It was a day that many didn’t think would come before Christmas.
Pasadena resident Jun Lujan Tuesday, on Nov. 25, became the first homeowner in the Eaton fire burn area — which spans from Pasadena to Altadena to Sierra Madre — to receive a certificate of occupancy for a rebuilt primary home post-fire.
In June, Lujan, a 20-year resident of Riviera Drive in Hastings Ranch, received Pasadena’s first two rebuilding permits post-fire to reconstruct her home and an attached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on her property.
On Tuesday afternoon, orange-leaved trees, giant inflatable turkeys, bright red bows decorated yards — and just a few houses down, empty lots and signs that read “Hastings Ranch Strong.” Both reminders that the year is coming to a close for Hastings Ranch, a Pasadena neighborhood hit by the January Eaton fire.
Instead of an inflatable turkey, Lujan displayed something else: a certificate of occupancy, on her shelf. The first in Pasadena and the Eaton fire area, Lujan received a certificate of occupancy Tuesday, with thousands more going through the rebuilding process.
“It’s a happy [day],” Lujan said.
The certificate is a legal document that certifies a building’s compliance with applicable building codes and means it is safe to live in.
According to her husband, Robert Lujan, others in their neighborhood were skeptical they’d be done by Christmas. Rather, the reality was much quicker: with strict compliance to city codes, it took 23 days for their building permit to get approved and 138 days to finish building.
“I gave a lot of people advice: I told them […] Never fight the city,” Lujan said. “Every time people come over, I always encourage them. I say, don’t think about the cost. If you have money, build one room — because when you get one piece of roof, you have hope there.”
Others affected by the Eaton fire attended Lujan’s housewarming, like Annie Su, who came with her husband and child.
“It’s shocking to see it get completely done so fast — four months, you know,” Su said. “But it’s also very positive. If this happened to [Jun and Robert Lujan], it can happen for us. It’s hopeful for us to see.”
Pasadena City Councilmember Gene Masuda noted that many families aren’t so lucky. Many Pasadena residents with either partial or total fire losses are contemplating rebuilding versus selling.
“I was talking to my wife, and I said, ‘You know, if we lost our house, we would really have to think about rebuilding,’ or ‘Is it just easier to move into a home that’s already built,’” Masuda said.
Lujan owns and operates Funky East Design & Construction, an interior design and development business based in Pasadena. Her home that burned down in the fire had been newly constructed in 2020.
“It’s heartening to see a survivor reach the finish line,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. “This milestone reflects the resilience of our community and the tireless work of everyone helping families rebuild. Several additional house construction projects in Altadena are nearing completion, bringing hope to even more survivors in the weeks ahead.”
Pasadena has received 55 rebuild applications and have issued 13 so far, according to a city dashboard.
So far, Los Angeles County has received 2,381 rebuild applications and issued 866 building permits. As of Tuesday, 362 construction projects are underway and one has been completed.
According to Barger’s office, the one competed project is a 630-square foot ADU on a property in Altadena where the main home survived the fire.
Last week, the first certificate of occupancy was issued in the Palisades fire footprint, for a home built by developer Thomas James Homes, at 915 N. Kagawa St.
Joshua Silla is a Los Angeles County-based freelance writer.
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