Property Tax and Pool Cleanup update

PROPERTY TAX:

There’s been a lot of confusion to how the LA County Assessors will reassess the value of the property after the rebuild. From 2/20/2025 Mayor’s town hall, there were a few clarifications. The assessors will be re-valuate the in one of the two methods and keep your existing or pre-fire tax base, the assessor will choose the method that has the maximum benefit to the homeowner:

1. VALUE - Under 120% of the pre-fire VALUE. For example, if your home was worth $1million before the fire, you can build up to $1.2 million and keep your full tax basis. But this will diminish over time, so the sooner you build, the more likely you will be able to keep your pre-fire tax basis.

2. SIZE - Maintain the same size and square footage + 10% of the pre-fire home. Replacement in similarity. But if you build and add construction beyond what was originally there, then only that portion will be picked up as new construction and added to your taxable value. The assessor also explained that if your property was 1,000 s.f. and you build 1,005 s.f., they are not going to pick that up. But if you build a 2,000s.f. home, then they will consider that as additional s.f. and would be picked up as new construction. Please also note that garage does not count in square footage. HERE is a good explanation how tax assessors calculate their square footage.

   OR

   if you want to sell, Proposition 19 allows you to transfer your property’s tax base to be transferred to a comparable property within the same county or another county in California.

All of this information may be found on https://assessor.lacounty.gov/tax-relief/disaster-relief The assessors also indicated that they are working with both the State Senate and the Assembly in trying to deliver a bill that will address the application of decrease in value as of 1/7/2025 rather than as of 1/1/2026. Please also note that the reduced value remains in effect until the property is fully repaired, restored, or reconstructed.

POOL CLEANUP

If you opt into Army Corp phase 2 debris removal program, please note that the pools within the structural ash footprint with eligible structural debris will have structural debris and water removed from the pool to wet the ash debris. The pool will also be fenced off after debris removal to prevent accidental falls. However, they will not refill the pools, they will not remove the pools, and they will not clear or clean the pools and ponds outside the structural ash footprint.

HERE is the link to the City of LA protocol for swimming pool drainage. You will need to fill out the Pacific Palisades - Pool Discharge Request Google form via the link, or scan below:

After draining the pool, the County also recommends the following procedure for health and safety.

Fire Safe Landscaping

I’ve been getting a lot of questions on landscaping and what will our lush landscape look like after the rebuild. Here are some preliminary research I’ve done and wanted to share with the community. We can still bring back the lush landscape, but at a more conscientious level, like creating a defensible space zone around your home with no vertical path for the fire to travel up. Thus, start from your home’s perimeter and work outwards. HERE is a great resource to illustrate this.

Zone 0 (0-5 ft) - Avoid anything combustible in this zone. No wood mulch. Try using gravel.

Zone 1 (5-30ft) - Lean and Clean - the goal is to eliminate fire paths between vegetation by increasing spacing between trees, removing lower branches of trees and shrubs. Maintain the plants with proper irrigation and remove dead/dry material.

Zone 2 (30-100+ft) - reduce the density of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants or grasses.

Does that mean no trees? No, it just means that you have to select your trees carefully. HERE is a good resource for selecting your trees.

Can you still have a privacy hedge? Yes and no. It depends on how far away the hedge is away from your structure. Again, maintenance is crucial. Plant selection is key.

CalFire also has a great site for guidance. https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/fire-smart-landscaping/

If you want to know which plants are fire hazardous, please check out this list prepared by the city of Marin. https://firesafemarin.org/create-a-fire-smart-yard/plants/fire-hazardous-plants/ The Fire Safe Marin website has a lot of great resources that is applicable to us in the Palisades.

Shelly Sparks RLA has also prepared this powerpoint addressing this issue: Don't Play with Fire

1 Pali and rebuild update

A few LA DBS updates;
1. One-Stop rebuilding center for permitting is at the WLA DBS office - 1828 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025. There will also be a mediation center to resolve conflicts between neighbors. M-F 10AM-8PM, SAT-SUN 10AM-4PM.

2. Soils repot and Title 24 are still required.

2. Updated structural is required.

3. Survey is needed, at least the foundation should be shown on the updated survey.

I had the opportunity to join the 1 Pali ZOOM last night. Here are the takeaways:

1. 650 million has been raised so far for the wildfire, but how will the money be used? HERE is the link to the article.

