When I speak with residents about home hardening, I often hear the same response: “I have insurance. Why would I spend all that money removing hedges and the Italian cypress if my house will just get rebuilt anyway?” On some level, it is hard to argue with that logic. Home hardening is not the most exciting way to spend hard-earned money. Removing mature hedges and trees that took years to establish can also mean giving up privacy on a lot that may already feel small and expo

It’s been just over 13 months since the Palisades and Eaton Fires forever changed the landscape of Los Angeles. I still remember the feeling that swept across the city on January 8, 2025 — that sudden, sobering realization that Los Angeles is far more fragile than we ever allowed ourselves to believe. In that moment, it felt like our city — this place we love — could disappear in a single firestorm. We watched on television as entire neighborhoods burned, and it became painfu