(Inside California Politics) \u2014 One year after massive fires devastated southern California communities, state lawmakers say there\u2019s still more work to be done.<\/p>\n
Marking the first anniversary of the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, state Sens. Sasha Ren\u00e9e P\u00e9rez, D-Altadena, and Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, sat down with FOX40\u2019s Nikki Laurenzo to discuss what\u2019s next for fire victims.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of people didn\u2019t realize that a year later, there would still be so much disarray and challenge,\u201d Allen said on Inside California Politics.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
P\u00e9rez said she\u2019s 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<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil 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,\u201d P\u00e9rez said.<\/p>\n
Are elected leaders doing enough to take responsibility?<\/p>\n
Allen said there are still concerns in that area, pointing to an after action report that included redactions and edits \u201cthat went up to the top so as to try to reduce criticism.\u201d He said it would help if local leaders took more responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people want to see honesty and openness from their leaders,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI think it would really help for folks to step up \u2014 both in the mayor\u2019s office and the county and the city hall \u2014 and just be really open about the mistakes that were made and the plan moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The permitting process is different in Altadena, an unincorporated community, where all permits are handled by the county, P\u00e9rez said. In the Palisades, the city of Los Angeles handles those requests.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings are now starting to move more quickly,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it was a very slow start, and that made things very painful and frustrating for folks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen said local governments were unprepared both for the fire itself as well as the rebuilding process.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
P\u00e9rez has a demand for state leaders, one she mentions to Gov. Gavin Newsom \u201cevery time I see him\u201d \u2014 that recovery from the fires remains a top priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a moment where people have gone through a crisis,\u201d P\u00e9rez said. \u201cI 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\u2019t respond in this moment, then we have failed at our jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara doing his job?<\/p>\n
Allen is running for insurance commissioner this year to replace Lara, who is term-limited in the position.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge he faces goes way beyond the powers of his office,\u201d Allen said, adding that if elected he\u2019d work with lawmakers on bills to address the issue.<\/p>\n
P\u00e9rez called it a \u201cvery tough job\u201d and said the state\u2019s issues with homeowners insurance are the result of \u201cyears of inaction by the Legislature\u201d to hold the insurance industry accountable. But she criticized State Farm, which requested<\/a> major rate increases last year.<\/p>\n \u201cThese cost drivers are what are pushing people out of California,\u201d P\u00e9rez said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat 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,\u201d Allen said. \u201cThat\u2019s how we\u2019re going to get the insurance industry to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n Both lawmakers declined to weigh in on whether Lara should step down, noting the current commissioner is in the final year of his term.<\/p>\n Concerns about Newsom\u2019s budget?<\/p>\n Allen took a veiled shot at Newsom\u2019s budget proposal, which the Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office says leaves major deficits after the governor leaves office.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the big downsides of term limits is that people leave at a certain point, they know when they\u2019re leaving, and so they don\u2019t always have the same sense of responsibility associated with the many years out,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n There are \u201cserious doubts\u201d about the trajectory of revenue needed to sustain the state\u2019s spending, he said, leading to long-term deficit projections.<\/p>\n