Susan Spira called her insurer days after the Los Angeles wildfires destroyed her family’s home—only to be told her policy had been canceled. The reason: In the chaotic days after the house burned to the ground, her monthly premium hadn’t been paid.

“I nearly fell apart,” she said. Spira, a real-estate lawyer, fought back and the insurer, California’s Fair Plan, agreed her Pacific Palisades house was covered when the infernos sparked.

Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has started the appeal process following Mayor Karen Bass’ decision to fire her a week ago.

Her decision to appeal comes after Bass’ decision has spun up criticism from City Councilmembers and the public for what they say is "misrepresenting the facts."

Crowley announced the appeal to City Council members on Thursday.

"I choose to proceed with the Council appeal provided for in Los Angeles Charter, Article V, Section 5.08(e), due to Mayor Bass’s removal...

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a controversial plan that will increase daily dumping limits at three county landfills as crews continue to process debris from the Palisades and Eaton Fire burn zones. 

Property damage from the January wildfires in Los Angeles County, including the Eaton and Palisades fires, is estimated at between $28 billion to $53.8 billion, according to a report published Thursday.

Darren Gondry has owned his four-bedroom home near a golf course in Louisville, Ky., since 2004. He and his wife, Lori Gondry, paid off their primary mortgage in 2021. 

That hasn’t stopped other bills associated with homeownership from piling up. Their home insurance costs have risen 63% in two years. Their property taxes, utility costs and homeowners’ association fees have risen in recent years, too. 

“I was so sticker-shocked,” Gondry said of the mounting home-cost increases. “I fear they’re here to stay.”

State Farm, California's largest home insurance company, announced it would be discontinuing coverage for 72,000 homes and apartment policies in the state starting this summer.

The insurer blamed inflation, regulatory costs, and the increasing risks from catastrophes for its decision to scale back in the blue state.

Thousands of California homeowners will be out of luck as American National Group stops offering the state coverage.

American National, which was purchased by Brookfield Asset Management Reinsurance Partners for $5.1 billion around two years ago, is yet another insurance agency to leave the state as home repair prices surge amid wildfires and heightened HOA costs.

Before she moved into the first shelter village of “tiny houses” in San Francisco, Sharon Sandelin — a 66-year-old who goes by “Mama T” — had been sleeping on the streets.

Now she lives in a 64-square-foot unit with heat, electricity, a twin bed, desk, and chair. There is a combination lock on the outside. The gated community where some 70 other people now live is clean and cheerful-looking, painted teal and sea-foam green. Residents are connected with supportive services like health care and served three meals daily.

The rising cost of home insurance in Florida is pushing many residents to give up on coverage partially or altogether, selling their homes and even considering moving out of the state, readers told Newsweek. Some have already taken the plunge and left the state that they once considered heaven on Earth.