When it comes to rebuilding her home, Altadena resident Wendy Hammond knows that moving every dollar available toward the cost of construction is so critical that it could determine whether she returns to a new home or sells her cleared property to a developer.
That’s why she’s asking that rebuilding fees paid to Los Angeles County — from $20,000 to $35,000 per house — get waived for those who lost homes in the Eaton fire, so that chunk of cash doesn’t get taken out of her insurance’s dwelling and rebuilding allotment bucket.
“I’m very concerned this is preventing many from rebuilding and moving forward,” said Hammond on Wednesday, May 28.
“The point I’m driving home is when people find out they have to pay these upfront (county) fees, people that are already battling insurance companies, it is a huge mountain to climb. So they are more likely to sell their plot of land,” she added.
Hammond and her neighbors who lost their homes in the Eaton fire of Jan. 7-Jan. 8 are in support of a proposal by L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, which would defer payment of rebuilding fees in the Altadena fire zone.
The motion says the county could get reimbursed through the property owners’ insurance. The motion also mentions waiving the fees if insurance doesn’t cover this expense, but it appears the county would need to find “a long-term funding plan” in order to make up the lost revenues for completely waiving fees for eligible owners, the motion stated.
The details of the proposal are not yet clear. Barger’s motion was introduced Tuesday, May 27, and is set to be heard at a future Board of Supervisors meeting. It contains strong language favoring deferring or waiving rebuilding fees.
“For families grappling with loss, displacement, and the slow grind of insurance claims, these fees represent an insurmountable barrier to returning home,” wrote Barger in her motion.
The county has made efforts to streamline often bureaucratic…
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