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Residents urge council to waive building-permit surcharges after January wildfires
Summary
Multiple residents and neighborhood leaders told the City Council during public comment that building-permit surcharges and unclear rebuilding rules are blocking wildfire survivors from returning; speakers asked the council to waive fees and clarify rebuild limits and insurance guidance.
Dozens of residents impacted by the January wildfires told the City Council during public comment that permit surcharges, unclear rebuild rules and lack of insurance are preventing survivors from rebuilding and returning to their neighborhoods.
Speakers at the special session said many long-standing, often lower-value homes burned and that families with multigenerational ties to neighborhoods face economic barriers to reconstruction. "We have mortgages, rents, insurance shortfalls, destroyed personal property and a massive hole where our lives used to be," said Jessica Reyes, who identified herself as president of the Pacific Callacides Association. "That begins with…
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