Days later The Pacific Inferno destroyed PalisadesMaya Lieberman is desperately looking for a place to live. But unscrupulous landlords who raise prices make it difficult.
“The price gouging has become crazy, it’s obscene,” the 50-year-old designer told AFP. “I can’t find anywhere to go.”
The massive fires that have swept Los Angeles since Tuesday have destroyed entire neighborhoods and turned large areas of the city into ashes. More than 105,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes, while another 87,000 are under additional evacuation warnings, as authorities try to bring down a death toll that has already reached 16. On Sunday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said law enforcement had also received… There have been 16 reports of missing persons since the fires broke out last week, adding that he expects the number to rise.
One of the fires destroyed Pacific Palisades, an upscale area that was home to celebrities like Billy Crystal and Kate Beckinsale, and which – until this week – was some of the most desirable real estate in the United States.
With the area now under a mandatory evacuation order, even those whose homes escaped the inferno will need to go elsewhere for the foreseeable future.
The higher-than-average incomes of people forced from their homes there appear to have tempted opportunists, who see an opportunity to make money from the misery of others.
“We applied to a house…it was $17,000 a month, and they told us if we didn’t pay $30,000, we wouldn’t get it,” Lieberman said. “They told me they have people willing to give more and pay cash. It’s absolutely crazy.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta He warned against price manipulationLooting and other fraud attempts At a news conference on Saturday, he vowed to hold accountable anyone seeking to take advantage of bushfire victims. Bad actors are already trying to capitalize on the trauma and chaos caused by the fires, he said.
“We have seen companies and landlords raise prices,” Bonta said at the press conference. “This is called price gouging. It’s illegal. You can’t do it. It’s a crime punishable by up to a year in prison and fines.”