One year after catastrophic wildfires tore through Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and surrounding communities, rebuilding efforts across parts of California continue to move at a slow pace, leaving thousands of residents displaced and uncertain about the future.
In neighborhoods once filled with homes, the sound of construction equipment now signals incremental progress. Contractors have begun work on roughly 500 of the more than 16,000 structures destroyed by the fires, and only a small number of homes have been fully rebuilt. The limited recovery underscores the scale of the disaster and the challenges facing survivors navigating insurance claims, permitting hurdles, and rising construction costs.
Karen Martinez, a Malibu homeowner, is among those who have managed to move forward. After months of uncertainty, she broke ground on rebuilding her home in October, choosing to rebuild with fire-resistant materials in hopes of reducing future risk.
Asked whether the decision to rebuild came easily, Martinez said, "There were some moments in the very beginning where I was thinking about just selling the lot and moving on. I finally thought, 'Okay, I gotta do this. I have to educate all my neighbors on how to rebuild, and how to build back better.'"
For Martinez, rebuilding means prioritizing materials designed to withstand fire, including a concrete composite she says is more affordable than traditional wood framing.
"I know there are going to be fires here," she said. "To me, if I can live in a home that's not going to burn, it's paradise!"
Despite the constant noise from nearby construction sites, Martinez views the activity as a sign of forward momentum.
"Yeah, love that sound!" she laughed.
While some homeowners have been able to rebuild, the majority remain displaced. An estimated 80% of fire survivors are still without permanent housing, including Altadena chef Tyler Wells, who lost his home the night of the fires while he was working at his restaurant.
"To look back on it and think about what that moment was like is so surreal," Wells said, "because it just doesn't seem possible. But we were still here cooking for people and taking care of people."
Wells’ restaurant sustained only minor damage, even as surrounding buildings were destroyed. Returning to a business that survived while his neighborhood did not has been emotionally complex.
"Oh, man. A lot. A lot. One, it's probably survivor's guilt. Like, why is this still here? And then, truthfully, like, what do I do with a restaurant in the middle of a disaster zone? This was a neighborhood restaurant. It always has been. And now there's no neighborhood."
After months of reflection, Wells reopened the restaurant, primarily to provide jobs for his employees. He renamed it Betsy in honor of his late mother. Demand has been strong, with reservations booked weeks in advance, and Wells is now in the process of opening a second restaurant next door.
However, rebuilding a home is not part of his plan.
"The home I was in was a rental. And so, that is pretty simple math. But this is my home. It doesn't matter where I lay my head. I'm here all day."
For many homeowners attempting to rebuild, insurance complications have slowed recovery. An estimated 70% of survivors are experiencing delays or denials, as insurers either leave the market or dispute claims.
Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who oversees recovery efforts in Altadena, said the insurance system has failed many survivors.
"The reality is that the insurance industry has been broken for a long time," Barger said. "And it's really unfortunate that it came to this, and that the survivors are the ones that are feeling, really, the system broken in a way that's impacting their ability to move on. Many are still waiting, are still fighting with insurance."
Barger added that rebuilding efforts face another major obstacle: stalled federal funding. An estimated $40 billion in aid remains under review, leaving many families in limbo.
"It's really unfortunate that the politics kind of took over on this," Berger said. "I need financial support for the survivors."
Despite the obstacles, Wells says he sees resilience and optimism emerging within the community. Many of his customers are fire survivors themselves, finding moments of normalcy amid prolonged recovery.
"We try to meet people where they are and lead with empathy and say, 'Hey, you don't know, this person might be in halfway through a year-long fight with their insurance company,'" Wells said. "But what I've seen is there's a lot of optimism. There's a lot of people who have made peace with what happened."
He added that some survivors are finding opportunity in rebuilding.
"And people are finding these really beautiful ways to move forward and say, you know, 'Yeah, we had this house for 30 years and it was our family home and it was our dream home. But the garage door was crooked and it never closed.'"
Martinez is also focused on long-term improvement. After helping secure county approval for fire-resistant materials, she is encouraging neighbors to adopt similar approaches. Insurance companies have begun offering discounts for homes built with the materials she selected, potentially speeding up permitting and rebuilding timelines.
Asked how it feels to influence safer rebuilding practices, Martinez responded, "It does," before adding, "I mean, it does, but there's a part of me that wishes so many more people would jump on board with, you know using, noncombustible materials."
"And before it's too late."
"Right, exactly," she said. "Yeah, because we will get more fires, you know? It's just a matter of time."
As California communities continue to recover, the slow pace of rebuilding highlights the complex intersection of insurance, funding, policy, and climate realities. While progress remains uneven, residents say resilience, adaptation, and determination are shaping the path forward—one project at a time.
Originally reported by Jonathan Vigliotti in CBS News.
