Frank Smiley, the longtime Conan O’Brien screenwriter and producer, lost his home in the Palisades fire on Tuesday.
Now, like the thousands of victims of the devastating Los Angeles County fires, he is navigating the complex task of collecting money from insurance companies, responding to conflicting advice from friends, and making plans for his family. They are contemplating whether to secure temporary housing and rebuild.
Smiley was working on Larchmont Boulevard on the other side of town when the fire broke out and was unable to return to the 1940s vacation home he lived in with his wife and two sons before it burned down.
The remains of Frank Smiley’s 1940s vacation home after the Palisades Fire ripped through the neighborhood last week.
(Frank Smiley)
He moved in with his brother in Santa Monica with the clothes on his back, but the next day when his brother had to evacuate, he moved to a hotel in Marina del Rey.
He had already signed a lease for a two-bedroom duplex in Marina del Rey and heard about it from one of his neighbors in the Palisades. He said several families evacuated from the crowded streets were temporarily housed in the same housing complex.
“We will come together,” he said. “It would be great if we could support each other.”
Smiley declined to say how much he pays in monthly rent for the duplex, but said the price seems fair.
“We don’t know what happened the day before the fire,” he said. “But everyone I talked to said, ‘Please buy it at that price.’ It doesn’t seem like an exorbitant amount. I can’t wait. I want to get normalcy back to my family as soon as possible.” , I have to get this apartment.”
Smiley has a short-term place to stay, but said the insurance process is “absolutely daunting.” His home, which he bought in 2011, is insured by Mercury Insurance, and he has already started making claims.
“The idea is to meet with contractors, rebuild, and work with insurance adjusters,” he said. “I’m looking up at the mountain I’m about to climb.”
Mr. Smiley said he is debating whether to hire an independent public adjuster to assist him with his claim. Public adjusters can navigate the intricacies of insurance contracts and the negotiation process on behalf of their clients, and typically charge a fee of a percentage of the final insurance claim settlement.
“A really good friend of mine introduced me to this guy. He seems like a really nice guy, but management says, ‘You don’t need that, don’t waste your money.’ ,” Smiley said.
“So you’re hearing different sides. You don’t know if you should go it alone or hire an appraiser, but you also don’t know if the appraiser is legitimate or if they’re just extorting money. “Hmm,” he continued. “That’s what’s perplexing and what’s driving me crazy. I don’t know which way to turn, you know? It’s a new world for me. I never thought I would find myself in this situation. I never thought I would, but now I’m in that situation.”
The family plans to stay in Marina del Rey for at least the next six months. Whether it will be rebuilt at Palisades is “undecided,” Smiley said.
“We are on the brink. It’s hard to understand. It’s still too early,” he said. “I’m moving on with my life. Me and my family are safe, that’s all that matters.”
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