A Senate Committee hearing was held at the Legion by Senators Rick Scott and Ron Johnson
“If you can’t rebuild homes, you can’t rebuild lives.” Senator Rick Scott.
A U.S. Senate Committee hearing about the causes and circumstances surrounding the Palisades Fire and its aftereffects were held at the Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283 today, November 13, 2025, in Pacific Palisades.
U.S. Senators Rick Scott (Florida), chairman of a Special Committee on Aging and a member of the subcommittee on investigations, and Senator Ron Johnson (Wisconsin), who is the chairman of the permanent subcommittee on investigations, chaired the three-hour hearing about the January 7 Palisades Fire.
Resident and reality TV star Spencer Pratt spoke eloquently in opening remarks and asked why only the senators from faraway would hold a hearing and be concerned about what happened to Pacific Palisades residents.
The unspoken question was why hasn’t L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath or Governor Gavin Newsom or even U.S. Senators Alex Padilla or Adam Schiff held a hearing that specifically addressed the cause of fire, evacuations and the deaths. Why had they not stepped up to look into the issues, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again? Why were they not leading reconstruction of the community?
Pratt said, “Our family lost our home.” He pointed out this community is ignored because government leaders say Palisadians are rich, that no help is needed in rebuilding.
He disputed that myth and pointed out that homes are generational and that many families have lived here for 40, 50 and 60 years and bought homes when this area was cheap.
“I was born here, raised here and expected to die here,” he said, and then added that “12 people did die during the fire, incinerated, nearly all were elderly or handicapped. I’m here to honor their memory.”
He pointed out that so far there has been no accountability for the deaths or the fire.
“Brush went wild and wasn’t trimmed. The reservoirs were dry. We were left underinsured and uninsured,” Pratt said, and asked the Senators to use their powers to investigate what went wrong.
How did these two Senators became involved in the Palisades Fire? Scott said that through Spencer Pratt’s social media, a staffer brought attention to the issues of the fire and the rebuild and they visited the Palisades.
“It’s Spencer’s tenacity that gives victims their voice,” Scott said. The Senators visited in August and were struck by how nothing seemed to be happening.
“After a hurricane, we got people back as fast as possible,” said Scott, who was governor of Florida before becoming a Senator. “If people were not back in three months, there would be pitchforks.”
The Senators toured the Palisades again, today, 10 months after the fire. Scott said, “this is an unacceptable failure of officials. Billions and billions of dollars were sent to California for wildfire management, what happened to it?”
“We want to make sure this never happens again, anywhere,” Johnson said. “This is completely unacceptable what happened here.”
As this investigation gets underway, they are hoping that whistleblowers will step forward. The Senators are gathering information and will be able to subpoena information, but they are hoping that there will be cooperation from local officials.
(lLeft to right) Spencer Pratt, Senator Ron Johnson, Jessica Rogers, Tom Dornan, Rachel Schwartz, Senator Rick Scott, David Schwartz, John Alle and Bruce Schwartz pose after the hearing.
Then, six Palisades residents testified about their experiences in the January 7 Palisade Fire and included Tom Doran, David Schwartz, Jessica Rogers, John Alle, Bruce and his mom Rachel Schwartz.
Doran said his in-laws Georgia, 84, and Lee, 85, moved to Pacific Palisades more than 60 years ago, “I never imagined that at this stage in life – when I should be planning for retirement – I’d be standing here telling you how my family lost everything in the Palisades Fire, and how we’re still trying to piece our lives back together 10 months later.” (Doran’s letter will be printed in its entirety in CTN, next week.)
Schwartz noted that “The first obligation of state government is to protect safety.” And then he told the Senators that the federal government should not “write a L.A. a blank check.” He said that any money that comes to the state for the purpose of rebuilding the Palisades should come with conditions, including that Governor Gavin Newsom should appoint an independent reconstruction authority and that Palisades should not be required to rebuild infrastructure, such as sidewalks and streett.
He mentioned that in the NORC survey that the Pacific Palisades Community Council had commissioned that “Nearly 2/3 are confident with a rebuilding authority and that 75 % don’t have confidence in the city, county and state.”
Rogers addressed evacuation problems. “We never received evacuation warnings.” The mandatory evacuation notice came to her neighborhood, the El Medio Bluffs at 5 p.m., but houses were already burning. She pointed out that about a third of the population are elderly and they had inadequate warning. “The local government failed us on January 7 and continues to fail us,” Rogers said. “The city and county abandoned us during the fire.”
She also worried if FEMA dollars filtered through City won’t reach residents.
Alle pointed out that his parents lost their home in the fire and that the Mayor, L.A. County Supervisor and the Governor’s lack of planning and discussions to prepare for evacuation caused deaths.
About the Palisades Fire, “There was no warning, no calls, no police, no fireman,” he said and added, “The Pacific Coast Highway was full of stationary firetrucks.”
On January 8, he said houses were still burning. “This city helps L.A., now L.A. needs to help Pacific Palisades.”
Schwartz said he had been a resident for 25 years, but on October 23, 2024, he was dropped by State Farm Insurance. The only option was the Fair Plan, which costs twice as much, for half the amount of insurance. “The insurance check is covering less than 20 percent of our losses,” he said.
He lived in a condo and because of a vote of the association not to rebuild, “We have no home and no right to build here.
“How is this fair for hardworking citizens who did everything right and was left with nothing?”
His mother, 94, said that as a woman, she would not normally tell her age, nor testify but this was special circumstance. Born in Warsaw, Poland, she survived three concentration camps and a march during WWII. “I came to this country when I was 15,” she said.
For 35 years she sold real estate to make money to buy her home, that she shared with her son. “It was my safe place,” Rachel said. “Then the fire came and everything I owned disappeared in flames. It’s not easy to start again.
“I am not asking for pity, I am asking for help,” Rachel said. “Not only for me, but for everyone lost their home.”
The Senators asked why more pressure was not being put on public officials to give answers.
Schwarts said, “Most of this information should be available to the public, but the media is not gotten the information.
Johnson said, “The media needs to put pressure on elected officials.”
There seemed to be a consensus of the panelist that too many city positions are being filled by a federal mandate that results of people being hired for diversity, rather than competence.
The Senators asked about money in the budget for public safety, such as firefighting and were told that the State and the City are in debt. “They have overspent,” one said.
Regarding receiving FEMA money, those requests have to come through the governor’s office. Now that the shutdown is over, Newsom should be able to make those requests.
To contact Rick Scott: click here.
To contact Ron Johnson: click here.