The January 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires leveled more than 16,000 homes, businesses and other structures. Thousands more were untouched by flames, but deeply contaminated by soot and ash blowing through open vents and unsealed doors.
What to do with these homes left standing has become a defining question in the aftermath of the Los Angeles County wildfires — one California is now poised to answer.
Two new laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom could make California the first state to regulate how contamination must be identified and removed from homes after wildfires, and when insurance companies must pay for it. It’s a decision that could have major consequences for what insurers pay after wildfires and what homeowners pay to get insurance…