Photo by Chuck Larsen Photography
By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Los Angeles City Council postponed a vote on waiving reconstruction permit and plan check fees for residents of Pacific Palisades affected by the January fire during a meeting on Tuesday, December 2, referring the discussion back to the Budget and Finance Committee.
Permit and plan check fees have been suspended since April when Mayor Karen Bass issued an Emergency Executive Order, but a full waiver of fees requires approval from City Council.
“This Executive Order directs city departments to refrain from collecting permit and plan check fees associated with the repair or reconstruction of homes damaged or destroyed by the wildfires in January, pending City Council’s adoption of an amendment to waive these fees,” a statement read at the time. “Additionally, the Emergency Executive Order requests the City Attorney to prepare and present for Council’s consideration the draft urgency ordinance to waive the fees.”
On December 2, City Council considered two reports: one from the Budget and Finance Committee written for single-family homes and duplex rebuilds up to 110% of their original size projected to amount to $86 million and a second from the Ad Hoc Committee for LA Recovery projected to be up to $278 million that covers a full waiver, including homes, businesses, condominiums and apartments, regardless of the size of the rebuild.
When pressed by Councilmember Traci Park about the Budget and Finance Committee report only including single-family homes and duplexes, the response was that City Council could amend it further to be “more expansive” and include the additional types of properties.
In attendance were dozens of residents, many of whom spoke during public comment—with others cut off, due to cited time constraints.
“My house burned down, as did pretty much everyone I know,” said Sue Kohl, president of Pacific Palisades Community Council speaking as a resident during public comment. “Lost everything and have been working my entire life, and now being forced to take retirement savings to help pay to build back a house. I have no desire for a new house. I love my old house. Funky as it was, I would take it any day of the week.
“My request to all of you,” Kohl continued, addressing members of City Council, “is to please, please put yourselves in our shoes and try and think what it would feel like to have lost everything you’ve ever owned in your whole life, the underinsured or uninsured, and have to build back.”
Rich Wilken spoke on his family ties to the community, including fifth-generation Palisadian grandchildren.
“Our home of 46 years burned on January 7,” Wilken said. “Three generations of our family were living in our modest, 1,200-square-foot home when it burned … Please help us seniors have a chance to afford to return home.”
Questions were raised during the meeting about property owners who potentially wanted to rebuild beyond 110% under the Budget and Finance Committee report, asking if their fees would be partially covered up to the 110% threshold or if they would be exempt from assistance. An answer was not available at the time of the meeting.
“Colleagues, just a basic reminder: absolutely nothing, nothing about this rebuild is voluntary, not for anyone who lost their home or their property on January 7,” Park said. “It doesn’t matter whether it was a home, rented or owned, or whether it was a beloved local business or whether it was a multi-family building their grandparents bought in the 1960s. Absolutely none of it—none of it—is voluntary.”
Park spoke on residents’ experience on January 7, facing “terrifying evacuations” and having “their entire community” taken “from them”: “All of it taken from them in a catastrophe that was no fault of their own.”
“These are not voluntary remodels,” Park continued. “Literally no one asked for this … They are trying to rebuild their lives. Thousands of them were under or uninsured, again, through no fault of their own … these are people who are grappling with gut-wrenching decisions right now about what to do. These people are on the brink of calling it a total loss and walking away.”
Park said that her ask is that City Council does “the right thing” and adopt the Ad Hoc Committee report, but if it moves forward with the Budget and Finance report, to adopt a “friendly amendment,” including items like a sunset date on January 7, 2032, waiving the fees for properties that would be ineligible if the report is adopted but have had their fees suspended following the April Executive Order, and to include condos, town homes, apartments, and mobile home parks.
Following additional discussion among members of the City Council, they referred the item back to the Budget and Finance Committee.
“As many of you have been following, this week, council referred the discussion around fee waivers back to the Budget and Finance Committee,” Bass wrote on Sunday, December 7. “While the legislative process proceeds, I will continue to advocate for a fee waiver ordinance to be approved by council to provide critical relief.”
The discussion will continue in Budget and Finance Committee before it returns to the full council. There was no timeline for its return at press time.
“I’m fighting to ensure the broadest relief possible as the item heads back to the Budget Committee,” Park said on December 6.
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