Climate Change & Housing: What the LA Wildfires Taught Us About Housing Policy

In January 2025, wildfires in Los Angeles killed at least 29 people, destroyed thousands of homes, and displaced thousands more. After the fires, Angelenos and their elected officials began figuring out what came next. On this episode of the Infill Podcast, our California Organizing Director, Leora Tanjuatco Ross, speaks with Azeen Khanmalek, Executive Director of the pro-housing advocacy group Abundant Housing LA, and Jordan Grimes, a Resilience Manager at the climate-focused Bay Area organization Greenbelt Alliance. In this episode, you'll get insights into some of the short and long-term implications of housing availability and affordability for people in LA after the fires. As we continue to see the effects of climate change in California and other areas, our guests dive into why dense housing is so critical to ensure that homes can be as resilient as possible and to mitigate the consequences of climate-related displacement. You'll also hear about different policies and lessons that elected officials can and should act on  to rebuild in the wake of the lost homes and to prepare for future climate disasters. Read our LA Fires Policy Memo: https://yimbyaction.org/blog/policy-memo-la-fires-and-impacts-on-housing/Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yimbyaction.bsky.socialFollow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/Follow YIMBY Action on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yimbyactionFollow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/