Altadena Residents Are Ready To Rebuild, But Permit Delays Present Yet Another Hurdle

In the months since the devastating Eaton wildfires decimated their community, Altadena residents have proved their resilience, spirit and determination to rise above the ashes and reclaim the lives that were forever changed by the January flames — but now, a new obstacle is in their way that is proving to be just as challenging.

The fires are out and the Altadena community has now had time to implement their plans to rebuild their homes and businesses from the ground up; however, increasing permit delays have once again delayed the return to normalcy.

Not a single building permit for the over 1,500 properties in Altadena ready to be rebuilt has been finalized, and residents are beyond frustrated with the ongoing roadblocks.

LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger recently acknowledged the extreme lag in permit progress. “To be candid, I am not satisfied with the pace today. No building permits have been issued. That’s totally unacceptable,” she said on Monday, April 7.

“We need one point of contact that can override and really focus on getting it done real time,” Barger continued. She also noted that the slow process is a symptom of a larger issue that the current permitting system is broken. 

“To me, it’s a total wakeup call to the bureaucracy that we are part of the problem, not part of the solution,” she added. 

As of now, LA County has received 173 zoning reviews and has only started the permit process for just 23 of them. Additionally, of the 17 housing applications that have been filed by Altadena residents for temporary housing, only two have been issued as of April. 

Residents are understandably beyond frustrated, with some highlighting the innerworks of the permit process that has them bouncing around between departments.

The fire, building and safety departments are taking on average two to three weeks to review residents’ plans to rebuild — meaning it could delay their rebuilding efforts by at least three months.

Soon, it will be six months since the Eaton wildfires and surely Altadena residents envisioned that they would be well on the way to rebuilding (and even possibly back inside) their homes and businesses. 

However, at this rate, it looks like it could be a long, hot and frustrating summer ahead.

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