Mayor Lasagne says Paradise recovery continues; town cites housing and utility progress in year-end address

Mayor Ronald Lasagne delivered a year-end review at the Dec. 10 Paradise Town Council meeting, summarizing recovery milestones on housing, utilities, emergency preparedness and municipal services.

Lasagne said the town has made steady housing progress: the mayor reported 3,417 single-family applications with 2,579 certificates of occupancy issued, and 820 multifamily applications with 571 multifamily certificates of occupancy granted. He said the town’s population is currently about 11,000 and estimated the town is roughly 40% of its pre-fire population, noting final population counts were still pending.

Lasagne highlighted utility undergrounding as a major resilience measure, reporting completion percentages by utility providers: PG&E 83% complete, Comcast 60%, water utility 68% and telecommunications 50%. He said the town is on track to complete undergrounding by 2025.

Other items Lasagne cited: - Emergency warning system: 21 outdoor warning sirens now operational. - Grants and recovery projects: the town received awards for three recovery projects applied for in 2019, including a category-4 tree removal project (about 10,000 hazardous trees scheduled for removal in six weeks), a residential ignition-resistance rehabilitation program intended to fund work on about 100 homes, and expanded fuels-reduction equipment and staff for right-of-way work. - Housing: the town’s first CDBG-DR-funded multifamily project has been completed and is leasing 43 affordable units. - Insurance and advocacy: Lasagne said meetings with the California insurance commissioner and insurers have resulted in commitments to insure newly built wildfire-prepared homes; he cited one insurer’s goal to insure 240 such homes and said other insurers were evaluating the town. - Public safety and services: restoration of 24/7 dispatch services in the Paradise Police Department was noted; Lasagne said the police department is now fully staffed and an expansion of the animal shelter is under construction with an expected 2025 opening.

Recognition of departing council member The council presented a proclamation honoring Council member Rose Tryon for four years of service and cited her roles on regional boards. Representatives from Assemblyman James Gallagher’s office and Senator Megan Dahle’s office read resolutions and presented certificates of recognition.

Why it matters Mayor Lasagne framed the address as an accounting of recovery progress and remaining work. The items cited touch on resident safety, housing availability and the conditions needed to attract insurers and investment — all factors in the town’s continued rebuilding.

Ending Lasagne closed by thanking town staff, council colleagues and residents and by urging continued community effort to complete outstanding recovery work.