100 days since LA wildfires: Victims vow to rebuild as more lawsuits are filed
ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Thursday marked 100 days since the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, and people are still fighting to preserve their beloved communities.
Dozens of people impacted by the Eaton Fire gathered for a town hall meeting Wednesday, vowing to fight for Altadena. The event was sponsored by KBLA TALK 1580, and the focus was on the long-term impact to the historic Black community.
"I'm hoping it can rebuild," said attendee Kendra Thoronka of Pasadena. "I don't know how long it's going to take, but right, I mean, I can see how some people can feel hopeless because it just looks that bad."
"There's a reason that longevity has stayed the course, and that course is that we belong here, and we're going to stay here," said Altadena resident Joan Reid.
The event featured a panel of community activists, lawyers and contractors who gave updates on where things stand. Many residents who lost their homes said they're frustrated by the lack of promised assistance.
"Airbnb? I haven't gotten no help yet. The Red Cross? No help yet. I'm going to be honest about it ... none. I've been working with my insurance company, trying to get things done," said Darius Wallace of Altadena.
There are also concerns of safety after recent tests showed high levels of lead in soil. Plus, people are worried about the growing cost of construction.
"It's over $6 billion to build 6,600 homes at the average cost of building," said Joel Bryant, the president and co-founder of Bronzeville, Inc.
He also said studies show a third of homeowners will sell, and it has many concerned about how it will affect the diversity of Altadena.
"Let's talk about legislation from stopping international buyers and corporate people from buying up land and property in Altadena," said panelist and president of the NAACP Pasadena Branch Brandon Lamar.
Local and state lawmakers gathered at Will Rogers State Beach on Thursday and outlined several bills aimed at improving fire recovery -- covering everything from land use to property tax relief and insurance claims. That includes SB 495, which would make sure insurers do not require a complete inventory when filing some insurance claims.
Another bill aims to bolster mobile home park preservation, giving tenants a greater opportunity to purchase land.
"If an owner wants to close or change the use of the property, we want to give them the first opportunity to purchase the property at market or an agreed-upon value to preserve the current use as an affordable mobile home park," said State Sen. Ben Allen.
Consumer group sues to block insurers from adding surcharge after fires
Consumer Watchdog filed a lawsuit this week to block insurers from charging California customers for $500 million in costs associated with the deadly fires.
California's insurance commission in February ordered insurers doing business in California to provide $1 billion to the FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, to help it pay out claims related to the wildfires. The order allows insurers to recoup half the cost from its policyholders in the form of a one-time fee. The commissioner must approve the costs.
The lawsuit alleges Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara overstepped his authority and violated state laws for allowing for such cost shifting without going through the proper process.
Such regulations have never been authorized in California and should have been vetted and approved by the Legislature or other oversight agencies before enforcement, Consumer Watchdog argued. The suit is asking the court to block Lara from approving the requests. There were at least three pending applications to implement a surcharge as of Tuesday, according to Consumer Watchdog.
"We look forward to defending the rights and pocketbooks of Californians and stopping this socialization of FAIR Plan losses at the public's expense, while the FAIR Plan's profits will wholly remain with the insurance companies," Consumer Watchdog staff attorney Ryan Mellino said in a statement.
The Department of Insurance said the lawsuit could make California's insurance crisis worse.
"This hurts homeowners, small business and nonprofits who need access to insurance options, while doing nothing to address the insurance crisis," Gabriel Sanchez, a department spokesperson, said in a statement. "It also serves to undermine our efforts to restore competition to all areas of our state, so people can get off the FAIR Plan and back to the regular market."
The FAIR Plan is the state's last resort option for people who can't get private insurance because their properties are deemed too risky to insure.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