2. Mayor Bass has engaged Hagerty Consulting to assist in managing the infrastructure and environmental issues after Steve Soboroff’s 90 days term is up. HERE is the link tot he article. Yes, there are a lot of questions here too.

3. EPA aims to complete Phase I cleanup at the end of February. It looks like most of the Alphabets are completed. HERE is the link to look up your neighborhood or address for the status. Phase II by Army Corp of Engineers (ACE) has already started. They are not waiting for Phase I to be completed. Again, ACE will not remove, driveways, pools, trees(unless it’s at risk of dying) and patios.

4. First scorched plot sold in the Highlands recently. It was listed for $999,000 for 9,932 s.f. lot on Jan. 16, 2025 and sold for $1.3 million after 60 bids. Before the fire, it was estimated at $2.1million on Zillow. It was sold for much less than assessor value of land. HERE is the article. Another scorched property is currently for sale on McKendree for $2.895 million, or the land assessor’s value.

5. Currently 900 people have been accused of pricing gouging.

6. Brad Sherwood, a survivor of the Santa Rosa Tubbs fire in 2017, shared his community’s rebuild experience.

   1. They were able to rebuild in 2 years.

   2. They formed a 502(c)(3) non-profit to help them fund the rebuilding.

   3. The people who hired private contractors experienced higher cost and longer delays.

   4. Brad also confirmed that ACE will work with you on removing the roof and allow you to sift through the debris.

Another thing to keep our eyes on is the tax ramification from insurance payments. Please consult your tax specialist on this matter. HERE is an article from Forbes.

Per Mayor’s ZOOM tonight, ACE has begin their debris removal. And they will remove these items: Chimneys, hazardous trees (dead or at risk of dying within five years), fire ash and debris, foundation (if specified in the ROE), up to 6 inches of soil int eh ash footprint (if necessary and safe to do so), titled properties (vehicles/trailers). LADWP is also in process of restoring the power and the water. Bureau of Sanitation is still working on guidelines for pool debris removal. Do not pump out the water for now.

XO May

Debris Cleanup

There was a town hall last night regarding debris removal, if you didn’t catch it, HERE is the link to the Youtube video. It’s worth watching.

Essentially the clean up is split into two parts and as Mayor Bass kept stressing that this effort is being led by the County of Los Angeles, not the City:

PHASE I: EPA CLEANUP, FREE to the residents. FEMA has assigned the EPA to assess, remove, and safely dispose hazardous materials from all burned areas. These are household items like lithium batteries, and chemicals (think of the ones in your garage and cleaning supplies). You can follow the status of their clean up on their website: https://www.epa.gov/ca/2025-california-wildfires OR call 1.833.798.7372. They are estimating it’ll be a few hours per household, but there are 15,000 household per the spokesperson. They are starting today, Monday 1/27/2025

PHASE II: After the EPA certify the lot free of hazardous material. You move onto Private Property Debris Removal or PPDR phase. You have two choices:

1.OPTION ONE: Hire your own contractor for debris removal. They must be licensed by the state, and it cannot just be a general contractor. This was quoted as much as $170,000. Porperty owners who elect to opt-out of the government-sponsored program will be required to obtain County approval prior to removing any fire debris.

2.OPTION TWO: Government-sponsored program. led by the Army Corp of Engineers. You will have to sign a Right of Entry (ROE) to give the federal government the right to enter your site for debris removal. This program is FREE to those without debris removal in their insurance policy or without insurance. For this with insurance, the county will access the fund available for debris removal provided by the insurance. I encourage everyone to sign up for this government sponsored program. This is why we pay taxes. The more homeowners sign up the more they can organize by area and sooner they can get this done. Check https://pw.lacounty.gov/epd/debris-removal/ The portal is now open: https://recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/ You can download the opt-in and opt-out form on the website. There will be an option to see if you want the foundation to be removed or not. You should confirm with your structural engineer or architect. Typical 18” pier footing should be removed, due to the high heat caused by the fire. The rebar within those footings probably have melted. The homes with caisson and full basement will require core samples examined by structural engineer to verify if it should be removed or not. the deadline for this is MARCH 31, 2025. They will not remove swimming pools and spas. You should check with your pool contractor on this. THIS is the link for what to do after a fire for swimming pools.

Meanwhile, you can still submit your plans to LADBS for review. Regardless, you’ll need to obtain an existing plan for your insurance or your mortgage company. HERE is the link to the form to request for blueprint of your home. Mayor Bass indicated in her news conference yesterday that the one-stop portal for plan check submittal should be open next week or the week after. https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/la-mayor-karen-bass-gives-update-on-palisades-fire-recovery-efforts-rebuilding-socal/

Hope this helps. Have a great week!

