Nine months and one investigation later, it is still not clear why neighborhoods in Altadena, California did not get an alert to evacuate until 3:25 a.m on January 8th — if residents got one at all — despite repeated calls to 911, hours earlier, that flames from the Eaton Fire were spotted in the area.The McChrystal Group’s 130-plus page report looks into what happened, but the scope is limited as it only includes information provided by Los Angeles County, and it finds that while there was a whole system of failures that night that led to catastrophe, no one person, or agency, was directly responsible. This missing data and lack of accountability in the report has outraged residents of Altadena. Even the L.A. County Board of Supervisors that commissioned the report has criticized some of its findings.To find out more about what’s in the McChrystal report — and what is not — we turn to Terry Castleman and Grace Toohey, breaking news reporters for the L.A. Times. Both began covering the failures of the alert system soon after the Eaton Fire burned through Altadena.Plus, we will hear from Altadena Resident Linda Bazilian whose husband was left to fight the flames from the Eaton Fire by himself the night of January 7th, only to have his home burn down the next day.

Guests:
Terry Castleman and Grace Toohey, reporters for the the Los Angeles Times
Linda Bazilian, Altadena resident

Check out Grace and Terry's Stories:https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-09-25/l-a-county-release-investigation-into-botched-altadena-evacuations
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-09-25/the-eaton-fire-how-the-system-failed-altadena
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-09-27/no-smoking-gun-report-on-altadena-cites-failures-but-did-not-name-names

The insurance industry in California was fragile even before the January fires in Los Angeles. Since the Camp Fire in Paradise and other devastating blazes in Napa, Sonoma, and Ventura Counties, home insurance rates skyrocketed for many Californians. Companies dropped customers and left the state because of the perceived risks of wildfires and other disasters in so many communities. Now, after the Eaton and Palisades Fires, a lot of residents are wondering if anyone in these areas can get a home insured again.So how did we get here? And where do we go from here? Host Kate Cagle tries to get some answers.

Guests: 

Judson Boomhower, an associate professor in the economics department at UC San Diego, specializing in climate risk and adaption.

Tamara Rawitt, Pacific Palisades resident

One of the biggest stories to emerge from these fires is the insurance nightmare fire survivors have endured. Not all stories of insurers are bad but the number of residents who have reported trouble with their insurance company is in the thousands. The bottom line: people report not getting the money they believe they deserve under their policies to help them rebuild and replace what was lost. Even those residents whose homes still stand are struggling and are battling with their insurance providers over smoke damage and the cost of clean up, repairs and testing for lingering toxic substances.In the first part of a two part look at the insurance situation in Southern California, we speak to Laurence Darmiento who covers the industry for the Los Angeles Times. He shares with us the stories he’s heard from survivors of both the Eaton and Palisades Fires.

Guests:Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times reporter covering the insurance industry in California as well as finance and aerospace.
Joe Ressa, Altadena residentCheck out some of Laurence’s recent stories:https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-09-22/insurance-rights-initiative-proposed-by-leading-consumer-grouphttps://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-09-08/despite-court-loss-california-fair-plan-sticking-to-disputed-smoke-damage-policyhttps://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-08-25/local-politicians-and-january-fire-survivors-hold-press-conference-over-insurance-claims-payments
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-01-09/la-fires-property-home-insurance-crisis-fair-plan-lara-state-farm-allstate-palisades-eaton-altadena-wildfires

The sale of lots in the Altadena burn zones has slowed down but there is still a lot of uncertainty among some residents about whether they can rebuild. There is concern felt across some of these neighborhoods that their neighbors won’t — or can’t — come back, and that the overall character — the diversity, the eclecticism, the bohemianism —  of their beloved Altadena will change.
Enter nonprofit groups like Greenline Housing Foundation. Greenline’s mission is to close the racial wealth gap in the U.S. by helping Black and Latino families buy their first home. In Altadena, where so many Black and Latino families lost properties, Greenline has provided grants to fire survivors for interim housing, and is also working on helping people finance the purchase of a lot. Greenline even bought its own lot with a plan to build on it and sell back to a community member.We’ll also hear from resident and coach Zaire Calvin who lost his home and his sister, Evelyn McClendon in the Eaton fire. She was 59.

Guests: 

Jasmin Shupper, founder, Greenline Housing Foundation
Zaire Calvin, Altadena Resident

A Related Listen: 

You heard Jasmine Shupper talk about creative solutions to the rebuild. If you’d like to hear more, check out Rebuilding LA’s Episode 5: 

From Free Consultations to Pre-Approved Plans Inspired By A Sears Catalog, Local Architects Help Altadena Rebuild

The much ballyhooed Fire Aid concert in January, featuring artists from Billie Eilish to Joni Mitchell to No Doubt, raised $100 million to help assist people in the immediate aftermath of the Eaton and Palisades Fires. Over the summer, the organizers came under a lot of scrutiny by some residents — and even President Donald Trump — who all questioned how the money was spent.
August Brown covers the music industry for the Los Angeles Times and made a lot of calls, trying to track down where the Fire Aid grants went, and how they were used. He’s got some answers for the skeptics, and shares them with host Kate Cagle.Guest: Los Angeles Times Reporter August BrownAugust’s Stories:
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-07-30/fireaid-retains-law-firm-to-review-grants-after-trumps-misleading-criticismhttps://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-07-23/where-did-the-fireaid-money-gohttps://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-07-23/where-did-the-fireaid-money-go
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-02-18/fireaid-grants-50-million-la-wildfire-relief

Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff is a six-part true crime investigation from the Los Angeles Times about one of the biggest law enforcement scandals in U.S. history.

