Lisa Anderson, right, looks at items she and boyfriend Roger Cohn recovered from her home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 9, 2025.

Is there a government that Los Angeles’s fire victims can depend upon?

Probably not. Which is why they should demand the creation of a government of their own.

A year after the Palisades and Eaton fires savaged Southern California, L.A. is still burning — with frustration and anger. At revelations about the failures to prevent fires. And at the myriad problems of the fire recovery.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

To be fair, all levels of government have done extraordinary things in the fires’ aftermath, from fast lot clean-ups to streamlining of building permits. Yet it’s not enough. Fire victims say they feel fundamentally on their own — to deal with silos within L.A.’s feuding city and county governments, to find assistance from a large menu of state programs, to handle unscrupulous lawyers and contractors, and to battle with an insurance industry that offers uneven service and low-ball reimbursements.

If only there were some sort of government that could focus 24/7 on nothing else but post-fire recovery and repair.

Good news: There is. It’s called the Climate Resilience District.

CRDs can do two big things. First, as planning entities, these climate districts allow communities to collaborate on climate-related projects. Second, as governments,........

© San Francisco Chronicle