XO May

ADU and other resources.

Governor Newsom has added ADU to be exempt from CEQA and Coastal Act in a new executive order.. Which is good new. However, it is still unclear if grading will trigger CEQA and Coastal Act or not, which most lots in the Palisades will require.

To find out if your property is in the Coastal Zone on both the LA DBS Parcel Search (and you can find your permit history here too, if you home were built after 1990) and ZIMA.

There was a lot of great information given on the Palisades Community Meeting livestream lasts night. There are slow progress on the repopulation of the Palisades. It was just announced that people in the Riviera may return with ID. To find out if the evacuation notice has been lifter of your area, sign up for this the Protect.Genasys APP . Just input your address, and you’ll be alerted. But check back periodically. This map shows if your property has been assessed by Cal Fire. If your property has been assessed, this is the portal to request a report for your insurance company.

For brands that are offering discounts for fire victims. Please see this Google Doc.

Crest Real Estate hosted a great webinar today. I’ll share the link once it’s uploaded. But the gist of it is that:

1. Start collecting records. Permits, record plans, title reports, assessor information.

2. Review the zoning code.

3. Determine if there are non-conforming elements.

4. Determine if you want to Rebuild or Redevelop

LADBS is looking at exemption for survey and soils for the flat area and possibly having architect self certify. The City is also looking at issuing standard plans for fast permitting for flat rectangular lots. I personally have one flat rectangular lot in the Alphabets, and another sloped lot in the El Medio Bluffs. I’m hoping that this will be true. The City and the State are committed to speed up the rebuilding process. I’ll keep trying to add to this as often as I can.

Stay safe, please let me know if you have any questions.

XO May

Rebuild Palisades

Upon returning from Christmas holidays to our home in the Alphabet Streets in the Palisades, the most difficult thing that was confronting me was what New Year’s goals to set. Never did we imagine that our lives were to be turned completely upside down on Jan. 7th, 2025. I am not a blogger, but I wanted to start this to share resources with my neighbors about rebuilding the Palisades. I know it would be easier to just sell and collect insurance, but this was a magic community. Though I have only been here for twenty years, some of my neighbors in the Village have been there for generations. This is not just a town full of celebrities and wealthy families. This is also a town full of working class people that had purchased a home early on to raise their kids in a safe neighborhood. My kids were born and raised here. I lost a husband here. I fell in love with my new husband here. This was (and will be) my forever home. Now our schools are gone, our homes are gone, and our communities are gone. But I believe in the Palisadian spirit. We will rebuild. As an architect that have worked in the Palisades for twenty years, I am happy to share my knowledge and resources.

Whatever you do, DON’T SELL! It’s like losing a spouse. Don’t do anything rash for the first year. Right now there are a lot of agencies at the FEMA Disaster Center on Pico Blvd. to help you.

1. File an application for reassessment (FORM ADS-820) with the County Assessor.

2. Ask for forebearance from your mortgage company. You typically can extend this to 12 months.

3. Though FEMA may have rejected you because you have insurance, you can still seek displacement replacement. They will pay up to 2 months of displacement cost if you upload your insurance declaration pages.

4. Apply for SBA loan for both your home and your business, if it’s run from your home.

5. File for tax extensions, the government is even allowing for extensions for professionals that works and does not live in the Palisades.

Here are some of the latest items from the governmental agencies and handouts for rebuilding. The Cliff note version of it, is that you can build like for like. Same footprint, same height, and bulk. You can add 10% of the existing s.f.. However, you can change the design and interior layout of the project. You may also receive additional fund from your insurance company if you build up to current code by using more resilient and ecological materials. This may add another 20% on top of coverage A of your original coverage. But you should check with your insurance company.

Someone on the WhatsApp link group created this Google Doc with local resources for the rebuilding the Palisades. It’s a live document.

Here are some handouts I received from the FEMA office.

City of Los Angeles Emergency Executive Order No. 1

City of Los Angeles ZI No. 2523 CA Coastal Coastal Commission Development Permit No. A-381-78 Palisades Highlands (Pacific Palisades)

Palisades Fire Rebuild and Recovery Coastal Zone Requirement

Coastal Exemption - Single Jurisdiction Coastal Zone applications

Hope this helps. Do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.

XO May