Montecito residents got an update from Santa Barbara County officials Wednesday night about the rebuilding effort in the town ravaged by fire and flooding earlier this year.
Officials discussed the "like-for-like" ordinance which changed permit requirements to make it easier for homeowners to rebuild damaged or destroyed homes.
"We’ve gone through three fires in nine years, so we’re getting seasoned on how it works," said Montecito resident Denise Adams. "We don’t like it but you want to do everything you can to prevent it and we also have great concern for those who lost their homes and their lives. Hopefully, some of our experience can be used to help them."
Authorities say it has cost the county $110 million so far to remove debris pushed into town on January 9.
Wednesday on the Ellen show, actor Aston Kutcher donated $4 million in cryptocurrency to help fund the clean-up efforts.
