Losing your home is catastrophic but not the end of the world

One of my undergraduate professors at Stanford University was a refugee from Nazi Germany. He fled to India without any possessions. He told us how free he felt. I don’t think many of us would feel that way if we lost our homes, especially if these were the homes where we had spent most of our lives starting as newlyweds.  Homes where our children were raised and grew up. Or homes where we had saved over a lifetime to afford. Homes which give us a sense of security in our old age.   

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My son and daughter-in-law lost their home in the Pacific Palisades in the recent fire. It was not in the movie star part of the Palisades but was located at the top of a steep hill above Temescal Canyon. It was a ranch style home with an extraordinary view. Here’s what he told the Los Angeles Times: Robert Lempert said that he and his wife, Nancy Perloff, had lost their four-bedroom Palisades home of 31 years when the fire broke out Tuesday. They had seen the smoke immediately and fled; as they drove east, Lempert watched the home go up in flames through their remote security system footage.

“The smoke alarm in the house went off around 1:15 and then you could see all the windows pop,” Lempert, a climate risk analyst, said. “Best as I could tell, it was gone by 2 o’clock.”

The couple have since had to relocate three times. The first night they stayed with their son in Los Feliz, then they moved into their nephew’s apartment in West Hollywood. By Sunday, they were at a friend’s house in Westwood, where they plan to stay for the next month before looking for a more permanent place.

Lempert, 67, is not certain whether they will rebuild. They loved their home but were long aware of the risks.

“It was on a ridge overlooking the ocean, utterly beautiful,” he said. “But a location where fire was always on one’s mind.”

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It’s interesting how politicians reacted to the fire. President Trump should and will regret his harsh words about California. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass should regret being out of the country. Whatever you think of Gov. Gavin Newsom — he has used the fires to achieve much news coverage but is also doing what he was elected to do — protect the people of his state. Bass will probably have trouble getting re-elected. Newsom has upped his presidential credentials. Trump has not helped his. The public admires firefighters. Attacking them — the ones who keep us safe — is not a good idea.

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The Board of Supervisors may be interesting to watch with Jackie Speier returning to a former role and some of her colleagues not wishing to offend but hoping she doesn’t steal the spotlight.  Poor Mike Callagy, the county executive, has to deal with this delicately. Maybe he’s looking back at his former career as a police officer, a much safer role.

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Say it isn’t so. Hard to believe that Draeger’s Market in downtown San Mateo will be shutting down. Draeger’s opened 30 years ago and saved a dying downtown.  Because of Draeger’s, city officials were able to convince the Syufi brothers to open a downtown movie theater.  The movie family was not impressed with our small downtown but decided to take a gamble. If Draeger’s took a chance, why not? It was the movie theater which ultimately invigorated our downtown.

The deal was sealed at a lunch meeting at the former Cappelini’s restaurant.  Arne Croce, city manager; Barbara Kautz, community development; the Syufis; George Marcus, local attorney and friend of the movie family; and yours truly attended. After lunch, I invited the Syufi brothers to join me in a walk around downtown. I showed them downtown’s potential. They were convinced.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com