Agents in LA embrace new roles as fire rebuild picks up

"The week restaurateur Tyler Wells reopened his Altadena restaurant after the Eaton fire, Compass agent Teresa Fuller snapped up a reservation. The scene was both joyous and painful. The restaurant, formerly Bernee and now called Betsy, had great food a farm-to-table concept whose white anchovy-topped Caesar salad and wood-oven cheesecake were renowned within weeks. But steps away, diners could see the hollowed-out Woodbury Building, a reminder of the destruction caused by January's fire."

"The fires were devastating, but it was after the flames were tamed that all hell broke loose. Government leaders scrambled for a game plan, inflamed residents pointed fingers, onlookers added their two cents, insurance was a terror, tariffs took on a new toll and opportunists entered the picture. Between the recovery, the outrage and the concern, the real estate industry in the region has settled into a new role."

"On Saturday nights since, it's become normal again to see Betsy patrons sitting outside on Altadena's Mariposa Street, an ordinariness many have craved since Jan. 7 when the Palisades and Eaton fires ripped through, destroying more than 18,000 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Fuller also frequents the Good Neighbor Bar and West Altadena Wine and Spirits, all in a bid to bring life back."

Reopening of an Altadena restaurant produced mixed emotions as patrons celebrated recovery while viewing nearby fire damage. Betsy, formerly Bernee, drew crowds for its farm-to-table menu, including a white anchovy-topped Caesar and wood-oven cheesecake. Residents affected by January fires faced home remediation, lost storage and contaminated offices, yet community routines — like Saturday nights on Mariposa Street — returned. The January Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed more than 18,000 structures. Recovery complications included government coordination challenges, angry residents, insurance problems, tariffs and opportunists. Real estate professionals assumed broader roles as advisors, community leaders and economic development actors during rebuilding.

Read at therealdeal.com