(Inside California Politics) — One year after massive fires devastated southern California communities, state lawmakers say there’s still more work to be done.
Marking the first anniversary of the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, state Sens. Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Altadena, and Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, sat down with FOX40’s Nikki Laurenzo to discuss what’s next for fire victims.
“I think a lot of people didn’t realize that a year later, there would still be so much disarray and challenge,” Allen said on Inside California Politics.
People dealing with pain and sadness, he said. Some fire victims are still struggling to get the insurance payouts they need to rebuild their homes, while others are frustrated with permitting issues.
Pérez said she’s heard from families at risk of falling into homelessness because of delayed insurance payouts. She said recovery from the Eaton fire is particularly complex because of lawsuits against electric utility company Southern California Edison
“Until a determination is made, residents are not going to be able to tap into what we refer to as the wildfire fund, which will provide them with aid and assistance,” Pérez said.
Are elected leaders doing enough to take responsibility?
Allen said there are still concerns in that area, pointing to an after action report that included redactions and edits “that went up to the top so as to try to reduce criticism.” He said it would help if local leaders took more responsibility.
“I think people want to see honesty and openness from their leaders,” Allen said. “I think it would really help for folks to step up — both in the mayor’s office and the county and the city hall — and just be really open about the mistakes that were made and the plan moving forward.”
The permitting process is different in Altadena, an unincorporated community, where all permits are handled by the county, Pérez said. In the Palisades, the city of Los Angeles handles those requests.
“Things are now starting to move more quickly,” she said. “But it was a very slow start, and that made things very painful and frustrating for folks.”
Allen said local governments were unprepared both for the fire itself as well as the rebuilding process.
“I’m interested in maybe a model code that folks can adopt statewide for very high fire risk zones. We have lots of people living in risky places.”
Pérez has a demand for state leaders, one she mentions to Gov. Gavin Newsom “every time I see him” — that recovery from the fires remains a top priority.
“This is a moment where people have gone through a crisis,” Pérez said. “I think Californians everywhere want to know that if they go through [a] crisis too, that [the] government is going to step up and be able to serve them. And if we can’t respond in this moment, then we have failed at our jobs.”
Is Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara doing his job?
Allen is running for insurance commissioner this year to replace Lara, who is term-limited in the position.
“The challenge he faces goes way beyond the powers of his office,” Allen said, adding that if elected he’d work with lawmakers on bills to address the issue.
Pérez called it a “very tough job” and said the state’s issues with homeowners insurance are the result of “years of inaction by the Legislature” to hold the insurance industry accountable. But she criticized State Farm, which requested major rate increases last year.
“These cost drivers are what are pushing people out of California,” Pérez said.
It’s crucial to use the current crisis to push for cultural and policy changes, Allen said, like restrictions on constructions in high-risk zones and assistance for those who already live in at-risk areas.
“What we can and must do is start planning for a future that will involve a lot of fire risk and start growing and building and retrofitting and hardening our communities in a way that will reduce the risk,” Allen said. “That’s how we’re going to get the insurance industry to come back.”
Both lawmakers declined to weigh in on whether Lara should step down, noting the current commissioner is in the final year of his term.
Concerns about Newsom’s budget?
Allen took a veiled shot at Newsom’s budget proposal, which the Legislative Analyst’s Office says leaves major deficits after the governor leaves office.
“One of the big downsides of term limits is that people leave at a certain point, they know when they’re leaving, and so they don’t always have the same sense of responsibility associated with the many years out,” Allen said.
There are “serious doubts” about the trajectory of revenue needed to sustain the state’s spending, he said, leading to long-term deficit projections.
Allen said it’s crucial to be careful about any new taxes, pointing to analysis that shows a proposed “Billionaire’s Tax” could drive rich Californians out of the state.
Difficult decisions are coming, Pérez said, including looking at potential tax increases. She said it’s time for a hard look at California’s tax structure and what could be done to raise revenues, in addition to examining spending — “it has to be both.”
“There is this huge growing income inequality that we’re seeing all across the state,” Pérez said. “And I can tell you that my voters and the people that live in my district, they feel it.”
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