Follow Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Christopher Goffard as he uncovers how Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, once hailed as a reformer, became entangled in a shocking cover-up inside the nation’s largest jail system. From FBI informants and jailhouse brutality to corruption at the highest levels, this series reveals how deputies hid an inmate, intimidated federal agents, and ultimately brought down one of California’s most powerful sheriffs.

On the morning of the Palisades Fire, streets were already gridlocked by the time the first widespread evacuation order was issued. Eventually, people were told to leave their cars behind and run, setting off a harrowing escape for many residents.For decades it was an open secret that the Pacific Palisades didn’t have enough roads out of town for people to evacuate effectively and efficiently during an emergency, and January 7th made that plain. It took over 6 hours to get everyone out.In the hope of preventing this type of situation, a state law was passed after the Camp Fire killed 85 people in Paradise, Calif., requiring cities and counties to do a detailed analysis of evacuation plans. That essentially meant outlining specific routes to take — not to take — during different scenarios, and how long it would to get everyone out of harm’s way. But so far the city has not provided evidence that it has done this, or said when it would provide it.The Los Angeles Times’ Noah Haggerty started looking into this and he joins Rebuilding LA host Kate Cagle to talk about it.

Guest: Noah Haggerty, LA Times reporter covering the environment, health, and science.

Nancy Cassaro-Fracchiolla, Pacific Palisades resident and former drama teacher at Palisades High

Noah’s Stories: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-07-31/la-councilmember-traci-park-pushes-city-to-analyze-evacuation-routeshttps://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-07-25/l-a-fire-evacuation-plans-remain-untested

A recent attempt by the California state legislature to create a Rebuilding Authority to help coordinate the recovery and restoration of neighborhoods burned in the Eaton and Palisades fire was met with backlash. The language in the proposed bill was confusing, but, also, some of the information circulating about it wasn’t true, stoking the fear and anger of some residents. The bill, SB 549, has since been tabled, and it’s unclear what the next step is for this idea of a Rebuilding Authority. 

At the same time, concern over another building bill, now law, led local and state officials to quickly weaken its reach in the Pacific Palisades.

Los Angeles Times reporter Liam Dillon covers housing and recently wrote about all of this. He joins host Kate Cagle to talk about what happened and how some of these misconceptions could affect the rebuilding process. 

Unlike in previous fire disasters, FEMA did not test the soil in the Eaton and Palisades burn area after debris was cleared, raising questions about whether or not any harmful substances were left behind. Fires that burn that hot through a neighborhood can release a complex mix of chemicals into the air, like arsenic, chromium, mercury and lead, that can seep deep into the ground and into the walls and floors of buildings still standing. A reporting team from the Los Angeles Times decided to take it upon themselves to investigate and do their own testing of the soil around homes that had been cleared and those still in tact. Some of the results were alarming. 

Guests: Tony Briscoe, LA Times Environment Reporter, and Noah Haggerty, LA Times Science and Environment Reporter
Megan Lorick, Malibu Resident 

A Sample of Tony and Noah’s Stories: 

Communities are rebuilding after L.A. fires despite lack of soil testing for toxic substances

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-03-27/rebuilding-without-soil-testing
L.A. Times finds alarming levels of soil toxins in Altadena and Pacific Palisades

https://www.latimes.com/00000196-7dad-d12e-afbe-fffd3f110000-123

Pressure is mounting for soil testing post-fire cleanup. The Newsom administration is downplaying the concerns

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-06-12/elected-officials-call-for-soil-testing-after-la-wildfires
Nearly half of Pasadena Unified schools have contaminated soil, district finds

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-05-16/nearly-half-of-pasadena-unified-schools-have-contaminated-soil-district-finds

Nineteen people died during the Eaton Fire in January. All but one of them lived in neighborhoods west of Lake Avenue in Altadena. The 19th person lived just east of that border. It’s been reported that evacuation warnings were not issued in that neighborhood until early morning when the fire was already approaching people’s doorsteps. Now, a new investigation from the Los Angeles Times finds there was only one LA County Fire truck present at 3:08 AM as the flames swept into west Altadena. Reporter Rebecca Ellis looked into what happened and why. She joins host Kate Cagle to talk about it.Guests: Rebecca Ellis, LA Times Reporter
Victoria Knapp, Altadena resident and Chair of the Altadena Town CouncilRebecca’s story: A Times investigation: As west Altadena burned, L.A. County fire trucks stayed elsewhere: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-23/as-west-altadena-burned-county-fire-trucks-stayed-elsewhere