Bulldozing Black BMWs

Watching the wildfire coverage and saw roads blocked with vehicles. Blocked roads cleared with a big dozer to make way for firefighters and their equipment.

Sad. Not only are you losing your home and all your contents, but your vehicle is now scrap too. If by luck your home was spared, you are now targeted by looters. I read if you can rebuild within two years you are grandfathered in with the lower Prop 13 tax rates. Coming up on 18 months after the Lahaina fires only two houses have been completed.

I can't imagine the pain and suffering of so many people. Sad. Very, very sad indeed.

 

Not sure if it's the same video I was watching but people abandoned their vehicles in the middle of the street and took the keys with them. If you don't want your car bulldozed when you abandon it because you're boxed in, at least leave the keys in it.

 

Tax code says you have to apply for the property tax within 12 months of the damage to be eligible for the Prop 13 protections. Prop 19 allows two years to transfer taxable value to a home that was purchased or newly constructed within two years of the sale of the original residence. Sounds like there are sections of the code that allow up to five years if it is within the same county.

To me, it reads if you rebuild on the original parcel, you have Prop 13 protections without a time limit for rebuild if you apply for the protections in time.

https://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/disaster-relief.htm

 

So you rather them not be able to control the fire because vehicles are in the road????

It sucks for everyone but they firefighters and everyone trying to contain and put out the fire have to do what they have to do so try and limit the impact on hitting more folks. I'd rather watch my car get bulldozed so they can contain stop the fire then watch the fire go uncontained and grow and likely destroy the vehicle anyways. It's a lose lose for most folks involved.

 

I agree 100%. I don't think they any idea they would have to abandon their cars when they made the decision to drive away to safety. Not sure if this came into play but sometime during an evacuation, people only go as far as they have to in order to reach safety. Doing this blocks others behind you from reaching safety. I saw this once on Hawaii during a Tsunami warning.