historic Main St. Santa Monica Walk

Saturday, January 10, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
Shotgun House 
2520 2nd. Street, Santa Monica 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Piermario Eva

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Santa Monica Conservancy hosts this walk along historic Main Street and through the vibrant Ocean Park neighborhood, led by street historian and author of the award-winning blog The Street Seen, Mark Gorman. Miss this week? The SMC leads tours every second Saturday of each month.

Two films by Zoe Beloff 

Friday, January 9, 6 p.m. 
Velaslavasay Panorama 
1122 W. 24th Street, West Adams
COST: $18; MORE INFO 

There’s no more unique place in L.A. than the Velaslavasay Panorama, and filmmaker Zoe Beloff will be there in person to debut two new films at the space, Josephine the Singer or The Mouse People and Life Forgotten. The first looks at the history of New York’s Lower East Side through its community gardens, told through the text of a Franz Kafka short story; the second centers on a silent movie theater and storefront cinema in early 20th-century New York City.

CHAOS: Chelsea Peretti, Natasha Leggero, Sabrina Jalees

Sunday, January 11, 7:30 p.m. 
Elysian Theater 
1944 Riverside Drive, Elysian Valley  
COST: FROM $25; MORE INFO

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Courtesy The Elysian

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Chaos/riotous laughter/who knows what will happen when these three incredibly funny women get together on stage? Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Natasha Leggero (Chelsea Lately) and Sabrina Jalees (Search Party) take to the Elysian for a night of much-needed antics.

Ukrainian Christmas Dinner

Sunday, January 11, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 
Ukrainian Cultural Center 
4315 Melrose Ave., East Hollywood 
COST: FROM $81; MORE INFO 

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Ukrainian Culture Center of Los Angeles

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Eventbrite

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Keep the holiday celebrations going with this Ukrainian Christmas Dinner — the Schedriy Vechir (“generous evening”) Holiday Gala — celebrating the resilience of the Ukrainian people in this challenging time. The fundraising event includes performances from the Kobzar Choir, KOLO Choir of St. Volodymyr’s Church, Blagovist Choir of St. Andrew’s Church, Vova Zi Lvova, Vsudy Svoya, Chervona Kalyna Dance Ensemble and more.

Dry January at Burden of Proof

Various dates 
1012 Mission Street, South Pasadena
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO

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Courtesy Burden of Proof

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If drinking less is on your January to-do list, you couldn’t pick a better place to start than Burden of Proof in South Pasadena. While other N.A. bars have closed in the past year (The New Bar, Stay), Burden of Proof is thriving, with a variety of events featuring local producers to help keep you on the straight and narrow for dry January and all year long.

If you need a new refrigerator, you go to a hardware store. But what if you need a thousand refrigerators?

This is a math problem in the era of urban mega-fires. A year after L.A. went up in flames, survivors are looking to rebuild quickly and affordably.

As just one person, the costs of rebuilding add up fast. But by pooling their purchasing power, neighborhoods — or what's left of them — are working together to curtail rebuilding costs.

It turns out needing a thousand fridges could be a good issue to have. In Altadena, fire survivors are working together to buy things in bulk. And they're trying to find the most efficient and fair way to do it.

" When you see that deal on the shelf: 'Buy four, get the fifth for 20% off,' all you have to do is consult your wallet," said Michael Tuccillo, whose home was damaged in the Eaton Fire. "But when you're bulk purchasing, it becomes complicated because you have to make a choice that's right for the entire community."

Morgan Whirledge first tried the group approach when he needed a land survey of his property. He's an Eaton Fire block captain, meaning he coordinates with neighbors and other block captains on all types of issues related to fire recovery.

" If you're bringing out survey equipment to an area … why not knock out a few properties at the same time in one day, as opposed to coming out over and over again?" Whirledge said.

A lot of other neighborhoods had the same idea.

This process allowed block captains like Whirledge to try out their negotiating skills — and understand the limits of their leverage. He made a deal for a handful of plots, including his own.

"The surveyor we ended up with was saying, 'Hey, there's kind of a threshold where it stops being more economical for me,'" Whirledge said.

It also revealed the challenges of making big financial decisions with other homeowners. Tuccillo scored a great deal for himself and two dozen neighbors: around $1,700 a lot for a land surveyor, compared to a one-off price of $5,000. But someone had to go first, and someone had to go last.

" It took like two months, maybe three months for some of these people to get service, which is a big deal," said Tuccillo, who is also a block captain. "And people were upset at me."

A house under construction in Altadena in June.

