Rebuilding L.A.

The fire in the Pacific Palisades was still smoldering when Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass announced we would rebuild. Now, almost 18 months later, progress has been a mixed bag. Yes, homes are going up, but there still doesn't seem to be a "plan" for the return of all these neighborhoods, prompting many to ask whether we've moved too fast and without a bigger vision for making these communities whole again.

 

These are provocative questions we’ve been trying to answer - who is this all for?  Author and CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti attempts to answer some of them in his new book about the Palisades Fire — and names a motive for a quick rebuild: the Olympic games coming to Los Angeles in 2028. His book is titled “Torched: How a City Was Left to Burn, and the Olympic Rush to Rebuild L.A”

 

GUEST: CBS News Correspondent & Author of "Torched," Jonathan Vigliotti

 

Excerpt of "Torched: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/book-excerpt-torched-by-jonathan-vigliotti-pacific-palisades-altadena/.                                                                                                                                                                

Find the Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Torched/Jonathan-Vigliotti/9781668219034.              

Op-Ed: L.A. is rebuilding for the Olympics, not the next fire: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2026-02-11/la-fires-rebuild-for-olympics

About 2 in 3 fire survivors are still displaced and, as coverage for temporary housing disappears, that number could get increase. That's according to the latest report from Department of Angels, a nonprofit that regularly surveys survivors from both the Eaton and Palisades Fires to monitor how the recovery from the L.A. fires is going. As people continue to wait on insurance payouts and building materials get more expensive, the hope that many people had for rebuilding their homes is dwindling.  This "hope gap" underscores the need for the nearly $34 billion in Federal funds that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has requested.                                                                            

 

Additionally, on May 8, Newsom asked for a 12-month extension from Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster assistance program for the fire victims.

 

GUESTS: Andrew King, Eaton Fire Survivor and Head of engagement and Education for Department of Angels + Miguel Santana, President & Chief Executive Officer, California Community Foundation, and  co-founder of the Department with Snapchat's Evan Spiegel.

 

Department of Angels' Community Voices: LA Fire Report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6792c245599ed84703227b1e/t/69fb99d59526446388bdd51b/1778096597336/Department+of+Angels+Community+Voices+LA                                                

Nearly half of L.A. fire survivors face crisis as temporary housing funds dry up, survey finds: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-07/nearly-40-of-la-fire-survivors-face-crisis-as-temporary-housing-funds-dry-up-survey-finds

There's a big election this year, and we are not just talking about the congressional midterm races. There's a lot of consequential local races, too, including one for LA's next mayor. As incumbent mayor Karen Bass Bass campaigns to stay in office, there's a big question about how much LA's fire recovery will dominate the political narrative — and your vote. There's more than a dozen candidates currently on the ballot. Can Bass hold on to her seat? Or could councilmember Nithya Raman or reality star Spencer Pratt take it?

 

GUEST: Noah Goldberg, City Hall Reporter, Los Angeles Times.  

 

Voter guide to the 2026 California primary election: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-01/2026-california-election-voter-guide-primaryIn                            

 

L.A. mayor’s race, everyone is campaigning on change — even the incumbent: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-06/in-la-mayors-race-everyone-is-campaigning-on-change-even-incumbent                                                                                

 

In L.A. mayor’s race, controversial poll shows Nithya Raman ahead of Karen Bass: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-30/in-la-mayors-race-controversial-poll-shows-nithya-raman-ahead-of-incumbent-karen-bass                                                            

 

Pratt and Raman lead Bass in latest fundraising for L.A. mayoral race: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-24/pratt-raman-lead-bass-in-latest-fundraising-for-la-mayoral-race                                                                    

 

Spencer Pratt’s time in Santa Barbara County likely won’t affect his bid for L.A. mayor, analysts say: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-10/spencer-pratts-time-in-santa-barbara-county-likely-wont-affect-his-bid-for-la-mayor-analysts-sayå

After the first sign of fire was spotted in the foothills above Altadena, a WhatsApp chat meant to set up pickleball games started going off.  As the devastation became clear, that chat soon turned into a community disaster hub. The Eaton Fire Survivors Network — now known as the *Every Fire Survivors Network  — is composed of thousands of people across LA's burn zones who are fighting to rebuild their community — and taking on the insurance industry while they’re at it.

 

GUEST: Joy Chen, Executive Director, Every Fire Survivors Network

 

LINKS:

The Every Fire Survivor Network (EFSN) website: https://www.efsurvivors.net/.            

Read about the insurance legislation EFSN is behind: https://www.efsurvivors.net/fix-insurance    

These hidden rules reveal how California insurers undercut wildfire claims, leaving families in damaged homes: https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2025/california-insurance-hidden-rules/#:~:text=Speed%20trumps%20accuracy:%20The%20directions,insurers%20follow%20the%20same%20playbook

California leaders promised fire recovery in record time. Los Angeles isn’t seeing it: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/13/california-leaders-los-angeles-fire-recovery-delays-00867498

 

UPDATE ON CA INSURANCE BILLS STILL ALIVE IN THE LEGISLATURE (Copy courtesy of EFSN's newsletter ):

 

• SB 1301 (Allen): Requires six months advance notice before nonrenewal, documented reasons, and a chance to fix the problem.

 

•SB 877 (Pérez): Requires insurers to show you their original loss estimate and any revised one. We deserve to see both.

 

•SB 878 (Pérez): Requires insurers to respond to claims in writing and adds automatic interest penalties when they violate existing laws on deadlines.

 

Learn more at fixinsurance.org.

If we’ve come to understand anything while reporting out this podcast, it’s that California burns. It always has. It always will. The question is whether we can build communities better to withstand the risk? There’s been a lot of talk and ideas proposed about building safer, more fire resilient neighborhoods — and not just individual houses, but community infrastructure, too. But there’s yet to be a solid plan for implementing any of these things, or for figuring out how to pay for them. In the Palisades, there’s a lot of people – mostly residents – who are trying to move things along. Today we are talking with one of them.

 

GUEST: Robert Lempert, Palisades Fire survivor and Director/ Policy Researcher at RAND

 

The next Community Recovery Lab is coming up on April 25: https://palirecovery.org/2026/03/19/taking-the-next-step/.                                   The Palisades Recovery Coalition: https://palirecovery.org/                                 

His computer simulations help communities survive disasters. Can they design a Palisades that never burns? https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-12-17/can-palisades-residents-design-a-city-that-never-burns