For the people of LA, the echoes of the devastation that came on January 7, 2025, still smolder. The Palisades Fire, a wildfire driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, grew over nearly a month at the beginning of 2025, devouring entire city blocks, sparking an evacuation order for over 100,000 people at one point, and destroying a staggering 6,500 homes.

One year later, the streets of the Pacific Palisades will be filled with the voices of frustrated residents and changemakers as they gather for the They Let Us Burn demonstration on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.

Accountability for the Los Angeles Wildfires

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Pacific Palisades village center, the rally aims to shine a spotlight on what many residents feel has been a dereliction of duty within every level of governance, from the City of Los Angeles and the State of California to LADWP, LA County fire officials, California State Parks, California Natural Resources Agency, state and local agencies, Governor Gavin Newsom, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The demonstration is a call for accountability, reform, and a concrete plan to rebuild after a disaster that many feel was entirely preventable.

Since the fire tore through the LA neighborhoods of the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga, less than 10% of residents have secured permits to rebuild. Many fled to neighboring areas such as Santa Monica and have yet to return home.

“The fire and resulting devastation were preventable. The city and state ignored warnings, ignored protocol, ignored lacking infrastructure, ignored its own firefighters, and today actively ignore the needs of a destroyed community,” said Palisades resident and rally organizer Mariam Engel. “Families are emotionally and financially crushed.”

The devastation to these communities didn’t end when the fire was eventually put out at the end of January 2025. A year later, many residents are running out of rental coverage and are being pressured by insurers to move back into homes that still contain toxic contamination or are otherwise unsafe for habitation. Others have nothing to return to at all and have had to rebuild their lives from scratch.

Entire blocks in the LA neighborhoods directly impacted by the fire still remain empty, some relegated to rubble. Many rebuild attempts have been stalled under the weight of red tape and insurance hurdles that many have found too great to overcome.

“What began as a terrible disaster has evolved into a prolonged crisis,” said Jeremy Padawer, resident, rally speaker, and publisher of PacificPalisades.com. “It’s been made worse by the lack of transparency, vision, and a slow, limited response from the city and state.”

Preventing another Cal fire: Ten Imperatives

The creators of the They Let Us Burn demonstration are rallying with “Ten Imperatives” that they believe will help families return while minimizing their losses. By speaking truth to power, the organizers hope to set in stone a workable plan of action, transparency, and settlement.

The Ten Imperatives include guidelines to avoid disaster profiteering, calling for no state or city sales tax on rebuilding and no permit fees. They also include a call for a ULA (United to House Los Angeles) holiday for five years, referring to the funding measure that allocates monies for affordable housing.

“While some people may believe that everyone in this area is a millionaire, there were thousands of people on fixed incomes or of modest means that lost everything,” explains Padawer.

The imperatives also call for brush-clearing measures to prevent future disasters, as well as budget transparency, evacuation and insurance planning, electrical undergrounding work, and the reinstatement and strengthening of the Palisades police substation. The Ten Imperatives have been created by those who saw devastation firsthand that came due to lacking infrastructure, unchecked fire hydrants, empty reservoirs, unmaintained dry brush, and a mayor who was absent from her post when the fires began.

Speaking and listening after the Palisades fire

The They Let Us Burn demonstration speaker list reads like a true cross-section of the community. Speakers include residents such as TV star Heidi Montag and jeweler Jaimie Geller, advocates such as Mike Kureth and Shawna Dawson Beer, and city officials, including former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Councilmember Traci Park is also slated to attend.

“We are hopeful that a range of voices will underscore that this is not a political protest,”  says Engel. “There are no sides here. This demonstration is a unified call for accountability.”

The demonstration’s organizers want to be clear that the rally is not about right or left; it is about right versus wrong. Despite the devastation people are still dealing with and the heavy subject matter the speakers are grappling with, the organizers are emphasizing the resilient community spirit and constructive engagement that the rally will spark. They are inviting anyone to come and raise their voices for those who feel they have remained unheard for the past year.

Residents of the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga neighborhoods of LA see the January 7th anniversary as not only a time to reflect on the tragedy, but also a turning point — a time to reclaim their community, their connection to one another, and to demand the accountability that has thus far been withheld.

“We are resilient,” says Padawer. “But that shouldn’t be mistaken for acceptance. We will rebuild, and we will make it known that they cannot ignore us any longer.”