Rebuilding the residential work began on Monday for the first time since Eaton Fire destroyed the Altadena area.
After more than 9,000 homes were destroyed, the West Palm Street site was first liquidated by Army engineers on February 11th.
For homeowner Margo Steuber, it was a long time.
“It’s the first day of my new life,” the stever said. “After all my sorrow and loss, I will now begin to see myself here and now.”
Since Stueber’s 100-year-old Altadena Cottage burned out in January, homeowners have been working with architect Trinidad Campbell to design a new home.
Despite promises that the process of issuing permits from Los Angeles County would be promptly accelerated in two weeks, Stueber faced delays as another county department had to consider her reconstruction plans before issuing the permit.
As of Monday, only four properties had received rebuild permission in the Altadena area.
“It took me two months to get permission. Everyone is ready to rebuild, so I hope they can do it a little faster,” said Steuber architect Trinidad Campbell.
Director Kathryn Berger agreed on Monday that the process of issuing restructuring permits could be “rationalized.”
“Public works will take two weeks. Local planning will take two weeks. Fire will take two weeks. Public health will take two weeks.
To eliminate the bureaucratic hurdle, Berger said the county would copy the system in force for the city of Los Angeles and move forward with the move to allow self-certification within the county.
“You hire a licensed architect or a licensed engineer, a simple, self-certification,” said the chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Berger explained that if a licensed engineer or architect is hired to create a rebuild plan, the license alone is sufficient to skip any other review process the LA County department has undertaken.
While the home restoration is taking place slowly, theft and robbery are ramping up in neighbours where the fire has been damaged, officials said.
One robbery work alone led to 15 arrests as the LA County Sheriff’s Office saw the climb up with 250% of the arrests in the neighborhood.
However, arresting criminals is not a small feat, as Altadena is a porous neighborhood with many ways to enter the area through mountains and forests.
Berger said she and other county leaders are considering providing more support to the sheriff’s department without seeking help from the National Guard.
L.A. District Attorney Nathan Hochman will also actively pursue accusations of people arrested for robbery and theft in Altadena and other fire prevention areas, Burger said.
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