It wasn't bad enough finding out that some of $100 million raised for Los Angeles fire victims to rebuild their homes went to an organization that protests the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and other, completely beside-the-point, non-profits. Now, behold, another insult to the fire victims' injuries following the devastating fires of last January.
Squatters.
After your initial groan, what was your next thought? "Wait," you may have thought, "there are no homes there. They've been burned down! How can squatters do that when there's no structure to squat in?"
Welcome to the confluence of L.A.'s worst problems: Homelessness, illegal aliens flooding the state, and fires. In another realm, when three horrible things come together at the same time, it's the Bermuda Triangle. In L.A., it's like a homeowner's own personal ring of hell.
We learned about the squatting situation from a construction company owner who has been rebuilding and performing site preparation for victims of January's fires. Luke Melchior has worked in both Altadena and Pacific Palisades, which were hard-hit by the January fires, and he has been a whistleblower of sorts. He's openly criticized the company working on behalf of the Army Corps of Engineers for overly excavating and clearing dirt from burned-out home sites. He claims they are clearing lots and digging down three feet instead of the six inches required. He believes it's because this conglomerate makes more money by digging out more dirt.
Related: Sorry, L.A. Fire Victims, the NGO Borg Ate Your FireAid Money
And now, he says, in addition to doing his work, Altadena neighbors have asked him to shoo out the squatters occupying other people's properties.
Meanwhile the Mayor is busy helping illegals. pic.twitter.com/Q2e73zLMIH
— American Freedom🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@bankruptcy7now) July 22, 2025
One squatter erected a sign that says, "BEWARE" for some reason.
Melchior advises people to get security fencing around their lots and post "No Trespassing" signs around it. His initial post comes off as an advertisement for him to come by and do that work. Fair enough, but a bigger question is: Where are the cops? Why hasn't Mayor Karen Bass ordered enhanced patrols in the fire areas to stop this predation? Don't homeowners have enough expenses without having to pay yet another dumb-leadership premium?
"Yes, I predicted this because Karen Bass is not providing the police presence and the security that's necessary," radio personality John Kobylt claimed on his KFI Radio show. "So you have all this wide open land, empty lots, and the homeless guys. Hey, maybe it's the same guys who started the fire!"
Melchior believes that the two campers somehow used the addresses of each lot and signed up for a driver's license in an attempt to prevent anyone, even cops, from shooing them off the property. In an age of Real ID, that seems to be a suspicious claim, but, unsurprisingly, to accommodate all of its non-citizens illegally in the state, California does issue less than Real ID-compliant driver's licenses.
He says California makes it easy for squatters to take over your property, forcing you to go to court to stop them.
How to keep Squatters from taking over your LA Fire lot:
— Luke Melchior (@LukeMelchior307) July 22, 2025
Post “No Trespass” signs.
File notarized “No Trespass” with local law enforcement.
Establish a record! pic.twitter.com/v6cEbuV1bu
And, as if fire victims don't have enough to do, if they want to keep squatters off what was once their lawn, they are required to file a "no trespass" notarized document so law enforcement has the legal tool to shoo them away... if Karen Bass allows them to do that.
Speaking of Karen. Residents of Pacific Palisades are erecting signs in her honor.
John took a drive through Pacific Palisades this morning & saw this HUGE sign calling for @MayorOfLA Karen Bass to resign from her position! He mentioned on the show yesterday that these signs are popping up on properties throughout the area! @KFIAM640 pic.twitter.com/YifiwlzGWN
— The John Kobylt Show (@JohnKobyltRadio) July 22, 2025
Good advice.
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