Palisades residents tell recovery committee permit fees must be waived; urge clarity on rebuild rules and contractor safeguards

Residents of the Pacific Palisades urged the Los Angeles City ad hoc committee for LA Recovery to waive building and permit fees and give clearer guidance on rebuild rules after January wildfires that destroyed homes and left many uninsured or underinsured.

At the committee meeting Chair Councilwoman Tracy Park opened public comment and residents described severe financial strain and confusion about rebuilding rules. "Every penny counts for us to be able to rebuild," Jessica Rogers, president of the Pacific Palisades Residents Association, told the committee. "We will not tolerate anything less than the city stretch itself just as much as we have been forced to." Rogers noted earlier remarks from the chair that 186 building permit applications had been filed and 22 permits issued so far.

The request for fee waivers and clearer guidance was echoed by multiple…