Tuesday, August 19, 2025

From Golf Course to Murals, Altadena Recovery Advances as Families Await Insurance Relief

Altadena’s post-fire cleanup crossed a major threshold Monday as federal engineers declared private-parcel debris removal complete and set a year-end timeline to return the Altadena golf course to the county, while the supervising county official urged insurers and regulators to accelerate claims that residents say are slowing recovery.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has finished the private-parcel phase and has “only two special inclusion parcels” left before the full debris program winds down.

The Corps announced a restoration schedule for the golf course: earthwork finished by mid-October, sod in place by the end of October, the driving range restored by mid-November and a handoff to Parks and Recreation by the end of the calendar year.

“As of today, we have completed the private parcel debris removal program and only two special inclusion parcels remain before we complete our full debris removal program,” Ober said.

He added that processing equipment has been demobilized, stockpiles of reduced material have been shipped off-site, and soils potentially impacted by the work are being removed and replaced with imported fill, with advice from a golf professional and oversight by occupational-safety specialists and engineers.

County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said FEMA has distributed nearly $150 million to wildfire survivors in Los Angeles County since January — about $50 million for housing assistance and nearly $100 million for other needs — and thanked the EPA and Army Corps for moving debris off private properties at speed.

At the same time, Barger said insurance delays, denials and underpayments are “derailing” family decisions, citing a department finding that 70 percent of insured survivors face claim obstacles. Barger endorsed a slate of state reforms, including Senate Bill 495, which would guarantee homeowners at least 60 percent of personal-property coverage without itemization (and up to 100 percent with itemization), and called on the Insurance Commissioner’s wildfire task force to establish smoke-claims standards.

“It is time for insurers and regulators to step up and meet the moment with urgency, compassion, and with action,” the supervisor said.

Rebuild activity is accelerating, LA County Public Works reported.

As of Monday, 1,422 rebuild applications had been filed in the Eaton fire area, 1,067 zoning reviews were cleared, and 670 properties had submitted full building plan sets. Across all permit types, 1,015 structures were in building review, with 196 structures permitted on 144 parcels.

The county is averaging about 62 days from initial submittal to permit issuance for new residential projects, a figure that officials said also includes design time and responses to staff comments.

To compress timelines, departments are using a unified application that routes plans concurrently to Fire, Public Health, Public Works and Regional Planning for 10-business-day initial reviews and five-day follow-up reviews.

The dashboard, which tracks submittals and permits, updates every three hours on weekdays and shows recent averages of 70 planning submittals and 50 public works plans per week.

Officials also highlighted ARAR, an AI-powered plan-screening tool that flags likely compliance issues before submission; as of Aug. 12 it had 141 user accounts, 48 plan uploads, 19 rejections as incomplete, and 26 reviews completed in tandem with Planning. One plan remained in ARAR review, two were under Planning review, and 11 applicants had already applied for building permits. A pre-approved plan pilot now lists 13 styles in the public catalog, built from 50 submissions (with 41 cleared by Planning and five full plan sets approved). Fire officials also noted that interior sprinklers are required on all rebuilds, processed as a deferred submittal after permits are issued.

For renters, Public Health said its Rental Housing Habitability Program will continue inspecting Altadena units for smoke, ash and soot impacts related to the fire, including attics, HVAC and ductwork. If inspectors observe fire-related impacts, landlords will be ordered to hire certified environmental consultants or industrial hygienists to test and remediate as warranted; failure to comply can trigger administrative action.

Tenants in unincorporated Altadena can file complaints online at the program’s website or by phone at (888) 700-9995 (option 3).

Local artists also presented a new “Greetings” mural for the reopening of Alta Park, each contributing one letter to the design. They said LA County Parks reached out to them for the project, framing the work as a cultural sign of renewal alongside the physical rebuild.