Lew Horne & David Waite | The Los Angeles Wildfires: Recovery & Rebuild Update

Thirteen months after the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, Lew Horne and David Waite return to Leading Voices to provide a candid update on recovery, rebuilding, and the long road ahead.

With more than 13,000 structures lost, including over 12,000 homes, the scale of rebuilding remains immense. More than 3,100 permits have been issued and nearly 900 homes are now under construction, yet fewer than a dozen have received certificates of occupancy. The conversation explores why progress feels slow, what is working, and where friction still exists.

Lew and David discuss permitting timelines, the rollout of professional self-certification and AI-assisted plan review, the formation and progress of the Builders Alliance, insurance challenges, environmental cleanup standards, and the emotional realities families face when deciding whether to rebuild or relocate.

This episode also includes a prerecording of their earlier conversation, offering listeners helpful context on where recovery efforts began and how priorities have evolved over the past year.

They reflect on lessons learned, from public-private collaboration to resilience planning, and how these insights can shape responses to future natural disasters.

This episode offers an honest look at recovery, policy innovation, and the complex human decisions behind rebuilding communities.