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Myung J. Chun

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'The gap'

Land surveying is simple compared to the decisions that lie ahead for most people rebuilding in Altadena and the Palisades.

Many face an issue that some fire survivors refer to simply as "the gap" — the financial hole between what insurance will give and what it will actually cost to rebuild.

Working together could be the difference that allows some people to return home.

Elizabeth Campbell has been thinking a lot about this problem. She negotiates bulk purchases for a living, and has worked as a buyer for companies like Saks Fifth Avenue and the North Face. When she lost her home in the Eaton Fire, she found a new arena for her expertise.

"Asking a vendor for a discount is not always the best way to get the best price," she said. "When you're purchasing a large amount of goods, you're thinking a little bit more broadly. Where are they manufacturing? Is it something that they need to manufacture six months in advance?"

In the first year of recovery, a lot of these logistical questions were playing out on Discord and in WhatsApp groups. Seeking a bigger fix, some fire survivors have teamed up with David Lee, a software developer.

Lee launched Buildnotes — an online platform to help more people do group purchasing with less logistical and interpersonal hassle. The site is a wholesale marketplace for materials and services needed for rebuilding. Right now, a big goal is to get homeowners and vendors to sign up.

" We try to line up homeowners and projects along three primary dimensions. One is geography. Two is chronology. What's the start date of your project and do the phases of your project line up with other homes? And then third is style of home," Lee said.

Some homeowners in Altadena scored great deals with other neighbors to pay for things such as a land surveyor. The cost went from $5,000 for a one-off price for one property to $1,700 for two dozen neighbors each.

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Libby Rainey

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LAist

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The biggest group purchase: a home

The largest group purchase fire survivors can make is the home itself.

That's the route Brad Sherwood took after losing his house in Santa Rosa to the Tubbs Fire in 2017. He quickly realized that his insurance payout wasn't enough for him and his wife to rebuild a custom home, and they started talking with neighbors about rebuilding together.

In the end, Sherwood and around 20 other families in his neighborhood went in on the same builder: Stonefield Development of Orange County.

"They allowed neighbors to get into different focus groups, and based on how many bedrooms you wanted or your lot size, they allowed you to develop a floor plan," he said. "If we got enough people to do this particular floor plan, then we could do an assembly production of our homes. And that really benefited us in terms of construction costs, timeline, labor costs."

Sherwood said initial estimates were $700 a square foot. By purchasing his home alongside his neighbors, he spent $400 a square foot.

" The group buy was kind of like therapy in a way," Sherwood said. "Because we all were doing this together, and you didn't feel alone or scared."

Sherwood said custom finishes and small details made sure the neighborhood he returned to wasn't "cookie cutter" compared to the pre-fire hodgepodge of custom, older homes.

A familiar approach

Fire survivors in L.A. aren't the first to try out group purchasing after a large-scale disaster. Jennifer Gray Thompson, who leads the advocacy organization After the Fire, said that since her group launched in 2017, she has seen communities in California, Colorado and elsewhere purchase goods and services together to bring costs down.

In Maui, where the Lahaina Fire destroyed thousands of homes in 2023, many residents need trusses — structures made of wood or steel that form the base of a roof. It's inefficient to order them separately, especially in a place as hard to reach as Maui. So Gray Thompson said community members are working on placing a bulk order.

In Altadena, fire survivors are working together to buy things in bulk. And they're trying to find the most efficient and fair way to do it.

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Libby Rainey

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LAist

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"Trusses are really hard to get on Maui," she said. "So what you have to find is what in the market is the barrier, and then you can often unlock that barrier by group buying."

But this type of coordination depends on a number of factors, including how tight-knit the recovering community is, how close together homes are, and how affluent the disaster zone is.

The collective decision making seen after the Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa was harder to pull off in more rural communities destroyed in the 2021 Dixie Fire in Northern California, according to Gray Thompson. People lived farther apart and were scattered to the winds after their town was destroyed.

Still, she said, the idea that it's better to work together, as a community — the ethos of group purchasing — applies to all fire survivors.

" Nobody can walk through this alone. It's an inefficient way to do it. It's not healthy — emotionally or financially or politically or socially," she said. " All of rebuilding is a group project.”

That's what Morgan Whirledge is finding in Altadena.

" If you are a survivor, being able to turn that corner from dread ... that's like a huge part of this effort," he said. " We're all looking for those steps in this process that give us the resiliency and the optimism to carry forward."

Wherever they may fall in the spectrum, engaging in the idea of group purchasing has given some fire survivors something that's in even shorter supply than building materials: hope.