Victims of the Palisades Fire are slamming the City of Los Angeles after they say they received bills alleging noncompliance with brush clearance rules despite having lost their homes.
Residents allege they have received $31 noncompliance bills in the mail over a year after the Palisades Fire occurred, according to FOX 11. Christine Martinez, one of the residents who lost her home in the fire, told FOX 11 receiving a noncompliance bill was “one final blow.”
“This is one final blow. After everything that happened, they’re still trying to take money,” Martinez said.
“I’m not paying it. It’s the principle of it,” she added. (RELATED: Los Angeles Fire Captain Reportedly Prioritized Saving Endangered Plants Over Stopping Fire)
Martinez tried calling the phone number listed on the bill, but couldn’t leave a message because the voicemail box was full. She tried writing them instead, but claims she has not yet received a response.
“They said to write, so I wrote last week and haven’t heard anything.” she explained.
Carol Sanborn, who lost the home she lived in for more than 40 years, offered a similar sentiment.
“I was a little astonished because there’s no house and no brush,” Sanborn told FOX 11.
“A lot of people are just angry about it,” she said.
Sanborn doesn’t plan to pay the fine and wrote to the city, calling the noncompliance bill “insulting and cruel.”
A spokesperson for Traci Park, a councilwoman for Los Angeles’ Council District 11, claimed the noncompliance bills were “automated notices from the [Los Angeles Fire Department]” in a statement obtained by FOX 11. Park labeled the bills as “tone-deaf” and said, “We are now directly in touch with LAFD leadership and looking forward to resolving the issue for our residents.”
Similarly, Mayor Karen Bass’ office described the bills as “unacceptable,” according to FOX 11.
Brush clearance rules include various guidelines for California residents, including the height to which grass must be cut, that cut vegetation and debris must be disposed of legally, and that brush clearance cannot take place on red flag days, or days when “fire weather conditions are at their peak.”
Less than 4% of residents have been able to start rebuilding their homes one year after the fire, as of January 2026. The Palisades fire started on Jan. 7, 2025, killing 31 people and destroying about 16,000 structures.
The Daily Caller contacted Park and Bass’ offices, who did not immediately comment.
The Caller also contacted the City Clerk’s Office, who deferred to Bass’ office.
