Mayoral candidate Raman unveils rebuilding plan for Pacific Palisades

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Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman unveiled a plan Wednesday to support the rebuilding of Pacific Palisades and reduce the risk of devastating wildfires throughout Los Angeles.The plan includes financial and procedural proposals widely supported by recovery organizations in the Palisades, including creating a “recovery district” headed by city officials and Palisades residents to oversee the rebuild and redirect some property tax in the Palisades to local infrastructure projects.

Those funds could potentially go to putting electrical lines underground, supporting local businesses or helping residents rebuild their homes to fire-resistant standards.Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member, called for further streamlining of the permitting process for rebuilds as well, including by creating a wide set of preapproved, fire-resistant building plans.Raman announced her plans amid burned-out lots north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades.A few curious residents gathered at an empty dirt lot where a home used to stand, now adorned with “Nithya Raman for Mayor” signs.“The fire that happened here last January, the devastation to our city and to the Palisades community was really unimaginable,” Raman said.

Now, residents are dealing with “insurance companies that wear families down until they give up, permits that take months to clear, homes contaminated with ash and lead that families feel like they’re forced to return to ...and speculators knocking at doors.”Her plan includes many of the demands Palisades residents have repeated for months at community events and on social media, such as keeping city reservoirs full during fire season and clearing flammable brush from the surrounding wildlands.To prepare for future fires, Raman plans to build a more reliable emergency communication system and hold the Los Angeles Fire Department accountable by publishing neighborhood...